Amarna letter EA 282

(See photo, Obverse: [1]) Letter EA 282 is from Šuwardata, of Qiltu (typical in the Amarna letters: the "Man-(LÚ), URU-Qiltu-(ki), the "Govern-or" or 'Man of the (URU)-City-(his)'), to the Pharaoh of Egypt, and is from one of the vassal states in Canaan.

Consequently, though EA 282 is topical, and tells a story, its first appearance is more like a piece of art, rather than a "diplomatic letter" (correspondence).

The identified older photo (pictured), also shows an art-like appearance.

Otherwise, EA 282 is approximately the shortest letter possible, stating: Persons, formulaic introduction, statement of position, and need for continued Archer-troop aid/Pharaonic support.

One of eight letters from Šuwardata[1] A translation from 1982, Biblical Archaeologist magazine:[2] The cuneiform signs, (with some Akkadian words): and from the later corpus: