An Introduction to Marriage Diplomacy in the Near East
In 1887, local Egyptians discovered a series of cuneiform tablets buried at the Akhenaten palace complex at Amarna. These tablets would go on to be sold in the antiquities market until archaeologists were able to uncover the source of these tablets to be Amarna. After further excavation and study, these tablets would come to be known as the Amarna Letters, representing an extensive communication between the pharaohs of Egypt and the kings of contemporary Near East states, including Babylonia, Assyria, Mitanni and Canaan among others. Though the letters often raise more questions than they answer, valuable insights about the economic and political relations between Egypt and its Near East contemporaries abound. The letters themselves span between 15 and 30 years and are organized by their political arrangement (Moran xxxiv); that is, they are divided according to correspondence with particular states. The first set of letters is a correspondence between the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III and the Kassite king of Babylonia Kadashman-Enlil I. The most salient topic of conversation between the two is what can perhaps best be described as marriage diplomacy. The kings of these great powers often saw it prudent to forge alliances through marriage, as it proved a relatively sustainable way to establish and maintain ties. This type of politically arranged marriage did, however, present certain challenges. The correspondence reveals a consistent bickering between the kings over whose daughters were being offered for marriage and the gifts to be exchanged as a result. These specific letters between Amenhotep III and Kadshman-Enlil of Babylonia reveal the diplomatic complexities of the relationship between these two empires; particularly, the letters portray Amenhotep III as a cunning negotiator, often unwilling to compromise with the Babylonian king.