ABSTRACT

Offering fascinating insights into the people and politics of the ancient near Eastern kingdoms, Trevor Bryce uses the letters  of the five Great Kings of Egypt, Babylon, Hatti, Mitanni and Assyria as the focus of a fresh look at this turbulent and volatile region in the late Bronze Age.

Numerous extracts from the letters are constantly interwoven into the fabric of narrative and discussion, and this lively approach allows us to witness history through the eyes of the people who lived it, revealing the personalities and reactions of kings, queens, princes, princesses and royal officials more than 3500 years ago to the current events of the day.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

part I|43 pages

Setting the Scene

chapter 1|30 pages

The Main Players

The five Great Kingdoms

chapter 2|12 pages

The Interaction of the Players

Imperial administration and international relationships

part II|71 pages

The Letters and Their Themes

chapter 3|19 pages

Letters and Messengers

chapter 4|19 pages

The Club of Royal Brothers

chapter 5|11 pages

Gift-Exchanges

chapter 6|13 pages

The Marriage Market

chapter 7|8 pages

Sending for the Doctor

part III|102 pages

Historical Episodes

chapter 8|14 pages

The Syrian Principalities 1

chapter 9|24 pages

The Warlords of Amurru 1

chapter 10|17 pages

Hittite Frontier Correspondence

chapter 11|12 pages

An Extraordinary Request

chapter 12|14 pages

Letter to a Mycenaean King

chapter 13|10 pages

The Elusive Urhi-Teshub

chapter 14|9 pages

Last Days