Leiden University Student Repository

Geurts, Maud (2022)

Picturing Death: The Influence of Environmental Factors on the Mesopotamian Concept of Death

Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)

Throughout history people have tried to explain phenomena that were abstract to them, attributing to these events all kinds of reasons ranging from physical to supernatural ones. A system of shared beliefs and norms develops, guiding and explaining to them how to act and respond to all kinds of events, among which is death. How people behave after a death has occurred varies widely across cultures. The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of death held in ancient Mesopotamia and to try to find answers of how it came to be. The first two chapters are dedicated to providing an overview of the Mesopotamian concept of death. The remaining chapters of the current study analyse certain facets of the concept of death which can be traced back to environmental factors. The facets included are: the realm of death, examining its portrayal, location, hierarchy, and type of government; death and burial; the concept of death related to everyday life.

Culture

environment, death

Mesopotamia

Author

Geurts, Maud

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Assyriology

Supervisors

Dercksen, J. G.

ECTS Credits

25

Language

en