Democracy''s Ancient Ancestors - Mari and Early Collective Governance

Klappentext This book examines the politics of the ancient Near East through archives of letters found in the royal palace of Mari. Zusammenfassung This book examines the politics of the ancient Near East through archives of over 3000 letters found in the royal palace of Mari. These letters! encompassing major kingdoms! smaller states and tribal towns! similar to pre-democratic Greece! justify recognizing a continuity between the classical Aegean world and the older Near East. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface; Part I. Introduction: 1. The Mari texts; 2. A survey of Mari history; 3. The Mari archives and political history; 4. A text-based study: comments on methodology; Part II. The Tribal World of Zimri-Lim: 5. Tribally organized pastoralists and the Amorrites; 6. The primary constituents of the confederacies: Sim'alite gayum and Yaminite li'mum; 7. The local leader of tribe and town: the Sugagum in service to the Mari kingdom; 8. The chief of pasture: the Merhum; 9. The 'Hana' tent-dwellers; 10. The other confederacy: the Yaminites; Part III. The Archaic State and the Matum 'Land': 11. Urbanism and archaic states; 12. The matum: the basic unit of regional politics in the early second millennium; 13. Subdividing the major matums: the halsum district; 14. Population terminology not tied to political entity; 15. Zimri-Lim and the land of the tent-dwellers (mat Hana); Part IV. The Collective and the Town: 16. The towns of the Mari archives; 17. The collective face of town or land; 18. Elders; 19. Heads; 20. Words for assembly; 21. Imar, Tuttul, and Urgis: old towns with strong collective traditions; 22. Mari in third-millenium towns; 23. On explaining corporate power; Part V. Conclusions: 24. The political world of the Mari archives; 25. Before democracy; Bibliography; Glossaries; Indices.

Product details

• Authors: Daniel E. Fleming, Daniel E. (New York University) Fleming, FLEMING DANIEL E, Fleming Daniel E.
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 19.07.2012
• EAN: 9781107404939
• ISBN: 978-1-107-40493-9
• No. of pages: 390
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; Non-fiction book > History > Pre and early history, antiquity; Social sciences, law, business > Ethnology > Ethnology; Mesopotamia, Syria, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography, Ancient World, Social and cultural anthropology, Middle Eastern history, Archaeology by period / region, c 500 to c 1000 CE, BCE to c 500 CE, C 500 CE To C 1000 CE, BCE period – Protohistory, Classical Greek & Roman archaeology, HISTORY / Middle East / Syria