Examining The Amarna Letters: Canaan And Amur

As texts we will look to various sources. We will examine the Amarna Letters which are 14th century BC tablets that record diplomatic relations mostly between Egypt and Canaan and Amurru. We will extract from the Ras Shamra tablets written c. 1300-1200 BC, which are texts that were found in the Canaanite city of Ugarit that provide details of Canaanite religion and culture. We will reference both recent archaeological publications and a few that may be viewed as antiquated. As this subject has not been extensively pursued, there is a dearth of studies and theories to examine. We will unfold theories that have rarely been challenged for almost 100 years. We will also use the Bible in a comparative method. While many do not regard the
Bible as a reliable source, Dr. Yadin exhorts us to acknowledge that “there is a historical core. Even if you want to minimize it, there may be a core of truth there…[and] it does prove one thing: it proves what motivated them, what moved them to what they did; it was that belief” (Shanks, 1983:193). Accordingly, we will endeavor to utilize the Bible in such a manner.