Photograph by DUBY TAL/ALBATROSS/ALAMY/ACI
These letters are often expressed in language of extreme abasement. The puppet ruler of Gezer, in present-day Israel, wrote: “To the king, my lord, my god, my Sun, the Sun of heaven: Message of Yapahu, your servant, the dirt at your feet. I fall at the feet of the king, my lord, my god, my Sun, seven times and seven times.”
Betrothals and brides
In contrast, the letters written by the pharaoh’s equals, rulers of the great regional powers, are careful how and when they demonstrate that they are on more equal footing. Scholars sometimes refer to the main regional powers of this time as the “Great Powers Club,” which at this time consisted of Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Mitanni (centered in modern southeastern Turkey), and “Hatti,” the Hittite empire. Another member of the club was Alashiya, the island of Cyprus. While geographically small, the island nation was economically powerful thanks to its copper reserves. (