- Tell ei-Amarna, known as Akhetaten to the Ancient Egyptians, was the ancient capital of Egypt under Pharaoh Akhenaton (c.1353-1336 BCE).
- It is located almost halfway between Cairo and Luxor.
History
- The site was excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1891-92, who found 24 Tablets, and by Sir Leonard Woolley between 1921-22.
- Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV) (c.1353-1336 BCE) was the ‘heretic Pharaoh’ married to Queen Nefertiti.
The Amarna Letters
- The Letters were found behind the Royal Residence in the city of Akhenaten, which has become known as the Bureau of Correspondence of the Pharaoh.
- Unusually, the letters were written on 382 clay tablets in Akkadian Cuneiform, the writing of Ancient Mesopotamia, and not in Hieroglyphs, the writing of Ancient Egypt.
- 80 of the Tablets are in the British Museum in London, 7 in the Louvre in Paris and 50 in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
- They were written over a 30 year period, and each letter is dated between c.1360-c.1332 BCE. After 1332 BCE, Tutankhamun moved the Capital to Thebes.
Significance of the Amarna Letters
- 300 of the Tablets are Diplomatic letters outlining Egypt’s relations with Babylonia, Assyria, the Hittites, the Mitanni, Syria, Canaan, Cyprus (Alashiya), Jerusalem and Byblos.
- They give a unique insight into the relationships between Nation States during the 14th century BCE.
Tell el Amarna