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of justice. Beneath them were the native local rulers, more often
called mayors (¢azannu), who as representatives of their own vassal
city states were responsible of those same obligations, especially pay-
ing tribute and taxes, and also, for example, for supplying provisions
for Egyptian troops passing through their territory. Mayors also had
to be appointed or officially recognized by the pharaoh.The Courts
Two different courts are mentioned in the Amarna correspondence.
One was the pharaoh himself who constituted the highest court. He
only appears as judge in cases of high crimes or treason by vassals,
such as those allegedly committed by the rulers of Amurru. The
pharaoh would summon the accused vassal to his presence to answer
the accusations. In case of refusal (cf. the ultimatum in EA 162), he
could send a task force to seize the offender. Such crimes carried
the death penalty, and in all likelihood execution was within the
exclusive competence of the king.
If the litigation did not concern grave capital offenses, then the
pharaoh would dispatch one (or more) official or governor (ràbißu)
to decide in situon his behalf. That is, for example, what Rib-Hadda
of Byblos, as a party to a dispute, requests from his lord (EA 116:30,
118:15, and perhaps also 117:66).Functions
Compulsory Service
Aside from the obligations mentioned above, vassals were required to
provide their overlord with certain special services. Local rulers fur-
nished personnel to carry out works for the pharaoh, such as cultivating
his lands (e.g., in EA 365, in which the term spelled lú.me“ma-as-
sà.me“is generally translated “corvée workers”),^6 or to serve (cf. the
locally coined verb aràdu< ardu) in other military duties, such as pro-
tecting or guarding places and caravans or joining the pharaoh’s troops.Petitions
The Amarna letters contain without doubt the longest and most
repeated set of petitions from a subject to his lord known to us from(^6) See Mendelsohn, “On Corvée Labor.. .,” 32f.; Rainey, “Compulsory Labor
Gangs.. .,” 194f.
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