How To Do Things With Tears
Description
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.
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Content
- Intro
- Contents
- Chapter 1 Doing Things with Tears
- Chapter 2 Lamenting in the Early Second Millennium
- Chapter 3 Writing and the Performance of Sumerian Laments
- Chapter 4 Emotion and Sumerian Laments
- Chapter 5 Sound and Meaning in Sumerian Laments
- Chapter 6 Conclusion - the Cultural Function of Mesopotamian Lamenting
- Appendix 1 Edition of uru⊂&2&/sub&-am⊂&3&/sub&-ma-i-ra-bi (Kirugus 1-5)
- Appendix 2 Catalogue and List of Old Babylonian Sources for Sumerian Laments by Type
- Appendix 3 Lists of Phonetic Writings in Phonetically Written Lament Sources
- Bibliography
- Index
