YASHUR : ASHUR

BERLIN PEDESTAL

 

In 1913 Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt purchased from an Egyptian merchant in antique market a piece of grey granite - probably broken from a base of a pedestal, roughly 40x45 centimeters inscribed in hieroglyphics with three name rings of captured enemies by a pharaoh. The two name rings clearly shows the hieroglyphics for Ashkelon and Canaan, but the 3rd has a broken off at the edges leaving incomplete hieroglyphic image. 

Prof. Manfred Görg believed the missing hieroglyphic letter to be a vulture symbol as it has preserved beak-like incision. After 2001, other research has been done, and 3D scanning and lit photography were taken, which provided the degree of certainty that indeed it is a hieroglyphic vulture - with apparent beak, left leg, claw and belly outline.

There are 5 hieroglyphic letters in this 3rd ring:

Y- 'a - sh3- y - r,

that can be read "Ashur," as also read by Prof. Robert Ritner. 

"Yashur" is somewhat located in what we called today Judah near Ashkelon and Canaan:  perfectly matches for what Balaam named "Asshur," which was traveling toward Negev, when he uttered in his oracle:

"And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 

And when [Balaam son of Beor] looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. 

And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. 

And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God does this! 

And ships shall come from the coast of Kittim [Cyprus], and shall afflict Asshur and Eber, and he also shall perish for ever." -Numbers 24:18,20-24

The "Yashur" of Berlin Pedestal and "Asshur" of Balaam being located in the same region near Ashkelon are not coincidental. Even king Rameses II (in his Temple at Abydos, List 25.8) describes a certain "y-s-r" that may refer too to "Yashur" and locates it near between Shut (Moab) & Shat (north of traditional Sinai) in the vicinity of now known Judah.

Egyptian army scribe Hori (fl. 1230- c.1160 BCE), describing places of king Rameses II's time, locates 

" i-s-r, "

(Ashur, Isser, Isru)

between Jordan and Debir/Hebron (Papyrus Anastasi I, 22.4- 23.1). In Satirical Letter 23.5-24.1, he reported that its well-known fighter was Kazardi.

Further to identify the exact location, at Wadi Abbad Rock Temple (List 17, no. 4), king Seti I (1290-1279 BCE) listed "y-sh3-r" ("Ashur") between Kadesh (a region near the shrine of Hathor in Atika, Edom) and "m-k-m" (Makam/Magan: copper mining site, either Athika and/or Phunon). This "y-s-r " has an Egyptian hieroglyphic sign for a foreign land (or state, a country that has a military capability) but the pharaoh did not considered it as a great resistance or enemy, exactly identical to the "y-s3-r" named by king Amenhotep III in List 9.f-4.

 The latter's hieroglyphic spelling is similar to "i-s-s-w-r" (Asshur) except that the first hieroglyphic symbol for "-s-" is a male human, which resembling the second symbol in "y-sh3-r" of Seti I. 

In Great Temple of Amon at Karnak (Lists IV, no. 10), king Thutmose III (1479-1425 BCE) mentions

" 'iss(w)r " 

("Assur"), 

near Libna (r-r-b-n-y), in Judah,

and like Berlin Pedestal's "yash3r " it has no hieroglyphic sign for foreign land, suggesting that it was not considered foreign nation and not a resistance to Egypt. The different spelling, particularly the double " -ss- " corresponds to what Genesis 25:3 named "Asshurim," which were great greatgrandsons of Abraham (1738-1563 BCE) to Keturah.

"Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan,.. And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim."

-Genesis 25:1-3

 Onomasticon of Amenope is more specific because it locates "Asshur" between Gaza and Shubaru (Shobal, Seir) when it listed:

 

"Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gaza,

 

Asshur,

 

Shubaru [...] Sherden [Sered], Tjekker [Dor], Peleset [Philistia], Khurma [Hormah]."

This geographical arrangement clearly corroborates what the Berlin Pedestal's toponyms have been describing - that Yashur (Ashur) was near Canaan and Ashkelon, needless to say, that it was in the area now known Judah. Balaam suggests that in or before his own time, this Asshur had captured Kenite. Kenite was the latter title of Kushite Midianite.priest Reuel Jethro (Judges 1:16). The term "Kenite" was historically first mentioned by Egyptian army scribe Hori (c. 1207- c.1160 BCE) in Papyrus Anastasi I, 22.6-23.1 and it was related to their job, being smitters, of copper brought from Athika (Edom) and Phunon. 

Balaam (1190 BCE) informed us that Kenite was brought captive by Asshur. But the back up of Israel, the ships from Kition (Chittim), Cyprus, would afflict Asshur and Eber.

ANOTHER READING OF THE TERM YASH3R

There is a suggestion that the reading of "Y-'a-sh3-y-r"  must be 

Y-'A-Sh3R-Y-L, 

inserting "R" between "sh3" and "-y-", but this way of insertion is unusual if "R" is between two vowels or not at the end of the word. Besides, the many mentioning of "Ashur," "Asher," "Assur," "Isser, etc. in records may not strengthen the Occam's razor for "Y-a-shar-el," except by changing the other "Ash3r" into Ash3Rr, which is very unlikely. Another important thing, king Merneptah clearly identified Israel by the name 

"Y-s-r-y-r"

and not "Y-s-y-r." 

Besides of the fact, that Berlin Pedestal describes "Y-'a-sh3-y-r" to be near Canaan and Ashkelon, very much similar to the description given by Onomasticon of Amenope that "Asshur" was between 

"Ashkelon-Ashdod-Gaza" 

and 

 

"Shubaru" (Shobal, Edom), 

corroborating Balaam Ben Beor who informed us about the travel of "Asshur" to Negev, south of Judah.

The argument for spelling (by inserting "-R-") is weak when compared to the fact that Asshur was between Jordan and Debir or between Gaza and Shobal, besides of the fact that Egyptian writer gave the correct hieroglyphic spelling for Israel and Yash3yr, that these two are distinguishable to each other and cannot be identified as one & the same name.

HISTORY OF ASHUR BASED ON TOPOGRAPHIC LISTS 

To summarize the history of Asshur or Ashur: 

During the time of king Thutmose III (1479 -1425 BCE), Asshurim were not considered a foreign nation, neither they were a great resistance. This was true even in the Berlin Pedestal's record, except that some of them joined with the Ashkelonite and Canaanite rebels when they were living near Libna or in what we called today Judah. From king Amenhotep III (1390 -1351 BCE) till Seti I, they became a foreign nation (i.e. with military capability) but the pharaohs did not considered them as a great resistance or enemy. Amenhotep III located them near Carchemish, whereas Seti (1290-1279 BCE) located them between Magan & Kadesh. During the time of Kenite Jethro (fl. 1269-1229 BCE), they probably claimed their ancestral territory in Negev, between Edom and Judah, and the Onomasticon of Amenope may corroborate this act.

In the list of Amenope in the reign of Ramesses IX (1129-1111 BCE), Asshur was settled between Gaza and Shubaru (Shobal, Edom). This geographic position corroborates the record of Berlin Pedestal, giving us confidence that we are talking one & the same group of people (the Asshurim people).