Ancient-Knowledge-Networks.Pdf

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Ancient-Knowledge-Networks.Pdf Ancient Knowledge Networks Ancient Knowledge Networks A Social Geography of Cuneiform Scholarship in First-Millennium Assyria and Babylonia Eleanor Robson First published in 2019 by UCL Press University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT Available to download free: www.uclpress.co.uk Text © Eleanor Robson, 2019 Images © Eleanor Robson and copyright holders named in captions, 2019 The author has asserted her rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from The British Library. This book is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Non- derivative 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for personal and non-commercial use providing author and publisher attribution is clearly stated. Attribution should include the following information: Robson, E. 2019. Ancient Knowledge Networks: A Social Geography of Cuneiform Scholarship in First-Millennium Assyria and Babylonia. London: UCL Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781787355941 Further details about Creative Commons licenses are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Any third-party material in this book is published under the book’s Creative Commons license unless indicated otherwise in the credit line to the material. If you would like to re-use any third-party material not covered by the book’s Creative Commons license, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. ISBN: 978-1-78735-596-5 (Hbk.) ISBN: 978-1-78735-595-8 (Pbk.) ISBN: 978-1-78735-594-1 (PDF) ISBN: 978-1-78735-597-2 (epub) ISBN: 978-1-78735-598-9 (mobi) DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781787355941 In memory of Bo Treadwell (1991–2014) Contents List of illustrations ix List of tables xv Acknowledgements xvi Bibliographical abbreviations xix Museum and excavation sigla xxi Dating conventions xxii Editorial conventions xxiii 1. Introduction 1 2. From ‘Ashurbanipal’s Library’ and the ‘stream of tradition’ to new approaches to cuneiform scholarship 10 3. Trust in Nabu? Assyrian royal attitudes to court scholarship 49 4. The writing-board was at my house: Scholarly and textual mobility in seventh-century Assyria 98 5. Grasping the righteous sceptre: Nabu, scholarship and the kings of Babylonia 149 6. At the gate of Eanna: Babylonian scholarly spaces before and after the early fifth century 204 7. Conclusions: Towards a social geography of cuneiform scholarship 253 Bibliography 272 Index 303 vii Supplementary website at http://oracc.org/cams/akno featuring: • Corpus of cuneiform texts quoted in this book • Glossary of people, gods, and places • Glossary of technical terms • Links to online resources referenced • Prosopography of Assyrian and Babylonian scholars of the first millennium bc: Tables A–B viii CONTENTS List of illustrations Figure 1.1 Map of the key places mentioned in this book. Source: Martin Brown. 2 Figure 2.1 ‘Archive chamber, Kouyunjik, sketched on the spot by S.G. Malan’ (Layard 1853: opp. p. 345). Malan was a Swiss-British scholar of the Bible and Asian languages who travelled widely in India and the Middle East and was an accom- plished artist. Many of the sketches he made while briefly visiting Layard’s expedition in 1850 formed the basis of Layard’s published illustra- tions (Gadd 1938; Clayden 2015). Public domain. 14 Figure 2.2 ‘Plan of excavated chambers of Kouyunjik’ (Layard 1853: opp. p. 67) with locations of major tablet finds added. Later generations of explorers also found tablets in the nearby temples of Ištar and Nabu as well as the North Palace on the same site. Public domain. 15 Figure 2.3 Lithograph showing the reverse side of British Museum tablet K 39, featuring Ashurbanipal’s colophon praising the divine pair Nabu and Tašmetu (Rawlinson and Norris 1866: pl. 21). Colophons like this, which described their storage in the palace at Nineveh, were key to interpreting the tablets as a ‘library’ in the late 1860s. Reproduced with the permission of the British Museum. 18 Figure 2.4 Composite digital photograph of the reverse side of British Museum tablet K 39, with the colophon highlighted. The Museum has systematically photographed all of the Kouyun- jik tablets and developed a methodology for ix stitching together images of all surfaces – front (obverse), back (reverse) and edges. They are openly licensed on the Museum’s online collec- tions database, allowing maximum accessibility and legibility for researchers with high-speed internet connections. The burn marks from the final destruction of the palace are visible, while some fragments of the original object remain missing or unidentified. Size 175 × 121 × 29 millimetres. Reproduced with the permission of the British Museum. 19 Figure 2.5 The Reading Room of the British Museum under construction, as shown in the popular periodical the Illustrated London News, 14 April 1855. Although the British Museum had had a library at its heart since its very foundation, this new building surely reshaped conceptions of the form and functions of written collections, ancient and modern. Reproduced with the permission of the British Museum. 21 Figure 2.6 The Central Assyrian Saloon of the British Museum, as shown in a newspaper clipping from the 1860s or 1870s. While the business of identifying and deciphering the Museum’s new cuneiform tablet collection went on behind the scenes, the public flocked to see the impressive sculptures that Layard had also brought to London, the first visual evidence of the Old Tes- tament world. Reproduced with the permission of the British Museum. 22 Figure 3.1 Map of Middle Assyrian scholarship. Source: Martin Brown. 54 Figure 3.2 Plan of the royal citadel at Kalhu in the eighth century bc, showing the location of major tem- ples in relation to the Northwest Palace and the Governor’s Residence (Oates and Oates 2001: fig. 10; courtesy of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq). 56 Figure 3.3 The entrance to the god Ninurta’s shrine in Kalhu, built in the early ninth century bc, during excavation in 1850. Solomon Malan’s x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS sketch shows one of two bas-relief sculptures of Ninurta fighting the chaotic Anzu-demon for the Tablet of Destinies, now lost. Its mirror- image twin is on display in Room 6 of the Brit- ish Museum (Gadd 1938: pl. XV; courtesy of Cambridge University Press). This figure cannot be reproduced, shared, altered, or exploited commercially in any way without the permis- sion of Cambridge University Press, as it is copyrighted material and therefore not subject to the allowances permitted by a CC-BY licence. 57 Figure 3.4 One of the guardian statues outside Nabu’s cella in the Kalhu Ezida, inscribed with city governor Bel-tarṣi-ilumma’s dedication to Nabu on behalf of king Adad-nerari III and his mother Sammu-ramat in c. 800 bc. Height 1.83 metres. BM ME 118890, reproduced with the permission of the British Museum. 60 Figure 3.5 Isometric plan of the Ezida temple in Kalhu, oriented north. The northwest wing was the akītu-suite, with throne room, small twin shrines and ‘seven-day room’ opposite. The northeast courtyard housed the administration of the temple while the southern courtyard was probably restricted to scholars and priestly per- sonnel. Nabu’s shrine is immediately opposite the tablet store. Maximum dimensions c. 70 × c. 50 metres (Oates and Oates 2001: fig. 67; courtesy of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq). 71 Figure 3.6 Reconstruction of Nabu’s Ezida temple in Dur-Šarruken, looking southeast from the top of the ziggurat, c. 700 bc (Loud and Altman 1938: pl. 2; courtesy of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago). 72 Figure 3.7 Plan of the Ezida temple in Dur-Šarruken, with the locations of inscribed elements (marked with letters A–E) and abandoned tablets (marked by numerals) added by the author. The bridge to the palace is to the northwest, tablet storage along the west wall (5, 15), and the gods’ cellas to the southwest (21–4). LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi The akītu-suite with throne room (42) and ‘ seven-day room’ (35) is in the southeast wing. Maximum dimensions c. 170 × c. 120 metres (Loud and Altman 1938: pl. 67; courtesy of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago). 74 Figure 3.8 Plan of Nabu and Tašmetu’s temple in Assur, built for king Sin-šarru-iškun in c. 630 bc. The main entrance is to the northeast, the twin cellas (19, 26) to the southwest, and with per- haps a throne room to the northwest (5). There seems to have been no separate akītu-suite. Maximum dimensions c. 40 × c. 30 metres (Schmitt 2012: Taf. 13; courtesy of Harrassowitz Verlag). 85 Figure 4.1 Map of the major cities mentioned in this chapter. Source: Martin Brown. 99 Figure 4.2 Cities from which scholars travelled for royal banquets and treaty ceremonies in Nineveh in the seventh century bc. Source: Martin Brown. 106 Figure 4.3 Geographies of the scholarly professions at the Assyrian royal court in the seventh century bc. Source: Martin Brown. 107 Figure 4.4 Percentages of scholarly genres at Kouyunjik and Kalhu, with further detail of the omen series. NC = Nineveh commentaries; NB = Nineveh Babylonian tablets; NBL = scholarly works in Nineveh booty lists and inventories; KE = tablets from the Kalhu Ezida. Source: author. 114 Figure 4.5 Sources of scholarly tablets for the royal palaces at Nineveh, according to booty lists, inventories and colophons; at least two captive scholars from Nippur and the Borsippa region were also put to work making copies.
Recommended publications
  • VU Research Portal
    VU Research Portal The impact of empire on market prices in Babylon Pirngruber, R. 2012 document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) Pirngruber, R. (2012). The impact of empire on market prices in Babylon: in the Late Achaemenid and Seleucid periods, ca. 400 - 140 B.C. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. E-mail address: [email protected] Download date: 25. Sep. 2021 THE IMPACT OF EMPIRE ON MARKET PRICES IN BABYLON in the Late Achaemenid and Seleucid periods, ca. 400 – 140 B.C. R. Pirngruber VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT THE IMPACT OF EMPIRE ON MARKET PRICES IN BABYLON in the Late Achaemenid and Seleucid periods, ca. 400 – 140 B.C. ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad Doctor aan de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, op gezag van de rector magnificus prof.dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Background Italy, Due to the Threat There from Throw the Entire Balance Over in the Following the Defeat of Hasdrubal Barca Hannibal
    • The numerical superiority they enjoyed with their new mercenaries; • The superior quality of their legions, probably the finest in the Roman army; and, • Overconfidence bred from seven years of campaigning without a serious defeat. Had the Scipios actually faced only 35,000 Carthaginians with over 50,000 legionnaires and mercenaries as they believed, their chances for success would have been good. But Hasdrubal Barca had two additional detachments: 3,000 Numidian cavalry under Masinissa and 7,500 warriors under Indibilis. And Hasdrubal Barca also were unable to obtain more troops from had a trick up his sleeve that was to Historical Background Italy, due to the threat there from throw the entire balance over in the Following the defeat of Hasdrubal Barca Hannibal. Instead, the Scipios hired on a favor of Carthage. at Dertosa (see issue Nr. 4 of C3i for large body of 20,000 Celt-Iberian Dertosa Battle Module) by the Scipio mercenaries. The Celt-Iberians were a While Hasdrubal Barca observed the brothers in 215 BC, Carthage responded mix of those two peoples, found mainly Romans from his position at Amtorgis, by sending reinforcements. Two armies in the wilds of central Spain. They had a he ordered the forces of Hasdrubal were dispatched, one under Hasdrubal's reputation for ferocity and fighting skill. Gisgo, Masinissa and Indibilis to younger brother Mago, and another Both sides confidently planned to take concentrate at Mago Barca's camp under a political rival of the Barca clan, the offensive in 211 BC. near Castulo. Once these forces were Hasdrubal Gisgo. For the next three united, it appears he intended to move years (214-212 BC), the three Publius and Gnaeus Scipio knew that north against the Romans with his Carthaginian armies battled the two Hasdrubal Barca was encamped north combined forces.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sweep of History
    STUDENT’S World History & Geography 1 1 1 Essentials of World History to 1500 Ver. 3.1.10 – Rev. 2/1/2011 WHG1 The following pages describe significant people, places, events, and concepts in the story of humankind. This information forms the core of our study; it will be fleshed-out by classroom discussions, audio-visual mat erials, readings, writings, and other act ivit ies. This knowledge will help you understand how the world works and how humans behave. It will help you understand many of the books, news reports, films, articles, and events you will encounter throughout the rest of your life. The Student’s Friend World History & Geography 1 Essentials of world history to 1500 History What is history? History is the story of human experience. Why study history? History shows us how the world works and how humans behave. History helps us make judgments about current and future events. History affects our lives every day. History is a fascinating story of human treachery and achievement. Geography What is geography? Geography is the study of interaction between humans and the environment. Why study geography? Geography is a major factor affecting human development. Humans are a major factor affecting our natural environment. Geography affects our lives every day. Geography helps us better understand the peoples of the world. CONTENTS: Overview of history Page 1 Some basic concepts Page 2 Unit 1 - Origins of the Earth and Humans Page 3 Unit 2 - Civilization Arises in Mesopotamia & Egypt Page 5 Unit 3 - Civilization Spreads East to India & China Page 9 Unit 4 - Civilization Spreads West to Greece & Rome Page 13 Unit 5 - Early Middle Ages: 500 to 1000 AD Page 17 Unit 6 - Late Middle Ages: 1000 to 1500 AD Page 21 Copyright © 1998-2011 Michael G.
    [Show full text]
  • The Limits of Middle Babylonian Archives1
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OpenstarTs The Limits of Middle Babylonian Archives1 susanne paulus Middle Babylonian Archives Archives and archival records are one of the most important sources for the un- derstanding of the Babylonian culture.2 The definition of “archive” used for this article is the one proposed by Pedersén: «The term “archive” here, as in some other studies, refers to a collection of texts, each text documenting a message or a statement, for example, letters, legal, economic, and administrative documents. In an archive there is usually just one copy of each text, although occasionally a few copies may exist.»3 The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the archives of the Middle Babylonian Period (ca. 1500-1000 BC),4 which are often 1 All kudurrus are quoted according to Paulus 2012a. For a quick reference on the texts see the list of kudurrus in table 1. 2 For an introduction into Babylonian archives see Veenhof 1986b; for an overview of differ- ent archives of different periods see Veenhof 1986a and Brosius 2003a. 3 Pedersén 1998; problems connected to this definition are shown by Brosius 2003b, 4-13. 4 This includes the time of the Kassite dynasty (ca. 1499-1150) and the following Isin-II-pe- riod (ca. 1157-1026). All following dates are BC, the chronology follows – willingly ignoring all linked problems – Gasche et. al. 1998. the limits of middle babylonian archives 87 left out in general studies,5 highlighting changes in respect to the preceding Old Babylonian period and problems linked with the material.
    [Show full text]
  • Sample Pages
    SECTION ONE: ENTRIES Invasions and Conquests_P1-001-158.indd 1 10/28/16 5:43 PM Invasions and Conquests_P1-001-158.indd 2 10/28/16 5:43 PM THE ANCIENT WORLD Assyrian Empire Canaan, Israelite Invasion of Chaldean (Neo-Babylonian) Empire, Expansion of Cyrus The Great Egypt, Hyksos Invasion of Hittites, Expansion of India, Aryan Invasion of Kush, Expansion of Palestine, Egyptian Invasions of Persian Empire, Expansion of Sargon The Great (Z) Chou Dynasty, Expansion of Invasions and Conquests_P1-001-158.indd 3 10/28/16 5:43 PM WARFARE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD As soon as man learned to use rocks and sharp sticks to hunt for meat he probably realized that such weapons could be used to impose his will on other people. The earliest for of warfare was brute muscle power with those throwing the most accurate stone or swinging the heaviest club enjoying the advan- tage. Over time, people realized that a sharp rock or stick was more effective than a dull one, so how to create and maintain that sharp edge came to be a major goal in weapon development. Using rocks as a projectile became more effective when someone realized that they could go further and faster when thrown by a long piece of leather. The development of the sling created the ability to harass and harm one’s enemy at great range, hurting him while keeping oneself safe. Slingers became important units in ancient armies and men talented in its use were in demand as mercenaries. In order to maintain a steady supply of projectiles of proper size and weight, rocks were supplanted by pellets made of baked clay and later of lead.
    [Show full text]
  • A Glimpse Into the Roman Finances of the Second Punic War Through
    Letter Geochemical Perspectives Letters the history of the western world. Carthage was a colony founded next to modern Tunis in the 8th century BC by Phoenician merchants. During the 3rd century BC its empire expanded westward into southern Spain and Sardinia, two major silver producers of the West Mediterranean. Meanwhile, Rome’s grip had tight- © 2016 European Association of Geochemistry ened over the central and southern Italian peninsula. The Punic Wars marked the beginning of Rome’s imperial expansion and ended the time of Carthage. A glimpse into the Roman finances The First Punic War (264 BC–241 BC), conducted by a network of alliances in Sicily, ended up with Rome prevailing over Carthage. A consequence of this of the Second Punic War conflict was the Mercenary War (240 BC–237 BC) between Carthage and its through silver isotopes unpaid mercenaries, which Rome helped to quell, again at great cost to Carthage. Hostilities between the two cities resumed in 219 BC when Hannibal seized the F. Albarède1,2*, J. Blichert-Toft1,2, M. Rivoal1, P. Telouk1 Spanish city of Saguntum, a Roman ally. At the outbreak of the Second Punic War, Hannibal crossed the Alps into the Po plain and inflicted devastating mili- tary defeats on the Roman legions in a quick sequence of major battles, the Trebia (December 218 BC), Lake Trasimene (June 217 BC), and Cannae (August 216 BC). As a measure of the extent of the disaster, it was claimed that more than 100,000 Abstract doi: 10.7185/geochemlet.1613 Roman soldiers and Italian allies lost their lives in these three battles, including The defeat of Hannibal’s armies at the culmination of the Second Punic War (218 BC–201 three consuls.
    [Show full text]
  • Neo-Assyrian Treaties As a Source for the Historian: Bonds of Friendship, the Vigilant Subject and the Vengeful KingS Treaty
    WRITING NEO-ASSYRIAN HISTORY Sources, Problems, and Approaches Proceedings of an International Conference Held at the University of Helsinki on September 22-25, 2014 Edited by G.B. Lanfranchi, R. Mattila and R. Rollinger THE NEO-ASSYRIAN TEXT CORPUS PROJECT 2019 STATE ARCHIVES OF ASSYRIA STUDIES Published by the Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, Helsinki in association with the Foundation for Finnish Assyriological Research Project Director Simo Parpola VOLUME XXX G.B. Lanfranchi, R. Mattila and R. Rollinger (eds.) WRITING NEO-ASSYRIAN HISTORY SOURCES, PROBLEMS, AND APPROACHES THE NEO- ASSYRIAN TEXT CORPUS PROJECT State Archives of Assyria Studies is a series of monographic studies relating to and supplementing the text editions published in the SAA series. Manuscripts are accepted in English, French and German. The responsibility for the contents of the volumes rests entirely with the authors. © 2019 by the Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, Helsinki and the Foundation for Finnish Assyriological Research All Rights Reserved Published with the support of the Foundation for Finnish Assyriological Research Set in Times The Assyrian Royal Seal emblem drawn by Dominique Collon from original Seventh Century B.C. impressions (BM 84672 and 84677) in the British Museum Cover: Assyrian scribes recording spoils of war. Wall painting in the palace of Til-Barsip. After A. Parrot, Nineveh and Babylon (Paris, 1961), fig. 348. Typesetting by G.B. Lanfranchi Cover typography by Teemu Lipasti and Mikko Heikkinen Printed in the USA ISBN-13 978-952-10-9503-0 (Volume 30) ISSN 1235-1032 (SAAS) ISSN 1798-7431 (PFFAR) CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................. vii Giovanni Battista Lanfranchi, Raija Mattila, Robert Rollinger, Introduction ..............................
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Civilisations
    INVESTICE DO ROZVOJE VZDĚLÁVÁNÍ ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS THE FERTILE CRESCENT TASK 1: Study the atlas and label the map with the expressions from the box Jericho Catal Hüyük Ur Babylon the Euphrates the Tigris Jerusalem Tyre Niniveh Hattushash Gizah Byblos Where did the first permanent settlements develop? What geographical features are typical for the locations of the first settlements? Especially Mesopotamia? What was the most typical system of government? 8,000 BC _ Group Work: Ancient Civilisations Timechart TASK 2: Work in four groups (G1-G4) Study the atlas and add to the 6,000 BC _ timechart the following: G1 → Early Farming in Jericho, Chatal Hüyük 5,000 BC _ G1 → Unification of Egypt G1 → Pyramids in Gizah 4,000 BC _ G2 → Beginning of the Sumerian city states G2 → Hammurabi’s Laws, Old Babylon 3,000 BC _ G2 → Assyrian Empire G3 → Indus Valley Civilisation 2,000 BC _ G3 → Chinese Wall G3 → The first Chinese dynasties China 1,000 BC _ G4 → Foundation of Rome 753 BC _ G4 → Minoan Crete 200 BC _ G4 → Mycaenean Greece TENTO PROJEKT JE SPOLUFINANCOVÁN EVROPSKÝM SOCIÁLNÍM FONDEM A STÁTNÍM ROZPOČTEM ČESKÉ REPUBLIKY - 1 - ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS INVESTICE DO ROZVOJE VZDĚLÁVÁNÍ MESOPOTAMIA Chronology c. 6,000-3,500 BC Early farming, first permanent settlements, pottery, first towns and temples, use of copper, bronze c. 3,500 BC Sumerians moved to southern Mesopotamia (not a Semitic tribe, origins unknown) c. 3,200-2,350 BC Supremacy of Sumerian City States (Ur, Uruk, Lagash, Kish, Eridu…) City states, theocracy, irrigation and drainage system, wheel, writing, maths, literature, beer, taxes, lunar calendar c.
    [Show full text]
  • Baseandmodifiedcuneiformsigns.Pdf
    12000 CUNEIFORM SIGN A 12001 CUNEIFORM SIGN A TIMES A 12002 CUNEIFORM SIGN A TIMES BAD 12003 CUNEIFORM SIGN A TIMES GAN2 TENU 12004 CUNEIFORM SIGN A TIMES HA 12005 CUNEIFORM SIGN A TIMES IGI 12006 CUNEIFORM SIGN A TIMES LAGAR GUNU 12007 CUNEIFORM SIGN A TIMES MUSH 12008 CUNEIFORM SIGN A TIMES SAG 12009 CUNEIFORM SIGN A2 1200A CUNEIFORM SIGN AB 1200B CUNEIFORM SIGN AB GUNU 1200C CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES ASH2 1200D CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES GIN2 1200E CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES GAL 1200F CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES GAN2 TENU 12010 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES HA 12011 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES IMIN 12012 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES LAGAB 12013 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES SHESH 12014 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES SIG7 12015 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB TIMES U PLUS U PLUS U 12016 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 12017 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES ASHGAB 12018 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES BALAG 12019 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES BI 1201A CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES DUG 1201B CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES GAN2 TENU 1201C CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES GUD 1201D CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES KAD3 1201E CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES LA 1201F CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES ME PLUS EN 12020 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES NE 12021 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES SHA3 12022 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES SIG7 12023 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES SILA3 12024 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES TAK4 12025 CUNEIFORM SIGN AB2 TIMES U2 12026 CUNEIFORM SIGN AD 12027 CUNEIFORM SIGN AK 12028 CUNEIFORM SIGN AK TIMES ERIN2 12029 CUNEIFORM SIGN AK TIMES SAL PLUS GISH 1202A CUNEIFORM SIGN AK TIMES SHITA PLUS GISH 1202B CUNEIFORM SIGN AL 1202C CUNEIFORM SIGN
    [Show full text]
  • The Antigonids and the Ruler Cult. Global and Local Perspectives?
    The Antigonids and the Ruler Cult Global and Local Perspectives? 1 Franca Landucci DOI – 10.7358/erga-2016-002-land AbsTRACT – Demetrius Poliorketes is considered by modern scholars the true founder of ruler cult. In particular the Athenians attributed him several divine honors between 307 and 290 BC. The ancient authors in general consider these honors in a negative perspec- tive, while offering words of appreciation about an ideal sovereignty intended as a glorious form of servitude and embodied in Antigonus Gonatas, Demetrius Poliorketes’ son and heir. An analysis of the epigraphic evidences referring to this king leads to the conclusion that Antigonus Gonatas did not officially encourage the worship towards himself. KEYWORDS – Antigonids, Antigonus Gonatas, Demetrius Poliorketes, Hellenism, ruler cult. Antigonidi, Antigono Gonata, culto del sovrano, Demetrio Poliorcete, ellenismo. Modern scholars consider Demetrius Poliorketes the true founder of ruler cult due to the impressively vast literary tradition on the divine honours bestowed upon this historical figure, especially by Athens, between the late fourth and the early third century BC 2. As evidenced also in modern bib- liography, these honours seem to climax in the celebration of Poliorketes as deus praesens in the well-known ithyphallus dedicated to him by the Athenians around 290 3. Documentation is however pervaded by a tone that is strongly hostile to the granting of such honours. Furthermore, despite the fact that it has been handed down to us through Roman Imperial writers like Diodorus, Plutarch and Athenaeus, the tradition reflects a tendency contemporary to the age of the Diadochi, since these same authors refer, often explicitly, to a 1 All dates are BC, unless otherwise stated.
    [Show full text]
  • Calendar of Roman Events
    Introduction Steve Worboys and I began this calendar in 1980 or 1981 when we discovered that the exact dates of many events survive from Roman antiquity, the most famous being the ides of March murder of Caesar. Flipping through a few books on Roman history revealed a handful of dates, and we believed that to fill every day of the year would certainly be impossible. From 1981 until 1989 I kept the calendar, adding dates as I ran across them. In 1989 I typed the list into the computer and we began again to plunder books and journals for dates, this time recording sources. Since then I have worked and reworked the Calendar, revising old entries and adding many, many more. The Roman Calendar The calendar was reformed twice, once by Caesar in 46 BC and later by Augustus in 8 BC. Each of these reforms is described in A. K. Michels’ book The Calendar of the Roman Republic. In an ordinary pre-Julian year, the number of days in each month was as follows: 29 January 31 May 29 September 28 February 29 June 31 October 31 March 31 Quintilis (July) 29 November 29 April 29 Sextilis (August) 29 December. The Romans did not number the days of the months consecutively. They reckoned backwards from three fixed points: The kalends, the nones, and the ides. The kalends is the first day of the month. For months with 31 days the nones fall on the 7th and the ides the 15th. For other months the nones fall on the 5th and the ides on the 13th.
    [Show full text]
  • Central Balkans Cradle of Aegean Culture
    ANTONIJE SHKOKLJEV SLAVE NIKOLOVSKI - KATIN PREHISTORY CENTRAL BALKANS CRADLE OF AEGEAN CULTURE Prehistory - Central Balkans Cradle of Aegean culture By Antonije Shkokljev Slave Nikolovski – Katin Translated from Macedonian to English and edited By Risto Stefov Prehistory - Central Balkans Cradle of Aegean culture Published by: Risto Stefov Publications [email protected] Toronto, Canada All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written consent from the author, except for the inclusion of brief and documented quotations in a review. Copyright 2013 by Antonije Shkokljev, Slave Nikolovski – Katin & Risto Stefov e-book edition 2 Index Index........................................................................................................3 COMMON HISTORY AND FUTURE ..................................................5 I - GEOGRAPHICAL CONFIGURATION OF THE BALKANS.........8 II - ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES .........................................10 III - EPISTEMOLOGY OF THE PANNONIAN ONOMASTICS.......11 IV - DEVELOPMENT OF PALEOGRAPHY IN THE BALKANS....33 V – THRACE ........................................................................................37 VI – PREHISTORIC MACEDONIA....................................................41 VII - THESSALY - PREHISTORIC AEOLIA.....................................62 VIII – EPIRUS – PELASGIAN TESPROTIA......................................69
    [Show full text]