Tell El Amarna
Holman Bible Dictionary [1]
Tell el-Amarna is the present location of the ancient Egyptian city Akhenaton. That city was constructed as the new capital of a young Pharaoh, Amenhotep (or Amenophis) IV, who was in power during the mid-fourteenth century B.C.
The 300 clay tablets discovered in 1888 at Tell el-Amarna have vastly expanded scholarly knowledge about Egyptian culture. Although the site is not mentioned in the Bible, the discovery of the tablets is important to biblical studies because the tablets relate to the general period in history surrounding the Israelite bondage in Egypt. In fact, the Habiru people, generally associated with the Hebrews, first received scholarly attention because of their mention in the so-called Amarna Letters.
The letters were primarily diplomatic communications between Egypt and Egyptian-controlled territories, including Syria and Palestine. Rulers of small Palestinian city-states including Shechem, Jerusalem, and Megiddo complain of mistreatment by other rulers and ask for Egyptian aid. These letters evidence the political unrest, disunity, and instability of the period prior to the Hebrew conquest.
Hugh Tobias
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [2]
tel - el - a - mar´na . See Tell El-Amarna Tablets .
