Amarna Letters and Contemporary International Relations - Essay Example

?AMARNA LETTERS AND CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Secondary source summary "Ancient Amarna Letters of Egypt Now Online." Popular Archaeology. September 4, 2011. http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/september-2011/article/ancient-amarna-letters-of-egypt-now-online (accessed October 29, 2012). The website named popular Archaeology offers several supports for academic research. It provides the images of the Amarna tablets and gives the information of the dimensions and language used during the era which is the main focus of the website. The website contains over 300 images of the Amarna tablet and shows the different issues addressed by the state at the different points and issues of life. The development of the website targets researchers so that they can be able to address several issues associated with the study of the archaeological documents. The evaluation of the different language use is depicted in the website through the use of the various sources to develop a comprehensive understanding of the clay tables associated with Amarna. The source offers a wide range of original documents in images form, thus vital secondary sources for research on issues associated with international relations and politics. Davies, Simon. "The Persian Gulf in the 1940s and the Question of an Anglo-American Middle East,." Journal of History, 2010: 64-88. The article by Simon Davies on the influence of the western world on the Anglo Middle East helps in understanding the Intergovernmental relationships that existed within the states, before the development of the international community policies leading to the creation of the United Nation. The Middle East and Egypt had a varied approach in dealing with the issues of governance, education and marriages. The marriages between states were used to create harmony while developing alliances for the sake of developing international security. Such development leads to the creation of harmony within the states thereby improving the quality of international relations. Despite the changes in leadership, several issues could be addressed between the courts of the different countries and the governments. The success of the governance can be evaluated in a sincere and illustrative approach. Davies addresses the current issues affecting international relations by comparing the current government set up to the traditional set up with kings and courts Introduction The letters of Amarna are viewed as the beginning of the international relation between countries and states. The letters addressed to several states have a different meaning and understanding because they present a challenge on the various fronts. The difficulty of understanding the traditional letter is based on the understanding of the traditional practices in the society. The letters target a vast range of people and country. There are over 323 letters written on stone clay tablets1. The role of Amarna letters in the establishment of international relations is the main focus of the essay. Amarna letters illustrate the role of harmony and reduced aggression between countries in order to achieve success. The letters are written in the traditional set up that will require the understanding of the traditional roles of governments to understand Amarna approach to the situation. Cohen and Vestbrook offer insight on the nature of the relationship that existed between the Pharaohs of Egypt and the rest of the society through the use of various languages and actions2. Amarna diplomatic approach shows the role of communication and the preserving of the rights of the countries when dealing with international relations. To analyze Amarna letters, several challenges exist that are addressed by Cohen and Vestbrook3. These challenges include the analysis and the ability to understand the various reasons for the approach. To understand the letters perfectly, scholars have evaluated the role and effect of the letter, in the international community, both in the past and the current situation. For the international relations scholar, the process of evaluating Amarna letters presents a challenge for the researchers through the provision of attributes that must be engaged in the evaluation process. Settings and political conditions during Amarna era The letters of Amarna written to the various states, in the Persian gulf, present evidence of the existence of a relationship between the Great Powers of the entire near east and Egypt. The interconnection between the states and the existence of political management is revealed in Amarna diplomacy thus revealing the critical issues associated with the contemporary international relations4. The cache of documents found at Tell El-Amarna in Egypt contains three types of information. The documents were obtained at the site of the palace of King Amenhotep IV in his abandoned capital. The collection of documents obtained includes over 350letters written in the mid fourteen century B.C.E between the Egyptian court and other states of the east. The letters are grouped under three headings: international correspondence, administrative correspondence and training purposes for school5. From the classification, it is evident that the administration had control of almost all the management and administrative functions of the country6. The international correspondence consists of close to 50 diplomatic documents mostly sent to Pharaohs by the rulers of other Greater powers and lesser independent states. These correspondences covered a wide range of issues including dynastic questions. Dynastic questions particularly marriage, alliance, strategic matters, trade, legal problems and the mechanics of diplomacy were addressed in the letters. According to Cohen and Vestbrook, the existing evidence shows the existing relations between the states. However, these documents are incomplete thus creating a scenario of inconclusiveness7. The second batch of documents consisting of more than 300 imperial documents consisted of administrative correspondence sent to the Egyptian courts from Egypt’s Canaanite. These letters deal with the vassals’ domestic problems which includes quarrel between vassals, trade and tribute and internal security. The relation of Egypt with its neighbor is addressed in the second set of documents8. The final batch of documents was intended for training purposes in school and is not included in Moran compilation. The background information presented illustrates the increased international relation between Egypt and the neighboring states. International law as depicted in Amarna’s documents Since the inception of international relations after the First World War, it has sought to achieve two contemporary goals. These two goals are the understanding of the abiding nature of relations across sovereign collectivities and understanding of contemporary international affairs. International law according to Cohen and Vestbrook, in Amarna era was a system of rules regulating the relations between the kings and the jurisdiction of the system was left to the gods9. The belief of the existence of gods creates the concept of the divinity of the jurisdiction. The concept led to the creation of three problems in regard to legislation. First, the rules were considered as the realms of religion rather than law. Cohen and Vestbrook state that the situation puts extra Juridical norms at par with the norms of honor, honesty, and conscience10. These factors demonstrate the imperative nature of international law rather than its presence. The existence of such a scenario was possible because the gods were part of the real world as they believed. The belief in divine justice was associated with calamities such as floods, drought, plague and defeat in war. Amarna letters and the modern political set up The political set up of the modern times represents the current issues in the development of international relations. Compared to the political situation during the Amarna era, the current issues that affect international relations are almost the same with the traditional setup. The use of dominance in the control of the various issues' highlights the different issues that affect the international law. The main difference of the traditional international relations and the current set up in on juridical issues. Traditional concept involved the action of divine deity or gods, while the current set up rely on the United Nations, to protect the rights of the countries. The current set up does not cover issues of international marriages because the current set up is based on the autonomy of personal life. The argument of Cohen and Vestbrook covers issues of international relations in terms of contextual issues11. The international relations of the era and Babylonian era are not similar but reveal the complexity of international relations while also exhibiting the quality of international practices. According to Podany, the letters by Amarna depict the fragile nature of relationships that exist between the different states and the need for harmony through communication and separation of issues that may lead to a serious problem in international relations. The influence of the King of Egypt was immense as revealed in the Amarna tablets, but the tablets have also highlighted the different level of governance existing in the Egyptian set up12. Podany evaluates the different issue that can be associated with the work of Amarna in the contemporary society13. The role of Amarna letters is to depict the nature of international relations that existed during the reign of king of Egypt. The relationship between Egypt and Mittani was one of the oldest alliances among the illustrious kings and can be understood through the Amarna letters. These letters show information sharing between the two courts and the developed international system14. The quality of the establishment of relationship is revealed in the action of King Amenhotep III whose action depicts familiarity with the international system between Egypt and Mittani. Likewise, the current set of countries exhibit the level of understanding depicted by King Amenhotep III15. Several challenges exist in the current political set up including issues of international politics and systems. In line with the changes in the political systems is the change in communication protocol or systems. According to Podany the different states relied in forming of alliances in order to develop the standard of practice that will facilitate improved security. Podany argues that the traditional systems were prone to attacks and invasion as such creation of alliance involved the creation of stability16. Alliances were created through intermarriage between the king’s descendants, thus creating respect and cooperation between the two states thereby reducing the risk of invasions. These invasions were reduced through the development of arms of governance which handles a diverse array of issues17. The current international relation system is stable due to respect and other related issues of international law. The Amarna tablets address issues of peace and the need for cooperation between states. The political interference between states was significantly reduced in the process leading to the success witnessed during the era. Modern communication process facility better communication between nations thus leads to improved understanding of the rights of the states. The political influence of the international system is massive; it leads to the creation of harmony between the states, which lead to better communication methods and processes18. Conclusion Cohen and Vestbrook cover issues of international relation by evaluating the relationships that existed between Egypt and the Middle East states. In addition, to evaluation of the relationships Cohen and Vestbrook gives an overview and comparison between the current international relation policies to the traditional setup. The approach is supported by the work of Podany by evaluating the political powers of the various kings of the era and developing a proper perspective towards international relations. Bibliography "Ancient Amarna Letters of Egypt Now Online." Popular Archaeology. September 4, 2011. http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/september-2011/article/ancient-amarna-letters-of-egypt-now-online (accessed October 29, 2012). Cohen, Raymond, and Raymond Westbrook. Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations. New York: JHU Press, 2002. Davies, Simon. "The Persian Gulf in the 1940s and the Question of an Anglo-American Middle East,." Journal of History, 2010: 64-88. Podany, Amanda H. Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Thompson, John. "Wilsonianism: The Dynamics of a Conflicted Concept." Journal of international affairs, 2010: 27-47. Read More