Introduction

Abstract

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers foundational analyses of rich and diverse source materials and contexts that, taken together, begin to yield the first glimmers of a cultural history – or, more accurately, of diverse cultural histories – of emotions in the ancient Near East. It investigates the boundaries, expressions, perceptions, and materializations of specific emotions through corpus-based approaches and explores particular cultural horizons through a focus on linguistically and historically defined text corpora or other source materials. The book then investigates awe, which plays an important role in collaborative action and identity formation, in relation to the important Sumerian concept of melam. It also explores the Akkadian words and idioms used to describe sadness and grief, with a focus on typical eliciting events, manifestations, appraisals, and modes of coping with these emotions.