# Amarna letters

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Amarna_letters
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Amarna_letters.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarna_letters
> Source revision: 1356946479
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Egyptian archive of correspondence on clay tablets

Five Amarna letters on display at the British Museum, London

[EA 161](/source/Amarna_letter_EA_161), letter by [Aziru](/source/Aziru), leader of [Amurru](/source/Amurru_kingdom) (stating his case to [pharaoh](/source/Pharaoh)), one of the Amarna letters in cuneiform writing on a clay tablet

The **Amarna letters** ([/əˈmɑːrnə/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English); 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 tablets](/source/Clay_tablet), primarily consisting of [diplomatic correspondence](/source/Diplomatic_correspondence) between the [Egyptian](/source/Ancient_Egypt) administration and its representatives in [Canaan](/source/Canaan) and [Amurru](/source/Amurru_kingdom), or neighboring kingdom leaders, during the [New Kingdom](/source/New_Kingdom_of_Egypt), spanning a period of no more than thirty years in the middle of the 14th century BC.[1] The letters were found in [Upper Egypt](/source/Upper_Egypt) at [el-Amarna](/source/Amarna), the modern name for the ancient Egyptian capital of *Akhetaten*, founded by pharaoh [Akhenaten](/source/Akhenaten) (c. 1351–1334 BC) during the [Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt](/source/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](/source/Cuneiform), the writing system of ancient [Mesopotamia](/source/Mesopotamia). Most are in a variety of [Akkadian](/source/Akkadian_language) sometimes characterised as a [mixed language](/source/Mixed_language), [Canaanite-Akkadian](/source/Canaano-Akkadian_language);[2] one especially long letter—abbreviated [EA 24](/source/Amarna_letter_EA_24)—was written in a late dialect of [Hurrian](/source/Hurrian_language), 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](/source/J%C3%B8rgen_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.[3][4][2][5] The texts of the remaining 24 complete or fragmentary tablets excavated since Knudtzon have also been made available.[2] Only 26 of the known tablets and fragments were found in their archaeological context, Building Q42.21.[6]

The Amarna letters are of great significance for [biblical studies](/source/Biblical_studies) as well as [Semitic linguistics](/source/Semitic_languages) because they shed light on the culture and language of the Canaanite peoples in this time period. Though most are written in Akkadian, [the Akkadian of the letters](/source/Canaano-Akkadian_language) is heavily colored by the mother tongue of their writers, who probably spoke an early form of [Proto-Canaanite](/source/Canaanite_languages), the language(s) which would later evolve into the mother languages of [Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language) and [Phoenician](/source/Phoenician_language). These "Canaanisms" provide valuable insights into the proto-stage of those languages several centuries prior to their first actual manifestation.[7][8]

## Letters

[Amarna letter EA 153](/source/Amarna_letter_EA_153) from [Abimilku](/source/Abimilku)

The letters, comprising [cuneiform](/source/Cuneiform_script) tablets written primarily in [Akkadian](/source/Akkadian_language)—the regional [language of diplomacy](/source/Diplomatic_language) 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.[9] They had originally been stored in an ancient building that archaeologists have since called the [Bureau of Correspondence of Pharaoh](/source/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](/source/Flinders_Petrie), who in 1891 and 1892 uncovered 21 fragments.[10] [Émile Chassinat](/source/%C3%89mile_Chassinat), then director of the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in [Cairo](/source/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.[11]

The initial group of letters recovered by local Egyptians have been scattered among museums in [Germany](/source/Germany), the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom), [Egypt](/source/Egypt), France, Russia, and the United States:

- 202 or 203 tablets are at the [Vorderasiatisches Museum](/source/Vorderasiatisches_Museum) in [Berlin](/source/Berlin);[12]

- 99 are at the [British Museum](/source/British_Museum) in London;[13][14]

- 49 or 50 are at the [Egyptian Museum](/source/Egyptian_Museum) in Cairo;[15]

- 7 at the [Louvre](/source/Louvre) in Paris;[16]

- 3 at the [Pushkin Museum](/source/Pushkin_Museum) in Moscow;

- 1 in the collection of the [Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures](/source/Institute_for_the_Study_of_Ancient_Cultures) in [Chicago](/source/Chicago).[5]

A few tablets are at the [Ashmolean Museum](/source/Ashmolean_Museum) in Oxford and the [Royal Museums of Art and History](/source/Royal_Museums_of_Art_and_History) in Brussels.[17]

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](/source/Akhenaten) (also titled [Amenhotep IV](/source/Amenhotep_IV))'s reign, as well as his predecessor [Amenhotep III](/source/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](/source/Babylonia), [Assyria](/source/Assyria), [Syria](/source/Syria), [Canaan](/source/Canaan), and [Alashiya](/source/Alashiya) ([Cyprus](/source/Cyprus)) as well as relations with the [Mitanni](/source/Mitanni), and the [Hittites](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Habiru)*, whose possible connection with the [Hebrews](/source/Hebrews)—due to the similarity of the words and their geographic location—remains debated. Other rulers involved in the letters include [Tushratta](/source/Tushratta) of Mitanni, [Lib'ayu](/source/Lib'ayu) of Shechem, [Abdi-Heba](/source/Abdi-Heba) of Jerusalem, and the quarrelsome king, [Rib-Hadda](/source/Rib-Hadda), of [Byblos](/source/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.[18]

### 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.[19]

"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)"[20][21]

### Letter summary

Map of the ancient [Near East](/source/Near_East) during the Amarna period, showing the great powers of the period: Egypt (green), Mycenaean Greece (orange), [Hatti](/source/History_of_the_Hittites) (yellow), the [Kassite](/source/Kassites) kingdom of [Babylon](/source/Babylon) (purple), [Assyria](/source/Assyria) (grey), and [Mitanni](/source/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](/source/Canaano-Akkadian_language)).

### Akhenaten and Tushratta

Early in his reign, [Akhenaten](/source/Akhenaten), the pharaoh of Egypt, had conflicts with [Tushratta](/source/Tushratta), the king of [Mitanni](/source/Mitanni), who had courted favor with his father, [Amenhotep III](/source/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](/source/Tadukhepa) marry Amenhotep III and then later marry Akhenaten.[22]

An Amarna letter preserves a complaint by Tushratta to Akhenaten about the situation:

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.[5]

### Jerusalem and the Habiru threat

A significant cluster of the Amarna letters (EA 285–290) was written by [Abdi-Heba](/source/Abdi-Heba), the Canaanite chieftain of [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem) (referred to in the tablets as *Urusalim*).[23]

In his correspondence, Abdi-Heba repeatedly pleads with the pharaoh—likely Akhenaten—for military assistance, specifically requesting archers to defend against the *[Habiru](/source/Habiru)*, a nomadic or semi-nomadic group of marauders and mercenaries who were attacking Egyptian vassal territories throughout Canaan.[24]

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."[25]

## Amarna letters list

Note: Many assignments are tentative; spellings vary widely. This is just a guide.[5]

EA# Letter author to recipient EA# 1 Amenhotep III to Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil EA# 2 Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil to Amenhotep III EA# 3 Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil to Amenhotep III EA# 4 Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil to Amenhotep III EA# 5 Amenhotep III to Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil EA# 6 Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep III EA# 7 Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep IV EA# 8 Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep IV EA# 9 Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Tutankhaten EA# 10 Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep IV EA# 11 Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep IV EA# 12 A Babylonian Princess to the King of Egypt EA# 13 Burraburiash's Gifts to an Egyptian Princess EA# 14 Amenhotep IV to Babylonian king Burna-Buriash II EA# 15 Assyrian king Ashur-Uballit I to Amenhotep IV EA# 16 Assyrian king Ashur-Uballit I to Amenhotep IV EA# 17 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III EA# 18 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III EA# 19 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III EA# 20 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III EA# 21 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III EA# 22 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III EA# 23 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III EA# 24 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III EA# 25 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep III EA# 26 Mitanni king Tushratta to widow Tiy EA# 27 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep IV EA# 28 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep IV EA# 29 Mitanni king Tushratta to Amenhotep IV EA# 30 Mitanni king to the kings of Canaan EA# 31 Amenhotep III to Arzawa king Tarhundaraba EA# 32 Arzawa king Tarhundaraba to King of Egypt Amenhotep III EA# 33 Alashiya king to King of Egypt #1 EA# 34 Alashiya king to King of Egypt #2 EA# 35 Alashiya king to King of Egypt #3 EA# 36 Alashiya king to King of Egypt #4 EA# 37 Alashiya king to King of Egypt #5 EA# 38 Alashiya king to King of Egypt #6 EA# 39 Alashiya king to King of Egypt #7 EA# 40 Alashiya minister to Egypt minister EA# 41 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 Addunirari to the King of Egypt EA# 52 Qatna king Akizzi to Amenhotep III #1 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 EA# 58 Tehu-Teshupa(Also called [Qat]ihutisupa), a Ruler in North Canaan(?), to the King of Egypt EA# 59 Tunip peoples to pharaoh EA# 60 Amurru king Abdi-Asirta to Amenhotep III, the king of Egypt EA# 61 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 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 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 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(?) EA#100 The city of Irqata to the king of Egypt EA#100 Tagi to 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 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 EA#144 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 king Abi-Milki to the king of Egypt #1 EA#147 Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #2 EA#148 Tyre king AbiMilki to the king of Egypt #3 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 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 EA#156 Amurru king Aziri to pharaoh #1 EA#157 Amurru king Aziri to pharaoh #2 EA#158 Amurru king Aziri to Dudu #1 EA#159 Amurru king Aziri to pharaoh #3 EA#160 Amurru king Aziri to pharaoh #4 EA#161 Amurru king 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 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 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 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 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 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 EA#204 prince of Qanu to king 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 EA#223 En[g]u[t]a to king EA#224 Sum-Add[a] to king EA#225 Sum-Adda of Samhuna to king EA#226 Sipturi_ to king EA#227 Hazor king EA#228 Hazor king Abdi-Tirsi EA#229 Abdi-na-... to king EA#230 Iama to king EA#231 The Ruler of (?) to the King of Egypt EA#232 Acco king Zurata to pharaoh EA#233 Acco king Zatatna to pharaoh #1 EA#234 Acco king Zatatna to pharaoh #2 EA#235 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 Megiddo king Biridija to pharaoh #1 EA#243 Megiddo king Biridija to pharaoh #2 EA#244 Megiddo king Biridija to pharaoh #3 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 Ja[sd]ata to king 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 EA#252 Labaja to king EA#253 Labaja to king EA#254 Labaja to king EA#255 Mut-Balu or Mut-Bahlum to king EA#256 Mut-Balu to Ianhamu EA#257 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 Milkili to pharaoh #1 EA#268 Gezer mayor Milkili to pharaoh #2 EA#269 Gezer mayor Milkili to pharaoh #3 EA#270 Gezer mayor Milkili to pharaoh #4 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 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 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 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 EA#286 Jerusalem king AbdiHiba to pharaoh EA#287 Jerusalem king AbdiHiba to pharaoh EA#288 Jerusalem king AbdiHiba to pharaoh EA#289 Jerusalem king AbdiHiba to pharaoh 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 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 king Iahtiri EA#297 Gezer mayor Iapah[i] to pharaoh #1 EA#298 Gezer mayor Iapahi to pharaoh #2 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 Jursa king 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 A[h]tirumna king Zurasar to king EA#320 Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #1 EA#321 Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #2 EA#322 Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #3 EA#323 Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #4 EA#324 Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #5 EA#325 Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #6 EA#326 Asqalon king Widia to pharaoh #7 EA#327 ... the king EA#328 Lakis mayor Iabniilu to pharaoh EA#329 Lakis king Zimridi to pharaoh 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 EA#359 myth Epic of King of Battle EA#360 ... EA#361 ... EA#362 ... EA#364 Ayyab to king EA#365 Megiddo king Biridiya to pharaoh EA#366 Shuwardata, the ruler of Gath, to the king EA#367 pharaoh to Endaruta of Akshapa EA#369 Amenhotep IV to Milkilu, the ruler of Gezer EA#xxx Amenhotep III to Milkili H#3100 Tell el-Hesi P#3200 Pella prince Mut-Balu to Yanhamu P#3210 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

### Chronology

[William L. Moran](/source/William_L._Moran) summarizes the state of the [chronology](/source/Chronology) of these tablets as follows:

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.[5]

From the internal evidence, the earliest possible date for this correspondence is the final decade of the reign of [Amenhotep III](/source/Amenhotep_III), who ruled from 1388 to 1351 BC (or 1391 to 1353 BC), possibly as early as this king's 30th [regnal year](/source/Regnal_year); the latest date any of these letters were written is the desertion of the city of [Amarna](/source/Amarna), commonly believed to have happened in the second year of the reign of [Tutankhamun](/source/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](/source/Ay_(pharaoh)) or [Smenkhkare](/source/Smenkhkare).[26] However, this speculation appears improbable because the Amarna archives were closed by Year 2 of [Tutankhamun](/source/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](/source/Poetry). An example is [EA 153](/source/Amarna_letter_EA_153), entitled: *"Ships on hold"*, from [Abimilku](/source/Abimilku) of [Tyre](/source/Tyre%2C_Lebanon). 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 [corpus](/source/Text_corpus) of Amarna letters has many standard phrases. It also has some phrases, and quotations used only once. Some are [parables](/source/Parable): ([EA 252](/source/Amarna_letter_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](/source/Rib-Hadda) subcorpus of letters. (Rib-Hadda was trapped in Gubla-([Byblos](/source/Byblos)), unable to move freely.)

### "A brick may move.."

- *A [brick](/source/Brick) may move from under its partner, still I will not move from under the feet of the king, my lord.*—Used in letters [EA 266](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amarna_letter_EA_266&action=edit&redlink=1), [292](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amarna_letter_EA_292&action=edit&redlink=1), and [296](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amarna_letter_EA_296&action=edit&redlink=1). EA 292 by [Adda-danu](/source/Adda-danu) of [Gazru](/source/Gezer).

### "For the lack of a cultivator.."

- *"For the lack of a cultivator, my field is like a woman without a husband."*—Rib-Hadda [letter EA 75](/source/Amarna_letter_EA_75)

### "Hale like the Sun..."

- *"And know that the King-(pharaoh) is hale like the [Sun](/source/R%C3%AA) in the Sky.* For his troops and his [chariots](/source/Chariot) in multitude all goes very well...."—See: [Endaruta](/source/Endaruta), for the *Short Form*; See: [Milkilu](/source/Milkilu), for a *Long Form*. Also found in [EA 99](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amarna_letter_EA_99&action=edit&redlink=1): entitled: *"From the [Pharaoh](/source/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."*—[EA 266](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amarna_letter_EA_266&action=edit&redlink=1) by [Tagi (Ginti mayor)](/source/Tagi_(Ginti_mayor)); [EA 296](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amarna_letter_EA_296&action=edit&redlink=1) by [Yahtiru](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yahtiru&action=edit&redlink=1).

### "May the Lady of Gubla..."

- *"May the [Lady of Gubla](/source/Ba'alat_Gubla) grant power to the king, my lord."*—varieties of the phrase in the [Rib-Hadda](/source/Rib-Hadda) letters

### a pot held in pledge

- *a pot held in pledge*—The Pot of a Debt. [EA 292](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amarna_letter_EA_292&action=edit&redlink=1) by [Adda-danu](/source/Adda-danu) of [Gazru](/source/Gezer).

### 7 times and 7 times again

- *7 times and 7 times*—Over and over again

- *7 times plus 7*—[EA 189](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amarna_letter_EA_189&action=edit&redlink=1), See: "[Etakkama](/source/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"*—[EA 316](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amarna_letter_EA_316&action=edit&redlink=1), by [Pu-Ba'lu](/source/Pu-Ba'lu), and used in numerous letters to [pharaoh](/source/Pharaoh). See: Commissioner: [Tahmašši](/source/Tahma%C5%A1%C5%A1i).

### *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](/source/Labayu) defending his actions of overtaking cities, [EA 252](/source/Amarna_letter_EA_252). Title: *"Sparing one's enemies".*

## Example, single letter photo gallery, multiple sides

[Amarna letter EA 15](/source/Amarna_letter_EA_15), from [Ashur-uballit I](/source/Ashur-uballit_I); see also [Amarna letter EA 153](/source/Amarna_letter_EA_153).

		- Obverse

		- Line drawing, obverse

		- Reverse

		- View from bottom

## See also

- [Ancient Egypt portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Ancient_Egypt)

- [Abdi-Heba](/source/Abdi-Heba)

- [Amarna letters–localities and their rulers](/source/Amarna_letters%E2%80%93localities_and_their_rulers)

- [Ashur-uballit I](/source/Ashur-uballit_I)

- [Amarna Period](/source/Amarna_Period)

- [Hittite inscriptions](/source/Hittite_inscriptions)

- [Labaya](/source/Labaya)

- [List of Amarna letters by size](/source/List_of_Amarna_letters_by_size)

- [List of inscriptions in biblical archaeology](/source/List_of_inscriptions_in_biblical_archaeology)

- [Mari tablets](/source/Mari%2C_Syria#Mari_tablets)

- [Mutbaal](/source/Mutbaal)

- [Šuwardata](/source/%C5%A0uwardata)

- [Ugaritic texts](/source/Ugaritic_texts)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** 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.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-IzreelTAU_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-IzreelTAU_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-IzreelTAU_2-2) Shlomo Izre'el. ["The Amarna Tablets"](https://humanities.tau.ac.il/hebrew/research/el-amarna-akkadian/el-amarna-introduction). [Tel Aviv University](/source/Tel_Aviv_University). Retrieved 13 January 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Knudtzon, Jørgen Alexander](/source/J%C3%B8rgen_Alexander_Knudtzon) (1915). [*Die El-Amarna-Tafeln*](https://archive.org/details/dieelamarnatafel01knud). Vol. 1. Leipzig: Hinrichs.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Knudtzon, Jørgen Alexander](/source/J%C3%B8rgen_Alexander_Knudtzon) (1915). [*Die El-Amarna-Tafeln*](https://archive.org/details/dieelamarnatafel02knud). Vol. 2. Leipzig: Hinrichs.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_5-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_5-4) Moran, William L. (1992). [*The Amarna Letters*](https://archive.org/details/amarnaletters0000unse_c3q4). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. xiv. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8018-4251-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8018-4251-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [\[1\]](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](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-2-7247-0873-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-2-7247-0873-8)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [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](https://archive.org/details/diesprachederama00bh).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Eva von Dassow, 'Canaanite in Cuneiform', *Journal of the American Oriental Society* 124/4 (2004): 641–674.](http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_138177365.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150402145317/http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_138177365.pdf) 2015-04-02 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) (pdf)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [\[2\]](https://archive.org/details/cu31924026821904)[Claude Reignier Conder](/source/Claude_Reignier_Conder), "The Tell Amarna tablets", London; New York: Macmillan, 1893

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [\[3\]](https://archive.org/details/tellelamarna00petr) Petrie, W. M. Flinders, "Tell el Amarna", London, Methuen & co, 1894

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** 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](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-90-04-28145-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-04-28145-5)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [\[4\]](https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_R8QxAQAAMAAJ/mode/2up) Winckler, Hugo, "Der Thontafelfund von el-Amarna", Berlin: W. Spemann, 1889

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** [\[5\]](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](/source/British_Museum), 1892

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Collection"](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection). *The British Museum*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** 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

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Rainey, Anson F, "El Amarna Tablets 359–379", Kevelaer: Butzon & Bercker; Neukirchen-Vluyn, Neukirchener Verlag des Erziehungsvereins, 1970

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** 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

1. **[^](#cite_ref-wsrp_1_18-0)** [El-Amarna Tablets](http://wsrp.usc.edu/educational_site/ancient_texts/elamarna.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180307171917/http://wsrp.usc.edu/educational_site/ancient_texts/elamarna.shtml) 2018-03-07 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), article at West Semitic Research Project, website of University of Southern California accessed 2/8/15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** [\[6\]](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

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** Horowitz, Wayne, "An Inscribed Clay Cylinder From Amarna Age Beth Shean", Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 46, no. 3/4, pp. 208–218, 1996

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** Horowitz, Wayne, "The Amarna Age Inscribed Clay Cylinder from Beth-Shean", The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 97–100, 1997

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** [\[7\]](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

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Finkelstein239_23-0)** Finkelstein, Israel; Silberman, Neil Asher (2001). *The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts*. New York: Free Press. pp. 239–240. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0684869124](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0684869124).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Moran286_24-0)** Moran, William L. (1992). [*The Amarna Letters*](https://archive.org/details/amarnaletters0000unse_c3q4/page/326/mode/2up). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 326–327. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8018-4251-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8018-4251-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Moran287_25-0)** Moran, William L. (1992). [*The Amarna Letters*](https://archive.org/details/amarnaletters0000unse_c3q4/page/328/mode/2up). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 328. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8018-4251-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8018-4251-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** 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

## 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.

- [\[8\]](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

- [\[9\]](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., [Finkelstein](/source/Israel_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](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [965-266-020-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/965-266-020-5)

- Hagen, F., "The hieratic dockets on the cuneiform tablets from Amarna", Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 97, pp. 214–216, 2011

- [\[10\]](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

- [\[11\]](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](/source/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

- Smith, Janet (2011). *Dust or dew: Immortality in the Ancient Near East and in Psalm 49*. Eugene, OR, US: Wipf and Stock. p. 286. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-60899-661-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-60899-661-2).

- Vita, Juan-Pablo. *Canaanite Scribes In the Amarna Letters*. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2015

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Amarna letters](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Amarna_letters).

[Library resources](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:The_Wikipedia_Library) about
 **Amarna letters**

- [Online books](https://ftl.toolforge.org/cgi-bin/ftl?st=wp&su=Amarna+letters&library=OLBP)

- [Resources in your library](https://ftl.toolforge.org/cgi-bin/ftl?st=wp&su=Amarna+letters)

- [Resources in other libraries](https://ftl.toolforge.org/cgi-bin/ftl?st=wp&su=Amarna+letters&library=0CHOOSE0)

- ["The Tell el-Amarna Tablets"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/The_Tell_el-Amarna_Tablets). *[Catholic Encyclopedia](/source/Catholic_Encyclopedia)*. 1913.

- [CDLI, *Chicago Digital Library Listing* of the Amarna letters](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=)

- [Electronic version of the Amarna tablets](http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/semitic/amarna.html), Akkadian in English transliteration.

- [High-resolution images](http://www.amarna.cchs.csic.es/maineng.html), from the [Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin](/source/Vorderasiatisches_Museum_Berlin).

- [Mineralogical and Chemical Study of the Amarna Tablets – Provenance Study of the Amarna Tablets](http://archaeology.tau.ac.il/?page_id=2072) – University of Tel Aviv web page

- [Sample letter](http://cdli.ucla.edu/dl/photo/P135963.jpg)

- [Text of some letters](https://archive.org/stream/selectionsfromte00handuoft/selectionsfromte00handuoft_djvu.txt), archive.org

v t e Amarna Period Pharaohs Akhenaten Smenkhkare Neferneferuaten Tutankhamun Ay Royal family Tiye Nefertiti Kiya "The Younger Lady" Tey Children Meritaten Meketaten Ankhesenamun Neferneferuaten Tasherit Neferneferure Setepenre Meritaten Tasherit Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit Nobles Officials Aperel Bek Huya Ipy Mahu Maia May Meryneith Meryre Meryre II Mutbenret Nakhtpaaten Neferkheperuhersekheper Paatenemheb Panehesy Parennefer Penthu Ramose Thutmose Locations Akhetaten Karnak KV55 KV62 Amarna Tombs Other Amarna letters Amarna succession Aten Atenism Dakhamunzu Amarna Art Style

Authority control databases International VIAF GND National United States Sweden Israel

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Amarna letters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarna_letters) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarna_letters?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.