Monarchies and the Organization of Power: Ancient Egypt and Babylonia Compared (2100–1750 BC)

Description

This Element explores the organization of power in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and the interaction of diverse social actors between 2100 and 1750 BC. On the one hand, the forms of integration of towns and villages in larger political entities and the role played by local authorities, with a focus on local agency, the influence of mobile populations, the exercise of power in small localities, and the contrast between power reality and royal ideological claims, be they legal, divinely sanctioned, or other. On the other hand, the modalities of penetration of the royal authority in the local sphere, the alliances that linked court dignitaries and local potentates, and the co-option of local leaders. Finally, the influence of such networks of power on the historical evolution of the monarchies and the adaptability of the latter in coping with the challenges they faced to assert and reproduce their authority. Cover Title page Copyright page Monarchies and the Organization of Power: Ancient Egypt and Babylonia Compared (2100–1750 bc) Contents 1 Introduction 2 The Organization of Power in Babylonia: Problems and Prospects 2.1 Paradigms and Models 2.2 Problems into Possibilities 2.3 The Cities 2.4 Provinces and the Territorialized State 2.5 Cities and Their Others 2.6 Semi- and Informal Networks of Power 2.7 Immaterial Aspects of Political Power 2.8 State Power: Limits and Potentials 3 Power Organization in Egypt 3.1 Introduction 3.2 The Role of the Provinces 3.3 The Elusive World of Cities 3.4 Cities and Territorial Articulation 3.5 Informal Networks of Power 3.6 The Interplay between Elites, Sub-elites and Informal Leaders 3.7 Royal Power, Its Limits and Weaknesses 3.8 Immaterial Power: Law and Religious Rituals 3.9 Immaterial Power: Written Culture 4 Conclusions References Dedication