The letter of Dusratta of Mitanni to Amenhotep III is one of the most idiosyncratic texts of the 2nd millennium BC. The present volume take into account a new reading of the four Hurrian columns in this letter. After many years of labor, Manfried Dietrich and Walter Mayer have succeeded in presenting a coherent linguistic and rhetorical interpretation of this difficult text. They combine what is known of Hurrian from other sources with a meticulous examination and analysis of the language in these extensive tablets. They also employ the closely related Urartian language along with their knowledge of the rhetoric of various cuneiform languages of the period. With tenacious determination, they draw the various leads together to reveal Dusratta as a garrulous, often wheedling voice expressing his threats, demands, and constant love and friendship for his Egyptian brother, Amenhotep. They suggest that Dusratta's use of Hurrian (his native language) in this letter is connected to his mistrust and fear of misrepresentation as reflected in his constant insistence that the communication between himself and the Egyptian king should be conducted with the help of only two trusted go-betweens.

The new drawing and transliteration of the text places the interpretation of the text on a new footing, making essential improvements on what has been available up to now. The authors point out that their interpretation of this text is an Assyriological one and express hope that it will enliven the discussion on this text which sheds a unique light on the relations between Mitanni and Egypt in the 14th century BC.