Amarna Letter no. 255 as Diplomatic Correspondence: A New Interpretation

The article proposes a new translation of lines 8-14 of Amarna letter no. 255. The letter is a diplomatic protest by Mut-Baḫlu, the local ruler of Pella, against the pharaoh’s command that he relinquish his control over the local traffic of caravans. Mut-Baḫlu argues that to control the caravans is his hereditary right. Such an argument is well attested in the Amarna correspondence between the great powers. Its use in a vassal’s letter is a crafty attempt to exploit the diplomatic conventions of the Late Bronze Age.

Krzysztof J. Baranowski