Programme

The King as a Nodal Point of Neo-Assyrian Identity

Helsinki, 04.-05. December 2019

Athena Building, Siltavuorenpenger 3a, Hall 167

Organized by Johannes Bach and Sebastian Fink

A Workshop sponsored by and held within the framework of the Centre of Excellence in Ancient Near Eastern Empires at the University of Helsinki. Additional sponsoring was provided by the Austrian Embassy in Helsinki

Wednesday, 4th of December 2019

9:15-9:30 Opening

9:30-10:00 Introduction by Caroline Wallis

10:00-11:00 Keynote 1 - Hannes Galter (University of Graz): Warrior Kings – The changing facets of heroic Kingship in Assyria

11:00-12:00 Keynote 2 - Simo Parpola (University of Helsinki): The King as Priest

12:00-13:30 lunch break

Session 1: The King and the Elites

13:30-14:15 Raija Mattila (Finnish Institute in the Middle East): Who belonged to the Elite in Assyria?

14:15-15:00 Shana Zaia (Universität Wien): When the King’s Away: Elite Identity and Royal Absence

15:00-15:30 Coffee break

15:30-16:15 Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum (FU Berlin): Between Polity and Governance: The Situation of Kings and Elites in Assyria

16:15-17:00 Tero Alstola, Heidi Jauhiainen, Saana Svärd, and Krister Lindén (University of Helsinki): Elites and Social Networks in the Neo-Assyrian Empire

17:00-17:45 Mary Frazer (LMU München): Heir and A Spare: Problems Posed by Brothers for Assyrian Elite Cohesion

 

Thursday, 5th of December 2019

Session 2: The King and the People

9:00-9:45 Shigeo Yamada (University of Tsukuba): ‘Like that of Assyrians’– a Reflection on the Imposed Assyrian Identity over the Extended Imperial Territory

9:45-10:30 Sebastian Fink (University of Helsinki): Royal Price-Politics; or: Cheap Wine makes the People Happy

10:30-11:00 Coffee break

11:00-11:45 Sanae Ito (Sophia University): The Assyrian Kings and the 'Citizens' in the Royal Correspondence

11:45-12:30 Amar Annus (University of Tartu): The King as the Source of Public Health: an Analysis of the Marduk-Ea Incantation Structure

12:30-14:00 Lunch break



Session 3: The King and the Enemies

14:00-14:45 Johannes Bach (University of Helsinki): Similes as a Literary Means for the Portrayal of Enemies in MA and NA Royal Literature

14:45-15:30 Mattias Karlsson (University of Uppsala): Self versus Other: The Neo-Assyrian King and His Enemies in Assyrian Textual and Visual Propaganda

15:30-16:00 Coffee break

16:00-16:45 Natalie May (Leiden University): The Imitators of the King and the Empire

16:45-17:30 Ellie Bennett: Beards in the Formulation of the Gender of Foreign Kings

17:30-18:00 Final Remarks and General Response by Saana Svärd (University of Helsinki): Kings and the Elite Women of the Empire

 

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