AMARNA LETTERS

   A large number of clay tablets inscribed in cuneiform, the script used in Mesopotamia and western Asia, found at the site of el-Amarna. The letters consist of the diplomatic correspondence of the royal court at the end of Dynasty 18 with the princes of Syria and Palestine under Egyptian control as well as other royal courts in Babylonia, Assyria, and Anatolia. Most of the documents date to the reign of Akhenaten, but some letters may belong to the time of his predecessor, Amenhotep III, or his successor, Tutankhamun. The letters reflect a state of disarray in the Egyptian empire, although the extent of the disorder may be exaggerated.

   See also Abdi-Ashirta; Aitakama; Ammistamru I; Aziru; Megiddo; Rib-Hadda.