Subproject B3

Insignia and Regalia as an Expression of Power Rituals

Department and Research Field: Ancient Oriental Studies and Assyriology

Subproject Management

Prof. Dr. Stefan M. Maul

stefan.maul@ori.uni-heidelberg.de

 

Department of Languages and Cultures of the Near East

Assyriology

Hauptstr. 126

69117 Heidelberg

 

Phone: +49 (0) 6221 - 54 29 65

Fax: +49 (0) 6221 - 54 36 19

Staff

Dr. Claus Ambos
claus.ambos@ori.uni-heidelberg.de

 

Anmar Fadhil Mohamed Nouri

Project Program

So far, subproject B3 was focused on private rituals as a means of securing power and stabilizing the sovereign as well as on public rituals of power. Now, we will concentrate on rituals of political consensus finding. While the research of the first two phases centered on the king, we will now also investigate the king’s interaction with other social groups.

The actual process of decision-making often remains concealed due to the nature of our sources. However, they do allow us to identify the way the actual consensus was staged.

The royal banquet offers a concrete access to the topic, as it was a staging of consensus finding attended by the sovereign, the princes, the highest dignitaries and court functionaries.

Main Topics

Grammar of rituals
Effectiveness of rituals