Letter from Amenhotep III to Milkilu of Gezer

To Milkilu, prince of Gezer[1]

Thus speaks the king. I am sending you this tablet to tell you: Behold, I have sent you Hanya, the commissioner of the archers[2], with merchandise in order to have beautiful concubines, i.e. weavers; silver, gold, garments turquoises, all sorts of precious stones, chairs of ebony, as well as all good things, worth 160 deben[3]. In total: forty concubines - the price of every concubine is forty of silver[4]. Therefore, send very beautiful concubines without blemish. And the king, your lord, says to you: This is good. For you life has been decreed.

Know that the king is well, just as the sun god. His troops, his chariots, his horses are very well. Behold, the god Amen[5] has placed the Upper Land, the Lower Land, the rising sun and the setting sun under the two feet of the king.

[1] Gezer: Town in southern Canaan near Askalon
[2] Archers: The Egyptian constabulary
[3] Deben: weight, about 90 grammes. There was no coined money until the Late Period.
[4] Forty of silver: Forty kits of silver, i.e. four deben
[5] Amen: Still the state god under Amenhotep III.

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