Author Description
Our Knowledge Of Ancient Greece Has Been Transformed In The Last Century By An Increased Understanding Of The Cultures Of The Ancient Near East. This Is Particularly True Of Ancient Religion. This Book Looks At The Relationship Between The Religious Systems Of Ancient Greece And The Hittites, Who Controlled Turkey In The Late Bronze Age (1400-1200 Bc). The Cuneiform Texts Preserved In The Hittite Archives Provide A Particularly Rich Source For Religious Practice, Detailing Festivals, Purification Rituals, Oracle-consultations, Prayers, And Myths Of The Hittite State, As Well As Documenting The Religious Practice Of Neighbouring Anatolian States In Which The Hittites Took An Interest. Hittite Religion Is Thus More Comprehensively Documented Than Any Other Ancient Religious Tradition In The Near East, Even Egypt. The Hittites Are Also Known To Have Been In Contact With Mycenaean Greece, Known To Them As Ahhiyawa. The Book First Sets Out The Evidence And Provides A Methodological Paradigm For Using Comparative Data. It Then Explores Cases Where There May Have Been Contact Or Influence, Such As In The Case Of Scapegoat Rituals Or The Kumarbi-cycle. Finally, It Considers Key Aspects Of Religious Practices Shared By Both Systems, Such As The Pantheon, Rituals Of War, Festivals, And Animal Sacrifice. The Aim Of Such A Comparison Is To Discover Clues That May Further Our Understanding Of The Deep History Of Religious Practices And, When Used In Conjunction With Historical Data, Illuminate The Differences Between Cultures And Reveal What Is Distinctive About Each Of Them.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the historical and cultural intersections between the religious systems of the Hittite Empire and Ancient Greece during the Late Bronze Age. Ian Rutherford, a scholar of classics and ancient history, utilizes cuneiform archives and archaeological evidence to establish a comparative framework. He argues that by analyzing shared ritualistic practices and mythological motifs, researchers can better understand the deep history of religious development in the Mediterranean and Near East.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of Hittite cuneiform texts including festival records, purification rituals, and oracle consultations.
- Comparative study of the Kumarbi-cycle and Greek mythological parallels.
- Examination of shared religious practices such as animal sacrifice, war rituals, and pantheon structures.
- Methodological paradigms for cross-cultural religious comparison.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the Late Bronze Age (1400-1200 BC) and does not cover later Hellenistic religious developments.
- It does not provide an exhaustive history of all Anatolian states, focusing instead on those with direct Hittite interaction.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and students of ancient history frequently cite this work as a rigorous methodological guide for comparative religious studies. Experts highlight the text for its meticulous handling of linguistic evidence and its balanced approach to the complexities of cultural transmission between the Near East and the Aegean.
Page Count:
320
Publication Date:
2020-01-01
ISBN-10:
0192599941
ISBN-13:
9780192599940
History
Religion
Archaeology
Ancient History