Remembering and Forgetting in Ancient Mesopotamia

Reviews / Votes

"Feldman convincingly argues that the Akkadian period has been described as memorable precisely because of the efforts of Ur III rulers to preserve it in a reshaped form. She successfully weaves together several different methodologies-including archaeological analysis of stratigraphy, art historical analysis of architecture, materiality, and form, and literary or textual analyses-and supports them with careful step-by-step arguments. Original and meticulously researched, Remembering and Forgetting in Ancient Mesopotamia adds novel and important contributions to the study of the Mesopotamian past." -- Augusta McMahon, The University of Chicago "Feldman's scholarship is impeccable as she grapples with the full range of existing literature, including archaeological reports, theoretical approaches, and relevant text extracts. Feldman considers how the Ur III kings exploited Akkadian traditions to legitimize their aspirations, offering new and original elements to the discussion by underlining physical aspects and introducing the concept of the 'charisma of materiality.' The result is an impressive and compelling piece of research." -- Allison Thomason, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville "How did the rulers of the Ur III empire maintain, adjust, or erase the memory of their Sargonic predecessors, and how did that curated memory express itself in architecture and the display of royal statuary? Considering such questions, Feldman eloquently demonstrates that material culture has its own intriguing voice in writing a history of this crucial period." -- Niek Veldhuis, University of California, Berkeley