The session will consist of two papers – by Matthew Ong and Jutta Jokiranta – followed by a joint round of questions and discussion on the seminar specific theme of ‘Cognitive Perspectives on Ancient Texts’. The topics of the presentations are:
‘Metaphors for the emotions of Marduk in Ludlul: a cognitive approach’ (Dr. Matthew Ong)
One of the places where one finds non-conventional metaphors for emotion in Akkadian is in the hymns to high gods such as Marduk. Such hymns colorfully depict both the fury and mercy of the god in their relation to the lowly supplicant. An interesting fact about these metaphors that has not received enough attention in Assyriological circles is how they are ‘externally directed’ towards the supplicant rather than focusing on the inner state of the god. I show why this is the case using Zoltán Kövecses’ theory of emotion metaphors and how it relates both to the Marduk theology as well as elite Akkadian scribal poetics.
‘Cognitive Mechanisms in Cultural Rituals: Examples from Dead Sea Scrolls’ (Prof. Dr. Jutta Jokiranta)
Two recent frameworks for the study of rituals, Boyer and Lienard (2021) and Hobson et al. (2017), seek to analyse bottom-up and top-down processes in interaction. For example, they recognize that cultural rituals often have elements of ritualized behaviour, that is, structured and rigid actions that are a response to non-manifest threats. Cultural rituals may embrace such notions or try suppress them. The hypothesis that those cultural rituals are persistent and successfully transmitted that trigger adaptive cognitive mechanisms needs to tested also against historical material. The Dead Sea Scrolls present first-hand evidence of ancient Jewish practices. This paper presents some examples of my project to seek answers to the questions why these sort of practices in ancient Judaism (rather than some other kind), and locate our answers at different levels: both cognitive mechanisms and social and cultural forces.
Everyone is warmly invited, so please share and join us in person or online!
- Joanna Töyräänvuori, Lena Tambs, Repekka Uotila & Samuel Reinikainen
Time: Monday 23 September at 16:15-18:00 EEST (UTC+3h).
Live venue: Faculty hall, Unioninkatu 34, room 4038 (kindly observe that the venue has been changed since the spring semester)
Virtual venue: Zoom (Meeting ID: 678 8979 2118 / https://helsinki.zoom.us/j/67889792118).
Wonder what else is on the menu? Check out the fall program!
For a look back at the past, check out the spring programme.