Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the Levant

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Gestoso Singer, Graciela
Data de Publicação: 2023
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.21814/diacritica.4757
Resumo: The Levant and the Eastern Mediterranean formed a special sphere of activity for diverse specialists who navigated from one side to the other through extensive networks of interconnections in the Late Bronze Age. During the Amarna Period (fourteenth century BCE), Akkadian and Hittite texts attest a lethal epidemic that originated in Egypt and later spread to Canaan, Syria, Alashiya (Cyprus), and the land of Hatti. References to pestilence, plague, epidemic, and death, as well as metaphoric expressions alluding to the crisis, such as the ‘hand of Nergal,’ are widespread in diplomatic correspondence, prayers, magic spells, and medical texts as well. Specialists (such as physicians, exorcists, and omen experts) traveled between courts to perform acts of healing and to practice divination. Also, statues of gods and goddesses were commonly sent between courts of Great Kings as symbols of fertility, healing, and alliances. This essay analyzes the role of exorcists traveling between courts in the framework of the cross-cultural discourse of alterity in the Amarna Age.
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spelling Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the LevantAmarna PeriodLevantEpidemicsExorcistsInterconnectionsThe Levant and the Eastern Mediterranean formed a special sphere of activity for diverse specialists who navigated from one side to the other through extensive networks of interconnections in the Late Bronze Age. During the Amarna Period (fourteenth century BCE), Akkadian and Hittite texts attest a lethal epidemic that originated in Egypt and later spread to Canaan, Syria, Alashiya (Cyprus), and the land of Hatti. References to pestilence, plague, epidemic, and death, as well as metaphoric expressions alluding to the crisis, such as the ‘hand of Nergal,’ are widespread in diplomatic correspondence, prayers, magic spells, and medical texts as well. Specialists (such as physicians, exorcists, and omen experts) traveled between courts to perform acts of healing and to practice divination. Also, statues of gods and goddesses were commonly sent between courts of Great Kings as symbols of fertility, healing, and alliances. This essay analyzes the role of exorcists traveling between courts in the framework of the cross-cultural discourse of alterity in the Amarna Age.CEHUM2023-12-13info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://doi.org/10.21814/diacritica.4757https://doi.org/10.21814/diacritica.4757Diacrítica; Vol. 37 N.º 2 (2023); 51-70Diacrítica; Vol. 37 No. 2 (2023); 51-702183-91740870-8967reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAPenghttps://revistas.uminho.pt/index.php/diacritica/article/view/4757https://revistas.uminho.pt/index.php/diacritica/article/view/4757/6209Direitos de Autor (c) 2023 Graciela Gestoso Singerinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessGestoso Singer, Graciela2024-01-12T07:45:42Zoai:journals.uminho.pt:article/4757Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-20T00:56:44.417070Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the Levant
title Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the Levant
spellingShingle Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the Levant
Gestoso Singer, Graciela
Amarna Period
Levant
Epidemics
Exorcists
Interconnections
title_short Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the Levant
title_full Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the Levant
title_fullStr Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the Levant
title_full_unstemmed Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the Levant
title_sort Beyond Amarna: exorcists without borders in the Levant
author Gestoso Singer, Graciela
author_facet Gestoso Singer, Graciela
author_role author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Gestoso Singer, Graciela
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv Amarna Period
Levant
Epidemics
Exorcists
Interconnections
topic Amarna Period
Levant
Epidemics
Exorcists
Interconnections
description The Levant and the Eastern Mediterranean formed a special sphere of activity for diverse specialists who navigated from one side to the other through extensive networks of interconnections in the Late Bronze Age. During the Amarna Period (fourteenth century BCE), Akkadian and Hittite texts attest a lethal epidemic that originated in Egypt and later spread to Canaan, Syria, Alashiya (Cyprus), and the land of Hatti. References to pestilence, plague, epidemic, and death, as well as metaphoric expressions alluding to the crisis, such as the ‘hand of Nergal,’ are widespread in diplomatic correspondence, prayers, magic spells, and medical texts as well. Specialists (such as physicians, exorcists, and omen experts) traveled between courts to perform acts of healing and to practice divination. Also, statues of gods and goddesses were commonly sent between courts of Great Kings as symbols of fertility, healing, and alliances. This essay analyzes the role of exorcists traveling between courts in the framework of the cross-cultural discourse of alterity in the Amarna Age.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023-12-13
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
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dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv https://doi.org/10.21814/diacritica.4757
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url https://doi.org/10.21814/diacritica.4757
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://revistas.uminho.pt/index.php/diacritica/article/view/4757
https://revistas.uminho.pt/index.php/diacritica/article/view/4757/6209
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv Direitos de Autor (c) 2023 Graciela Gestoso Singer
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Direitos de Autor (c) 2023 Graciela Gestoso Singer
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
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dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv CEHUM
publisher.none.fl_str_mv CEHUM
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Diacrítica; Vol. 37 N.º 2 (2023); 51-70
Diacrítica; Vol. 37 No. 2 (2023); 51-70
2183-9174
0870-8967
reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
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