Abdi-Heba

Chieftain of Jerusalem during the Late Bronze Age

Abdi Ḫeba (Abdi Kheba, Abdi Ḫepat, or Abdi Ḫebat) was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period (mid 1330s BC). Egyptian documents have him deny he was a mayor (ḫazānu) and assert he is a soldier (we'w), the implication being he was the son of a local chief sent to Egypt to receive military training there. Also unknown is whether he was part of a dynasty that governed Jerusalem or whether he was put on the throne by the Egyptians. Abdi Ḫeba himself notes that he holds his position not through his parental lineage but by the grace of Pharaoh, but this might be flattery rather than an accurate representation of the situation. At this time the area he administered from his garrison may have had a population of fifteen hundred people and Jerusalem would have been a 'small highlands stronghold' in the fourteenth century BC with no fortifications or large buildings.

Abdi Ḫeba's name can be translated as "servant of Ḫebat", a Hurrian goddess. Whether Abdi Ḫeba was himself of Hurrian descent is unknown. There is a mix of Canaanite and Hurrian influences (cf. Mitanni Empire) in this region.

During Abdi Ḫeba's reign the region was under attack from marauding bands of Habiru. Abdi Ḫeba made frequent pleas to the Pharaoh of Egypt (probably Amenhotep III), for an army or, at least, an officer to command. Abdi Ḫeba also made other requests for military aid in fighting off his enemies, both Canaanite warlords and bands of Apiru:

As a result, conspiracy charges are made against Abdi Ḫeba, who defended himself strenuously in his correspondence with Pharaoh. Abdi Ḫeba's ultimate fate is unknown.

Baikie, James. The Amarna Age: A Study of the Crisis of the Ancient World. University Press of the Pacific, 2004. Cohen, Raymond and Raymond Westbrook (eds.). Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.