The Solar Deities of Bronze Age Anatolia

The Solar Deities of Bronze Age Anatolia PDF Author: Charles W. Steitler
Publisher: Harrassowitz
ISBN: 9783447107983
Category : Bronze age
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Solar deities are some of the most significant and diverse figures of the pantheon revealed in the cuneiform tablets of the Hittites. Drawn from a wide range of Anatolian and Syro-Mesopotamian traditions, the Hittite solar deities include Sun-gods and -goddesses who display an array of differing attributes and represent both the celestial and chthonic spheres. Yet the relevant sources (for the most part written in Hittite, but also in other languages) do not necessarily distinguish these solar deities from one another by proper names or distinct logograms. Previous elucidations of the solar deities rested in many respects upon doubtful methodologies or tenuous axioms. This study provides a new approach to distinguishing the solar deities by combining diachronic and typological criteria with careful attention to the cultural milieu of the individual source texts. From this methodology emerges a functional description of the sub-types of solar deities as they relate to various Hittite cult practices, mythological traditions, the systematic conceptualization of the pantheon as well as the Hittite ideology of kingship. Separate treatments of Old and Middle Hittite texts highlight both innovation and continuity of the role of the solar deities in the history of Hittite religion. A model is proposed as to how the solar deities came to co-exist in the religion of one of the major Bronze Age civilizations of the Near East. Furthermore, by considering all text genres from the early Hittite kingdom, this monograph serves as a useful synthetic compendium of sources both of the Hittite solar deities and of the formative period of Hittite religion in general.

The Solar Deities of Bronze Age Anatolia

The Solar Deities of Bronze Age Anatolia PDF Author: Charles W. Steitler
Publisher: Harrassowitz
ISBN: 9783447107983
Category : Bronze age
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Solar deities are some of the most significant and diverse figures of the pantheon revealed in the cuneiform tablets of the Hittites. Drawn from a wide range of Anatolian and Syro-Mesopotamian traditions, the Hittite solar deities include Sun-gods and -goddesses who display an array of differing attributes and represent both the celestial and chthonic spheres. Yet the relevant sources (for the most part written in Hittite, but also in other languages) do not necessarily distinguish these solar deities from one another by proper names or distinct logograms. Previous elucidations of the solar deities rested in many respects upon doubtful methodologies or tenuous axioms. This study provides a new approach to distinguishing the solar deities by combining diachronic and typological criteria with careful attention to the cultural milieu of the individual source texts. From this methodology emerges a functional description of the sub-types of solar deities as they relate to various Hittite cult practices, mythological traditions, the systematic conceptualization of the pantheon as well as the Hittite ideology of kingship. Separate treatments of Old and Middle Hittite texts highlight both innovation and continuity of the role of the solar deities in the history of Hittite religion. A model is proposed as to how the solar deities came to co-exist in the religion of one of the major Bronze Age civilizations of the Near East. Furthermore, by considering all text genres from the early Hittite kingdom, this monograph serves as a useful synthetic compendium of sources both of the Hittite solar deities and of the formative period of Hittite religion in general.

Theonyms, Panthea and Syncretisms in Hittite Anatolia and Northern Syria

Theonyms, Panthea and Syncretisms in Hittite Anatolia and Northern Syria PDF Author: Livio Warbinek
Publisher: Firenze University Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Get Book Here

Book Description
The topic of the Anatolian panthea in the Bronze Age deals with Hattian, Hittite, Palaean, Luwian and Hurrian gods who have been worshiped in the Kingdom of Ḫatti. In such a context, along with trying to keep a balanced and methodologically-aware approach in our original research, we realized that a multi-authored work such as the present volume, with papers written by some of the major experts of Anatolian religious history, would represent an invaluable contribution to the advancement of a complex and vast field. This collection of essays is the result of the workshop Theonyms, Panthea and Syncretisms in Hittite Anatolia and Northern Syria, held at the University of Verona on 25th and 26th March 2022. Colleagues with different areas of expertise pertaining to the topic of Anatolian religions contributed to an extremely successful event.

Kizzuwatna. History of Cilicia in the Middle and Late Bronze Age (ca. 2000-1200 BC)

Kizzuwatna. History of Cilicia in the Middle and Late Bronze Age (ca. 2000-1200 BC) PDF Author: Andrea Trameri
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004704310
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 638

Get Book Here

Book Description
In Kizzuwatna, Andrea Trameri presents a history of the kingdom of Kizzuwatna, located in Cilicia (southern Anatolia), from its origins to the fall of the Hittite Empire. Encompassing both philological and archaeological evidence in the discussion, this book is the first comprehensive historical study of interdisciplinary scope dedicated to Kizzuwatna and the region of Cilicia in the second millennium BC. The book presents and re-analyses a diverse array of sources and data, providing an updated overview of various topics of interest beyond political history – including historical geography, culture and religion, population and language. Some new findings and proposals further contribute to an improved understanding of the history of the Hittite kingdom and other neighboring regions in the Middle and Late Bronze Age (ca. 2000-1200 BC).

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Material Religion in the Ancient Near East and Egypt

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Material Religion in the Ancient Near East and Egypt PDF Author: Nicola Laneri
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350280828
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 527

Get Book Here

Book Description
With contributions spanning from the Neolithic Age to the Iron Age, this book offers important insights into the religions and ritual practices in ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern communities through the lenses of their material remains. The book begins with a theoretical introduction to the concept of material religion and features editor introductions to each of its six parts, which tackle the following themes: the human body; religious architecture; the written word; sacred images; the spirituality of animals; and the sacred role of the landscape. Illustrated with over 100 images, chapters provide insight into every element of religion and materiality, from the largest building to the smallest amulet. This is a benchmark work for further studies on material religion in the ancient Near East and Egypt.

Economy of Religions in Anatolia and Northern Syria

Economy of Religions in Anatolia and Northern Syria PDF Author: Manfred Hutter
Publisher: Ugarit-Verlag
ISBN: 3868353151
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Religions" are always costly - one has to give offerings (with material value) to the gods, one has to provide the salary for religious specialists who offer their service for their clients, one has to arrange festivals and liturgies - and of course, one has to provide the material means for building temples or shrines. But these costs also repay - as the gods give health or well-being as reward for the offerings. Even if one can never be absolutely certain about such a reward, one at least might earn social reputation because of one's (financial) involvement in religion. But temples are also economic centres - "employing" (often in close relation to the palace) people as workers, craftsmen or "intellectuals" in different positions whose "costs of living" are supplied by the temple. Individual religious specialists receive payment for their service to cover their own costs of living. Although this might sound "modern", religion and economy were intertwined with each other in ancient society also. For this reason, the papers of this conference volume analyse and discuss how the cults, rituals and institutions in Anatolia in the 2nd and 1st millennium contribute to the economic process in those areas.

The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Mediterranean Religions

The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Mediterranean Religions PDF Author: Barbette Stanley Spaeth
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521113962
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 383

Get Book Here

Book Description
Provides an introduction to the major religions of the ancient Mediterranean and explores current research regarding the similarities and differences among them.

Hittite Local Cults

Hittite Local Cults PDF Author: Michele Cammarosano
Publisher: SBL Press
ISBN: 0884143147
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 539

Get Book Here

Book Description
An innovative translation and analysis of Hittite local festivals and of their economic and social dimensions for students and scholars This English translation of the Hittite cult inventories provides a vivid portrait of the religion, economy, and administration of Bronze Age provincial towns and villages of the Hittite Empire. These texts report the state of local shrines and festivals and document the interplay between the central power and provincial communities on religious affairs. Brief introductions to each text make the volume accessible to students and scholars alike. Features: Critical editions of Hittite cult inventories, some of which are edited for the first time, with substantial improvements in readings and interpretations The first systematic study of the linguistic aspects of Hittite administrative jargon An up-to-date study of Hittite cult images and iconography of the gods Michele Cammarosano currently leads a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft-funded project on Hittite cultic administration at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg. His research interests focus on cuneiform palaeography and Hittite religion.

Hittite Texts and Greek Religion

Hittite Texts and Greek Religion PDF Author: Ian Rutherford
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192599941
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 404

Get Book Here

Book Description
Our knowledge of ancient Greece has been transformed in the last century by an increased understanding of the cultures of the Ancient Near East. This is particularly true of ancient religion. This book looks at the relationship between the religious systems of Ancient Greece and the Hittites, who controlled Turkey in the Late Bronze Age (1400-1200 BC). The cuneiform texts preserved in the Hittite archives provide a particularly rich source for religious practice, detailing festivals, purification rituals, oracle-consultations, prayers, and myths of the Hittite state, as well as documenting the religious practice of neighbouring Anatolian states in which the Hittites took an interest. Hittite religion is thus more comprehensively documented than any other ancient religious tradition in the Near East, even Egypt. The Hittites are also known to have been in contact with Mycenaean Greece, known to them as Ahhiyawa. The book first sets out the evidence and provides a methodological paradigm for using comparative data. It then explores cases where there may have been contact or influence, such as in the case of scapegoat rituals or the Kumarbi-Cycle. Finally, it considers key aspects of religious practices shared by both systems, such as the pantheon, rituals of war, festivals, and animal sacrifice. The aim of such a comparison is to discover clues that may further our understanding of the deep history of religious practices and, when used in conjunction with historical data, illuminate the differences between cultures and reveal what is distinctive about each of them.

Castalia: Studies in Indo-European Linguistics, Mythology, and Poetics

Castalia: Studies in Indo-European Linguistics, Mythology, and Poetics PDF Author: Laura Massetti
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004538283
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 294

Get Book Here

Book Description
Since the beginning of Indo-European Studies, linguists have attempted to reconstruct aspects of the Indo-European traditions that go beyond the ‘atomic’ dimensions of related languages, such as inherited aspects of Indo-European texts and traits shared by cognate pantheons and narratives. The chapters in this volume address these very aspects of cultural reconstruction. Interdisciplinary case-studies on poetic features, religion and mythology of several ancient Indo-European languages (Ancient Greek, Latin and Italic, Hittite, Phrygian, Sanskrit, Avestan, Old Norse, Old Irish and Old Russian) work at the intersection of linguistic reconstruction and philology. The results of these investigations shed new light on a variety of aspects, ranging from obscure etymologies to the reconstruction of the genetic link among entire Indo-European myths.

Magic and Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World

Magic and Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World PDF Author: Radcliffe G. Edmonds III
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000989275
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 406

Get Book Here

Book Description
This volume explores aspects of ancient magic and religion in the ancient Mediterranean, specifically ways in which religious and mythical ideas, including the knowledge and practice of magic, were transmitted and adapted through time and across Greco-Roman, Near Eastern, and Egyptian cultures. Offering an original and innovative combination of case studies on the material aspects and cross-cultural transfers of magic and religion, this book brings together a range of contributions that cross and connect sub-fields with a pan-Mediterranean, comparative scope. Section I investigates the material aspects of magical practices, including first editions and original studies on papyri, gems, lamellae containing binding curses and protective texts, and other textual media in ancient book culture. Several chapters feature the Greco-Egyptian Magical Papyri, the compilation of magical recipes in the formularies, and the role of physical book-forms in the transmission of magical knowledge. Section II explores magic and religion as nodes of cultural exchange in the ancient Mediterranean. Case studies range from Egypt to Anatolia and from Syria-Phoenicia to Sicily, with Greco-Roman religion and myth integrated in a diverse and interconnected Mediterranean landscape. Readers encounter studies featuring charismatic figures of Magi and itinerant begging priests, the multiple understandings of deities such as Hekate, Herakles, or Aphrodite, or the perceived exotic origin of cult statues, mummies, amulets, and cursing formulae, which bring to light the rich intercultural networks of the ancient Mediterranean, and the crucial role of magic and religion in the process of cross-cultural adaptation and innovation. Magic and Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World appeals to both specialized and non-specialized audiences, with expert contributions written in an accessible way. This is a fascinating resource for students and scholars working on magic, religion, and mythology in the ancient Mediterranean.