The Ancient Near East: History, Texts, etc

Abstract

The Ancient Near East:History, Texts, etc Christopher T. Begg Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America 1783. [1st Millennium b.c. Babylonian Temple Rituals] Claus Ambos, "Babylonian Temple Rituals of the 1st Millennium BC," Cult, Temple, Sacred Spaces, 71-80 [see #2530]. My article deals with Babylonian temple rituals from the 1st millennium b.c. In it, I discuss the conception that the sanctuary, along with the cult image and the related rituals, had been created at the beginning of time by the gods themselves. I deal as well with the topic of the care and feeding of the gods in the temples by their human attendants. I likewise address the question of how human access to the divine abode was regulated and provide a short overview of the rituals of the cultic calendar in the above period. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1784. [Burial Rites for Neo-Assyrian Kings] Fabrice De Backer, "Le Roi est mort: Vive le Roi. Une base de réflexion pour le ritual funéraire royal néo-assyrien," RANT 17 (2020) 43-74. My paper presents a proposed reconstruction of the funeral rituals employed in the burial of Neo-Assyrian kings. In developing this reconstruction I make use of textual, visual, architectural, and material data in identifying and analyzing the various steps and actions involved, whether directly or indirectly in the burial process as well as the various sites where the king's corpse was prepared for burial. I likewise draw on ethnographical comparisons and the expertise of contemporary undertakers in formulating my hypothesis, which I hope may be of use to archaeologists who are looking forward to returning to the one-time territory of Assyria and resuming excavations there. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1785. [The Mortuary Chapel of the High Priest Hapuseneb (TT 67)] Tamás A. Bács, "A Theban Tomb-Temple: The Mortuary Chapel of the High Priest Hapuseneb (TT 67)," Discourse between Tomb and Temple, 11-39 [see #2523]. Hapuseneb was high pirest of the god Amun at Thebes during the reign of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty (see #1793), to whose inner circle of advisers and administrators he belonged. During his tenure, Hapuseneb oversaw the construction of his [End Page 670] own mortuary chapel (TT 67) which was left unfinished at his death and subsequently suffered much damage due both to human depredations and natural attrition. From the surviving remains of the structure's inscriptions and iconography, one feature stands out in particular, i.e., Hapuseneb's underscoring of his close association with and loyalty to Hatshepsut and his utilization of features of various Middle Kingdom temples and tombs, the latter feature serving to call attention to the high antiquity of the office exercised by him.—C.T.B. Google Scholar 1786. [Hittite Nocturnal New Moon Rites] Francesco G. Barsacchi, "'The King Goes Up to the Roof': Hittite Nocturnal Rites Performed during the New Moon," Cult, Temple, Sacred Spaces, 345-62 [see #2530]. On particular occasions, Hittite ritual practices might take place on the flat roof of sacred or profane buildings, which were perceived as the ideal setting for the carrying out of rites directed to celestial or astral deities. My paper analyzes selected examples of cultic activities taking place on a roof, before focusing on a particular group of texts describing a sequence of ritual actions performed by the Hittite king during the night in connection with the first appearance of the new moon. Many fragments of this group of texts are currently filed under the rubric CTH 645. Besides providing a general description of the above text corpus, my paper also addresses the debated issue of the possible relationship of these rites with the great monthly state festival. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1787. [Ostracon Deir el-Bahari Inv. No. F. 8941] Miroslaw Barwik, "Building the Temple 'To the North of the Royal Tomb'—Ostracon Deir-el-Bahari Inv. No. F. 8941," Discourse between Tomb and Temple, 41-54 [see #2523]. The partially preserved ostracon of B.'s title was...