067 Amarna Letters

Museum Description: Amarna Letters

Room: 57/Case: 8/Number: EA 29831

Scripture: Joshua 10:1

The Amarna letters are fascinating as a record of diplomatic communications between the rulers of Egypt and Canaan from around three thousand years ago.  What is even more interesting from our point of view is some were written to the ruler of Jerusalem, mentioning the name of the city as 'Urusalim', and confirming there was indeed a city-kingdom there at the time.

This is written in cuneiform, a form of writing that literally means 'wedge-shaped'.   It took many years for cuneiform to be deciphered, and it was solved largely due to a carving in a cliff in Behistun in multiple languages.  1-2 million cuneiform tablets are estimated to have been found already, and about another 25,000 are found every year.  Only about one tenth of the tablets in existence have been read even once, so there could be many more interesting discoveries just waiting to be found.  Other similar or related artefacts are on display in The British Museum.