In this book, Aaron A. Burke explores the evolution of Amorite identity in the Near East from ca. 2500–1500 BC. He sets the emergence of a collective identity for the Amorites, one of the most famous groups in Ancient Near Eastern history, against the backdrop of both Akkadian imperial intervention and declining environmental conditions during this period. Tracing the migration of Amorite refugees from agropastoral communities into nearby regions, he shows how mercenarism in both Mesopotamia and Egypt played a central role in the acquisition of economic and political power between 2100 and 1900 BC. Burke also examines how the establishment of Amorite kingdoms throughout the Near East relied on traditional means of legitimation, and how trade, warfare, and the exchange of personnel contributed to the establishment of an Amorite koiné. Offering a fresh approach to identity at different levels of social hierarchy over time and space, this volume contributes to broader questions related to identity for other ancient societies.
Author(s): Aaron A. Burke
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 456
City: Cambridge
Cover
Half-title
Title page
Copyright information
Dedication
Contents
List of
Figures
List of
Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of
Abbreviations
One Introduction: Amorites, Their Legacy, and the Study of Identity
An Amorite Legacy
Conceptual Frameworks
Scope and Structure
Two Communities at the Margins: The Origins of Amorite Identity, 2500-2200 BC
Localizing Early Amorites
Economies at the Margins
Settlement Extensification in the Zone of Uncertainty
Extensification, Urbanism, and Their Failure in the Southern Levant
Agropastoral Communities of Practice
Early Amorite Identity
Ascribed Identities and Tribal Constituencies
Shared Traditions and Boundary Maintenance among Early Amorite Communities
Crises in the Zone of Uncertainty
Early Military Intervention, ca. 2500-2300 BC
Akkadian Imperial Control, from 2300 BC
The Onset and Impact of Aridification, from 2200 BC
Appendix
Three Beyond Pastoralism: Diaspora and Opportunity, 2200-2000 BC
Migration
Flight and Abandonments
The Scale of Displacement
Refugees
Resettlement
Urbanization
Migration
Resettlement and Risk
Social Identity
Language and Onomastics
Tribal and Political Organization
Kinship
Marriage
Burial Practices
From the Gutians to Ur
The Gutian Interlude and Legitimation
The Ur III State and Foreigners
Maintaining Social Order
Wars, Walls, and Ur's Expansion
Tidnumite Incursions
Amorites and the Fall of Ur
The State and Amorite Service
Labor for the State
Specialization
Amorites and the West
Mari, between East and West
Amorite Influence from Mari South
The Levant in Transition
Into Egypt
Four Mercenaries and Merchants: Networks of Political and Economic Power, 2000-1800 BC
The Rise of Amorite Political Power, 2000-1930 BC
Isin and the Amorites
Royal Legitimation after Ur
Tribalism and Mercenarism in Amorite Power
Asiatics, Early Middle Kingdom Egypt, and the Levant
Early Amorite Hegemony, 1930-1800 BC
The Foundation of Amorite States in the Northern Levant
The Re-extensification of Agropastoralism
Akkad, Scribalism, and Royal Legitimation
Monuments and Competitive Emulation
Long-Distance Trade and Political Power
Merchants, Trade Diasporas, and Social Entanglement
Amorite Enclaves in the Eastern Delta
Trade Networks and Security
Byblos and Maritime Trade with Egypt
The Role of the Urban Landscape
Mesopotamia
The Northern Levant and Canaan
An Amorite Oikoumene
Royal Patronage
Elite Emulation
Intermarriage and Kinship
Five Competition and Emulation: The Amorite Koine from Dilmun to Avaris, 1800-1550 BC
Identity in the ''Age of Amorites''
Individual Identity: Language and Naming Conventions
Tribes and Placenames: Social Organization
Rulers and Dynasties: Political Hegemony
Cultural Memory and Invented Tradition: Social Identity
An Amorite Koine
Amorite Kingship and Its Traditions
The Ideal King
Kingly Deeds
The Palace
Royal Burials
The Art of War and Peace
Cult Patronage
Kinship and Social Status
Legal Traditions and Edicts
Mortuary Customs
Status Marking
Mobile Personnel
Merchants
Artisans and Court Personnel
Armies, Mercenaries, and Brigands
Land Tenure
The Limits of Social Power
The Hyksos and Their Expulsion, 1664-1555 BC
Old Assyrians and the Amorites
Segregation in Babylonia?
The End of an Age
Six Conclusion: Amorite Identity in the Longue Durée
Identity in the Making
Economic Opportunities
Military Power
Political Hegemony
The Eclipse of Social Power
References
Index
