Rib-Adda of Byblos: Power and Diplomacy, between ca 1360 and 1340 BC – by Dr. Marc Abou Abdallah
Cardahi Foundation
Rib-Adda of Byblos is undoubtedly the most prolific and diligent ruler in the fourteenth century BC in the Levant. He addressed the single largest number of the Amarna epistolary corpus, 67 (or 68) out of 350 letters, to the Egyptian court, during an era which is commonly known as the Amarna period. This talk aims to reconstruct the reign of Rib-Adda during this period, which spans approximately fifteen years. This will be done in this talk based essentially on the combination of the Amarna correspondence and a fresh analysis of other textual sources and archeological evidence. The speaker will dwell upon the complex and multifaceted challenges that had been faced by Rib-Adda, and his drawbacks since the latter failed to convince the Pharaoh to assist him. Additionally, the talk will shed some light on several neglected points such as the geopolitical dimensions of the mid-Levantine region, the diplomacy in the fourteenth century BC, and the famine that took place in Byblos at that time.
Bio:
Marc Abou-Abdallah is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern ancient history and languages from La Sorbonne University in Paris, granted in 2010. Since 2011, he has taught in several Canadian and Lebanese universities, including courses related to the past and the contemporary Middle East as well as topics including the invention of the alphabet, the historical contexts for the wars and conflicts of the Middle East, Psephology, and others. He has published a variety of articles and books, including L’histoire du royaume de Byblos à l’âge du Fer (1080-333), Studia Phoenicia 22 (2018).
He continues today his research on the ancient history of the Near East during the Late Bronze Age, based on new archeological finds and new interpretations of the textual sources. His studies aim to draw more attention to some neglected aspects, such as the geopolitical dimensions of the Levant, diplomacy, wars, and conflicts.