Write clear letters and decision documents : Ethos CRS

An image taken of Amarna letter EA 161, An Absence Explained. It shows a stone text engraved into the stone. Starting right on the edges. It is from 3,300 years ago and describes Egyptian diplomacy.

Image: Amarna letter EA 161, An Absence Explained [no. E29818], British Museum, London

Even in ancient times, writing briefs and correspondence was hard work. Tone and content had to be exactly right, if the purpose of the writer was to be realised.

Consider the letter of Aziru, a Canaanite ruler of what is now modern Lebanon, to the Pharaoh of Egypt, Amenhotep IV. Reading between the cuneiform, Aziru seemed to be in some trouble:

To the Great King, my lord, my god, [my Sun] … I fall at the feet of my lord, [m]y god, my Sun, 7 times and 7 times.

My lord, I am your servant, and on my arrival in the presence of the king, my lord, I spoke of all my affairs in the presence of the king, my lord. My lord, do not listen to the treacherous men that denounce me in the presence of the king, my lord.

I am your servant forever.…

If you want to write clear briefs and compelling correspondence, then please get in touch. (Clay tablets not accepted.)