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#assyriology
haustafall · 2 months
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“To keep the cedars safe from harm,
Enlil has made him the terror of men.
Despair strikes all who step into his forest.”
—Gilgamesh, Tablet II, Standard Babylonian Version line 217, trans. Sophus Helle
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microwavebeeping · 5 months
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Picture this:
You’re a third year Humanities student. You’re taking an elective on Magic and Medicine in Mesopotamia (mmm for short). Your professor is late. Ten minutes into class, I, femboy professor, appear.
“Sowwy I’m late everyone. Class is starting meow :3”
And then I give a three hour lecture on Lamashtu and childhood illnesses.
What do you do?
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electricalpylon · 8 months
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I really need to know if there’s an epic of Gilgamesh fandom on here. Gilgamesh fans please follow me I need EOG mutuals
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aksiris · 2 years
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The Epic of Gilgamesh
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loneberry · 10 months
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—Enheduana, from “The Hymn to Inana”
Gender-bending in the world’s most ancient authored text, newly translated by Sophus Helle.
From an essay by the translator: “The evidence for activities that sought to actively subvert established gender norms is much clearer when we turn to another and much more motley class of ritual performers. These included the kurĝara, the saĝ-ursaĝ, and the pilipili, as well as several other groups who were associated with the worship of Inana and who performed rituals in which they upended the usual conventions of gender. Ancient texts describe processions in honor of Inana in which the participants would wear female clothes on one side of their body and male clothes on the other. They would brandish weapons, which were the traditional signs of masculinity, as well as weaving instruments, such as spindles and distaffs, the traditional signs of femininity. By mixing and juxtaposing the standard symbols of gender, they would introduce an element of confusion and capriciousness into the conventions of gendered behavior: if the same person could wear both female and male clothes, viewers were led to ponder the nature of gender itself. It is highly likely that the various groups, such as the kurĝara and the saĝ-ursaĝ, would subvert gender norms in different ways: some were perhaps individuals who generally appeared to be female but performed stereotypically male actions, others the reverse, but because of the limitations of our sources, it is difficult to reconstruct the differences between them. Either way, these groups were all engaged in a playful scrambling of what was thought to be typically male and typically female.”
On the pilipili: “Inana then blessed them, named them, and gave them a snapped spear ‘as if they were a man’ (ll. 80–81). The passage implies that they were generally seen as women and that they announced their distance from normative gender by carrying a broken emblem of maleness. However, the text identifies them not with one gender or the other but with the transition between genders, referring to them as ‘the changed pilipili’ (l. 88). Together with the reed pipers, the kurĝara, the saĝ-ursaĝ, and the ecstatics, they are depicted as ritual lamenters: Inana ‘makes them weep and wail for her,’ so that they ‘exhaust themselves with tears and tears’ (ll. 87, 90).”
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gazelle-of-the-steppe · 6 months
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Realizing that he must die,
Gilgamesh grieved for all humanity,
To which the gods replied:
'You must have been told that this is what it means to be human.
You must have been told that this is what it means to have your umbilical cord cut.
The darkest day of humanity awaits you now.
The loneliest place of humanity awaits you now.'
- The Death of Gilgamesh , lines 143-153
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sophiebernadotte · 5 months
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Books that have been published in October (& earlier)
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300,000 Kisses: Tales of Queer Love from the Ancient World by Seán Hewitt, Luke Edward Hall (Oct. 10, 2023) // Age of the City: Why our Future will be Won or Lost Together by Ian Goldin, Tom Lee-Devlin (Jun. 22, 2023) // Anglo-Saxon Kings & Warlords AD 400–1070 by Raffaele D’Amato, Stephen Pollington, Andrei Evgenevich Negin (Oct. 26, 2023)
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Assyria: The Rise & Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm (Jul. 20, 2023) // The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis by Maria Smilios (Sep. 19, 2023) // The British West Indies Regiment: Race & Colour on the Western Front by Dominiek Dendooven (Oct. 3, 2023)
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Churchill & Africa: Empire, Decolonisation & Race by C Brad Faught (Jul. 4, 2023) // Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara (Apr. 3, 2023) // Courting India: England, Mughal India & the Origins of Empire by Nandini Das (Mar, 16, 2023)
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Cowboy - American Icon: A Short History of Wild West Culture by Daniel Pruitt (Oct. 30, 2023) // Culture: A New World History by Martin Puchner (Mar. 2, 2023) // Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes (Sep. 28, 2023)
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The Forgotten Years of Anne Boleyn: The Habsburg & Valois Courts by Sylvia Barbara Soberton (Oct. 25, 2023) // Guardians of the Valley: John Muir & the Friendship That Saved Yosemite by Dean King (Mar. 21, 2023) // How to Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks by Adam Nicolson (Jun. 8, 2023)
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In the Shadow of Isandlwana: The Life & Times of General Lord Chelmsford & his Disaster in Zululand by John Laband, Ian Knight (July 11, 2023) // Insane Emperors, Sunken Cities, & Earthquake Machines: More Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks & Romans by Garrett Ryan (Oct. 3, 2023) // The Life of Cicero: Lessons for Today from the Greatest Orator of the Roman Republic by Philip Kay-Bujak (Oct. 4, 2023)
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Multicultural Commonwealth: Poland-Lithuania & Its Afterlives by Stanley Bill, Simon Lewis (Oct. 31, 2023) // On Great Fields: The Life & Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain by Ronald C. White Jr. (Oct. 31, 2023) // Once a King: The Lost Memoir of Edward VIII by Jane Marguerite Tippett (Oct. 26, 2023)
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Pax: War & Peace in Rome's Golden Age by Tom Holland (Jul. 6, 2023) // Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia: Buccaneers, Women Traders & Mock Kingdoms in Eighteenth Century Madagascar by David Graeber (Jan. 26, 2023) // The Queen's Queue by Laura O'Boyle (Sep. 2, 2023)
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Richard III by Andrea McMillin (Oct. 30, 2023) // A Study of the Sacred District Scene in Private Tomb Decoration by Kelly-Anne Diamond (Oct. 31, 2023) // The Times: British Royal Fashion by Jane Eastoe, Anna Murphy (Oct. 26, 2023)
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Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean by Katherine Pangonis (Jul. 6, 2023) // Vir in Via: Exploring Modern Rome with a Companion from the Ancient City by Nicholas Sudbury (Oct. 4, 2023) // Why Empires Fall: Rome, America & the Future of the West by John Rapley, Peter Heather (May 25, 2023)
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polyglotabc · 3 months
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Unearthing Ancient Civilizations
The Importance of Over 30,000 Preserved Cuneiform Writings Deciphering a Lost Language Insights into Daily Life and Culture The Epic of Gilgamesh Technological and Scientific Advances Religious and Mythological Texts The Role of Cuneiform in Modern Research Challenges in Preservation and Interpretation Enhancing Accessibility and Understanding Book Recommendations Online Resources and…
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View On WordPress
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illipu · 9 months
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𒁾𒁇𒊏𒀝𒁴
𒁹𒁀𒇷𒎙𒄿𒍠𒃼𒋃𒉘𒊭𒌋𒅗𒁾𒀭𒀝𒌝𒈠𒅅𒉈
𒁹 𒄀𒌈 𒆪𒌦𒉡𒌈𒊭𒌓𒁲𒆪𒌦𒈝
𒈫 𒊭𒅋𒇺𒅖𒌅𒊭𒊭𒊭𒀊𒆷𒎙𒅇𒊭𒊭𒀊𒆷𒎙𒅖𒌅𒊭𒅋𒇺𒋰𒊏𒀀𒌅𒅖𒋼𒉏𒅁𒁍𒍑
𒐈 𒆠𒈠𒄢𒆷𒌈𒅖𒌅𒅖𒋼𒉏
𒐂 𒀜𒁕𒉌𒀭𒌓𒌋𒂼𒉌𒀭𒌍
𒐊 𒂵𒂵𒀸𒅔𒃼𒋛𒋗𒅖𒋛𒄿𒎗𒅁𒌈𒅔𒃼𒋛𒊭𒄿𒁁𒅕
𒑁 𒆠𒈠𒂵𒂵𒉘𒅔𒊭𒌉𒆸𒂊𒁉𒅕𒅔𒂊𒈬𒊌𒂊𒈬𒄄
𒑂 𒅍𒀀𒈾𒀭𒎌𒅖𒌅𒆠𒁴𒌋𒀀𒈾𒊬𒆧𒁴𒊭𒊭𒀊𒆷𒎙𒅇𒅋𒇺𒄿𒉿
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Rassam Cylinder, a ten-sided clay cylinder that was created in c. 643 BC, during the reign of King Ashurbanipal (c. 685 BC - 631 BC) who ruled the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 669 - 631 BC.
It was discovered in the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh, near Mosul, present-day Iraq, by Hormuzd Rassam (3 October 1826 - 16 September 1910) in 1854.
In over 1,300 lines of cuneiform text, the cylinder records nine military campaigns of Ashurbanipal, including his wars with Egypt, Elam and his brother, Shamash-shum-ukin.
It also records his accession to the throne and his restoration of the Palace of Sennacherib.
The cylinder is the most complete chronicle on the life of Ashurbanipal.
There are some extracts from the cylinder below:
"I am Ashurbanipal, offspring of Ashur and Bêlit, the oldest prince of the royal harem, whose name Ashur and Sin, the lord of the tiara, have named for the kingship from earliest (lit., distant) days, whom they formed in his mother's womb, for the rulership of Assyria; whom Shamash, Adad and Ishtar, by their unalterable (lit., established) decree, have ordered to exercise sovereignty.
Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, the father who begot me, respected the word of Ashur and Bêlit-ilê (the Lady of the Gods), his tutelary (divinities), when they gave the command that I should exercise sovereignty.
In the month of Airu, in the month of Ea, the lord of mankind, the twelfth day, an auspicious day, the feast day of Gula, at the sublime command which Ashur, Bêlit, Sin, Shamash, Adad, Bêl, Nabû, Ishtar of Nineveh, Queen of Kidmuri, Ishtar of Arbela, Urta, Nergal, Nusku, uttered, he gathered together the people of Assyria, great and small, from the upper to (lit., and) lower sea.
That they would accept (lit., guard) my crown princeship, and later my kingship, he made them take an oath by the great gods, and so he strengthened the bonds (between them and me)....
By the order of the great gods, whose names I called upon, extolling their glory, who commanded that I should exercise sovereignty, assigned me the task of adorning their sanctuaries, assailed my opponents on my behalf, slew my enemies, the valiant hero, beloved of Ashur and Ishtar, scion of royalty, am I.
Egyptian Campaign:
"In my first campaign I marched against Magan, Meluhha, Taharqa, king of Egypt and Ethiopia, whom Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, the father who begot me, had defeated, and whose land he brought under his sway.
This same Taharqa forgot the might of Ashur, Ishtar and the other great gods, my lords, and put his trust upon his own power.
He turned against the kings and regents whom my own father had appointed in Egypt.
He entered and took residence in Memphis, the city which my own father had conquered and incorporated into Assyrian territory.
A swift courier came to Nineveh and reported to me.
At these deeds, my heart became enraged, my soul cried out. I raised my hands in prayer to Ashur and the Assyrian Ishtar.
I mustered my mighty forces, which Ashur and Ishtar had placed into my hands. Against Egypt and Ethiopia, I directed the march."
Rassam Cylinder records the reign of Ashurbanipal until c. 645 BC.
The latter years of his reign are poorly recorded, probably due to the fact that the Neo-Assyrian Empire was plagued with troubles.
One of Ashurbanipal's last known inscription reads:
"I cannot do away with the strife in my country and the dissensions in my family; disturbing scandals oppress me always.
Illness of mind and flesh bow me down; with cries of woe I bring my days to an end.
On the day of the city god, the day of the festival, I am wretched; death is seizing hold upon me, and bears me down..."
Rassam Cylinder is currently on display in the British Museum.
A truly remarkable, yet biased, insight into the reign of Ashurbanipal and the world in which he lived.
📷: © Anthony Huan
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amethystineprose · 1 month
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“I told Sophie that I knew of even older accounts written in both the Sumerian and Akkadian languages,” said Dr. Arboll, whose expertise is ancient accounts of medical diagnoses, prescriptions and healing rituals.
“So after dinner, we double-checked,” said Dr. Rasmussen, who specializes in hedgehogs.
... it is old news to Mesopotamian scholars. “In the small, specialized field of Assyriology, there is a tendency to focus inward and not so much outward,” Dr. Rasmussen said. “As much as Assyriologists like to argue among themselves, they don’t really talk to other people.”
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haustafall · 3 months
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i like to think that gilgamesh, two-thirds god, wears the signs of his divinity like battle scars.
he is physically marked out from the people of Uruk, a visible reminder of his superiority—these humans are like cattle beneath him. he is not their equal. sometimes when he walks among them talking and laughing and loving he thinks he might want to be.
oh and the priests and scribes and courtesans all bow and tell him how much like his mother he looks, how godly he is, how powerful and perfect and unparalleled among men. but when he goes to his goddess mother Ninsun in her perfumed chambers and kneels and tells her of his dreams, she looks down at him, looks in the way only a goddess can, as if from a vast, unspeakable distance—says, with an expression he cannot decipher, that he looks just like his mortal father.
he dreams and he dies a mortal death a hundred times every night. he dreams and he is raised to godhood in a hundred different temples.
he is king. he is god. he is neither, in the end.
perhaps it is lonely.
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microwavebeeping · 7 months
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All girls know how to do is hyperfixate, pirate textbooks, learn Akkadian and cry
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aboutanancientenquiry · 7 months
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"Examining the evolution of kingship in the Ancient Near East from the time of the Sumerians to the rise of the Seleucids in Babylon, this book argues that the Sumerian emphasis on the divine favour that the fertility goddess and the Sun god bestowed upon the king should be understood metaphorically from the start and that these metaphors survived in later historical periods, through popular literature including the Epic of Gilgameš and the Enuma Eliš. The author’s research shows that from the earliest times Near Eastern kings and their scribes adapted these metaphors to promote royal legitimacy in accordance with legendary exempla that highlighted the role of the king as the establisher of order and civilization. As another Gilgameš and, later, as a pious servant of Marduk, the king renewed divine favour for his subjects, enabling them to share the 'Garden of the Gods'. Seleucus and Antiochus found these cultural ideas, as they had evolved in the first millennium BCE, extremely useful in their efforts to establish their dynasty at Babylon. Far from playing down cultural differences, the book considers the ideological agendas of ancient Near Eastern empires as having been shaped mainly by class — rather than race-minded elites."
Table of Contents
Introduction: Laying the groundwork / Dying kings in the ANE: Gilgameš and his travels in the garden of power / Sacred marriage in the ANE: the collapse of the garden and its aftermath / Renewing the cosmos: garden and goddess in first millennium ideology / The Seleucids at Babylon: flexing traditions and reclaiming the garden / Synthesis: cultivating community memory.
Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides is a senior Lecturer in Classical Studies at Monash University, Australia. She holds degrees from Aristotle University, Greece, and the Universities of Leeds and Kent at Canterbury in the UK. She studied Akkadian through Macquarie University, Australia. She has published extensively on ancient comparative literature and religion and her work has appeared in a number of journals including The Classical Quarterly, Viator, GRBS, American Journal of Philology, The Classical Journal, Arethusa, Maia and Latomus.
Source: https://www.routledge.com/In-the-Garden-of-the-Gods-Models-of-Kingship-from-the-Sumerians-to-the/Anagnostou-Laoutides/p/book/9780367879433
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Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides
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sileana · 9 months
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Irving Finkel is adorable.
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sakuraswordly · 3 months
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