The Ancient Near East: History, Texts, etc.

Abstract

The Ancient Near East:History, Texts, etc. Isaac M. Alderman, Victor H. Matthews, John Thomas Willis, and Christopher T. Begg 822. Alfonso Archi, "Religious Duties for a Royal Family: Basing the Ideology of Social Power at Ebla," JNES 76 (2017) 293-306. The royal family of Ebla, particularly the king, had a clearly outlined calendar of cultic duties which required travel to various regional centers. A. reviews this calendar, noting times that family members other than the king fulfilled cultic obligations. The successful royal fulfillment of these social performances created regional networks of power and cohesion.—I.M.A. 823. Laurel Bestock, "Forgotten Fortress: Returning to Uronarti," NEA 80 (2017) 154-65. The kings of the ancient Egyptian Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055–1650 b.c.e.) conquered and subsequently administered a large territory in Lower Nubia, south of the First Cataract. Monumental fortresses that were built along the banks of the Nile by these kings were excavated in the early twentieth century, but were largely destroyed by the flood-waters resulting from the damming of the Nile in the 1960s. Recent surveys have discovered that two of these fortresses have survived and new excavations have begun at Uronarti. Preliminary work there demonstrates the complexity of lifestyle and cultural interaction at this ancient colonial outpost. [Adapted from published abstract—V.H.M.] 824. [Potter's Oracle] Stefan Beyerle, "Authority and Propaganda—The Case of the Potter's Oracle," Sibyls, Scriptures, and Scrolls, 167-84 [see #1505]. Different recensions and versions of the Egyptian Potter's Oracle show various concepts of authorization—sometimes virtually contradictory. Four core concepts in varied ways can be distinguished in the material: (1) references to the classical kingship ideology [End Page 293] of ancient Egypt, including the awaiting of a savior king; (2) the literary use of other texts and traditions, transmitting relevant and comparable contents; (3) the marginalization and exclusion of foreigners, including Egyptian traditions against Asiatics; and (4) an emphasis on the exigency of prophetic words. These core concepts are also prominent in ancient Jewish and early Christian literature, especially in late prophecy and apocalypticism, irrespective of whether these writings later became canonical or not. All these sources have much in common and are very similar in how they construct the authorities they invoke. In the case of the Potter's Oracle, however, the relationship of its recensions and versions to Jewish traditions is still a matter of scholarly dispute.—J.W. 825. Maria Giovanna Biga, "The Role of Women in Work and Society in the Ebla Kingdom (Syria, 24th century BC)," Role of Women, 71-89 [see #1521]. "The purpose of this paper is to give an outline of the role of women in the society of Ebla and of some of the female workers there" (p. 71). B. organizes her presentation under the following headings: (1) Women of the Eblaite royal family; (2) The queen mother Dusigu and the last queen of Ebla Tabur-damu; (3) Women in rituals; (4) Interdynastic marriages of Eblaite princesses; (5) Women as priestesses; and (6) Women at work. She concludes (p. 85): "Women of the court of Ebla had an important role in Eblaite society, taking part in every event of the court, religious ceremonies, rituals, etc. They did not live apart from men, but were involved in all the affairs of the kingdom with them, except for war. The study of the court ladies, consisting of the king's secondary wives, concubines, aunts, sisters, daughters, wet-nurses, etc. proved to be fundamental for the reconstruction of the relative chronology of the texts and for writing the history of Ebla. For a long period of almost 20 years the most important woman at the Ebla court was the queen mother, lady Dusigu. Many anonymous female workers, who were involved in various types of work, are attested. A complete account of female workers at the Ebla court has yet to be written."—C.T.B. 826. [Pyramids Texts] Mariano Bonanno, "La Declaracíon 219 de los Textos de las Pirámides como antecedente de la relacíon Re-Osiris en los Libros del Más Allá del...