Why are the Amarna letters valuable?
The Amarna Letters provide invaluable insight into the nature of diplomatic relations among the great nations and petty states of the 14th century bce, as well as an incomplete and tantalizing hint of the strategic maneuvering that occupied them.
What is El Amarna most known for?
Amarna (/əˈmɑːrnə/; Arabic: العمارنة, romanized: al-ʿamārnah) is an extensive Egyptian archaeological site containing the remains of what was the capital city of the late Eighteenth Dynasty.
Why was Amarna destroyed?
Amarna differs from the usual ‘tell’ in that it did not fall to a foreign power or earthquake and was never built over in antiquity; it was instead destroyed by order of the pharaoh Horemheb (c.
Was Amarna abandoned?
On an uninhabited stretch of the Nile’s east bank, Amarna was founded, constructed and abandoned in under fifteen years. When Akhenaten died in 1332 BC, Egypt’s ancient religion was restored under his successor Tutankhamun and the heretical city of Amarna was flattened and forgotten.
What do the Amarna letters tell us about Akhenaten?
The Amarna Letters show us that great kings from the ancient world had both responsibilities and privileges which were held with power and respect. Therefore, the Amarna system brought a notion of stability and peace, although not always real, for more than two centuries.
How many Amarna Letters are there?
The tablets consist of over 300 diplomatic letters; the remainder comprise miscellaneous literary and educational materials. These tablets shed much light on Egyptian relations with Babylonia, Assyria, Syria, Canaan, and Alashiya (Cyprus) as well as relations with the Mitanni, and the Hittites.
Which pharaoh followed Akhenaten?
Smenkhkare
Akhenaten
| Akhenaten Amenhotep IV | |
|---|---|
| Reign | 1353–1336 BC 1351–1334 BC (18th Dynasty of Egypt) |
| Predecessor | Amenhotep III |
| Successor | Smenkhkare |
| Royal titulary |
When was Amarna destroyed?
1332 BCE
Tell el-Amarna (often abbreviated to Amarna) is a modern name that applies to an extensive archaeological site that is primarily the remains of an ephemeral capital city built and abandoned within about fifteen years during the late Eighteenth Dynasty (in the New Kingdom), between about 1347 and 1332 BCE.
How long did the Amarna period last?
This latter claim is the one most commonly favored by mainstream scholarship, and the era is, therefore, most often designated as between c. 1348-1320 BCE.
Is Amarna Egypt?
Amarna (Tell el-Amarna) can be found on the east bank of the river Nile about half way between Egypt’s capital city of Cairo in the north and Luxor in the south.
What happened during the Amarna period?
The period saw many innovations in the name and service of religion. Egyptians of the time viewed religion and science as one and the same. Previously, the presence of many gods explained the natural phenomena, but during the Amarna period there was a rise in monotheism.