Wolfram von Soden’s Listenwissenschaft and the problem of interpreting Sumerian lexical lists

Abstract

The subject of this study is the Listenwissenschaft theory by German Assyriologist Wolfram von Soden. Since there are two editions of this theory — 1936 and 1960, respectively — it should be clarified that our analysis is devoted to a later version of W. von Soden‘s theory. A detailed description of the elements of this theory is followed by ist systematization, the results of which are reflected in the intellectual map presented in the study. Since the Listenwissenschaft was often criticized for being abstract and speculative, the views of W. von Soden‘s critics were introduced into the study. As a result of the analysis of this criticism, the author of this article comes to the conclusion that the main argument of the Listenwissenschaft theory — the presence of a system in lexical lists — remained unshaken after the criticism. This, in turn, leads to the conclusion that W. von Soden’s theory is included in the field of research of philosophical thought in Assyriology, which makes it possible to clarify the epistemological foundations of the Sumerian and Babylonian lexical lists. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the Listenwissenschaft for the first time since 1999 (the time of the publication of an article by W. von Soden’s student, D.-O. Edzard) was presented in a positive light, which, in turn, prompts a re-examination of this theory in order to solve the epistemological tasks set for Assyriology, in particular, in the context of the discussion about lexical lists. The study applies the method of phenomenology of religion in the edition of J. Waanderburg.