Amarna letter EA 365, titled Furnishing Corvée Workers,[1] is a squarish, mostly flat clay tablet, but thick enough (pillow-shaped), to contain text that continues toward the right margin, the right side of the obverse side, and also to the right side of the reverse side of the tablet.
The text is continuous, such that a final line (line 31) is needed, and is written on a final available edge of the tablet – thus text is found upon 5 sections — Obverse, Bottom Edge, Reverse, Top Edge, and Side.
Letter EA 365 is authored by Biridiya of Megiddo and is written to the Pharaoh of Egypt (in the 14th century BC, Egypt referred to as Mizri/Miṣri). The letter's subject is the harvesting of crops by corvée (forced) labor men/women.
(Lines 1-7)--"Say [to the ki]ng, my lord and my [Su]n: Message of Biridiya, the loyal servant of the king. I fall at the feet of the king, my lord and my Sun, 7 times and 7 times.
(8-14)--May the king, my lord, take cognizance of his servant and his city. In fact only I am cultivating: (gl (AL)} ah-ri-šuin Šunama, and only I am furnishing corvée workers.
EA 365, Reverse:
(15-23)--But consider the mayors that are near me. They do not act as I do. They do not cultivate in Šunama ("City-ŠuNaMa-(His)") and they do furnish corvée workers.
(24-31)--Only I: (gl (AL)} ia8-hu-du-un-ni (by myself)furnish corvée workers. From (City) Yapu they come, from[my] resourceshere, (and) from (City)-Nuribta-(Nu-Ri-iB-Ta). And may the king, my lord, take cognizance of his city. --(complete EA 365, with minor lacunae, lines 1-31)
