The session will consist of two papers โ by Johannes Bach and Jasmin Lukkari โ followed by a shared question round and discussion on the seminar specific theme of โwriting history in the ancient worldโ. The topics of the talks are:
โThe Stele of Dadusha and Historical Narrating at Old Babylonian Eshnunnaโ (Johannes Bach)
The Stele of Dadusha is the only major remnant of contemporary royal narrative art from the Old Babylonian city of Eshnunna. It reports on a military campaign against the Eastern Tigridian regions to the North and specifically the kingdom of Qabrรข, an endeavour undertaken jointly with Samsi-Addu, the king of Upper Mesopotamia. This talk will take a closer look at the cultural and literary context of the Stele of Dadusha, discuss its strategies for narrating historical events, and reassess the chronology and geographical setting of the military events preceding the siege and capture of the city of Qabrรข. For the latter, the talk will also focus on the little-known polity of the Ya'ilanum on the Upper Zab River. While having been able to elude the ravages of war surrounding their lands for some time, the Ya'ilanum eventually were eradicated by the armies of Samsi-Addu and Dadusha just before the siege of Qabrรข commenced. The talk will analyse how the Ya'ilanum campaign is portrayed in historical and historiographical sources, and develop a scenario that could explain the special treatment of the events in the Stele of Dadusha.
โSeleukid King Antiochus IV and Rome in Historical Narrativesโ (Jasmin Lukkari)
In this paper, I analyse the relations between Rome and the Seleukid king Antiochus IV from the point of view of Greek and Roman historical narratives. Antiochus IV ruled from 175 to 164 BC and was an ally of Rome. Before becoming king, he had spent more than 10 years in Rome as a political hostage. Several detailed and sometimes conflicting descriptions of Antiochus IV survive today. I will examine the neutral or negative description by the Greek historian Polybius, who lived in Rome during this period, alongside the more positive description by Livy, who lived a little over a century later. Using this case study, I demonstrate how narratology, for instance, can be a useful method for studying ancient historians and the relations between Rome and the Hellenistic East during this era.
All are welcome, so please share the news and join us in person or online!
Time: Thursday 23 October at 16:15โ18:00 EEST (UTC+3h).
Live venue: The Faculty of Theology, Faculty Hall (Fabianinkatu 33, room 4038).
Virtual venue: Zoom (Meeting ID: 678 8979 2118 /
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