Letters of the great kings of the ancient Near East
Subtitle: the royal correspondence of the late Bronze Age
By: Trevor Bryce.
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2003
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 253
Subjects: Middle East -- History -- To 622 -- Sources.; Middle East -- Kings and rulers -- Correspondence.
Genres: Sources.; Correspondence.
Description: "From numerous surviving letters, we know that the Great Kings of the ancient Near East wrote to each other on a regular basis. The kings often appear pompous, arrogant and petty in their dealings with one another. But their correspondence played a major role in the international diplomacy of the period, underpinning a number of the pacts made between them." "Professor Bryce uses the royal letters as the focus of a new examination of this highly turbulent and volatile region, in the context of the civilizations that flourished there some 3,500 years ago. The book considers a vast range of material, from marriage-alliances and gift-exchanges, to a king's correspondence with his officials in the highly vulnerable frontier zones of his kingdom, to attempts to resolve international crises through diplomacy before they erupted into full-scale war." "As well as offering insights into events of great historical importance, the letters give us many vivid glimpses of the personalities of those writing, and show us their reactions to the events of the time."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Setting the scene: The main players: the five great kingdoms. The interaction of the players; title: The letters and their themes: Letters and messengers. The club of royal brothers. Gift-exchanges. The marriage market. Sending for the doctor; title: Historical episodes: The Syrian principalities. The warlords of Amurru. Hittite frontier correspondence. An extraordinary request. Letter to a Mycenaean king. The elusive Urhi-teshub; title: Last days.