This detailed analysis of Egypt's imperial and foreign policy is based on the cuneiform tablets which were discovered in the ruins of Amarna in 1887. The documents, mainly consisting of letters from foreign kings, are an invaluable source for the politics and intensive diplomatic contacts of Akhenaten's court and for the intrigue and treachery of the kings of Canaan and Israel. This collection of 18 papers examines the many different aspects of the documents' contents, including international trade, officials and marriage links, as well as considering the difficulties of understanding political processes which are so alien to our own.