From Giovanni Pettinato, Ebla: A new look at history (Translated by C. Faith Richardson) Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991(?)

P36-7 Ebla was mentioned in Egypt at the time of Thutmose III (This implies that Ebla was still important at the time of the Theran explosion)

48-9 the development of cuneiform form ideograms (which could also have formed the basis for Egyptian Hieroglyphs, if Rohl is correct)

Most of what follows refers to the tablet archive, of approximately 2500 BC.

55 Around 2500BC, bilingual Eblaite-Sumerian dictionaries were available in several copies.

74 There are no personal monumental statues. The "king" had a seven year term, which was not renewed until the fourth king mentioned in the archives, Ebrium, who had four consecutive terms, placed one of his sons as governor of conquered Mari, and was succeeded by another (Ibbi-Sipis). Ebrium's sons also served as Treasurer. The heir-apparent in Ibbi-Sipis's reign of 17 years was his son, but the palace was destroyed before he could take over. Question: was this an internal revolt? It seems not have been foreseen by the palace occupants, who were surprised and unprepared when the palace burned.

75 Women occupied positions of power and prestige (as was also the case at Ugarit, a convenient trading connection to Crete, where this was also true). Women had salary equality, and held positions on public bodies.

76. After Ebrium left office in favour of his son, his wife--the new Queen Mother--directed property settlements. In some ways the Queen Mother was as important as the King, even when the King was serving a normal 7-year term, and was not the son of a previous king.

76-7 The king's actual designation meant "Chairman of the governors" with the title "lugal". The office was "en" when the king acted as the representative of the state.

77 Kings paid, rather than received, taxes.

78. Ebla was an open state, with no slavery. This was one of many ways in which it contrasted with Mesopotamia and with Egypt.

79 The Administrative Offices had 10 supervisors and 55 workers (this was for the library and the archives)

79 A major place was "the house of the bulls" which had 63 superintendants and 60 other workers. Weapon storage was there.

83 A jewel was found in the form of a human-headed bull, made in gold and lapis-lazuli, which had to have come from Afghanistan.

86 Ebla was the first to make trade the basis of its livelihood, as an art and a way of life. They innovated the model of purchase and sale, as opposed to barter. Silver was used as a medium of currency, and several distinct grades of silver and of gold were identified.

93. Several different types of lapis-lazuli were identified.

93 They deliberately varied the properties of bronze allows by altering the proportions of tin--according to their metallurgy manuals.

97 There were many other scientific texts, in phisics, minerology, chemistry and biology.

108ff There were Eblaite trade centres in many other kingdoms, some of them fortified. They may have served as embassies. Fine quality textiles were used as official gifts, along with gold and silver.

125 Ebla controlled Palestine, perhaps as far as Sinai.

128 Byblos was friendly but independent. It traded with Egypt and Cyprus, and possibly Crete.

140's to 150's Discussion of relations with Mari, Ashur, and the Sumerian states. Mari originally controlled Ashur, and prohibited Ebla trade to Mesopotamia. Ebla defeated Mari and concluded a separate treaty with Ashur (later the home of Sargon the great and his grandson who claimed to have bee the first to defeat Ebla). Ebla installed the son of King Ebrium as governor, but later returned the governorship to a Mari person, with guarantees of free Eblaite trade to Sumer.

156. There is mention of the "Palermo Stone" king list, which carries a record of the heights of the Nile floods. It would seem possble to correlate the Nile Floods with tree rings, to give an absolute date for the kings.

155 There is a reference to Pharaoh Pepi I in the Ebla Archives, which should date them, at least relative to Egypt.

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