Amarna diplomacy

Amarna diplomacy is widely perceived as an official diplomatic system. It is named after the contemporary name of the Egyptian locality Tal-Amarna, which served as the ancient capital city under the administration of Pharaoh Akhenaten in the 14th century BC. Most of the knowledge on Amarna diplomacy comes from the Amarna letters, a group of approximately 350 clay tablets with writings in the Akkadian cuneiform script.

The Amarna letters are an important source of information on Egypt’s diplomatic relations with its neighbours, notably the Hittites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Mitanni, and the city-states of Canaan and Syria. Amarna diplomacy flourished under the era’s highly developed political structure, which featured strong ties between the major powers on the social, cultural, and economic fronts.

One of the main characteristics of Amarna diplomacy was the use of various diplomatic tools and strategies, including treaties, gift exchanges, diplomatic marriages, forging alliances, etc.