LETTERS
 

THE  TEL-EL-AMARNA   LETTERS

L    LETTER FROM AMENOPHIS III, KING OF  EGYPT, TO
KADASHIMAN-BEL,   KING OF  KARDUNIASH

(Northern Babylonia or Assyria)

This is the only known letter of Amenophis III. It is written in the
Babylonian script, and is addressed to a king unknown before the discov¬
ery of the Tel-el-Amarna letters.

TO Kadashman-Bel, King of Kardunlash, my brother,
thus says NIbmuarIa [Amenophis], the great king,
the King of Egypt, thy brother: I am well. May
it be wefl with thee, with thy house, with thy wives, with
thy children, with thy nobles, thy horses, thy chariots, and
in thy lands may there be an abundance of peace! I am
well; with my house, with my wives, with my children,
with my nobles, my horses, my chariots, my people it is
very well, and in my lands there is an abundance of peace.
I have indeed noted the word that thou didst write me—
namely, *' Thou verily desirest my daughter to wife, but
from the time my father gave thee my sister to wife, no
one has seen her (and no one knows) whether she Is alive
or whether she Is dead." These are thy words which thou
didst write me In thy letter. But thou hast never sent a
wise man who was acquainted with thy sister, who could
have conversed with her, or who could have recognised
her, and could have conversed with her. [Here follow
eight lines obscure and mutilated.]

217