Despite the importance of the Late Old Babylonian Period (1711-1595b.c.e.) on the reconstruction ... more Despite the importance of the Late Old Babylonian Period (1711-1595b.c.e.) on the reconstruction of the history of the second millennium and the collapse of the old Babylonian state, little is known about many of its features. The present work seeks to fill in some of the gaps by investigating the conditions of Babylon's southern border which had shifted to the area around Nippur in the early years of King Samsuiluna's reign. Specifically, this study will examine the evidence for a possible dating of the reconquest of the city of Nippur-after its capture by Ilima-ilu of the First Sealand Dynasty. It will be suggested-based on year names and the mention of Ninurta's Udbanuil weapon in legal documents from Nippur and Dūr-Abiešuḫ-that this reconquest can be placed in Samsuiluna year 37. This suggestion must, however, remain merely a hypothesis until more conclusive evidence is found either way.
This paper presents a social network analysis of Dūr-Abiešuḫ – a fortress in central Babylonia – ... more This paper presents a social network analysis of Dūr-Abiešuḫ – a fortress in central Babylonia – to elucidate questions of social stratification and habitus formation during the Late Old Babylonian Period (1711–1595 BCE). Despite the importance of this period in the history of the ancient Near East, little is truly known about its main features. This is especially true of topics such as the social, economic, and even ethnic makeup of settlements and fortresses beyond the confines of the major political strongholds of northern Babylonia.
The corpus of Dūr-Abiešuḫ sheds light on the daily activities within the fortress and provides evidence of the interactions of individuals from many different professions and spheres of influence, including generals and their soldiers, prebendaries, diviners, shepherds, priests, and others. A social network analysis of the fortresses thus allows us to ask several questions: how did these people interact with each other; what socio-economic relations existed within the fortress; how did the geopolitical situation of the time impact and shape these relationships; and so on.
A preliminary examination of the corpus reveals a bipartite distribution of social relations in the fortress between those associated with the military and those associated with the Nippur cult. While this distribution is partly influenced by the specific archives of the corpus, many intriguing features of the fortress’s social organization are still to be teased out of the data. For example, while diviners are present across the entire timespan of the corpus, they have so far only been attested in what can be considered militaristic (or security) contexts, possibly evidencing a shift in the social function of this class of experts due to the geo-political strife in which the fortress found itself.
This is just the Powerpoint of that presentation. Email me at natesteinmeyer@gmail.com if you want a copy of the talk itself.
Despite the importance of the Late Old Babylonian Period (1711-1595b.c.e.) on the reconstruction ... more Despite the importance of the Late Old Babylonian Period (1711-1595b.c.e.) on the reconstruction of the history of the second millennium and the collapse of the old Babylonian state, little is known about many of its features. The present work seeks to fill in some of the gaps by investigating the conditions of Babylon's southern border which had shifted to the area around Nippur in the early years of King Samsuiluna's reign. Specifically, this study will examine the evidence for a possible dating of the reconquest of the city of Nippur-after its capture by Ilima-ilu of the First Sealand Dynasty. It will be suggested-based on year names and the mention of Ninurta's Udbanuil weapon in legal documents from Nippur and Dūr-Abiešuḫ-that this reconquest can be placed in Samsuiluna year 37. This suggestion must, however, remain merely a hypothesis until more conclusive evidence is found either way.
This paper presents a social network analysis of Dūr-Abiešuḫ – a fortress in central Babylonia – ... more This paper presents a social network analysis of Dūr-Abiešuḫ – a fortress in central Babylonia – to elucidate questions of social stratification and habitus formation during the Late Old Babylonian Period (1711–1595 BCE). Despite the importance of this period in the history of the ancient Near East, little is truly known about its main features. This is especially true of topics such as the social, economic, and even ethnic makeup of settlements and fortresses beyond the confines of the major political strongholds of northern Babylonia.
The corpus of Dūr-Abiešuḫ sheds light on the daily activities within the fortress and provides evidence of the interactions of individuals from many different professions and spheres of influence, including generals and their soldiers, prebendaries, diviners, shepherds, priests, and others. A social network analysis of the fortresses thus allows us to ask several questions: how did these people interact with each other; what socio-economic relations existed within the fortress; how did the geopolitical situation of the time impact and shape these relationships; and so on.
A preliminary examination of the corpus reveals a bipartite distribution of social relations in the fortress between those associated with the military and those associated with the Nippur cult. While this distribution is partly influenced by the specific archives of the corpus, many intriguing features of the fortress’s social organization are still to be teased out of the data. For example, while diviners are present across the entire timespan of the corpus, they have so far only been attested in what can be considered militaristic (or security) contexts, possibly evidencing a shift in the social function of this class of experts due to the geo-political strife in which the fortress found itself.
This is just the Powerpoint of that presentation. Email me at natesteinmeyer@gmail.com if you want a copy of the talk itself.
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The corpus of Dūr-Abiešuḫ sheds light on the daily activities within the fortress and provides evidence of the interactions of individuals from many different professions and spheres of influence, including generals and their soldiers, prebendaries, diviners, shepherds, priests, and others. A social network analysis of the fortresses thus allows us to ask several questions: how did these people interact with each other; what socio-economic relations existed within the fortress; how did the geopolitical situation of the time impact and shape these relationships; and so on.
A preliminary examination of the corpus reveals a bipartite distribution of social relations in the fortress between those associated with the military and those associated with the Nippur cult. While this distribution is partly influenced by the specific archives of the corpus, many intriguing features of the fortress’s social organization are still to be teased out of the data. For example, while diviners are present across the entire timespan of the corpus, they have so far only been attested in what can be considered militaristic (or security) contexts, possibly evidencing a shift in the social function of this class of experts due to the geo-political strife in which the fortress found itself.
This is just the Powerpoint of that presentation. Email me at natesteinmeyer@gmail.com if you want a copy of the talk itself.
The corpus of Dūr-Abiešuḫ sheds light on the daily activities within the fortress and provides evidence of the interactions of individuals from many different professions and spheres of influence, including generals and their soldiers, prebendaries, diviners, shepherds, priests, and others. A social network analysis of the fortresses thus allows us to ask several questions: how did these people interact with each other; what socio-economic relations existed within the fortress; how did the geopolitical situation of the time impact and shape these relationships; and so on.
A preliminary examination of the corpus reveals a bipartite distribution of social relations in the fortress between those associated with the military and those associated with the Nippur cult. While this distribution is partly influenced by the specific archives of the corpus, many intriguing features of the fortress’s social organization are still to be teased out of the data. For example, while diviners are present across the entire timespan of the corpus, they have so far only been attested in what can be considered militaristic (or security) contexts, possibly evidencing a shift in the social function of this class of experts due to the geo-political strife in which the fortress found itself.
This is just the Powerpoint of that presentation. Email me at natesteinmeyer@gmail.com if you want a copy of the talk itself.