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Paper Abstract: Focuses on the Amarna Letters. Evidence of grammar and syntax of the language of the scribes in Canaan. Their importance in providing information about the early social and political history of Syria and Palestine in the Biblical period. Background and history of the El-Amarna site in Egypt. History of the Pharaoh The written word during the Amarna period. The Armana archive. Paper Introduction: THE AMARNA LETTERS We do not know, of course, exactly when civilization began, in terms of writing down daily events, creating grammar, fashioning a language that could be understood by the people, and developing a means of informing, educating and unifying ancient people. However, the Amarna Letters, actually grammatically detailed in four intensive volumes by Rainey (1996), provide interesting insight and information about ancient Canaan “on the verbal system in the Byblos letters… and the Akkadian grammar, written by the scribes in Canaan (and) thoroughly treated and usually put in a wider context” (Van Soldt, 1998, p. 1). This stems from a thorough review by Van Soldt of a book by Anson F. Rainey, Linguistic A Analysis of the Mixed Dialect used by Scribes from Canaan (four volumes, 1996). The Amarna letters Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. 595). One such letter (EA 9) is entitled "Ancient loyalties, new requests",written, so Moran assumes to Tutankhamun from "Burra-Buryias, the king ofKaraduniyas. ...Children were a man's insurance for the after life. Burra- Buriyas. "The skill ofwriting emerged early...and the ability to read and write was essential tothe smooth running of the administration of the country" (Wilson, 1999, p.75). (1998). It was during this Amarna period, however, that more attention wasbeing paid to written, rather than merely spoken language. "Salutations are rare. The Lost Tomb New York: William Morrow Westbrook, R. (1999). But, "the dispatches of theBabylonian kings looks at best self-abasing, and, at worst,ridiculous.....the detailed negotiations in the letters were conducted ontwo levels: as subgames in which the nature of the relationship wasassumed, and as metagames in which the issue was relative status"(*Westbrook, 2 , p. What all this tells us is that we should focus on the contents ofthe letters, and on the social and political era they portrays, as well asthe evolution of grammar and the written. There is no explanation of who these guests are,or where they came from. He explains that he and his sons are coming (at thebidding of the king, no doubt), but it seems that he hesitates for a bitbecause, as he reports, "The king of Hatti is staying in Nuhasse, and I amafraid of him. However, in the letter between the same two- marked EA 2 and entitled"Love and Gold" the discussion has started with the belief that thewriter's daughter was to be the next queen of Egypt, and for whose dowry(one supposed) a lot of gold was sent. 1).Whatever these comments, the tablets - almost four hundreds of them-provide insight into the life and times of the Amarna period.Overview of the language of the letters: The Amarna letters are manifestations of the 'cuneiform culture' that was shared in the fourteenth century B.C. So, there is a reason to see that there arereally a number of different "languages" and perhaps regional dialectswhich form this archeological "find". The problem was that Akhenaten may well have been thefirst of the monotheistic pharaohs in Egypt, having done away with all theother Egyptian gods, he decreed that his people should only worship aten,or "sun disc". xxv). Onecan suppose that these letters were written not by the senders themselves,but by scribes who used their own regionalism, and/or transcribed some ofthe words into their own knowledge of the language. These letters are a part of history, but not historybooks. 3 5). Late Egyptian, the colloquial language of the New Kingdom, was employed as a written language feom the reign of Akhenaten on...the older Middle Egyptian remained in use for religious texts, however (Hornung, 1999, p. xxxii). The Amarna letters were discovered over a hundred years ago, andprovides detailed description of the grammar and syntax of the language ofthe Fourteenth and Fifteenth centuries . They are often situationreports. Despite the great wealth of sculptures and carvings that come down to us, the writing from the period is little and repetitive" (Strange, 2 1, p. 1). 279). Strange, Kate: "Amarna" Akhet-aton Webwww.aket-aton.com/ . (2 1) "Sunken Cities Surface in Time" USA Today, June28, 2 1 Weeks, K. Whilefarming occupied many of the so-called lower classes, the priests actuallycontrolled both daily lives as well as the special "holiday" events. Velikovsky, I. (2 ): "Babylonian Diplomacy in the Amarna Letters"Journal of the American Oriental Society vol. However, he implies in this letter that he does not entrusthis daughter to the messengers sent to bring her to Egypt. So, again it must be stated that the Armana letters may well havebeen the first written, or dictated by other than royalty, wealthy literatepeople, priests, or scribes. We cannot expect these fourhundred or so tablets to yield every bit of information about what wasgoing on in Syria, Canaan, or especially Egypt in a straightforward,chronological manner. However, having read the followingletter and explanation, the daughter may well be a second wife, or even theEgyptian version of a concubine, but she would never be the true Mistressof Egypt. Vergano,, D. These are more than personal letters. In otherwords, as a result of the Armana letters we know more, but not all, aboutthis period in the Near and Middle East. 8D). In reading the letter, it is obvious to the reader that Tut is the farstronger of the two, and that the letter is not merely a plea for gold, buta means of remaining in the Egyptian Pharaoh's good graces. Ithaca NY: CornellUniversity Press. Of course, Nefertiti is perhaps the best known female of this period,but there were women who were priests and, prior to the Pharaoh's decisionto do away with all the other Egyptian gods, there were female goddesses inEgypt, Babylonia, Mesopotamia and Assyria. xxvi). It is obviousthat among royalty there was a sort of diplomatic courtesy that had to beused. (1998): "The Cradle of Cash" Discover Magazine, October,1998. xxix). In other words, "Send me some!!" He writes that he hastreated Mane, the Pharaoh's messenger well, and that he is not ill ordying. "There is a currentongoing project at Tel-Aviv University to investigate the chemicalcomposition of the tablets with a view to determining their history"(Wells, 2 1, p. For the most part, the tablets (letters) are written in the Babylonianlanguage, but "it is a Babylonian profoundly different from that of theprevious international age" (Moran, 1992, p. 254) And, as thewriter then explains why he is delaying his arrival: "So I am afraid ofhim, and for this reason I have been staying on until he leaves" (p, 254).Conclusion: According to some historians, the chronology of the letters causessome problems "in the correlation of the date of the Amarna letters withthe history of the Hittites and their expansion into Syria" (Moran, p.xxxviii). "Children were to becherished... xviii). If he attacks Tunip,he is only two day-marches to where he is staying." (p. Noted historians now claimthat "the Exodus story owes its origins to later Egyptian and foreign viewsof the reign of Akhenaton....Egypt's role in the Exodus story is nothistorical but mythical" (Weeks, 1998, p. The writer, Lab'ayu, has had his city seized, andthe images of his forefathers taken or destroyed. 93). 327).According to Velikovsky, the mention of ivory was not some poet'simagination, but, according to excavations, were quite real. 97). Obviously, he is somehow concerned that it looksas if he had sent some sort of "ambassadors" begging for gifts, or otherfavors, which might anger Tut. There are even some experts, as quoted by Moran (1992) who believethat the language in these letters were "barbarized" and they wonderwhether it should be called Babylonian at all. These heads of themost powerful states of the Near /East- Egypt, Hatti, Mittani, Babylonia,and Assyria, formed an international society, a 'Great Powers Club' withconventional forms of diplomacy and settled rules of protocol (Westbrook,2 , p. "In the templesmore emphasis was placed on the preservation of language for religiouspurposes.....Scribes whose handwriting was most nearly perfect wereemployed to make copies of the texts from which the inscriptions on tombsand temple walls would be inscribed" (Wilson, 1998, p. For some reason, sending gold seems to be the preoccupation of anumber of letters, such as one marked EA 2 . Recent discoveries of sunken cities included what historians believeis "the Yarmuta described in the Amarna Tablets. 2). Here are some samples of the international correspondence letters: A salutation - which as such was an innovation of the Old Babylonian period-...consists of two parts. 18). xv). 49). He would be satisfied with enormous amounts ofgold as gifts. In fact he measures the gold as "ten times greater than thelove shown my father." (p. There is even apossibility, according to Moran (1992) that some of the letters were found,and re-transcribed for historical use sometime after they were firstwritten and sent.Political and social history of the Amarna period: There are some who claim that during this time, the Exodus occurred.But, there is no real proof that it was the Israelites who were exiled, butrather those who were part of the Hyksos invasion of Egypt in the 16thcentury. Pringle, H. 2 Wilson, H. There is also evidence that wealthy citizens were flaunting money at least as early as 25 B.C....(and) as far back as written records go in Mesopotamia and Egypt, some form of money is there....Ancient texts show that almost from its first recorded appearance in the Near East, money preoccupied estate owners and scribes (Pringle, 1998, p. It is obviousthat he is asking for more gold in order to finish the temple being built.However, near the end of the letter, having gotten the request for gold outof the way, he seems concerned about some Assyrians who have gone to Egypt.He assures Tutankhamun that he had not sent them, and that they should besent away "empty handed). 12 no 3, July/Sept. It is,obviously, his reason for probably killing or wounding many of theinvaders, and he reasons that he was right and justified in doing so, butwill desist in anything further, until he receives specific orders. "Amarna, or more formally Tell El-Amarna, is the Arab name for thevirgin site in the desert North of Thebes where Pharaoh Akhenaten built hispristine royal city, Akhet-aton, 'Horizon of Akhenaten'. Actually, according to Weeks (2 1), the collected records of thediplomatic correspondence of Akhenaten'S court at Amarna was found by apeasant woman's unauthorized excavation on what was later discovered to bea large complex of rooms, now designated the 'records office' of Akhetaten.When their importance was recognized, many of the tablets were gathered upfrom locals and sent to Egyptologists in museums. A 'Mount Yarmuta'mentioned in the letters is the closest mountain to the site's beach"(Vergano, 2 1, p. Rainey, Linguistic A Analysis of the MixedDialect used by Scribes from Canaan (four volumes, 1996). He therefore assures him that they did notgo to Egypt with his blessing, and therefore could be ignored withoutangering the letter sender. This Pharaoh is "likely second only to Tutankhamun, his son-in-law" (Strange, 2 1, p. But, hesuggests that if gold is scarce, he should send only half as much as wasonce sent. This, it seems, makesit difficult to ascertain precisely who wrote what. Jenks Kathleen: "Mything Links"www.mythinglinks.org/afr~egy~amarna.html. They may, therefore, beread as a kind of preface to biblical history" (Moran, 1992, p. In the letter marked EA 249, the king's vassal pleads for bettertreatment for his men, whom he has permitted to serve. Theoldest surviving son would be in charge of the father's funeral and wouldbe required to make funerary and mortuary offerings to perpetuate thememory of his parents" (Weeks, p. The period of the el-Amarna correspondence might quite properly be called 'The Ivory Age'...Burraburiash, writing from Babylon, asked for objects of ivory: Letter 11: 'Let trees be made of ivory and colored!...Let field plants be made of ivory and colored...and let them be brought'(Velikovsky, 1952, p. 377). As was mentioned earlier, many of the vassal letters are informativeas to the whereabouts of enemies or potential enemies, at the same time theletter writers pledge their loyalty to the addressee. Only once does aninferior report on his own well-being...to an Egyptian official...and onlyrarely does he wish his superior well" (Moran, p. and the Akkadian grammar, written bythe scribes in Canaan (and) thoroughly treated and usually put in a widercontext" (Van Soldt, 1998, p. In other words, soldiersare NOT servants, and should not be treated without some respect. One can never stint when it comes to theamount of gold that prepares one for the after-life. They provide information that they feel the Crown should be awareof, "frequently on their own initiative, which they were at times urged todo" (Moran, p. But, having said that, asks to have some unworked gold sent to himboth as a sign of love and as a means of glorifying himself to his countryand to "foreign guests". In EA 25 "A calling to account", a vassal lets his king know that heis resisting the blandishments of those who urge him to fight against theking, as he father obviously did. 55). (1952) Ages in Chaos New York: Doubleday & Co. throughout the ancient Near East. One has to note that most of the heads of state of that time were"scholar-kings", not merely illiterate figure-heads. There is obviously a sort ofpecking order in this society, where soldiers and fighting men should gainmore respect that ordinary workers and servants. As was mentioned above, this reign lasted only about two decades, andthe capital was moved back to Thebes. As for example, in EA166 "Coming- but not yet". References Hornung, E. He is asking for Tut to send him more gold. Let us examine, first, what was happening in that part of the worldfourteen centuries before Christ. 43) Nevertheless, it is obvious that Tusratta isdisappointed. He reassures the king that "it is theking, my lord, I serve, along with my brothers who give heed to me." (p.3 3) He wants to make certain that the king understands he is loyal, andhas no desire either to fight or to take any of the king's lands. Perhaps Tusratta really knew that but would not write it down forscribes and others to hear. The Amarna interlude had a lasting effect in a number of areas. It is interesting tonote that Tusratta could reads, as he mentions having read thecommunication. Another letter from a vassal, EA 252, "spring one's enemies" has manymodern-day implications. He then asks why he had been sent only "2 minas". 377).The letters: "The Armana archive, it is now generally agreed, spans at most aperiod of about thirty years, perhaps only fifteen or so" (Moran, p.xxxiv). 1 4).Therefore, during the fifteen to thirty years of the Armana "interlude"there was a revolution in written language, and the fact that it was oftenused by- and even for- lower class officials created a new literacystandard. At the time ofthe Armana letters, the area was divided into two or three provinces, eachunder an Egyptian official who is, in the Armana letters, without specifictitle" (Moran, p. "Therewas no single Holy Book on which the religious system was based....Eachversion of the Creation of the Universe was subtly different from allothers" (Wilson, 1999, p. As to the gold part, he again pleads asort of poverty, compared to Egypt when he writes: "In Egypt gold is asplentiful as dirty". And, there seemsto be a six-month waiting period before he has decided to send her, but atthe same time he teases the letter recipient by telling him that hisdaughter had become very mature. He has been labeled everything from a religious genius, to amentally deranged, physically deformed zealot" (Weeks 1998 228) After hisdeath, it seemed all his statues were destroyed and his name removed fromthe list of kings. It is interesting to note that literacy was not rare. AS Moran says "and Tusratta knew it" (p. They provide more of an insight on individuals, the relationshipsamong the various royals of the area, and their dealing with one another.These letters provide clues, which were missing before their discovery asto the literacy and relationships during the Amarna period. xxi). So, it may be purely guesswork to put these letters in somesort of proper time-frame. This stems from a thorough review by VanSoldt of a book by Anson F. In fact, hesuggests that as much gold as "your ancestors sent (p. He complains thatthey are treated less well than the servants. However, the Amarna Letters,actually grammatically detailed in four intensive volumes by Rainey (1996),provide interesting insight and information about ancient Canaan "on theverbal system in the Byblos letters... Perhaps better known to the ordinary readeris his wife, Nefertiti. B. (1997) The People of the Pharaohs London UK: BrookhamptonPress Much of the social life of those times centered around religion. The correspondence is divided into various segments, such asinternational: "Apart from declarations of friendship, the discussions ofgifts associated with this friendship, proposals of marriage, and lists ofgoods exchanged at the time of the marriage, there is little else in theinternational correspondence" (Moran, p. This letter has the formal salutation which mostvassal letters do not. Heaven forbid that he come into Amurru. "The end of his reign is shrouded inmystery, his wife left him or died, he shared the thrown momentarily withSmenkhkare, of which little is known, and after his death, Tutankhaten, atthe age of about ten years, returned his country to the old ways, probablyunder the direction of other political forces" (Strange, 2 1, p.1).(It is obvious that there is a variance in spelling of some of the propernames of this Egyptian period, and the names are written depending on theauthor's spelling.) The Pharaoh, also often called Amunhotep IV "is arguably the most-discussed pharaoh in all Egyptian history, but his story is also the mostproblematical. Of course, with Egypt's rulers normally being the highest of the highin the Near East and Middle East regions, they could never be made angry.But, there would be hints that the amount of gifts they sent were not up towhat seemed to be expected.Vassal letters: "The vassal correspondence reflects the Egyptianadministration of its territories in Syria and Palestine. One of the reasons forthis seems to be that the various scribes interpreted the letters in theirown "modern" idiomatic language, and only occasionally reverting to theancient more formal style. Lab'ayu promises to do that, and asks forgiveness for hisruthlessness in retaking his city: "when an ant is struck does it fightback and bite the hand of the man who struck it?"(p. xxiii). As it appears in these letters, it is largely a provincial and, in some respects, a very heterogeneous culture, the product of a long, complex history, of which we know but a small part (Moran, 1992, p. It begins with the formalgreeting by Tusratta, the King of Mittani to his son-in-law, whom he alsorefers to as "my brother". There are so many communications that have to do with gifts of gold,with the sending of daughters to become wives, and a lot of complaintsabout the size of the gold shipment. 1). There are problems with the chronology of the letters, because,especially in the vassal correspondence, the vassals never addressed theKing by name. Moran, W. In fact, as a book review of Anson F.Rainey's four volumes on Canaanite literature reveals: "the Akkadianwritten in Canaan traces its origin back not to contemporary MiddleBabylonian, but to 'an archaic dialect of Old Babylonian'" (Van Soldt,1998, p. Various stories call this part of the "Amarna Heresy"- referringto the attempt at monotheism by the pharaoh. Their importance "derives mainlyfrom the rich evidence they provide for the social and political history ofSyria and Palestine in the fourteenth century . History of Ancient Egypt. It lasted for onlya few years before being destroyed by those loyal to the old gods of Egypt.But for a few brief years, it was, for Egypt, a kind of mysterious Camelot"(Jenks, 2 1, p. 53). What is interesting, when we get to the letters and their contents, isthat "the king surrounded himself with a new group of civil officials whowere in large part from the lower classes or foreigners....These newsubordinates were 'nobodies whom the King promoted" (Hornung, 1999, p.1 ). And yet, none of these letters seem(at least in these translations) as angry or even scolding. As Moran points out, the writer is wrong inassuming that his brother's daughter was going to replace Teye as queen ofEgypt. 1). 'For me all goes well.' Since it is omitted in the Assyrian letters...it seems to have been optional., The second part, never omitted and therefore probably not optional, is an expression of good wishes for the addressee, usually beginning with 'May all go well with you' (Moran, 1992, p. (ed.) (1992) The Amarna Letters Baltimore MD: Johns HopkinsUniversity Press. He had expected more, as he explains, for both the bride-price as well as his mausoleum. One can easily separate these letters frominternational correspondence. The period seems to end when the city of Akhe-taten was abandonedand the government moved back to Thebes, and all history of the Pharaohwere erased or destroyed. THE AMARNA LETTERS We do not know, of course, exactly when civilization began, in termsof writing down daily events, creating grammar, fashioning a language thatcould be understood by the people, and developing a means of informing,educating and unifying ancient people. When the city wasrecaptured and the enemies captured, he was more or less ordered to holdthem prisoners, without killing them, in order for some investigations toproceed. Jewelry was also something of importance during this period. The first is a report on one's own well-being. "It is a pidgin in which theBabylonian component is mainly lexical, whereas the grammar is profoundlyWest-Semitized, most notably in the word order" (Moran, 1992, p. The literature of the Amarna period comes to us in two forms: inscriptions, mostly royal, on statues, tombs and temples; and clay tablets containing copies of the diplomatic correspondence of the court (if letters can be considered literature here). xix). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.