Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
This thesis is an analysis of the aromatics industries in the Ancient Near East in the 3rd millennium BCE with a particular focus on the records from the archive of the e2-mi2 ("House of the Woman"...Show moreThis thesis is an analysis of the aromatics industries in the Ancient Near East in the 3rd millennium BCE with a particular focus on the records from the archive of the e2-mi2 ("House of the Woman") in Girsu (modern Tello). The topic of aromatics production, the people involved in it, and the materials used has been studied extensively through the records of later periods (Ur III onwards), but earlier sources have largely been unused, citing their relative scarcity as a reason. In this sense, this thesis collects the earlier sources and makes them available for discussion. The main research questions are: who were the people involved in the aromatics production in Girsu? What were their tasks other than making scented substances? To what extent are the sources of Girsu representative in a broader context? The methods used are those of social history. A corpus of sources is presented and analyzed, with particular emphasis on the people's social status, activities, and the way in which the documentary practices of Ancient Mesopotamia shape our knowledge about this period. The result is a description of diverse practices, with locally specific characteristics, nonetheless all being a part of a wider, shared tradition of production and use of aromatics.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
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...Show moreThroughout 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.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
This thesis textually re-analyses the 'Poor Man of Nippur' to argue that it can be read as a 'Mock-Heroic Pastiche' via the literary theory of Gérard Genette. Having situated the poem in its...Show moreThis thesis textually re-analyses the 'Poor Man of Nippur' to argue that it can be read as a 'Mock-Heroic Pastiche' via the literary theory of Gérard Genette. Having situated the poem in its historical context, We examine the text via intertextuality, orthography, and theme and motif. Through such a reading, our conclusions pertain to the dating, purpose, and generic definition of the PMN.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
This paper explores the evolution of the profession ṭupšar Enūma Anu Enlil and the connection to the decline in the presence of the profession of the ‘haruspex’ or bārû. The focus of the discussion...Show moreThis paper explores the evolution of the profession ṭupšar Enūma Anu Enlil and the connection to the decline in the presence of the profession of the ‘haruspex’ or bārû. The focus of the discussion lies during the late Neo-Assyrian period to the Arsacid period and the end of cuneiform documentation (674 BCE -75 AD). The extant cuneiform record of the bārû and ṭupšar Enūma Anu Enlil were used to exemplify scribal development and the melding of divinatory traditions. Social network analysis was employed to show how Neo-Assyrian divinatory scholars in the court of Nineveh interacted with each other. Furthermore, social network establishes how they interacted at court and what they advised on and to whom. Secondly, the evidence of Neo-Babylonian and Late-Babylonian scholars using the titles of bārû and ṭupšar Enūma Anu Enlil and their text corpus were compared. This was assessed to determine the change and shift of the evolution of the divinatory disciplines. It was determined that the different facets of divination were combined by scholars during the first millennium and celestial divination, replacing extispicy as the preferred method of divination. The aim was to show how transmission analysis can facilitate the perception of the decline and emergence of scholarly titles. The intent was to uncover community interaction and the criteria for the evolution of the divinatory profession. By the end of cuneiform documentation many of the practices of the bārû were combined into the practice of the ṭupšar Enūma Anu Enlil, however this varied between different cities in both the title and the mode of scholarly interpretation.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
The inclusion of ‘Eduba’ literature which decrees rules or ideals for scribes in the Old Babylonian scribal curriculum is clear evidence that compositions served more than a pedagogical purpose....Show moreThe inclusion of ‘Eduba’ literature which decrees rules or ideals for scribes in the Old Babylonian scribal curriculum is clear evidence that compositions served more than a pedagogical purpose. This thesis investigates the possibility that a moral agenda was involved in the construction of the Old Babylonian scribal curriculum by analysing the most commonly attested literary texts at school sites to see if any common themes regarding proper behaviour emerge.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
2021-09-25T00:00:00Z
The status and political organization of Cyprus during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1600-1100 BC) is a controversial topic. On the one hand the king of Alashiya ‘Cyprus’ is mentioned as an equal to the...Show moreThe status and political organization of Cyprus during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1600-1100 BC) is a controversial topic. On the one hand the king of Alashiya ‘Cyprus’ is mentioned as an equal to the Egyptian King in the Amarna Letters. Various texts from Egypt, Hatti and Ugarit reveal the increasing activity of the island in the trade networks of the eastern Mediterranean area and its dominant role as a copper supplier. On the other hand, the archaeological data inside the island display a society with simple socio-economic structures. The few signs of economic intensification, surplus manipulation and craft specialization are not enough to prove the “supremacy” of a certain elite or even a king. The current study aims to investigate these data, identify the urban and administrative centers of Late Bronze Age Alashiya and to reconstruct the networks within the island and the Eastern periphery. The results of this survey will reveal possible hierarchy among the urban sites and attempt to clarify the political organization of Late Bronze Age Cyprus. Did the 'King of Alashiya' truly exist?Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
Exclusionary and self-serving, the purpose of gender constructs are fundamentally more concerned with the longevity and social-standing of the hegemonic participants – for they perpetuate the...Show moreExclusionary and self-serving, the purpose of gender constructs are fundamentally more concerned with the longevity and social-standing of the hegemonic participants – for they perpetuate the construct itself – than those who fall short of its criteria. Because constructs of masculinity are inherently hierarchal, we would expect the aged to become a “subclass” against which younger participants validate their own masculinity and increase their standing. Thus, in the introduction of her ground-breaking book Being a Man: Negotiating Ancient Constructs of Masculinity, published in 2017, I would have to agree with I. Zsolany’s statement: “to enact a version of masculinity considered less than a societal ideal cannot only be undesirable, but humiliating.” However, against my own presumptions, Mesopotamian art and literature reveals a gerontocratic society which favoured the aged over the young, one where the dominant social construct was monopolised by a group who were unable to adhere to its values and norms, and thus struggled meet its expectations. In this thesis we will investigate this paradox, using the Standard Babylonian (abbreviated as “SB” throughout the essay) Gilgamesh epic to explore the ways in which older men navigated the obstacles of ageing whilst paying particular attention to how they validated their own masculinity based on that of younger men.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
The death of the Hittite king was an event of cosmogonic proportions for Hittite society. The political, religious and social vacuum created by this event signaled the beginning of a an elaborate...Show moreThe death of the Hittite king was an event of cosmogonic proportions for Hittite society. The political, religious and social vacuum created by this event signaled the beginning of a an elaborate fourteen-day-long funerary ritual known among scholars as the “Šalliš Wastaiš ritual”. Its main purpose was the orderly transition of the king’s soul to the underworld. At the same time, the usage of various ritual objects aimed, among others, at presenting the deceased as an otherworldly hunter. Of these objects, the bow, the arrow, the quiver, the spear and the hunting bag were closely connected with Hittite royal hunting, something which is also visible in the textual and iconographic sources of the wider ancient Near East. The construction of a post-mortem image of the deceased king as a hunter was based on the apparent close relation of hunting with religion, warfare and Hittite royal ideology. Considering that Hittite textual and iconographic evidence show that success in the hunt was directly proportional to the offerings toward the gods, the presentation of the ruler as an accomplished hunter propagated his privileged relationship with the divine, and indicated that hunting was treated as a ritual act of great importance. At the same time, given the importance of warfare for the Hittite state, and the equation of the hunt with war, the inclusion of hunting objects in the royal funeral demonstrated that according to Hittite royal ideology the successful hunter was also a mighty and undefeated warrior. Moreover, the hunt acquired a political dimension too, because it sustained the royal propaganda. The killing of big game by the king was indicative of strength and courage, and symbolized his superhuman abilities. Hunting had important cosmological implications as well, since its mastery by the king illustrated his physical and spiritual dominion over the wild beasts which represented one of the aggressive aspects of nature. By showing his command of the animal world, the king emerged, in life and in death, as the defender of civilization against the menace of nature.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
Death is a topic that is rarely discussed in Sumerian texts. Few literary texts deal with this topic while some only touch upon it, even though death was, and still is, unavoidable. The literary...Show moreDeath is a topic that is rarely discussed in Sumerian texts. Few literary texts deal with this topic while some only touch upon it, even though death was, and still is, unavoidable. The literary texts that concern death originate predominantly from the Ur III and Old Babylonian periods (2100 – 1600 BC). The subjects of these texts, the ones that die, are wide-ranging: humans, both kings and non-royal Mesopotamians had to come to terms with their mortality; gods, who, although immortal, were not invincible; and cities, which could ‘die’ by being destroyed and abandoned. Since there was a great variety in subjects dying, the question arises as to whether they were all treated the same in the texts. This forms the first research question: did the scribes follow a literary tradition when describing death? Furthermore, the preserved copies of these texts all date to the period after the transition from the Ur III dynasty to the first dynasty of Isin, and might reflect some of the ideological developments that are characteristic of this transition, such as in the ideology of divine kingship. The second research question addresses the issue of how the texts are related to royal ideology and whether during this post-Ur III period death was consistently described in similar terms or that other, perhaps political, influences are noticeable.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
The role of the wilderness and its constituent elements, such as forests, in mythology and religion and the impact thereof on daily life – ancient and modern – has retained scholarly interest since...Show moreThe role of the wilderness and its constituent elements, such as forests, in mythology and religion and the impact thereof on daily life – ancient and modern – has retained scholarly interest since the dawn of Assyriology. This thesis will try to further our knowledge in that regard as I will examine what role forests played in Mesopotamian myths, folk tales and other narratives. Furthermore I will compare the findings from the flat treeless land between the Euphrates and the Tigris with their counterparts from the more forested realms of Anatolia and the Levant, in order to establish if the proximity of forests influenced the role they played in the aforementioned narratives. If successful, we can assume that this endeavour gives us a broader insight in ancient Mesopotamian thought, concerning the wilderness in general and forests in particular.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
Palace and temple have always been subject to scholarly interest. The first represents the political power of any given land or country, while the latter serves as an entry point into the marvelous...Show morePalace and temple have always been subject to scholarly interest. The first represents the political power of any given land or country, while the latter serves as an entry point into the marvelous world of the religious organization of any given culture. Though studying these separate institutions on their own is of great importance, it is even more in teresting to study the area in which the interests of both institutions meet. Such studies can show how both parties have to deal with each other's interest and have to adapt their own to guarantee a fruitful cooperation. This thesis consists of such a study, researching the relationship between the Babylonian palace and temple in the context of the daily offerings while focusing on the specific role of the king and his priests. With this study I hope to fill in the blanks that are present in this field of study, since this relation has been examined, but not in the context with which this thesis is concerned.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
The present thesis examines the liminal aspects of four Akkadian wisdom compositions from the first millennium B.C.E., specifically: Babylonian Theodicy, Counsels of Wisdom, Dialogue of Pessimism...Show moreThe present thesis examines the liminal aspects of four Akkadian wisdom compositions from the first millennium B.C.E., specifically: Babylonian Theodicy, Counsels of Wisdom, Dialogue of Pessimism and Ludlul bēl nēmeqi. The aim of the present study is to explore the social functions fulfilled by these four texts. I argue that the notion of liminality, as a creative social process, contributes to this discussion. Liminality, as a period which suspends social norms and allows their critical evaluation by an individual or a group (Turner, 1969), is instrumental to explain the social function of wisdom and to describe its productive process. In the present paper, I explore the liminal aspects of these four wisdom compositions based on character and plot description and on the analysis of parallelism and imagery. In these texts, metaphors of material boundaries and social marginality, alongside opposing parallel constructions, accentuate traditional social values exposing them to criticism. My thesis, through heuristic analysis of manuscripts and close-reading of standard versions, studies the relation between the textual representation of liminal situations and the production context offering a new theoretical perspective for the understanding of the social function of Akkadian Wisdom Literature.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
2022-06-30T00:00:00Z
This thesis investigates the revealed material (texts, rock monuments, pottery, architecture, seals, sealings and burials) in western Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age. More specifically, in my...Show moreThis thesis investigates the revealed material (texts, rock monuments, pottery, architecture, seals, sealings and burials) in western Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age. More specifically, in my thesis I examine the case of three western Anatolian sites, namely that of Gordion, Beycesultan and Miletus. This thesis does not only take into account the local material revealed in the aforementioned sites but it also investigates the foreign influences, such as the Mycenaean and the Hittite ones.Show less
