Upu

Key takeaways

Upu belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Upu to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Upu from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Upu (Apu/Aba/Apa/Apina/Ubi/Upi), was the region centered on the city of Damascus in the Late Bronze Age.

History Damascus was named Dimašqu / Dimasqu / etc. (for example, "Dimaški"-(see: Niya Kingdom), in the letter correspondence.

Late Bronze Age

Battle of Megiddo Trevor Bryce (2012) states that Upu was among the cities/kingdoms fighting at the Battle of Megiddo against Thutmose III of Egypt (c. 1479 BC).

Amarna period In the Amarna Letters (c. 1350 BC), the region is mentioned in three letters, EA 53, 189, and 197 (EA is for 'el Amarna'). Etakkama of Qidšu (Kadesh) in the Beqaa (named the Amqu) is in partial control, between allegiance to Pharaoh, and conjoining forces with the king of Hatti. The intrigue of the three Amarna letters appears to involve areas to the north and northwest of Damascus, into Lebanon and the Beqaa (named Amqu).

EA 053. Qaṭna [client letter] (o 001) (Speak) to mnam-ḫur-ia (Akhenaten/Tutankhamen), the son of the Sun god, my lord, a message from [A]kizzi, your servant. I fall seven times (and) [seven times a]t the feet of my lord. (o 004) My lord, I am your servant, alive and not dead [(Akk. gloss: dead). I] belong to my lord, and am now, my lord, the servant of my very lord in this place. In this place, I, myself, a[m] now your very servant, the one who belongs to my lord, but the king of the land of Hatti is [n]ow <cau>sing Etakkama to campaign [again]st me, and he (i.e., Etakkama) has been desiring my head. (o 011) But now [Etakka]ma has sent a message to me and said: "[Come] with me to the king of the land of Hat[ti]! " I [sai]d: "How can I [go t]o the king of the land of Hatti? I belong to [my] lo[rd, king of the land of Eg]ypt." I sent a message and [...] to the king of the land of Hatti. (o 017) My lord [...] and this land [...]. But if [....], so my lord should dispatch him as [quickly] as [possible] so that he can come here a[gainst E]ṭakkama. As my lord [...] your face [...], he will become afraid, and the land of A[pu will change allegia]nce to my lord. (o 024) My lord, Haddu/Teššub-nerari, [king of the land of Nuhašše], is an enemy of the land of H[atti, together with Etakkama]. [Haddu/Teššub-nerari is a servant] of my lord, and the land of Nu[hašše is a land of] his forefathers.. My lord, E[takkam]a came, and [he seized the land of Ap]u, lands [o]f my lord. And he captured the house [of Biryawaza]. He captured 200 i[ngots of ...], he captured 300 ingots [of ...], and he captured 100 ingots [of ..., everything] from the house of Biryawaza. (o 035) My lord, Tiwate of L[aban]a and Arzawya of Ruhizu are at the disposal of Etakkama, and he is burning the land of Apu, lands of my lord, with flames. (r 040) My lord, just as I am loyal to the king, my lord, like so (are) the king of the land of Nuhašše, the king of the land of Niya, the king of the land of Zinzar, and the king of the land of Tunanab; these ones are the entirety of the kings belonging to my lord, (that is) his servants. (r 045) As the king, my lord, is able to, he should ca[mpaign]. But if the king, my lord, does not campaign, my lord should dispatch the regular army so that it comes to this land. [A]s, my lord, these kings are his servants, my lord’s official should command whatever (as) their gifts so that they can give them. (r 052) My lord, if this land is a concern for my lord, my lord should dispatch the regular army so that it comes here. (Only) my lord’s messengers have arrived here. (r 056) My lord, if Arzawya of Ruhizu and Tiwate of Labana are present in the land of Apu, and Taššu is present in the land of ʿAmqu, my lord should know about them. As the land of Apu does not belong to my lord, daily they were sending messages to Etakkama and they said as follows: "Come here and capture all of the land of Apu!”

(r 063) My lord, just as Damascus in the land of Apu {Hurr. falls} at your feet, like so{Hurr. may} Qaṭna {Hurr. fall} at your feet. My lord, one requests life for my messenger. [A]s I am not fearful of my lor[d’s] regular arm[y] because the regular troops belong to [my] lord, when he dispatches (them) to me, [they] will ent[er] into Qaṭna.

EA 189. Qadesh [client letter] (o 001) To the king, my lord, a message from Etakkama, your servant. I fall at the feet of my lord, my Sun god, seven times plus seven times. (o 005) My lord, I am your servant, but the evil Biryawaza was defaming me before you, my lord – and while he was defaming me before you, he captured from me the entirety of my paternal estate outside of the land of Qidšu, and he sent my cities up in flames (Akk. gloss: fire) – but, look, the commissioners of the king, my lord, and his senior officials know my loyalty. Since I spoke to the senior official Puhuru, the senior official Puhuru should know that [...] the house of [....] (r 01') [... ...] Biryawaza. In this manner, I serve you together with all of my brothers. Wherever (there is) hostility towards the king, my lord, I myself go together with my troops, together with my chariots, and together with all of my brothers. But, look, Biryawaza permitted all the cities of the king, my lord, (to go) to the habiru in the land of Tahšu and in the land of Apu. But I arrived – your gods and your Sun god were going before me – and I restored the cities to the king, my lord, from the habiru out of service to him, and I made the habiru go away. So the king, my lord, should rejoice concerning Etakkama, his servant. I serve the king, my lord, together with all of my brothers.

(l.e. 24') I serve the king, my lord, but Biryawaza caused all [your] land[s] to go out of (your) control. His intention] is to do violence, but I am [your servant] in perpetuity.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Upu

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Upu claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Upu before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Upu ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Upu

In research: Upu appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Upu in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Upu is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Amarna letters locations, Ancient Damascus, Ancient Egypt stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Upu outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Upu in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Upu means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Upu out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Upu in simple terms?

Upu (Apu/Aba/Apa/Apina/Ubi/Upi), was the region centered on the city of Damascus in the Late Bronze Age. History Damascus was named Dimašqu / Dimasqu / etc.

Why does Upu matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Upu?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Upu.