The Akītu Festival : Religious Continuity and Royal Legitimation in Mesopotamia / Julye Bidmead.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bidmead, Julye, author.

Series:

Gorgias dissertations. Near East series ; 2.

Gorgias Near Eastern Studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kings and rulers--Religious aspects.

Kings and rulers.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 220 pages).

Place of Publication:

Piscataway, NJ : Gorgias Press, [2014]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The akītu festival is one of the oldest recorded religious festivals in the world, celebrated for several millennia throughout ancient Mesopotamia. Yet, the akītu was more than just a religious ceremony; it acted as a political device to ensure the supremacy of the king, the national god, and his capital city. Using tools of social anthropology and ritual analysis, this book presents a detailed reconstruction of the festival events and its attendant rituals to demonstrate how the festival became a propagandistic tool wielded by the monarchy and ruling classes. The akītu festival demonstrates the effectiveness of religion as a political tool.

Contents:

Frontmatter

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

ANALYSIS OF PREVIOUS SCHOLARSHIP ON THE AKĪTU

PHENOMONOLOGY OF THE AKĪTU FESTIVAL

RITUALISTIC ELEMENTS OF THE AKĪTU

POLITICAL, HISTORICAL, AND IDEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 30. Apr 2019)

ISBN:

9781463236007

146323600X

OCLC:

1100447833