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
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
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
Download the programme here: