Karen Radner (ed.). State Correspondence in the Ancient World, From New Kingdom Egypt to the Roman Empire

Abstract

This book introduces the reader to the state correspondences of centralized states and empires of the Mediterranean and the Middle East from the 15th century BC to the 6th century AD, and analyses their role in ensuring the success and stability of these geographically extensive state systems. Letters play an important role in the cohesion of early empires, by enabling reliable and confidential long-distance communication and by facilitating the successful delegation of power from the central administration to the provinces -- challenges that in the absence of major technological advances rema. Introduction : long-distance communication and the cohesion of early empires / Karen Radner -- Egyptian state correspondence of the New Kingdom : the letters of the Levantine client kings in the Amarna correspondence and contemporary evidence / Jana Mynarova -- State correspondence in the Hittite world / Mark Weeden -- An imperial communication network : the state correspondence of the neo-Assyrian empire / Karen Radner -- The lost state correspondence of the Babylonian empire as reflected in contemporary administrative letters / Michael Jursa -- State communications in the Persian Empire / Amelie Kuhrt -- The king's words : Hellenistic royal letters in inscriptions / Alice Bencivenni -- State correspondence in the Roman Empire from Augustus to Justinian / Simon Corcoran.