Mi-Lim

TELL EL AMARNA

Site on the Nile in Egypt. Ruins of the city of pharaoh Akhetaten (c.1352-1336 B.C). Finding place of 382 tablets (up to the year 2000) in cuneiform script, who are describing the quarrels in Canaan in the 14^th century B.C. during the reigns of the paraohs Amenophis III and IV and of Tutankhamon. Most of the tablets contains letters from persons in Canaan to the pharaoh. Letter 101 is particularly importance, because for the first time non-Egyptian ships were used in attacks by a mysterious people: the Mi-lim and also by the people of Arwada. Although it is just before the time, that we are going to speak of the Phoenicians, this is very curious and peculiar.

Tablet 101 is made by a man in Gubla (Byblos) to a high Egyptian official or even the pharaoh himself. The beginning of the letter is missing. The communication starts with the statement, that Haia is an enemy of the pharaoh. Then the Mi-Lim people and the ships of Arwada are mentioned. It seems, that the Mi-lim are an independent people, probably of an island and sea-faring. The people of Arwada seem to have been allied with the sons of Abdi-Aširta of Amurru towards Gubla.