Amarna Letters

The body of the letter is, naturally, much less stereotyped, and formal conventions are few and variable. Two types of letters, especially in combined form, dominate the international correspondence. These are what Jean Nougayrol called lettre d'envoi and lettre d'injonction. Under the first we should place EA 2-3, 5, 21, 31, and 41; they charac­teristically end with "I (herewith) send... ." Lettres d'injonction are EA 4, 7, 28, and 38-39, and they usually end with one or more injunc­tives. As I already mentioned, however, most common of all are combinations, which we find in EA 6, 8-9, 15-17, 19-20, 23, 26-27, 2 9, 33-35, 40, and 44.

The prevalence of the combination of envoi and injonction reflects the complex social, economic, and political relationships of the corre­spondents, and the customs and ideology associated with them. Ac­cording to the conceptions of the time, the most basic political relation­ship between the rulers was an alliance of "brotherhood," which made them brothers and members of the same family and household. They were thus united by the bond of love and friendship that befits brothers, and the visible expression of this bond was the exchange of gifts. "From the time my ancestors and your ancestors made a mutual declaration of friendship, they sent beautiful greeting-gifts to each other, and refused no request for anything beautiful" (EA 9:7-10). "Send me much gold, and you, for your part, whatever you want from my country, write me so that it may be taken to you" (EA 9:16-18). "If your purpose is graciously one of friendship, send me much gold. And this is your house. Write me so what you need may be fetched" (EA 16:32-34). Acknowledgment of gifts received, praise of the gifts or even a frank expression of disappointment, expression of the motivation behind the exchange of gifts, petition of countergifts to respond to the gifts now being dispatched—these and related topics dominate much of the international correspondence.

One of the related topics is marriage, for marriage not only binds the correspondents even closer together, but it also involves the ex­change of goods. If in the gifts customarily exchanged the economic value was not always great and symbolic values were often as important, in the case of marriage the economic value was considerable, even staggering.

Apart from declarations of friendship, the discussions of gifts asso­ciated with this friendship, proposals of marriage, and lists of goods exchanged at the time of marriage, there is little else in the interna­tional correspondence. Tušratta of Mittani tells of the difficulties at­tending his accession to the throne and makes a passing reference to the Hittites, but he says nothing more about the larger political scene. Burna-Buriaš of Babylonia tells how a predecessor refused to support a coalition of Canaanite kings against Egypt, reveals the dangers of inter­national trade, and implies growing Assyrian truculence and aspira­tions. In the mention of Mayati, the daughter of Amenophis IV, there is an opaque reflection of events at the Egyptian court. But all this adds up to little information, and there is not a hint of the religious reforms that make the Amarna period so notable in Egyptian history.

6—18 From the time my ancestors and your ancestors made a mutual declaration of friendship, they sen[t] beautiful greeting-gifts to each other, and refused no request for anything beautiful. My brother has now sent me 2 minas of gold as my greeting-gift. Now, 〈i〉f gold is plentiful, send me as much as your ancestors (sent), but if it is scarce, send me half of what your ancestors (sent). Why have you sent me 2 minas of gold? At the moment my work on a temple is extensive, and I am quite busy with carrying it out. Send me much gold. And you for your part, whatever you want from my country, write me so that it may be taken to you.

8-24 From the time of Karaindaš, since the messengers of your ancestors came regularly to my ancestors, up to the present, they (the ancestors) have been friends. Now, though you and I are friends, 3 times have your messengers come to me and you have not sent me a single beautiful greeting-gift, nor have I for my part sent you a beautiful greeting-gift. (I am one for whom nothing is scarce, and you are one for whom nothing is scarce.) As for your messenger whom you sent to me, the 20 minas of gold that were brought here were not all there. When they put it into the kiln, not 5 minas of gold appeared. [The ... th]at did appear, on cooling off looked like ashes. Was [the gold ev]er identi­ fi[ed] (as gold)? [...] friends with e[ach other] [ . . . ] . . .

6-8 When I saw your [me]ssfen]gers, I was very happy. Certainly your messengers shall reside with me as objects of grefat soli]citude. 2 9-12 I send as your greeting-gift a beautiful royal chariot outffitt]ed for me, and 2 white horses? also [out]ntted for me, 1 chariot not outfitted, and 1 seal of genuine lapis lazuli. 4 13-18 Is such a present that of a Great King?' Gold in your country is dirt; one simply gathers it up. 6 Why are you so sparing of it?? I am engaged in building a new palace. 8 Send me as much gold as is needed for its adornment. 19-21 When Assur-nadin-aljhe, my ancestor, wrote to Egypt, 20 talents of gold were sent to him. 9 22-25 fW]hen the king of Hanigalbat *[wr}ote to your father in Egy[pt], [h]e sent 20 talents of gold to him. 1 0 26-31 [Now]' 1 1 am the [equal] 12 of the king of Hani{galba]t, but you sent me [...] of gold, and it is not enough ffjor the pay 1 ^ of my messengers on the journey to and back. 32-34 If your purpose is graciously one of friendship, send me much gold. And this is your house. Write me so what you need may be fetched. 35—36 We are countries far apart. Are our messengers to be always on the march with (only) such results? 14

Say to Nimmureya, Great King, the king of Egypt, [my] brother, my son-in-law, who loves me, and whom I lovfe]: Message 1 of Tusratta, Great King, [your] father-in-law, who loves you, the king of Mittani, your brother. For me all goes well. For you may all go well. For your household, for my sister, for the rest of your wives, for your sons, for your chariots, for your horses, for your warriors, 2 for your country, and for whatever else belongs to you, may all go very, very well.

9-16 As far back as the time of your ancestors, they always showed love to my ancestors. 3 You yourself went even further and showed very great love to my father. Now, in keeping with our constant and mutual love,4 you have made it ten times greater than the love shown my father. May the gods grant it, and may Tessup, my lord, and Aman make flouriishp for evermore, just as it is now, this mutual love of ours. 17-24 When my brother sent Mane, his messenger, saying, "Send your daughter here to be my wife and the mistress of Egypt," I caused my brother no distress and immediately 6 I said, "Of course!" The one whom my brother requested I showed to Mane, and he saw her. When he saw her, he praised her greatly. I will l\ea~\d her? in safety to my brother's country. May Sauska and Aman make her the image of my brother's desire. 8 25-29 Keliya, my messenger, brou[ght] 9 my brother's words to me, and when I heard (them), they were very pleasing, and I rejoiced very, very much, saying, "Certainly there is this between us: we love each other." Now, with such words let us love (each other) forevermore. 30-33 When I wrote to my brother, I said, "Let us love (each other) very, very much, and between us let there be friendship." I also said to my brother, "May my brother treat me ten times better than he did my father." 34-38 I also asked my brother for much gold, saying, "May my brother grant me more than he did to my father and send it to me. You sent my father much gold. You sent him large gold jars and gold jugs. 1 0 You se[nt him] gold bricks as if they were (just) the equivalent of copper." 11 39-42 When I sent Keliya to my brother, I asked for [much] gold, saying, "May my brother treat me [ten times] better than he did my father, and may he send much gold that has not been worked." 12 43-48 May my brother send me much more than he did to my father. Thus did I say to my brother: "I am going to build a mausoleum for my grandfather." 1 ^ I also said, "In accordance with a favorable an- swer, 1 * I am going to make the paraphernalia." And thus did I also say: "The gold that my brother sends me may he send for the bride-price as well." 1 ' 49-53 Now my brother has sent the gold. I say, "It may be little or not, not a little but much. Still, it has been worked. But though it has been worked, I rejoiced over it much, and whatever it was my brother sent, I am happy about it."' 6 54-58 I now hereby write to my brother, and may my brother show me much more love than he did to my father. I hereby ask for gold from my brother, and the gold that I ask for from my brother is meant for a double purpose: one, for the mausoleum, and the other, for the bride-price. 59-70 May my brother send me in very great quantities gold that has not been worked, and may my brother send me much more gold than he did to my father. In my brother's country, gold is as plentiful as dirt. May the gods grant that, just as now gold is plentiful in my brother's country, he 1 7 make it even ten times more plentiful than now. May the gold that I ask for not become a source of distress to my brother, and may my brother not cause me distress. May my brother send me in very large quantities gold that has not been worked. What­ ever my brother needs for his house, let him write and take (it). I will give ten times more than what my brother asks for. This country is my brother's country, and this house is my brother's house. 71—79 I herewith send my messenger, Keliya, to my brother, and may my brother not detain him. May he let him go promptly so that he may be on his way and I hear my brother's greeting and rejoice exceed­ ingly. Forevermore may I constantly hear the greeting of my brother. May Tessup, my lord, and Aman grant that these words that we shall be constantly writing achieve their purpose, and may they be, as long as they exist,' 8 just as they are now. Just as we love (each other) now, exactly as now, so may we love (each other) forevermore. 80—85 I herewith send as my brother's greeting-gift: 1 gold gob­ let, with inlays of genuine lapis lazuli in its handle;' 9 1 maninnu- necklace, with a counterweight, 20 pieces of genuine lapis lazuli, and 19 pieces of gold, its centerpiece 20 being of genuine lapis lazuli set in gold; 1 maninnu-neckiace, with a counterweight, 42 genuine hulalu-stones, and 40 pieces of gold shaped like arzallu-stones, 21 its centerpiece being of genuine hulalu-stone set in gold; 10 teams of horses; 10 wooden- chariots 22 along with everything belonging to them; and 30 women (and) men. 2 3