How To Do Things With Tears: Ritual Lamenting in Ancient Mesopotamia (Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Records (SANER))

Delnero, Paul

ISBN 10: 1501519468 / ISBN 13: 9781501519468

Published by De Gruyter, 2020

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 385194130

Bibliographic Details

• Title: How To Do Things With Tears: Ritual Lamenting in Ancient Mesopotamia (Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Records (SANER))
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1501519468
• ISBN 13: 9781501519468
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In contrast to other traditions, cultic laments in Mesopotamia were not performed in response to a tragic event, such as a death or a disaster, but instead as a preemptive ritual to avert possible catastrophes. Mesopotamian laments provide a unique insight into the relationship between humankind and the gods, and their study sheds light on the nature of collective rituals within a crosscultural context.

Cultic laments were performed in Mesopotamia for nearly 3000 years. This book provides a comprehensive overview of this important ritual practice in the early 2nd millennium BCE, the period during which Sumerian laments were first put in writing. It also includes a new translation and critical edition of Uruamairabi (‘That city, which has been plundered’), one of the most widely performed compositions of its genre.

About the Authors

Paul Delnero, John Hopkins-Universität, Baltimore, USA.

Paul Delnero, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.