Aplahanda was a king of
Carchemish proposed to have reigned between 1786 and 1766 BCE.[1]
He was first known from a
cylinder seal translated by
Rene Dussaud in 1929. The seal was found at the base of the mound of
Ugarit before excavations began.[2][3]
At least 6 seals naming Aplahanda have been published. They are skilfully produced, and show mostly Babylonian influence, although some Syrian and Egyptian motifs are also present.[3]
He is also found mentioned in the
Mari tablets, reigning at the same time as
Yasmah-Addu and
Zimri-Lim, by whom he is addressed as a brother. His name was suggested to be
Amorite by I. J. Gelb and the hypothesis of a
Semitic origin was supported by
Wilfred G. Lambert.[4][3]
Aplahanda was succeeded by his son,
Yatar-Ami, who ruled for only two years. He is known to have died in 1766 from a letter of
Ishtaran-Nasir.[3][1][5]
His daughter called
Matrunna is also known; she had a non-Semitic, possibly
Hurrian name.
^Charles Virolleaud, "Les Inscriptions Cunéiformes de Ras Shamra", Syria, vol. 10, pp. 304–310, 1929; Claude F. A. Schaeffer, The Cuneiform Texts of Ras Shamra-Ugarit, 1939.