The Amorites and the Bronze Age Near East: The Making of a Regional Identity

Description

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. 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