ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Amarna letters

Hey kiddo! Do you know what letters are? They're like little messages that people write to each other. In ancient times, people used to write letters on clay tablets because they didn't have paper like we do today.

The Amarna Letters are a bunch of these clay tablets that were found in a place called Amarna, which is in Egypt. These letters were written about 3,500 years ago by kings and leaders in the countries around Egypt, like Babylon, Assyria, and Canaan.

Now, these letters were written in something called cuneiform. That's just a fancy way of writing with little symbols that look like triangles, rectangles, and lines. It's like a secret code that only certain people can read!

The Amarna Letters tell us a lot about what life was like a long time ago. They talk about wars, alliances between countries, and even marriages between kings and queens. They also give us a glimpse into the daily lives of people back then. For example, one letter talks about sending wine and honey to a king as a gift!

So, the Amarna Letters are really cool because they are like time capsules from a long time ago. They help us learn about history and the people who lived long before us.