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ANTON IVANOV/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

SEASIDE SCRIBES. Of all the Canaanite rulers corresponding with Egypt, Rib-Hadda of Byblos sent the most letters. From his ancient port city located on the coast of modern-day Lebanon (see the ruins of Byblos above), the king sent dozens of letters to Egypt. Through meticulous study of the texts, scholars have determined that Rib-Hadda had numerous scribes in his employ, each with distinctive handwriting and turns of phrase. Moreover, through chemical analysis of the clay tablets themselves, it is possible to identify their places of origin. Such evidence shows that while some scribes spent their careers at a single site, others traveled with the rulers for whom they worked, while still others visited Egyptian strongholds in Canaan or even attended the pharaoh’s court in Egypt.