Bryce T. Letters of the Great Kings of the Ancient Near East: The Royal Correspondence of the Late Bronze Age

Routledge, 2003. — 244 pp. — ISBN: 041525857X.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.Comparative chronology of the Great Kings

Setting the scene
The main players: the five Great Kingdoms.
The interaction of the players: imperial administration and international relationships.
The letters and their themes
Letters and messengers.
The club of royal brothers.
Gift-exchanges.
The marriage market.
Sending for the doctor.
Historical episodes
The Syrian principalities.
The warlords of Amurru.
Hittite frontier correspondence.
An extraordinary request.
Letter to a Mycenaean king.
The elusive Urhi-Teshub.
Last days.
Appendix: the Amarna letters