Description
Book SynopsisIn The Social World of the Babylonian Priest, Bastian Still presents a comprehensive study of the priestly community of Borsippa during the Neo-Babylonian and early Persian Empires (ca. 620-484 BCE). By examining patterns of marriage, landholding, moneylending, and friendship, he provides an intimate account of the daily life of the Babylonian priesthood beyond the temple walls and develops a more sophisticated understanding of the organisation of ancient Babylonian society as a whole. Combining the use of social network analysis, anthropological studies, and sociological concepts concerned with kinship, tie strength, social boundaries, and identity formation, Bastian Still’s interdisciplinary approach transcends the traditional boundary of cuneiform studies and enables the field of Assyriology to contribute to a more general socio-historical discourse. “S.’s book is a valuable contribution to our growing knowledge of the Mesopotamian priesthoods in the first millennium.” -Nathan MacDonald, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 44.5 (2020)
Trade Review“S.’s book is a valuable contribution to our growing knowledge of the Mesopotamian priesthoods in the first millennium.” - Nathan Macdonald, in Society for Old Testament Study Book List 2020
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Figures and Tables Abbreviations Introduction 0.1 State of the Art 0.2 Research Questions 0.3 Methodology 0.4 Case Study: The Priestly Community of Borsippa 0.5 The Babylonian Priest 0.6 The Temple Hierarchy 0.7 Main Protagonists of this Study 0.7.1 Temple-Enterers 0.7.2 Brewers 0.7.3 Bakers 0.7.4 Oxherds 0.7.5 Reed-Workers 0.8 Book Structure Part 1: Social Interactions among Priests in Borsippa 1 The Hypergamous Marriage System Introduction 1.1 Marriage in Borsippa: Sacerdotal Endogamy 1.2 The Concept of Wife-Giver and Wife-Taker 1.3 Visualising the Marriage Network 1.4 Wife-Givers and Wife-Takers in Borsippa 1.5 Hypergamy in Historical Context 1.6 Wife-Givers and Wife-Takers in the Cult Conclusion 2 Landholding Introduction 2.1 Hanšû Estates and the Ancestral Family 2.1.1 The Nature of Hanšû Land 2.1.2 The Historical Origins of Hanšû Land in Borsippa 2.1.3 The Motivations behind the Land Allotment Schemes 2.1.4 The Identity of the Beneficiaries 2.1.5 The Value of Hanšû Land in the Sixth Century BCE 2.2 Land Sales and the Circulation of Property 2.2.1 Marriage Alliances 2.2.2 Professional Solidarity 2.3 Tenancy and Agricultural Collaboration 2.3.1 Unfree Tenants 2.3.2 Tenants without Family Names 2.3.3 Tenants with Family Names Conclusion 3 Silver Lending Introduction 3.1 Temple-Enterers 3.2 Brewers 3.3 Bakers 3.4 Oxherds 3.5 Reed-Workers Conclusion 4 Circles of Trust and Intimacy Introduction 4.1 Formal Quantification of Personal Networks 4.2 Qualitative Analysis of Tie Strength and Friendship 4.2.1 Ea-ilūtu-bani 4.2.2 Ilia (A) 4.2.3 Bēliya’u 4.2.4 Rē’i-alpi 4.2.5 Atkuppu Conclusion Part 2: Priests in Neo-Babylonian Society 5 Homophily and Interaction Introduction 5.1 Spatial Distribution 5.2 Homophily 5.3 Understanding Rentiers and Entrepreneurs Conclusion 6 Social Boundary and Collective Identity 6.1 Affiliation to the Temple 6.1.1 Prebend Ownership 6.1.2 Purity and Initiation 6.1.3 Sacrifices and Festivals 6.1.4 Representation 6.1.5 Priestly Families vs. the Individual Priest 6.2 Ownership of Property 6.2.1 Residential Property 6.2.2 Landed Property 6.3 Literacy and Scribal Education 6.4 Language Conclusion 7 Conclusion 7.1 Summaries of Individual Chapters Chapter 1: The Hypergamous Marriage System Chapter 2: Landholding Chapter 3: Silver Lending Chapter 4: Circles of Trust and Intimacy Chapter 5: Homophily and Interaction Chapter 6: Social Boundary and Collective Identity 7.2 Research Questions Revisited 7.3 Outcomes The Impact of Temple-Based Regulations Priests as a Distinct Social Group 7.4 Outlook Appendix 1: Quantitative Analysis of Priestly Marriages in Borsippa Introduction Temple-Enterers Brewers Bakers Butchers Oxherds Reed-Workers Appendix 2: Annotated List of Hanšû Land in Borsippa Appendix 3: Property Sales in the Borsippa Corpus Sales of Hanšû Land Sales of Non-hanšû Land Sales of Housing Plots Bibliography
