(Akhlamu) An ancient Semitic nomadic group in northern Syria, called “the enemies of the ASSYRIANS.” In the reign of AKHENATEN (Amenhotep IV, r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.), the Akhlane appear in the Egyptian correspondence known today as the ’AMARNA LETTERS. They are described as a vigorous clan on the Euphrates River and in the area of the Persian Gulf. The Assyrians, who found them a formidable foe, called them the “Akhlamu-Aramaeans.” The Akhlane disappeared soon after Akhenaten’s reign, possibly absorbed into other cultures or renamed in later historical periods.
