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Amarna Letters
(192 words)

[German version]

A corpus of more than 350 letters written in cuneiform script on clay tablets, dating from the mid 14th century BC, discovered in 1887 in  Amarna. They are written almost exclusively in the Akkadian language, which was the lingua franca used for interregional communication at that time. Amongst the senders are kings of Babylon, Assyria, Mitanni in Upper Mesopotamia, the kingdoms of the Hittites and the  Arzawa in Asia Minor, and also of  Cyprus. The main bulk of the letters, however, were written by vassal princes and city rulers in Syria and Palestine…

Cite this page
Klengel, Horst (Berlin), “Amarna Letters”, in: Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 28 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e117180>
First published online: 2006
First print edition: 9789004122598, 20110510



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