Akšapa
From ArchaeoWiki
| Representative writings and transliterations | |
|---|---|
| Akkadian | Akšapa |
| Egyptian | Jksp |
| NW Semitic | |
| Greek | |
| Latin | |
| Arabic | |
| Other | Akhshaph |
| Contemporary | Tell Keisan |
The cuneiform toponym Akšapa is identified with Akhshaph at the site of Tell Keisan.
The toponym is represented in Egyptian hieroglyphic sources as:
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Contents |
Location
Akko Plain
Status
City-state and territory
Leadership
- Endaruta (Amarna period, late 14th century BCE)
Primary Sources
- EA 223
Secondary Sources
- TIII Karnak §40
- pHermitage 1116A vs 70, 187
- EA 366:20-28 (Šuwardata)
- EA 367 (Pharaoh to Endaruta of Akšapa)
- pAnastasi I, 21, 4
- Joshua 11:1, 19:25;
Discussion
Textual evidences suggest that Akko and Akšapa represented two fo the most important cities in the Akko Plain during the second millennium BCE.
As such, two main candidates have been suggested for sites that could feasibly be identified with Akšapa: Tell Harbaj, near the southern border of the Akko Plain, and Tell Keisan, on the eastern side of the Akko Plain, south-east of Akko itself [Briend 1972; Lemaire 1991:140-141; Lipinski 1991:158-159].
Considerations of size favour the latter identification: whilst Tell Harbaj is a small mound (3-4 ha), Tell Keisan is an impressive and larger site (c. 6 ha) which clearly dominates the surrounding area. Moreover, excavations conducted at Tell Keisan [Humbert 1993] indicate its settlement in both the second and first millennia BCE, fitting textual indications extremely well.
Petrographic analysis of EA 223 [Goren et alii 2003:231-232] - labelled as coming from Akšapa - determines that its clay almost certainly originated at Tell Keisan in preference to any other nearby site candidate (such as Tell Harbaj). This result, together with the significantly larger size of the mound at Tel Keisan, strongly supports the identification of the important Canaanite city-state at this location.
Observations
An envoy from Jksp is designated as a mryn (maryannu) and allocated one measure of beer and grain upon arrival at the Egyptian court.
Bibliography
Prosopography
- Endaruta: Amarna Personal Names §
Identification
- Briend, J. [1972], "Akhshaph et sa localisation à Tell Keisan", Revue Biblique 79 (1972), pp.239-246.
- Lemaire, A. [1991], "Asher et le royaume de Tyr", in Lipinski, E. (ed.), Phoenicia and the Bible [Studia Phoenicia XI], Leuven, 1991, pp.135-152.
- Lipinski, E. [1991], "The Territory of Tyre and the Tribe of Asher", Lipinski, E. (ed.), Phoenicia and the Bible [Studia Phoenicia XI], Leuven, 1991, pp.153-166.
Discussion
- Humbert, Jean-Baptiste, "Keisan", NEAEHL 3, pp.862-867.
