Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations

by Raymond Cohen (Editor), Raymond Westbrook (Editor)

Overview

Published in 1992, William L. Moran's definitive English translation, The Amarna Letters, raised as many questions as it answered. How did Pharaoh run his empire? Why did the god-king consent to deal with his fellow, mortal monarchs as equals? Indeed, why did kings engage in diplomacy at all? How did the great powers maintain international peace and order?

In Amarna Diplomacy, Raymond Cohen and Raymond Westbrook have brought together a team of specialists, both social scientists and ancient historians, to explore the world of ancient Near Eastern statecraft portrayed in the letters. Subjects discussed include Egyptian imperial and foreign policy, international law and trade, geopolitics and decision making, intelligence, and diplomacy. This book will be of interest to scholars not only of the ancient Near East and the Bible but also of international relations and diplomatic studies.

Contributors are Pinhas Artzi, Kevin Avruch, Geoffrey Berridge, Betsy M. Bryan, Raymond Cohen, Steven R. David, Daniel Druckman, Serdar Güner, Alan James, Christer Jönsson, Mario Liverani, Samuel A. Meier, William J. Murnane, Nadav Na'aman, Rodolfo Ragionieri, Raymond Westbrook, and Carlo Zaccagnini.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801871030
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	10/23/2002
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.76(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Raymond Cohen is a professor of international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Raymond Westbrook (1946–2009) was the W. W. Spence Professor of Semitic Languages at Johns Hopkins University. The editor of A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law, vols. I and II, he was the coeditor of Security for Debt in Ancient Near Eastern Law, Isaiah’s Vision of Peace in Biblical and Modern International Relations: Swords into Plowshares, and Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations.

Table of Contents

Preface
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction: The Amarna System
I. The International System
2. The Great Power's Club
3. International Law in the Amarna Age
4. The Amarna Age: An International Society in the Making
5. Realism, Contructivism, and the Amarna Letters
II. Foreign Policy
6. The Egyptian Perspective on Mittani
7. Intelligence in the Amarna Letters
III. Imperial Policy
8. Imperial Egypt and the Limits of Power
9. Egypt and Her Vassals: The Geopolitical Dimension
10. The Egyptian-Canaanite Correspondence
IV. International Transactions
11. The Interdependence of the Great Powers
12. Reciprocity, Equality, and Status-Anxiety in the Amarna Letters
13. Diplomacy and International Marriages
14. A Social-Psychological Analysis of Amarna Diplomacy
V. Diplomacy
15. Diplomatic Signaling in the Amarna Letters
16. The Diplomatic Service in Action: The Mittani File
17. Amarna Diplomacy: A Full-fledged Diplomatic System?
18. Conclusion: The Beginnings of International Relations
Notes
Bibliography
Contributors
Index of Terms and Proper Names
Index of Sources
General Index

Editorial Reviews

The breadth of the scholarly expertise here is remarkable and certainly sheds new light on an ancient and rather arcane body of texts.
—William G. Dever, MESA Bulletin

Fascinating reading not only for specialists on the history of the ancient Near East but for all who are interested in the making and working of international politics in general.
—Archiv orientální

This is an important volume for any scholar of the ancient Near East.
—Religious Studies Review

From the Publisher

This is an important volume for any scholar of the ancient Near East.

Religious Studies Review

The breadth of the scholarly expertise here is remarkable and certainly sheds new light on an ancient and rather arcane body of texts.

MESA Bulletin - William G. Dever

Fascinating reading not only for specialists on the history of the ancient Near East but for all who are interested in the making and working of international politics in general.

Archiv orientální

"Fascinating reading not only for specialists on the history of the ancient Near East but for all who are interested in the making and working of international politics in general."

Archiv orientální

Fascinating reading not only for specialists on the history of the ancient Near East but for all who are interested in the making and working of international politics in general.

Archiv orientalni

The breadth of the scholarly expertise here is remarkable and certainly sheds new light on an ancient and rather arcane body of texts.

— William G. Dever

MESA Bulletin