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Amarna letter: Royal Letter from Ashur-uballit, the king of Assyria, to the king of Egypt

New Kingdom, Amarna Period
ca. 1353–1336 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 122
This document was found in the late 1880s at the site of Amarna, the religious capital of Egypt under Akhenaten. It was likely originally stored in administrative offices that formed part of a palace complex in the central part of the city. It is written in cuneiform script on a clay tablet using a reed stylus. The language is an Assyrian dialect of Akkadian, the lingua franca of the time. In this letter the king of Assyria, Ashur-uballit, sends a personal messenger and offers gifts to the king of Egypt, most probably Akhenaten, in order to open communications with the major superpower of the region.

For further discussion and translation, see the Curatorial Interpretation below.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Amarna letter: Royal Letter from Ashur-uballit, the king of Assyria, to the king of Egypt
  • Period: New Kingdom, Amarna Period
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 18
  • Reign: reign of Akhenaten
  • Date: ca. 1353–1336 B.C.
  • Geography: From Egypt; Probably from Middle Egypt, Amarna (Akhetaten)
  • Medium: Clay
  • Dimensions: H. 7.7 cm (3 1/16 in.); W. 5.5 cm (2 3/16 in.)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1924
  • Object Number: 24.2.11
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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