In 1887 a group of local farmers digging in Egypt amongst the ruins of el Amarna, known as Tell el-Amarna (the short-lived ancient capital of Egypt), found by complete accident what is now – The Amarna Letters. What were these clay tablets with a cuneiform script about? Curator of the Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities at the British Museum 1894-1924, Sir Ernest A T Wallis Budge, an Egyptologist, revealed its importance.
The Amarna Letters were found to be copies of the original and intended for royal and governmental internal documents. It was translated from the Egyptian hieroglyphics of 1360–1332 BC to the cuneiform script for using foreign ambassadors. In 2016, The President and Fellows of Harvard College said, “That these letters were discovered collected together represents an effort by the Egyptians, similarly to its contemporary rivals, to archive their diplomatic correspondence and international treaties, in a similar vein to modern day governance.”
These documents were housed in an administrative building near the royal palace during Amenhotep IV – Akhenaten and spoke of exchanges of gifts, marriage alliances, arguments and disputes, peace talks, agreements and the trading of resources and investments.
The Met Museum’s essay on The Amarna Letters states, “Arriving in court with messengers in possibly foreign dress and language, and accompanied by tribute or lavish gifts, the reading of a letter was probably an important part of courtly rituals related to diplomacy and provided the Egyptian king an opportunity to demonstrate his power through contacts with the outside world.” Has much changed today when there is the offering of gifts? Perhaps the size and value of gifts and how individuals present themselves in front of guests and media.
Exchanges of gifts are given for many reasons. It is provided by an ambassador or leader when visiting a foreign country and cementing foreign relationships or forging alliances, new or old. It is a way for a country to showcase its culture, people, history, traditions, and heritage it’s known for.
In 2012, a gift exchange faux pas occurred. The former British prime minister David Cameron gifted the Barak and Michelle Obama a customised Dunlop ping pong table displaying the best British….made in China! And Samantha Cameron, a ‘Victoriana’ inspired silk scarf created by Glaswegian Jonathan Saunders…made in Italy! Where was the protocol officer when these decisions were made? Conversely, the Obamas sourced a top-of-the-range 100% American BBQ from Engelbrecht Grills and Cookers of Paxton, Illinois and White House-made honey in a crystal honey vase. A job well done by the Obama administration.
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PROTOCOLTODAY ACADEMY OF PROTOCOL & SOFT DIPLOMACY
SOURCES
Writer by Elizabeth Soos, specialist in Etiquette
29 May 2023, Australia
Category: Diplomacy
Reference: ES29052023D
