Death rituals, ideology, and the development of early Mesopotamian kingship : toward a new understanding of Iraq's royal cemetery of Ur / Andrew C. Cohen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cohen, Andrew C., author.

Series:

Ancient Magic and Divination ; 7.

Ancient Magic and Divination ; 7

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kingship--Iraq--History--To 1500.

Kingship.

Ideology--Iraq--History--To 1500.

Ideology.

Ur (Extinct city).

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

Leiden, Netherlands ; Boston, Massachusetts : Brill, [2005]

Summary:

At the beginning of Mesopotamia's Early Dynastic period, the political landscape was dominated by temple administrators, but by the end of the period, rulers whose titles we translate as "king" assumed control. This book argues that the ritual process of mourning, burying, and venerating dead elites contributed to this change. Part one introduces the rationale for seeing rituals as a means of giving material form to ideology and, hence, structuring overall power relations. Part two presents archaeological and textual evidence for the death rituals. Part three interprets symbolic objects found in the Royal Cemetery of Ur, showing they reflect ideological doctrines promoting the office of kingship. This book will be particularly useful for scholars of Mesopotamian archaeology and history.

Contents:

Chronology

Introduction

Ritual as potentially transformative social action

Death rituals, their structure and stakes

Recovering ritual acts from the textual and archaeological records

Activities of mourning

Activities surrounding the corpse

Activities surrounding the ghost

Death rituals and the royal ideology

Conclusion: Death rituals as a locus for negotiating power relations.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

90-474-1679-1

OCLC:

1293254281

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789047416791 DOI