Death Rituals, Ideology, and the Development of Early Mesopotamian Kingship : Toward a New Understanding of Iraq's Royal Cemetery of Ur /
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At the beginning of Mesopotamia's Early Dynastic period, the political landscape was dominated by temple administrators, but by the end of the period, rulers whose titles we translate as "king" assumed control. This book argues that the ritual process of mourning, burying, and venerating dead elites contributed to this change. Part one introduces the rationale for seeing rituals as a means of giving material form to ideology and, hence, structuring overall power relations. Part two presents archaeological and textual evidence for the death rituals. Part three interprets symbolic objects found in the Royal Cemetery of Ur, showing they reflect ideological doctrines promoting the office of kingship. This book will be particularly useful for scholars of Mesopotamian archaeology and history.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047416791
9789004146358
Naqada IId: The Birth of an Empire Kingship, Writing, Organized Religion /
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This study explores the genesis of the Egyptian Empire in the Naqada IId period and why the authors believe it originated at that time. It evolved in an era that witnessed unprecedented strides in human achievement. This was in many ways similar to other rare episodes in human history in which radical leaps of innovation unexpectedly and inexplicably appear; it represents a transition from mythological to historical awareness. This period, in which hieroglyphic writing emerges, should no longer be referred to as prehistoric but rather early historic. The comparatively brief time span of this revolution is nothing short of miraculous and requires an acceptance of logical inference supported by the evidence we have gathered from currently available sources.
Caliphate and kingship in a fifteenth-century literary history of Muslim leadership and pilgrimage...
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In Caliphate and Kingship in a Fifteenth-Century Literary History of Muslim Leadership and Pilgrimage Jo Van Steenbergen presents a new study, edition and translation of al-Ḏahab al-Masbūk fī Ḏikr man Ḥağğa min al-Ḫulafāʾ wa-l-Mulūk , a summary history of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca by al-Maqrīzī (766-845 AH/ca. 1365-1442 CE). Traditionally considered as a useful source for the history of the ḥağğ , al-Ḏahab al-Masbūk is re-interpreted here as a complex literary construction that was endowed with different meanings. Through detailed contextualist, narratological, semiotic and codicological analyses Van Steenbergen demonstrates how these meanings were deeply embedded in early-fifteenth century Egyptian transformations, how they changed substantially over time, and how they included particular claims about authorship and about legitimate and good Muslim rule.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004332362 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Strategies of Persuasion in Herodotus' Histories and Genesis-Kings : Evoking Reality in Ancient Narratives of a Past /
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In Strategies of Persuasion in Herodotus' Histories and Genesis-Kings , Eva Tyrell comparatively analyzes narrative means in two monumental ancient texts about the past. Combining a narratological approach with insights of modern historical theory and biblical scholarship, she investigates patterns of narrative persuasion as a trans-cultural phenomenon and their connection with ancient concepts of reality and truth. The study contrasts differences in fundamental narrative structures of both narratives, such as mediacy and discursive versus diegetic text portions. It explores the role of material remains mentioned in the accounts to evoke or even create the reality of a past.
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1 online resource. :
9789004427976
9789004427969
How did the Persian king of kings get his wine? : the upper Tigris in antiquity (c.700 BCE to 636 CE) /
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This title explores the upper valley of the Tigris during antiquity. The area is little known to scholarship, and study is currently handicapped by the security situation in southeast Turkey and by the completion during 2018 of the Ilisu dam. The reservoir being created will drown a large part of the valley and will destroy many archaeological sites, some of which have not been investigated. The course of the upper Tigris discussed here is the section from Mosul up to its source north of Diyarbakir; the monograph describes the history of the river valley from the end of the Late Assyrian empire through to the Arab conquests, thus including the conflicts between Rome and Persia. It considers the transport network by river and road and provides an assessment of the damage to cultural heritage caused both by the Saddam dam (also known as the Eski Mosul dam) in Iraq and by the Ilisu dam in south-east Turkey.
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Previously issued in print: 2018. :
1 online resource (iv, 148 pages) : illustrations (black and white, and colour) :
Specialized. :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9781784919573 (ebook) :