The Social World of the Babylonian Priest

Erscheinungsjahr 2019
ISBN: 978-90-04-39995-2
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 103, 312 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 239 mm, Gewicht: 598 g

Reihe: Culture and History of the Ancient Near East

In The Social World of the Babylonian Priest, Bastian Still presents a comprehensive study of the priestly community of Borsippa during the Neo-Babylonian and early Persian Empires (ca. 620-484 BCE). By examining patterns of marriage, landholding, moneylending, and friendship, he provides an intimate account of the daily life of the Babylonian priesthood beyond the temple walls and develops a more sophisticated understanding of the organisation of ancient Babylonian society as a whole. Combining the use of social network analysis, anthropological studies, and sociological concepts concerned with kinship, tie strength, social boundaries, and identity formation, Bastian Still’s interdisciplinary approach transcends the traditional boundary of cuneiform studies and enables the field of Assyriology to contribute to a more general socio-historical discourse.

“S.’s book is a valuable contribution to our growing knowledge of the Mesopotamian priesthoods in the first millennium.”

-Nathan MacDonald, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 44.5 (2020)

Autoren/Hrsg.

Still, Bastian

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Altorientalische Geschichte & Archäologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgments

Figures and Tables

Abbreviations

Introduction

0.1 State of the Art

0.2 Research Questions

0.3 Methodology

0.4 Case Study: The Priestly Community of Borsippa

0.5 The Babylonian Priest

0.6 The Temple Hierarchy

0.7 Main Protagonists of this Study

0.7.1 Temple-Enterers

0.7.2 Brewers

0.7.3 Bakers

0.7.4 Oxherds

0.7.5 Reed-Workers

0.8 Book Structure

Part 1: Social Interactions among Priests in Borsippa

1 The Hypergamous Marriage System

Introduction

1.1 Marriage in Borsippa: Sacerdotal Endogamy

1.2 The Concept of Wife-Giver and Wife-Taker

1.3 Visualising the Marriage Network

1.4 Wife-Givers and Wife-Takers in Borsippa

1.5 Hypergamy in Historical Context

1.6 Wife-Givers and Wife-Takers in the Cult

Conclusion

2 Landholding

Introduction

2.1 Hanšû Estates and the Ancestral Family

2.1.1 The Nature of Hanšû Land

2.1.2 The Historical Origins of Hanšû Land in Borsippa

2.1.3 The Motivations behind the Land Allotment Schemes

2.1.4 The Identity of the Beneficiaries

2.1.5 The Value of Hanšû Land in the Sixth Century BCE

2.2 Land Sales and the Circulation of Property

2.2.1 Marriage Alliances

2.2.2 Professional Solidarity

2.3 Tenancy and Agricultural Collaboration

2.3.1 Unfree Tenants

2.3.2 Tenants without Family Names

2.3.3 Tenants with Family Names

Conclusion

3 Silver Lending

Introduction

3.1 Temple-Enterers

3.2 Brewers

3.3 Bakers

3.4 Oxherds

3.5 Reed-Workers

Conclusion

4 Circles of Trust and Intimacy

Introduction

4.1 Formal Quantification of Personal Networks

4.2 Qualitative Analysis of Tie Strength and Friendship

4.2.1 Ea-ilutu-bani

4.2.2 Ilia (A)

4.2.3 Beliya’u

4.2.4 Re’i-alpi

4.2.5 Atkuppu

Conclusion

Part 2: Priests in Neo-Babylonian Society

5 Homophily and Interaction

Introduction

5.1 Spatial Distribution

5.2 Homophily

5.3 Understanding Rentiers and Entrepreneurs

Conclusion

6 Social Boundary and Collective Identity

6.1 Affiliation to the Temple

6.1.1 Prebend Ownership

6.1.2 Purity and Initiation

6.1.3 Sacrifices and Festivals

6.1.4 Representation

6.1.5 Priestly Families vs. the Individual Priest

6.2 Ownership of Property

6.2.1 Residential Property

6.2.2 Landed Property

6.3 Literacy and Scribal Education

6.4 Language

Conclusion

7 Conclusion

7.1 Summaries of Individual Chapters

Chapter 1: The Hypergamous Marriage System

Chapter 2: Landholding

Chapter 3: Silver Lending

Chapter 4: Circles of Trust and Intimacy

Chapter 5: Homophily and Interaction

Chapter 6: Social Boundary and Collective Identity

7.2 Research Questions Revisited

7.3 Outcomes

The Impact of Temple-Based Regulations

Priests as a Distinct Social Group

7.4 Outlook

Appendix 1: Quantitative Analysis of Priestly Marriages in Borsippa

Introduction

Temple-Enterers

Brewers

Bakers

Butchers

Oxherds

Reed-Workers

Appendix 2: Annotated List of Hanšû Land in Borsippa

Appendix 3: Property Sales in the Borsippa Corpus

Sales of Hanšû Land

Sales of Non-hanšû Land

Sales of Housing Plots

Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Bastian Still, Ph.D. (2016), Leiden University, is currently employed as a Postdoctoral researcher at the American University of Cairo. His research focuses on the history, culture, and society of Babylonia during the first millennium BCE.