Akhenaten’s Foreign Policy:The Amarna Letters

Migdol-type fortress and Egyptian governor’s palace at Afek, Israel.

Amarna Archive - History

• 1887 local Egyptians came upon clay tablet and started clandestine digging

• Sold to Vorderasiatisches Museum (Berlin), Cairo museum (Egypt), British Museum (London), Louvre (Paris) and private collectors

• 1891-1892 Petrie• 1903 Chassinat• 1911-1914 Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft• 1921-1924 Egypt Exploration Society

EA 294: Adda-danu to Pharaoh

Say to the King, my lord, my god, my Sun…

Find spot

• Brick stamp: “house of the letters of the pharaoh”

• Near “House of Life”• Petrie found examples in

situ• No stratigraphy• Impossible to know

originally filing system

Tomb of Scribe Thay (19th dyn. - TT23

Further Archaeology

• 1 letter found at Tell el-Hesi (Palestine) belongs to the correspondence

• Other similar texts found at Hazor (Palestine)

Numbering System

• Knudston’s numbering system: begins with Babylon then works counter clockwise around the Near East to Canaan– Babylonia (EA 1-14)– Assyria (EA 15-16)– Mittani (EA 17, 19-30)– Arzawa (EA 31-32)– Alashia (EA 33-40)– Hati (EA 41-44)– Syrian and Canannite vassals EA 45- )

Amarna Archive - Language

• Clay tablets written in cuneiform, the lingua franca of the Near East in this period

• EA 15 (Assyrian)• EA 24 (Hurrian)• EA 31-32 (Hittite)• Rest Babylonian• 3 lines of Hieratic on EA 23

Letters to Powers

• Exchanges of gifts between rulers (e.g., fancy furniture, gold, linen)

• Diplomatic marriages • Address each other as “brother”

Chronology

“Despite a long history of inquiry, the chronology of the Amarna letters, both relative and absolute, presents many problems, some of bewildering complexity, that still elude definitive solution. Consensus obtains only about what is obvious, certain established facts, and these provide only a broad framework within which many and often quite different reconstructions of the course of events reflected in the Amarna letters are possible and have been defended....The Amarna archive, it is now generally agreed, spans at most about thirty years, perhaps only fifteen or so.” (Moran)

Chronology• Babylonian - the last years of Amenophis III until late in the reign

of Amenophis IV, perhaps even as late as the first year or so of Tutankhamun

• Assyrian - late in the reign of Amenophis IV, if not later • Mittanian - ca. year 30 of Amenophis III until year 4-5 (very short

co regency or no co-regency) or year 14-15 (coregency of ca. 10 years) of Amenophis IV

• Arzawa - Amenophis III• Hittites - EA 41 is addressed to ljuriya, who, according to one

reconstruction of Hittite history, is either Amenophis IV, Turan khamun, or Smenkhkare. EA 42-44: non liquet

• Alashia - non liquet

Cast of CharactersState King Dates of reign (debated)

Assyria Assur-uballit 1353-1318

Babylonia Kadasman-Enlil IBurna-Burias II

(1364-13501349-1323

Hittite Suppiluliumas 1380-1340 (1343-1323/22 or 1319/18)

Letters to Vassals• Various titles: mayor, ruler, king, prince• Political developments in North: 1) emergence of new state,

Amurru; 2) resurgence of the Hittites• South: 1) constant rivalries, shifting coalitions and attacks

and counter attacks among the small city-states• Main purpose of the king’s writing:

– to acquire personnel and other goods– to introduce Egyptian officials had secure obedience to their

orders– arrange for supplies for his troops

• Non-extant letters of the king are often cited