{{Short description|Egyptian archive of correspondence on clay tablets}} [[File:Five Amarna letters on display at the British Museum, LondonA.jpg|thumb|Five Amarna letters on display at the British Museum, London]] [[File:Amarna Akkadian letter.png|thumb|[[Amarna letter EA 161|EA 161]], letter by [[Aziru]], leader of [[Amurru kingdom|Amurru]] (stating his case to [[pharaoh]]), one of the Amarna letters in cuneiform writing on a clay tablet]]
The '''Amarna letters''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|m|ɑr|n|ə}}; sometimes referred to as the '''Amarna correspondence''' or '''Amarna tablets''', and cited with the abbreviation "EA", for "El Amarna") are an archive, written on [[clay tablet]]s, primarily consisting of [[diplomatic correspondence]] between the [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] administration and its representatives in [[Canaan]] and [[Amurru kingdom|Amurru]], or neighboring kingdom leaders, during the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]], spanning a period of no more than thirty years in the middle of the 14th century BC.<ref>Williams, A. R., Preston, D. J., & Hiebert, F. T. (2021). ''Lost cities, ancient tombs: 100 discoveries that changed the world.'' National Geographic. p. 138-141. ISBN 9781426221989.</ref> The letters were found in [[Upper Egypt]] at [[Amarna|el-Amarna]], the modern name for the ancient Egyptian capital of ''Akhetaten'', founded by pharaoh [[Akhenaten]] (c. 1351–1334 BC) during the [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt]].
The Amarna letters are unusual in Egyptological research, because they are written not in the language of ancient Egypt, but in [[cuneiform]], the writing system of ancient [[Mesopotamia]]. Most are in a variety of [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] sometimes characterised as a [[mixed language]], [[Canaano-Akkadian language|Canaanite-Akkadian]];<ref name="IzreelTAU">{{cite web |author=Shlomo Izre'el |title=The Amarna Tablets |url=https://humanities.tau.ac.il/hebrew/research/el-amarna-akkadian/el-amarna-introduction |publisher=[[Tel Aviv University]] |access-date=13 January 2019}}</ref> one especially long letter—abbreviated [[Amarna letter EA 24|EA 24]]—was written in a late dialect of [[Hurrian language|Hurrian]], and is the longest contiguous text known to survive in that language.
The known tablets total 382 and fragments (350 are letters and the rest literary texts and school texts), of which 358 have been published by the Norwegian Assyriologist [[Jørgen Alexander Knudtzon]] in his work, ''Die El-Amarna-Tafeln'', which came out in two volumes (1907 and 1915) and remains the standard edition to this day.<ref>{{cite book|last=Knudtzon|first=Jørgen Alexander|author-link=Jørgen Alexander Knudtzon|year=1915 |url=https://archive.org/details/dieelamarnatafel01knud |title=Die El-Amarna-Tafeln|volume= 1 |publisher=Hinrichs|location=Leipzig}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Knudtzon|first=Jørgen Alexander|author-link=Jørgen Alexander Knudtzon|year=1915 |url=https://archive.org/details/dieelamarnatafel02knud |title=Die El-Amarna-Tafeln|volume= 2 |publisher=Hinrichs|location=Leipzig}}</ref><ref name="IzreelTAU"/><ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Moran |first=William L. |url=https://archive.org/details/amarnaletters0000unse_c3q4 |title=The Amarna Letters |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-8018-4251-4 |location=Baltimore |page=xiv}}</ref> The texts of the remaining 24 complete or fragmentary tablets excavated since Knudtzon have also been made available.<ref name="IzreelTAU"/> Only 26 of the known tablets and fragments were found in their archaeological context, Building Q42.21.<ref>[https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/317192/1/2023-Colonna%20d%27Istria%20L.-2023-Cuneiform%20in%20Egypt-The%20el-Amarna%20Letters-.pdf] Colonna d'Istria, Laurent, "Cuneiform in Egypt: The el-Amarna Letters", in Stéphane Polis (ed.) Guide to the Writing Systems of Ancient Egypt, pp. 88-93, 2023 {{ISBN|978-2-7247-0873-8}}</ref>
The Amarna letters are of great significance for [[biblical studies]] as well as [[Semitic languages|Semitic linguistics]] because they shed light on the culture and language of the Canaanite peoples in this time period. Though most are written in Akkadian, [[Canaano-Akkadian language|the Akkadian of the letters]] is heavily colored by the mother tongue of their writers, who probably spoke an early form of [[Canaanite languages|Proto-Canaanite]], the language(s) which would later evolve into the mother languages of [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and [[Phoenician language|Phoenician]]. These "Canaanisms" provide valuable insights into the proto-stage of those languages several centuries prior to their first actual manifestation.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/diesprachederama00bh F.M.T. de Liagre Böhl, ''Die Sprache der Amarnabriefe, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Kanaanismen'' ('The language of the Amarna letters, with special attention to the Canaanisms'), Leipzig 1909].</ref><ref>[http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_138177365.pdf Eva von Dassow, 'Canaanite in Cuneiform', ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' 124/4 (2004): 641–674.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402145317/http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_138177365.pdf |date=2015-04-02 }} (pdf)</ref>
==Letters== [[File:Amarna letter- Royal Letter from Abi-milku of Tyre to the king of Egypt MET 24.2.12 EGDP021809.jpg|thumb|[[Amarna letter EA 153]] from [[Abimilku]]]] <!--[[File:Amarna tablet.jpg|left|thumb|One of the Amarna Letters (from [[Alashiya]])]]-->
The letters, comprising [[Cuneiform script|cuneiform]] tablets written primarily in [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]—the regional [[Diplomatic language|language of diplomacy]] for this period—were first discovered around 1887 by local Egyptians who secretly dug most of them from the ruined city of Amarna, and sold them in the antiquities market.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/cu31924026821904][[Claude Reignier Conder]], "The Tell Amarna tablets", London; New York: Macmillan, 1893</ref> They had originally been stored in an ancient building that archaeologists have since called the [[Bureau of Correspondence of Pharaoh]]. Once the location where they were found was determined, the ruins were explored for more. The first archaeologist who successfully recovered more tablets was [[Flinders Petrie]], who in 1891 and 1892 uncovered 21 fragments.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/tellelamarna00petr] Petrie, W. M. Flinders, "Tell el Amarna", London, Methuen & co, 1894</ref> [[Émile Chassinat]], then director of the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in [[Cairo]], acquired two more tablets in 1903. Since Knudtzon's edition, some 24 more tablets, or fragments, have been found, either in Egypt, or identified in the collections of various museums.<ref>Rainey, Anson F., and William M. Schniedewind, "The El-Amarna Correspondence: A New Edition of the Cuneiform Letters From the Site of El-Amarna Based On Collations of All Extant Tablets", Boston: Brill, 2014 {{ISBN|978-90-04-28145-5}}</ref>
The initial group of letters recovered by local Egyptians have been scattered among museums in [[Germany]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Egypt]], France, Russia, and the United States: * 202 or 203 tablets are at the [[Vorderasiatisches Museum]] in [[Berlin]];<ref>[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_R8QxAQAAMAAJ/mode/2up] Winckler, Hugo, "Der Thontafelfund von el-Amarna", Berlin: W. Spemann, 1889</ref> * 99 are at the [[British Museum]] in London;<ref>[https://archive.org/details/cu31924026821714/page/n7/mode/2up] C. Bezold and E. A. W. Budge, "The Tell el-Amarna tablets in the British Museum with autotype facsimiles", [[British Museum]], 1892</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection|title=Collection|website=The British Museum}}</ref> * 49 or 50 are at the [[Egyptian Museum]] in Cairo;<ref>Sayce, A.H., "The cuneiform tablets of Tel el-Amarna, now preserved in the Boulaq Museum", Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology 11, pp. 326-413, 1888-89</ref> * 7 at the [[Louvre]] in Paris;<ref>Rainey, Anson F, "El Amarna Tablets 359–379", Kevelaer: Butzon & Bercker; Neukirchen-Vluyn, Neukirchener Verlag des Erziehungsvereins, 1970</ref> * 3 at the [[Pushkin Museum]] in Moscow; * 1 in the collection of the [[Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures]] in [[Chicago]].<ref name=":0"/> A few tablets are at the [[Ashmolean Museum]] in Oxford and the [[Royal Museums of Art and History]] in Brussels.<ref>Baranowski, Krzysztof J. "1. The Amarna Letters and Their Study". The Verb in the Amarna Letters from Canaan, University Park, US: Penn State University Press, 2021, pp. 4–20</ref>
The archive contains a wealth of information about cultures, kingdoms, events and individuals in a period from which few written sources survive. It includes correspondence from [[Akhenaten]] (also titled [[Amenhotep IV]])'s reign, as well as his predecessor [[Amenhotep III]]'s reign. The tablets consist of over 300 diplomatic letters; the remainder comprise miscellaneous literary and educational materials. These tablets shed much light on Egyptian relations with [[Babylonia]], [[Assyria]], [[Syria]], [[Canaan]], and [[Alashiya]] ([[Cyprus]]) as well as relations with the [[Mitanni]], and the [[Hittites]]. The letters have been important in establishing both the history and the chronology of the period. Letters from the Babylonian king, [[Kadashman-Enlil I]], anchor the timeframe of Akhenaten's reign to the mid-14th century BC. They also contain the first mention of a Near Eastern group known as the ''[[Habiru]]'', whose possible connection with the [[Hebrews]]—due to the similarity of the words and their geographic location—remains debated. Other rulers involved in the letters include [[Tushratta]] of Mitanni, [[Lib'ayu]] of Shechem, [[Abdi-Heba]] of Jerusalem, and the quarrelsome king, [[Rib-Hadda]], of [[Byblos]], who, in over 58 letters, continuously pleads for Egyptian military help. Specifically, the letters include requests for military help in the north against Hittite invaders, and in the south to fight against the Habiru.<ref name="wsrp 1">[http://wsrp.usc.edu/educational_site/ancient_texts/elamarna.shtml El-Amarna Tablets] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307171917/http://wsrp.usc.edu/educational_site/ancient_texts/elamarna.shtml |date=2018-03-07 }}, article at West Semitic Research Project, website of University of Southern California accessed 2/8/15.</ref> {{clear}}
===Letter found at Tell Beth-Shean=== During excavation in 1993 a small, damaged, clay cylinder (first thought to be a cylinder seal) was found. It was inscribed with "Amarna Cuneiform" and held a letter which appears to be part of the Amarna correspondence.<ref>[https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jaei/article/download/19435/19076] Mynářová, Jana, "Handbook of Amarna Cuneiform Palaeography: A Project Update", Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections 11, pp. 15-16, 2016</ref> {{blockquote|text="To Lab'aya, my lord, speak. Message of Tagi: To the King (Pharaoh), my lord: "I have listened carefully to your missive to me ...(illegible traces)"<ref>Horowitz, Wayne, "An Inscribed Clay Cylinder From Amarna Age Beth Shean", Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 46, no. 3/4, pp. 208–218, 1996</ref><ref>Horowitz, Wayne, "The Amarna Age Inscribed Clay Cylinder from Beth-Shean", The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 97–100, 1997</ref> }}
===Letter summary=== [[File:Amarnamap.png|thumb|300px|Map of the ancient [[Near East]] during the Amarna period, showing the great powers of the period: Egypt (green), Mycenaean Greece (orange), [[History of the Hittites|Hatti]] (yellow), the [[Kassites|Kassite]] kingdom of [[Babylon]] (purple), [[Assyria]] (grey), and [[Mitanni]] (red). Lighter areas show direct control, darker areas represent spheres of influence.]] Amarna Letters are politically arranged in a rough counterclockwise fashion: * 001–014 Babylonia * 015–016 Assyria * 017–030 Mitanni * 031–032 Arzawa * 033–040 Alashiya * 041–044 Hatti * 045–380+ Syria/Lebanon/Canaan
Amarna Letters from Syria/Lebanon/Canaan are distributed roughly: * 045–067 Syria * 068–227 Lebanon (where 68–140 are from Gubla aka Byblos) * 227–380 Canaan (written mostly in the [[Canaano-Akkadian language]]).
=== Akhenaten and Tushratta ===
Early in his reign, [[Akhenaten]], the pharaoh of Egypt, had conflicts with [[Tushratta]], the king of [[Mitanni]], who had courted favor with his father, [[Amenhotep III]], against the Hittites. Tushratta complains in numerous letters that Akhenaten had sent him gold-plated statues rather than statues made of solid gold; the statues formed part of the bride-price that Tushratta received for letting his daughter [[Tadukhepa]] marry Amenhotep III and then later marry Akhenaten.<ref>[https://repository.bilkent.edu.tr/bitstream/11693/51237/1/Tushratta_s_requests_to_the_pharaohs.pdf] Güner, Serdar, and Daniel Druckman, "Tushratta’S Requests to the Pharaohs", How People Negotiate: Resolving Disputes in Different Cultures. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 67-71, 2003</ref>
An Amarna letter preserves a complaint by Tushratta to Akhenaten about the situation: <blockquote> I...asked your father Mimmureya [i.e., Amenhotep III] for statues of solid cast gold, ... and your father said, 'Don't talk of giving statues just of solid cast gold. I will give you ones made also of lapis lazuli. I will give you too, along with the statues, much additional gold and [other] goods beyond measure.' Every one of my messengers that were staying in Egypt saw the gold for the statues with their own eyes. ... But my brother [i.e., Akhenaten] has not sent the solid [gold] statues that your father was going to send. You have sent plated ones of wood. Nor have you sent me the goods that your father was going to send me, but you have reduced [them] greatly. Yet there is nothing I know of in which I have failed my brother. ... May my brother send me much gold. ... In my brother's country gold is as plentiful as dust. May my brother cause me no distress. May he send me much gold in order that my brother [with the gold and m]any [good]s may honour me.<ref name=":0"/> </blockquote>
=== Jerusalem and the Habiru threat === A significant cluster of the Amarna letters (EA 285–290) was written by [[Abdi-Heba]], the Canaanite chieftain of [[Jerusalem]] (referred to in the tablets as ''Urusalim'').<ref name="Finkelstein239">{{cite book |last=Finkelstein |first=Israel |title=The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts |last2=Silberman |first2=Neil Asher |publisher=Free Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0684869124 |location=New York |pages=239-240}}</ref>
In his correspondence, Abdi-Heba repeatedly pleads with the pharaoh—likely Akhenaten—for military assistance, specifically requesting archers to defend against the ''[[Habiru]]'', a nomadic or semi-nomadic group of marauders and mercenaries who were attacking Egyptian vassal territories throughout Canaan.<ref name="Moran286">{{cite book |last=Moran |first=William L. |url=https://archive.org/details/amarnaletters0000unse_c3q4/page/326/mode/2up |title=The Amarna Letters |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-8018-4251-4 |location=Baltimore |pages=326-327}}</ref>
Abdi-Heba expresses deep frustration with Egyptian officials who he claims are slandering him to the pharaoh, and he warns that without immediate reinforcements, all of the pharaoh's lands in the region will be lost. In EA 287, he emphasizes the city's importance to the Egyptian crown, stating: "As the king has placed his name in Jerusalem forever, he cannot abandon it—the land of Jerusalem."<ref name="Moran287">{{cite book |last=Moran |first=William L. |url=https://archive.org/details/amarnaletters0000unse_c3q4/page/328/mode/2up |title=The Amarna Letters |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-8018-4251-4 |location=Baltimore |page=328}}</ref>
==Amarna letters list== Note: Many assignments are tentative; spellings vary widely. This is just a guide.<ref name=":0" />
{| class = "wikitable" !EA# || Letter author to recipient |- |[[Amarna letter EA 1|EA# 1]] || [[Amenhotep III]] to [[Babylon]]ian king [[Kadashman-Enlil]] |- |[[Amarna letter EA 2|EA# 2]] || Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil to Amenhotep III |- |[[Amarna letter EA 3|EA# 3]] || Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil to Amenhotep III |- |[[Amarna letter EA 4|EA# 4]] || Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil to Amenhotep III |- |[[Amarna letter EA 5|EA# 5]] || Amenhotep III to Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil |- |[[Amarna letter EA 6|EA# 6]] || Babylonian king [[Burna-Buriash II]] to Amenhotep III |- |[[Amarna letter EA 7|EA# 7]] || Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to [[Amenhotep IV]] |- |[[Amarna letter EA 8|EA# 8]] || Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep IV |- |[[Amarna letter EA 9|EA# 9]] || Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Tutankhaten |- |[[Amarna letter EA 10|EA# 10]] || Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep IV |- |[[Amarna letter EA 11|EA# 11]] || Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep IV |- |[[Amarna letter EA 12|EA# 12]] || A Babylonian Princess to the King of Egypt |- |[[Amarna letter EA 13|EA# 13]]|| Burraburiash's Gifts to an Egyptian Princess |- |[[Amarna letter EA 14|EA# 14]]|| Amenhotep IV to Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II |- |[[Amarna letter EA 15|EA# 15]] || [[Assyria]]n king [[Ashur-Uballit I]] to Amenhotep IV |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 16|EA# 16]]|| Assyrian king Ashur-Uballit I to Amenhotep IV |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 17|EA# 17]]|| [[Mitanni]] king [[Tushratta]] to Amenhotep III |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 18|EA# 18]]|| Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III |- |[[Amarna letter EA 19|EA# 19]] || Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 20|EA# 20]]|| Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 21|EA# 21]]|| Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 22|EA# 22]]|| Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 23|EA# 23]] || Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 24|EA# 24]]|| Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 25|EA# 25]]|| Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III |- |[[Amarna letter EA 26|EA# 26]] || Mitanni king Tushratta to widow [[Tiye|Tiy]] |- |[[Amarna letter EA 27|EA# 27]] || Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep IV |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 28|EA# 28]]|| Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep IV |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 29|EA# 29]]|| Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep IV |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 30|EA# 30]]|| Mitanni king to the kings of Canaan |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 31|EA# 31]]|| Amenhotep III to [[Arzawa]] king [[Tarhundaraba]] |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 32|EA# 32]]|| Arzawa king Tarhundaraba to King of Egypt Amenhotep III |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 33|EA# 33]]|| [[Alashiya]] king to King of Egypt #1 |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 34|EA# 34]]|| Alashiya king to King of Egypt #2 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 35|EA# 35]] || Alashiya king to King of Egypt #3 |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 36|EA# 36]]|| Alashiya king to King of Egypt #4 |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 37|EA# 37]]|| Alashiya king to King of Egypt #5 |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 38|EA# 38]] || Alashiya king to King of Egypt #6 |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 39|EA# 39]] || Alashiya king to King of Egypt #7 |- |EA# 40 || Alashiya minister to Egypt minister |- |EA# 41 || [[Hittites|Hittite]] king [[Suppiluliuma I]] to Huri[a] |- |EA# 42 || Hittite king to King of Egypt |- |EA# 43 || Suppiluliuma, Hittite King, to the King of Egypt |- |EA# 44 || Hittite prince Zi[t]a to the King of Egypt |- |EA# 45 || 'Ammittamru I, [[Ugarit]] king, to the King of Egypt |- |EA# 46 || Ugarit king to Egyptian king |- |EA# 47 || Ugarit king to Egyptian king |- |EA# 48 || Heba, Queen of Ugarit, to the Queen of Egypt |- |EA# 49 || Ugarit king [[Niqm-Adda II]] to the King of Egypt |- |EA# 50 || Maidservant to the Queen of Egypt |- |EA# 51 || [[Nuhasse]] king [[Adad-Nirari of Nuhašše|Addunirari]] to the King of Egypt |- |EA# 52 || [[Qatna]] king [[Akizzi]] to Amenhotep III #1 |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 53|EA# 53]]|| Qatna king Akizzi to Amenhotep III #2 |- |EA# 54 || Qatna king Akizzi to Amenhotep III #3 |- |EA# 55 || Qatna king Akizzi to Amenhotep III #4 |- |EA# 56 || Akizzi(?), the Ruler of Qatna, to Amenhotep IV, the King of Egypt |- |EA# 57 || Akizzi, the Ruler of Qatna, to Amenhotep IV, the King of Egypt |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 58|EA# 58]]||Tehu-Teshupa(Also called [[Qatihutisupa|[Qat]ihutisupa]]), a Ruler in North Canaan(?), to the King of Egypt |- ||[[Amarna letter EA 59|EA# 59]] || [[Tunip]] peoples to pharaoh |- |EA# 60 || [[Amurru kingdom|Amurru]] king [[Abdi-Asirta]] to Amenhotep III, the king of Egypt |- |EA# 61 || [[Amurru kingdom|Amurru]] king [[Abdi-Asirta]] to Amenhotep III, the king of Egypt #2 |- |EA# 62 || Amurru king Abdi-Asirta to Pahanate, the Commissioner of Sumur |- |EA# 63 || 'Abdi-Ashtarti, a Ruler in Southern Canaan (Gath?), to the king of Egypt |- |EA# 64 || 'Abdi-Ashtarti, a Ruler in Southern Canaan (Gath?), to the king of Egypt #2 |- |EA# 65 || 'Abdi-Ashtarti, a Ruler in Southern Canaan (Gath?), to the king of Egypt #3 |- |EA# 66 || [[Rib-Hadda]], the Ruler of Byblos, to Haya, the Vizier of Egypt |- |EA# 67 || An unknown ruler in the north of Canaan to the King of Egypt |- |EA# 68 || [[Byblos|Gubal]] king [[Rib-Addi]] to the king of Egypt #1 |- |EA# 69 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to Egypt official |- |EA# 70 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #2 |- |EA# 71 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to Haya, the Vizier of Egypt |- |EA# 72 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #3 |- |EA# 73 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to Amanappa, an Egyptian official #1 |- |EA# 74 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #4 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 75|EA# 75]]|| Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #5 |- |EA# 76 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #6 |- |EA# 77 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to Amanappa, an Egyptian official #2 |- |EA# 78 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #7 |- |EA# 79 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to he king of Egypt #8 |- |EA# 80 || Gubal king Rib-Addi(?) to the king of Egypt #9 |- |EA# 81 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #10 |- |EA# 82 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to Amanappa, an Egyptian official #3 |- |EA# 83 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #11 |- |EA# 84 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #12 |- |EA# 85 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #13 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 86|EA# 86]] || Gubal king Rib-Addi to Amanappa, an Egyptian official #4 |- |EA# 87 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to Amanappa, an Egyptian official #5 |- |EA# 88 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #14 |- |EA# 89 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #15 |- |EA# 90 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #16 |- |EA# 91 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #17 |- |EA# 92 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to the king of Egypt #18 |- |EA# 93 || Gubal king Rib-Addi to Amanappa, an Egyptian official #6 |- |EA# 94 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #19 |- |EA# 95 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the Egyptian Senior Official |- |EA# 96 || An army commander to Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos |- |EA# 97 || [[Yappah-Hadda]] to Shumu-Hadda |- |EA# 98 || Yappah-Hadda to [[Yanhamu]], the Egyptian Commissioner |- |EA# 99 || The king of Egypt to the ruler of the city of 'Ammiya(?) |- |[[Amarna letter EA 100|EA#100]] || [[Irqata|The city of Irqata]] to the king of Egypt |- |[[Amarna letter EA 100|EA#100]]|| [[Tagi of Ginti|Tagi]] to [[Labaya|Lab-Aya]] |- |EA#101 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #20 |- |EA#102 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to Yanhamu(?), the Egyptian commissioner |- |EA#103 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #21 |- |EA#104 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #22 |- |EA#105 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #23 |- |EA#106 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #24 |- |EA#107 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #25 |- |EA#108 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #26 |- |EA#109 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #27 |- |EA#110 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #28 |- |EA#111 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #29 |- |EA#112 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #30 |- |EA#113 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #31 |- |EA#114 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #32 |- |EA#115 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #33 |- |EA#116 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #34 |- |EA#117 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #35 |- |EA#118 || Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #36 |- |EA#119 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #37 |- |EA#120 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #38 |- |EA#121 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #39 |- |EA#122 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #40 |- |EA#123 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #41 |- |EA#124 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #42 |- |EA#125 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #43 |- |EA#126 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #44 |- |EA#127 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #45 |- |EA#128 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #46 |- |EA#129 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #47 |- |EA#129 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #48 |- |EA#130 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #49 |- |EA#131 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #50 |- |EA#132 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #51 |- |EA#133 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #52 |- |EA#134 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #53 |- |EA#135 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #54 |- |EA#136 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #55 |- |EA#137 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #56 |- |EA#138 ||Rib-Hadda, the ruler of Byblos, to the king of Egypt #57 |- |EA#139 || [[Ilirabih]] the city of Byblos to the king of Egypt #1 |- |EA#140 || [[Ilirabih]] the city of Byblos to the king of Egypt #2 |- |EA#141 || [[Beirut|Beruta]] king [[Ammunira]] to the king of Egypt #1 |- |EA#142 || Beruta king Ammunira to the king of Egypt #2 |- |EA#143 || Beruta king Ammunira to the king of Egypt #2 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 144|EA#144]] || [[Zimredda of Sidon|Zimredda]], the ruler of Sidon, to the king of Egypt #1 |- |EA#145 || Zimredda, the ruler of Sidon, to the king of Egypt #2 |- |EA#146 || [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] king [[Abi-Milki]] to the king of Egypt #1 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 147|EA#147]] || Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #2 |- |EA#148 || Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #3 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 149|EA#149]] || Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #4 |- |EA#150 || Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #5 |- |EA#151 || Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #6 |- |EA#152 || Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #7 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 153|EA#153]] || Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #8 |- |EA#154 || Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #9 |- |EA#155 || Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #10 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 156|EA#156]] || [[Amurru kingdom|Amurru]] king [[Aziru|Aziri]] to pharaoh #1 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 157|EA#157]]|| Amurru king [[Aziru|Aziri]] to pharaoh #2 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 158|EA#158]] || Amurru king [[Aziru|Aziri]] to [[Tutu (Egyptian official)|Dudu]] #1 |- |EA#159 || Amurru king Aziri to pharaoh #3 |- |EA#160 || Amurru king Aziri to pharaoh #4 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 161|EA#161]] || Amurru king [[Aziru|Aziri]] to pharaoh #5 |- |EA#162 || pharaoh to Amurra prince |- |EA#163 || The King of Egypt to a Canaanite Ruler(?) |- |EA#164 || Amurru king Aziri to [[Tutu (Egyptian official)|Dudu]] #2 |- |EA#165 || Amurru king Aziri to pharaoh #6 |- |EA#166 || Amurru king Aziri to Hai |- |EA#167 || Amurru king Aziri to (Hai #2?) |- |EA#168 || Amurru king Aziri to pharaoh #7 |- |EA#169 || Amurru son of Aziri to an Egypt official |- |[[Amarna letter EA 170|EA#170]]|| [[Ba-Aluia]] & Battiilu to the king |- |EA#171 || Amurru son of Aziri to pharaoh |- |EA#172 || A ruler of Amurru to the king of Egypt |- |EA#173 || The Ruler of (?) to the king of Egypt |- |EA#174 || Bieri of [[Hasabu]] |- |EA#175 || [[Ildaja]] of Hazi to king |- |EA#176 || [[Abdi-Risa]] |- |EA#177 || [[Guddasuna]] king [[Jamiuta]] |- |EA#178 || [[Hibija]] to a chief |- |EA#179 || The deposed ruler of Oftobihi to the King of Egypt |- |EA#180 || The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#181 || The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#182 || [[Mitanni]] king [[Shuttarna II|Shuttarna]] to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#183 || Mitanni king Shuttarna to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#184 || Mitanni king Shuttarna to pharaoh #3 |- |EA#185 || [[Majarzana]] of Hazi to king |- |EA#186 || Majarzana of Hazi to king #2 |- |EA#187 || [[Satija]] of ... to king |- |EA#188 || The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#189 || [[Kadesh (Syria)|Qadesh]] mayor [[Etakkama]] |- |EA#190 || pharaoh to Qadesh mayor Etakkama(?) |- |EA#191 || [[Ruhiza]] king [[Arzawaija]] to king |- |EA#192 || Ruhiza king Arzawaija to king #2 |- |EA#193 || [[Dijate]] to king |- |EA#194 || [[Damascus]] mayor [[Biryawaza]] to king #1 |- |EA#195 || Damascus mayor Biryawaza to king #2 |- |EA#196 || Damascus mayor Biryawaza to king #3 |- |EA#197 || Damascus mayor Biryawaza to king #4 |- |EA#198 || [[Arahattu|Ara[ha]ttu]] of [[Kumidi]] to king |- |EA#199 || The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#200 || The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#2001|| Sealants |- |EA#2002|| Sealants |- |EA#201 || [[Artemanja]] of [[Ziribasani]] to king |- |EA#202 || [[Amajase]] to king |- |EA#203 || [[Abdi-Milki]] of [[Sashimi (Amarna letters)|Sashimi]] |- |EA#204 || prince of [[Qanu]] to king |- |[[Amarna letter EA 205|EA#205]] || [[Gubbu]] prince to king |- |EA#206 || prince of [[Naziba]] to king |- |EA#207 || [[Ipteh]] ... to king |- |EA#208 || ... to Egypt official or king |- |EA#209 || [[Zisamimi]] to king |- |EA#210 || Zisami[mi] to [[Amenhotep IV]] |- |EA#210|| [[Carchemish]] king to [[Ugarit]] king [[Asukwari]] |- |EA#211 || [[Zitrijara]] to king #1 |- |EA#2110|| [[Ewiri-Shar]] to [[Plsy]] |- |EA#212 || [[Zitrijara]] to king #2 |- |EA#213 || Zitrijara to king #3 |- |EA#214 || The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#215 || [[Baiawa]] to king #1 |- |EA#216 || [[Baiawa]] to king #2 |- |EA#217 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#218 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#219 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#220 || [[Nukurtuwa]] of (?) [Z]unu to king |- |EA#221 || [[Wiktazu]] to king #1 |- |EA#222 || Yiqdasu, a ruler of a Canaanite city, to the King of Egypt |- |EA#222 || Wik[tazu] to king #2 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 223|EA#223]] || [[Enguta|En[g]u[t]a]] to king |- |EA#224 || [[Sum-Adda|Sum-Add[a]]] to king |- |EA#225 || Sum-Adda of [[Samhuna]] to king |- |EA#226 || Sipturi_ to king |- |EA#227 || [[Tel Hazor|Hazor]] king |- |EA#228 || Hazor king [[Abdi-Tirsi]] |- |EA#229 || Abdi-na-... to king |- |EA#230 || [[Iama (person)|Iama]] to king |- |EA#231 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#232 || [[Acre, Israel|Acco]] king [[Zurata]] to pharaoh |- |EA#233 || Acco king Zatatna to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#234 || Acco king Zatatna to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#235 || [[Satatna|Zitatna/(Zatatna)]] to king |- |EA#236 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#237 || [[Bajadi]] to king |- |EA#238 || Bajadi to an Egyptian Official |- |EA#239 || [[Baduzana]] to the king of Egypt |- |EA#240 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#241 || [[Rusmania]] to king |- |EA#242 || [[Tel Megiddo|Megiddo]] king [[Biridija]] to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#243 || Megiddo king Biridija to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#244 || Megiddo king Biridija to pharaoh #3 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 245|EA#245]] || Megiddo king Biridija to pharaoh #4 |- |EA#246 || Megiddo king Biridija to pharaoh #5 |- |EA#247 || Megiddo king Biridija or Jasdata |- |EA#248 || [[Jasdata|Ja[sd]ata]] to king |- |[[Amarna Letter EA 248|EA#248]]|| Megiddo king Biridija to pharaoh |- |EA#249 ||Ba'lu-Meher(?), the ruler of Gath-Padalla, to the king of Egypt |- |EA#249 || [[Addu-Ur-sag]] to king |- |EA#250 || Addu-Ur-sag to king |- |EA#2500|| [[Shechem]] |- |EA#251 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |[[Amarna letter EA 252|EA#252]] || [[Labaja]] to king |- |EA#253 || Labaja to king |- |[[Amarna letter EA 254|EA#254]] || Labaja to king |- |EA#255 || [[Mutbaal|Mut-Balu]] or Mut-Bahlum to king |- |[[Amarna letter EA 256|EA#256]] || Mut-Balu to Ianhamu |- |EA#257 || [[Tel Yokneam#Late Bronze Age|Balu-Mihir]] to king #1 |- |EA#258 || Balu-Mihir to king #2 |- |EA#259 || Balu-Mihir to king #3 |- |EA#260 || Balu-Mihir to king #4 |- |EA#261 || [[Dasru]] to king #1 |- |EA#262 || Dasru to king #2 |- |EA#263 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#264 || [[Gezer]] leader Tagi to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#265 || Gezer leader Tagi to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#266 || Gezer leader Tagi to pharaoh #3 |- |EA#267 || Gezer mayor [[Milkilu|Milkili]] to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#268 || Gezer mayor Milkili to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#269 || Gezer mayor Milkili to pharaoh #3 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 270|EA#270]] || Gezer mayor Milkili to pharaoh #4 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 271|EA#271]] || Gezer mayor Milkili to pharaoh #5 |- |EA#272 || Ba'lu-Dani (Or Ba'lu-Shipti), the ruler of Gezer, to the king of Egypt |- |[[Amarna letter EA 273|EA#273]] || [[Ba-Lat-Nese]] to king |- |EA#274 || Ba-Lat-Nese to king #2 |- |EA#275 || [[Iahazibada]] to king #1 |- |EA#276 || Iahazibada to king #2 |- |EA#277 || [[Gath (city)|Qiltu]] king [[Suwardata]] to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#278 || Qiltu king Suwardata to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#279 || Qiltu king Suwardata to pharaoh #3 |- |EA#280 || Qiltu king Suwardata to pharaoh #3 |- |EA#281 || Qiltu king Suwardata to pharaoh #4 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 282|EA#282]] || Qiltu king Suwardata to pharaoh #5 |- |EA#283 || Qiltu king Suwardata to pharaoh #6 |- |EA#284 || Qiltu king Suwardata to pharaoh #7 |- |EA#285 || [[Jerusalem]] king [[Abdi-Hiba]] to pharaoh |- |[[Amarna letter EA 286|EA#286]] || Jerusalem king AbdiHiba to pharaoh |- |[[Amarna letter EA 287|EA#287]] || Jerusalem king AbdiHiba to pharaoh |- |[[Amarna letter EA 288|EA#288]] || Jerusalem king AbdiHiba to pharaoh |- |[[Amarna letter EA 289|EA#289]] || Jerusalem king AbdiHiba to pharaoh |- |[[Amarna letter EA 290|EA#290]]|| Jerusalem king AbdiHiba to pharaoh |- |EA#290 || Qiltu king Suwardata to king |- |EA#291 || 'Abdi-Heba, the ruler of Jerusalem, to the king of Egypt |- |EA#292 || [[Gezer]] mayor [[adda-danu|Addudani]] to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#293 || Gezer mayor Addudani to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#294 || Gezer mayor Addudani to pharaoh #3 |- |EA#295 || Gezer mayor Addudani to pharaoh #4 |- |EA#296 || [[Gaza City|Gaza]] king [[Iahtiri]] |- |EA#297 || [[Gezer]] mayor [[Yapahu|Iapah[i]]] to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#298 || Gezer mayor Iapahi to pharaoh #2 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 299|EA#299]]|| Gezer mayor Iapahi to pharaoh #3 |- |EA#300 || Gezer mayor Iapahi to pharaoh #4 |- |EA#301 || [[Subandu]] to king #1 |- |EA#302 || Subandu to king #2 |- |EA#303 || Subandu to king #3 |- |EA#304 || Subandu to king #4 |- |EA#305 || Subandu to king #5 |- |EA#306 || Subandu to king #6 |- |EA#307 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#308 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#309 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#310 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#311 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#312 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#313 ||The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt |- |EA#314 || [[Yursa|Jursa]] king [[Pu-Ba'lu|Pu-Ba-Lu]] to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#315 || Jursa king PuBaLu to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#316 || Jursa king PuBaLu to pharaoh |- |EA#317 || [[Dagantakala]] to king #1 |- |EA#318 || Dagantakala to king #2 |- |EA#319 || [[Ahtirumna|A[h]tirumna]] king [[Zurasar]] to king |- |EA#320 || [[Ascalon|Asqalon]] king [[Yidya|Widia]] to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#321 || Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#322 || Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #3 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 323|EA#323]] || Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #4 |- |EA#324 || Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #5 |- |[[Amarna letter EA 325|EA#325]] || Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #6 |- |EA#326 || Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #7 |- |EA#327 || ... the king |- |EA#328 || [[Tel Lachish|Lakis]] mayor [[Iabniilu]] to pharaoh |- |EA#329 || Lakis king [[Zimredda of Lachish|Zimridi]] to pharaoh |- |[[Amarna letter EA 330|EA#330]]|| Lakis mayor [[Sipti-Ba-Lu]] to pharaoh #1 |- |EA#331 || Lakis mayor SiptiBaLu to pharaoh #2 |- |EA#332 || Lakis mayor SiptiBaLu to pharaoh #3 |- |EA#333 || Ebi to a prince |- |EA#334 || ---dih of Zuhra [-?] to king |- |EA#335 || --- [of Z]uhr[u] to king |- |EA#336 || [[Hiziri]] to king #1 |- |EA#337 || Hiziri to king #2 |- |EA#338 || Zi. .. to king |- |EA#339 || ... to king |- |EA#340 || ... |- |EA#341 || ... |- |EA#342 || ... |- |EA#356 || myth of [[Adapa]] and the South Wind |- |EA#357 || myth of [[Ereskigal]] and [[Nergal]] |- |EA#358 || myth fragments |- |[[Amarna letter EA 359|EA#359]] || myth Epic of [[King of Battle]] |- |EA#360 || ... |- |EA#361 || ... |- |[[Amarna letter EA 362|EA#362]] || ... |- |[[Amarna letter EA 364|EA#364]] || [[Ayyab]] to king |- |[[Amarna letter EA 365|EA#365]] || [[Tel Megiddo|Megiddo]] king [[Biridiya]] to pharaoh |- |[[Amarna letter EA 366|EA#366]] || [[Shuwardata]], the ruler of Gath, to the king |- |[[Amarna letter EA 367|EA#367]] || pharaoh to [[Endaruta]] of [[Akshapa]] |- |[[Amarna letter EA 369|EA#369]] || Amenhotep IV to Milkilu, the ruler of [[Gezer]] |- |EA#xxx || [[Amenhotep III]] to [[Milkilu|Milkili]] |- |H#3100 || [[Tell el-Hesi]] |- |P#3200 || [[Pella, Jordan|Pella]] prince [[Mutbaal|Mut-Balu]] to [[Yanhamu]] |- |P#3210 || [[Lady of the Lions|Lion Woman]] to king |- |T#3002 || [[Amenhotep]] to [[Taanach]] king [[Rewassa]] |- |T#3005 || Amenhotep to Taanach king Rewassa |- |T#3006 || Amenhotep to Taanach king Rewassa |- |U#4001 || [[Ugarit]] king [[Niqmaddu II|Niqmaddu]] |}
===Chronology=== [[William L. Moran]] summarizes the state of the [[chronology]] of these tablets as follows:
{{blockquote|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.<ref name=":0"/>|}}
From the internal evidence, the earliest possible date for this correspondence is the final decade of the reign of [[Amenhotep III]], who ruled from 1388 to 1351 BC (or 1391 to 1353 BC), possibly as early as this king's 30th [[regnal year]]; the latest date any of these letters were written is the desertion of the city of [[Amarna]], commonly believed to have happened in the second year of the reign of [[Tutankhamun]] later in the same century in 1332 BC. Moran notes that some scholars believe one tablet, EA 16, may have been addressed to Tutankhamun's successor [[Ay (pharaoh)|Ay]] or [[Smenkhkare]].<ref>Redford, Donald, "The coregency of Akhenaten and Smenkhkare", History and Chronology of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt: Seven Studies, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 170-182, 1967</ref> However, this speculation appears improbable because the Amarna archives were closed by Year 2 of [[Tutankhamun]], when this king transferred Egypt's capital from Amarna to Thebes.
==Quotations and phrases==
A small number of the Amarna letters are in the class of [[poetry]]. An example is [[Amarna letter EA 153|EA 153]], entitled: ''"Ships on hold"'', from [[Abimilku]] of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]]. This is a short, 20-line letter. Lines 6–8 and 9-11 are parallel phrases, each ending with ''"...before the troops of the king, my lord."''-('before', then line 8, line 11). Both sentences are identical, and repetitive, with only the subject statement changing.
The entire [[Text corpus|corpus]] of Amarna letters has many standard phrases. It also has some phrases, and quotations used only once. Some are [[parable]]s: ([[Amarna letter EA 252|EA 252]]: ''"...when an ant is pinched (struck), does it not fight back and bite the hand of the man that struck it?"''....)
===Bird in a Cage=== :''A bird in a cage (Trap)''—[[Rib-Hadda]] subcorpus of letters. (Rib-Hadda was trapped in Gubla-([[Byblos]]), unable to move freely.)
==="A brick may move.."=== :''A [[brick]] may move from under its partner, still I will not move from under the feet of the king, my lord.''—Used in letters [[Amarna letter EA 266|EA 266]], [[Amarna letter EA 292|292]], and [[Amarna letter EA 296|296]]. EA 292 by [[Adda-danu]] of [[Gezer|Gazru]].
==="For the lack of a cultivator.."=== :''"For the lack of a cultivator, my field is like a woman without a husband."''—Rib-Hadda [[Amarna letter EA 75|letter EA 75]]
==="Hale like the Sun..."=== :''"And know that the King-(pharaoh) is hale like the [[Rê|Sun]] in the Sky.'' For his troops and his [[chariot]]s in multitude all goes very well...."—See: [[Endaruta]], for the ''Short Form''; See: [[Milkilu]], for a ''Long Form''. Also found in [[Amarna letter EA 99|EA 99]]: entitled: ''"From the [[Pharaoh]] to a vassal".'' (with addressee damaged)
==="I looked this way, and I looked..."=== :''"I looked this way, and I looked that way, and there was no light. Then I looked towards the king, my lord, and there was light."''—[[Amarna letter EA 266|EA 266]] by [[Tagi (Ginti mayor)]]; [[Amarna letter EA 296|EA 296]] by [[Yahtiru]].
==="May the Lady of Gubla..."=== :''"May the [[Ba'alat Gubla|Lady of Gubla]] grant power to the king, my lord."''—varieties of the phrase in the [[Rib-Hadda]] letters
===a pot held in pledge=== :''a pot held in pledge''—The Pot of a Debt. [[Amarna letter EA 292|EA 292]] by [[Adda-danu]] of [[Gezer|Gazru]].
===7 times and 7 times again=== :''7 times and 7 times''—Over and over again :''7 times plus 7''—[[Amarna letter EA 189|EA 189]], See: "[[Etakkama]] of Kadesh"(title)-(Qidšu)
===I fall ... 7 times and 7...''"on the back and on the stomach"''=== :I fall, at the feet, ... 7 times and 7 times, ''"on the back and on the stomach"''—[[Amarna letter EA 316|EA 316]], by [[Pu-Ba'lu]], and used in numerous letters to [[pharaoh]]. See: Commissioner: [[Tahmašši]].
===''When an ant is struck...''=== :''"...when an ant is pinched (struck), does it not fight back and bite the hand of the man that struck it?"''—A phrase used by [[Labayu]] defending his actions of overtaking cities, [[Amarna letter EA 252|EA 252]]. Title: ''"Sparing one's enemies".''
==Example, single letter photo gallery, multiple sides== [[Amarna letter EA 15]], from [[Ashur-uballit I]]; see also [[Amarna letter EA 153]].
<gallery mode="packed" heights="185"> Image:Amarna_letter-_Royal_Letter_from_Ashur-uballit,_the_king_of_Assyria,_to_the_king_of_Egypt_MET_24.2.11_EGDP021806.jpg|Obverse Image:Amarna_letter-_Royal_Letter_from_Ashur-uballit,_the_king_of_Assyria,_to_the_king_of_Egypt_MET_DP-211-142.jpg|Line drawing, obverse
Image:Amarna_letter-_Royal_Letter_from_Ashur-uballit,_the_king_of_Assyria,_to_the_king_of_Egypt_MET_24.2.11_EGDP021805.jpg|Reverse
File:Amarna_letter-_Royal_Letter_from_Ashur-uballit,_the_king_of_Assyria,_to_the_king_of_Egypt_MET_24.2.11_EGDP021808.jpg|View from bottom </gallery>
==See also== {{Portal|Ancient Egypt}} *[[Abdi-Heba]] *[[Amarna letters–localities and their rulers]] *[[Ashur-uballit I]] *[[Amarna Period]] *[[Hittite inscriptions]] *[[Labaya]] *[[List of Amarna letters by size]] *[[List of inscriptions in biblical archaeology]] *[[Mari, Syria#Mari tablets|Mari tablets]] *[[Mutbaal]] *[[Šuwardata]] *[[Ugaritic texts]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== *Aruz, Joan, Kim Benzel, and Jean M. Evans, eds. ''Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C.'' New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008. *[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.21450/page/n9/mode/2up] Bristowe, Sydney, Mrs, "The Oldest Letters In The World", LONDON: GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN, LTD, 1923 *Budge, E.A.W., "On cuneiform despatches from Tûshratta, king of Mitanni, Burraburiyasch, the son of Kuri-Galzu, and the king of Alashiya, to Amenophis III, king of Egypt, and on the cuneiform tablets from Tell el-Amarna", Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology 10, pp. 540–569, 1887–88 *Cohen, Raymond, and Raymond Westbrook, eds. ''Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000 *Gordon, C.H., "Eight new cuneiform fragments from Tell el Amarna", Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 20, pp. 137–138, 1934 *[https://knowledgebasedsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/43077947.pdf] Gordon, Cyrus H., "The new Amarna tablets", Orientalia 16.1, pp. 1–21, 1947 *Goren, Y., [[Israel Finkelstein|Finkelstein]], I. & Na'aman, N., ''Inscribed in Clay – Provenance Study of the Amarna Tablets and Other Ancient Near Eastern Texts'', Tel Aviv: Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, 2004. {{ISBN|965-266-020-5}} *Hagen, F., "The hieratic dockets on the cuneiform tablets from Amarna", Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 97, pp. 214–216, 2011 *[https://archive.org/details/selectionsfromte00handrich/page/14/mode/2up] Handcock, Percy, "Selections from the Tell-el-Amarna letters", London: Society for promoting Christian knowledge; New York, The Macmillan company, 1920 *Mynářová, J., "Egyptians and the cuneiform tradition: On the palaeography of the Amarna documents", in Current research in cuneiform palaeography, eds. E. Devecchi, G.G.W. Müller, and J. Mynářová. Gladbeck: PeWe, pp. 89–102, 2015 *Mynářová, Jana. ''Language of Amarna – Language of Diplomacy: Perspectives On the Amarna Letters''. Prague: Czech Institute of Egyptology; Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, 2007 *[https://archive.org/details/syriaandegyptfr00petrgoog] Petrie, W. M. ''Flinders Syria and Egypt From the Tell El Amarna Letters'', Methuen & co, 1898 *Rainey, Anson F. ''Canaanite in the Amarna Tablets: A Linguistic Analysis of the Mixed Dialect Used by Scribes from Canaan''. 4 vols. Atlanta: [[Society of Biblical Literature]], 2010 *Sayce, A.H., "The cuneiform inscriptions of Tel el-Amarna", Journal of the Transactions of the Victoria Institute, or Philosophical Society of Great Britain 24, pp. 12–31, 1890 *{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Janet|title=Dust or dew: Immortality in the Ancient Near East and in Psalm 49|date=2011|publisher=Wipf and Stock|location=Eugene, OR, US|isbn=978-1-60899-661-2|pages=286}} *Vita, Juan-Pablo. ''Canaanite Scribes In the Amarna Letters''. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2015
==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Library resources box |by=no |onlinebooks=yes |others=yes |about=yes |label=Amarna letters |viaf= |lccn= |lcheading= |wikititle= }} * {{Cite CE1913|wstitle=The Tell el-Amarna Tablets |short=x}} * [https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/search_results.php?SearchMode=Line&requestFrom=Search&PrimaryPublication=&Author=&PublicationDate=&SecondaryPublication=&Collection=&AccessionNumber=&MuseumNumber=&Provenience=akhetaten&ExcavationNumber=&Period=&DatesReferenced=&ObjectType=&ObjectRemarks=&Material=&TextSearch=&TranslationSearch=&CommentSearch=&StructureSearch=&Language=&Genre=&SubGenre=&CompositeNumber=&SealID=&ObjectID=&ATFSource=&CatalogueSource=&TranslationSource= CDLI, ''Chicago Digital Library Listing'' of the Amarna letters] * [http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/semitic/amarna.html Electronic version of the Amarna tablets], Akkadian in English transliteration. * [http://www.amarna.cchs.csic.es/maineng.html High-resolution images], from the [[Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin]]. * [http://archaeology.tau.ac.il/?page_id=2072 Mineralogical and Chemical Study of the Amarna Tablets – Provenance Study of the Amarna Tablets] – University of Tel Aviv web page * [http://cdli.ucla.edu/dl/photo/P135963.jpg Sample letter] * [https://archive.org/stream/selectionsfromte00handuoft/selectionsfromte00handuoft_djvu.txt Text of some letters], archive.org
{{Amarna Period Navigator}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amarna Letters}} [[Category:Amarna letters| ]] [[Category:14th-century BC literature]] [[Category:1887 archaeological discoveries]] [[Category:Akkadian literature]] [[Category:Archaeological discoveries in Egypt]] [[Category:Extra-biblical references to Canaan]] [[Category:Diplomatic correspondence]] [[Category:Egyptian Museum]] [[Category:Egyptological objects in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin]] [[Category:Egyptian inscriptions]] [[Category:Amarna]]