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
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
