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How To Do Things With Tears

Ritual Lamenting in Ancient Mesopotamia
  • Paul Delnero
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2020
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Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Records (SANER)

About this book

In contrast to other traditions, cultic laments in Mesopotamia were not performed in response to a tragic event, such as a death or a disaster, but instead as a preemptive ritual to avert possible catastrophes. Mesopotamian laments provide a unique insight into the relationship between humankind and the gods, and their study sheds light on the nature of collective rituals within a crosscultural context.

Cultic laments were performed in Mesopotamia for nearly 3000 years. This book provides a comprehensive overview of this important ritual practice in the early 2nd millennium BCE, the period during which Sumerian laments were first put in writing. It also includes a new translation and critical edition of Uruamairabi (‘That city, which has been plundered’), one of the most widely performed compositions of its genre.

Author / Editor information

Paul Delnero, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Frontmatter

    I
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  • Publicly Available

    Contents

    VII
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    Chapter 1 Doing Things with Tears

    1
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    Chapter 2 Lamenting in the Early Second Millennium

    41
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    Chapter 3 Writing and the Performance of Sumerian Laments

    106
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    Chapter 4 Emotion and Sumerian Laments

    174
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    Chapter 5 Sound and Meaning in Sumerian Laments

    225
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    Chapter 6 Conclusion – the Cultural Function of Mesopotamian Lamenting

    295
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    Appendix 1 Edition of uru2-am3-ma-i-ra-bi (Kirugus 1–5)

    307
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    Appendix 2 Catalogue and List of Old Babylonian Sources for Sumerian Laments by Type

    379
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    Appendix 3 Lists of Phonetic Writings in Phonetically Written Lament Sources

    521
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    Bibliography

    651
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    Index

    663
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
August 10, 2020
eBook ISBN:
9781501512650
Hardcover published on:
August 10, 2020
Hardcover ISBN:
9781501519468
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Front matter:
8
Main content:
668
Tables:
4
https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501512650
eBook ISBN: 9781501512650
Hardcover ISBN: 9781501519468
Keywords for this book
Mesopotamia; Sumerian; Lamenting; Ritual
Audience(s) for this book
Scholars, students, institutes of assyriology, ritual studies, comparative religion, anthropology
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