Prior to the Great Syrian Wars by Suppiluliuma I of Hatti, most of northern Syria west of the Euphrates was controlled by Tushratta of Mitanni. During the wars, the Syrian states rebelled against Hittite control. Ugarit was among the states providing less resistance. After the war, the Syrian states became vassals of Hatti.
In Amarna Letter EA 45, Ammittamru I writes to the King of Egypt seeking support. The king of Egypt is variously thought to be the late reign of Amenhotep III[1][2] or in the first years of Akhenaten.[1] However, it might also date to the time of Tutankhamen if the Hittites were attacking the Mitanni Empire in northern Syria. If Mitanni was breaking up under the threat of the Hittites, a city-state may try to gain overlordship from Egypt.
The damaged letter includes emphatic promises of allegiance to Egypt, as the occasion is said to be the repeated threats from a king of a land whose name is broken off, possibly the land of the Hittites, due to their long struggle with the Egyptians.[1] Another good example for such letters that show submission to Egypt is KTU 2.23 = RS 16.078+.15-24 sent to a contemporary pharaoh that says:
... And I am [your servant] who begs [for life to] the Sun, the great king, my lord. Then do I not pray for the life of his soul before Ba'al Saphon my lord, and length of days for my lord before Amun and before the gods of Egypt who protect the soul of the Sun, the Great King, my lord? [3]
As Tushratta of Mitanni lost his control of the land west of the Euphrates, and Suppiluliuma I tried to gain control, the Syrian city-states mobilized a resistance and sought the support of Egypt.
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