Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Hittite language --- Hittite literature --- Criticism, Textual --- Hittite literature - Criticism, Textual.

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

The so-called cult inventory texts report on the state of religious festivals, rites, cult objects, and cult supplies in a number of provincial towns and villages under Hittite control, thereby documenting the interaction between the central administration and local settlements. As such, they do not concern the official “state cults,” but rather a variety of rites and customs, which in part preserve local traditions. Because of its nature and size, this corpus is unique in the ancient Near East, and is relevant to the comparative history of religions and centre-periphery studies. Within Anatolian studies, the corpus is especially relevant to the study of historical geography, regional and local Hittite panthea, religious iconography, the production and logistics of cult supplies, and the participation of village communities in rites and festivals. Expanding upon a comprehensive edition of 450 cuneiform tablets and the pertinent database “Hittite local cults,” the volume provides an in-depth overview of the text genre; a study of the material, palaeographic, orthographic, and linguistic aspects of the manuscripts; a thorough investigation into the geography of the local cults as well as into the local panthea and cult calendar; and finally critical editions of a representative selection of original texts.

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Written artefacts are traditionally studied because of their content. Material aspects of these artefacts enrich the study of ancient history in many ways. Eleven case studies in five sections on the ancient world, including the Near East, Egypt, the Mediterranean, China and India, demonstrate the impact of a holistic approach that considers materiality and content alike.Following an introductory sketch of relevant research, the first section, 'Methodological Considerations', critically examines the limitations the evidence available imposes on our understanding. 'Early Uses of Writing' addresses material and spatial aspects of inscriptions, and their communicative functions over the textual ones. The third section, 'Material Features', deals with clay, wooden and papyrus manuscripts and demonstrates the importance of an integrated approach. The contributions to 'Co-presence of Written Artefacts' take into account that written artefacts come in clusters. The final section, 'Cultural Encounters', presents studies on the interactions between social strata and ethnic groups, challenging previous ideas.The volume contributes to the comparative study of written artefacts in ancient history, stimulating cross-disciplinary and -cultural research.

LITERARY CRITICISM / General. --- Inscription. --- manuscript. --- text-image relations. --- written artefacts.