The Egyptian Empire was at its peak when Kurigalzu, (ca. 1400-1374 B.C.E.), the Kassite King of Babylonia, passed the throne to his son Kadashman-Enlil, (ca. 1374-1360 B.C.E.). Almost immediately the negotiations begin for a marriage alliance between these two powers. Before formalizing the new marriage, Kadashman-Enlil had sent envoys to visit his sister at the Egyptian court because there was some question as to the whereabouts and welfare of this Babylonian Princess.
Kadashman-Enlil's Sister was apparently the bride of at the center of another earlier diplomatic marriage with Amenhotep III, but she had not been heard from for some time. However, things did not go as well as the Babylonian envoy's had hoped. The princess had not spoken in the presence of the envoys, and they had no way of knowing if it was really her.
The Pharoah Gets Defensive
Judging from this Amarna Letter correspondence, it is clear that the Babylonians had been issuing a steady stream of complaints about their relationship with Egypt for some time. Judging from the contents of the clay tablet labeled as Amarna Letter 1, (EA 1), it is clear that written correspondence between the two kingdoms had been ongoing for many decades. It is these latest allegations over the possibility of a missing princess that had finally warranted a response from the Pharaoh.
In a noteworthy display of righteousness the Pharaoh, Amenhotep III, in turn blames the entire affair on the incompetence of the Babylonian diplomats. He ridicules the qualifications of the Babylonian emissaries, whom he deems as having been wholly unsuited for the mission. He tells the Babylonian King that he should have sent someone who actually knew the Princess if he wanted her identified.
Amenhotep III also scoffs at the Babylonian King for asserting that Kassite Princesses in other lands are able to send such envoys home laden with gifts. The Pharaoh declares that the lack of gifts can also be blamed on the Babylonian emissaries, whom Amenhotep accuses of lying in their reports to their king. Amenhotep then goes on to declare that the diplomats from Babylonia have a long standing history of stealing any gifts intended for their king.
More Kassite Complaints
In addition to there concern over the missing princess, the Babylonians had raised some questions about protocol. There were apparently inquiries being made about the number of troops that were to be sent on diplomatic missions. Kadashman-Enlil also made some insults of his own regarding the appearance of a girl, presumably a slave, that was sent as a gift to the Kassite King, and complained about the Pharaoh's failure to properly acknowledge a gift of chariots that had been sent Egypt.
All of this Amenhotep III rebuffs, insisting that the Kassite King’s complaints are unjustified. Instead of placation or apology, Amhenhotep III takes a tone of severe indignation at the mere raising of questions by the Babylonian King. At one point, Kadashman attempts to make a point by citing something that was said by Tutmoses IV, Amenhotep III's father. In response, the Pharoah tells him directly that he should not refer to agreements made with his father.
The Relationship Deteriorates
The Pharaoh finishes this litany of recriminations with a final rebuff. Amenhotep laughs off a request that a bride, specifically “a girl to be anointed,” be sent to Babylonia. Egypt appears to pursue a policy of not sending their own princesses to foreign lands, even though Babylonian brides had already been sent to Egypt.
The record, found in the Amarna Letters, may reflect a period when the two kingdom’s diplomatic relations were reaching a low-point. Based on future letters, it can be surmised that the missing princess was eventually accounted for, and the situation was resolved. The negotiations for the marriage between a new Babylonian princess and the Pharaoh continued, and ended with another bride being sent to Egypt along with a large exchange of luxury goods.
Nevertheless, within just a few years, Egypt’s Empire, which had reigned supreme for over a century, was to begin a steady decline from which it would never fully recover.
Sources:
Moran, William, The Amarna Letters, (Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992)
Roaf, Michael, Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia, (Andromeda, Oxfordshire, 2004.)
Shaw, Ian. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003.)
Schulman, Alan R. "Diplomatic Marriage in the Egyptian New Kingdom," Journal of Near Eastern Studies,
Vol 38, No. 3 July 1979, pp. 177-193.
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