Promise-Giving and Treaty-Making: Homer and the Near East

Description

This book challenges the current view of the Homeric epics that they reflect only the institutions and ideas of the Dark Ages, during which they were composed, telling us nothing about the Mycenaean Age preceding it. Comparing evidence from the Near East with the Homeric corpus, Peter Karavites argues that the epics actually contain much that harks back to the Mycenaean Age, and that the two eras may not be completely discontinuous after all. Most contemporary scholars maintain that the mighty Mycenaean period was almost completely separated from the Dark Ages and that virtually no evidence of the former remains, with the exception of the archeological finds and the meager testimony of the Linear B tablets. However, the Near Eastern evidence about treaties and other forms of promising suggests that the Iliad and Odyssey may indeed provide historical pictures of the Mycenaean times featured in their narratives. PROMISE-GIVING AND TREATY-MAKING HOMER AND THE NEAR EAST CONTENTS List of Abbreviations Preface Introduction The Focus 1. The Structural Composition of the Homeric Agreements 2. The Near Eastern Treaties 3. Later Greek Treaty-Making 4. The Mycenaean Gap The Logic The Design PART ONE. THE HOMERIC AGREEMENTS: THEIR CORPUS, TERMINOLOGY, AND STRUCTURE I. The Corpus of Homeric Agreements The Homeric Texts The Agreements Compared and Contrasted The Oral Character of the Homeric Agreements II. The Linguistic Evidence The Significance of Philotês The Interrelation of Horkia, Horkos, and Omnyein Conclusion III. The Structure of Homeric Agreements The Preamble The Recounting of Antecedent History Stipulations The Invocation of Gods as Witnesses Curses and Blessings Conclusion IV. Other Features of Homeric Agreements Other Maledictions 1. The destruction and transformation of cities 2. Ravenous wild animals 3. The ravishing of wives 4. The destruction of weapons 5. Warriors becoming women 6. Refusal of burial 7. Devastating flood Ritual Suzerainty Treaties PART TWO. SOME COMMON CONTENTS AND OTHER FEATURES SHARED BY NEAR EASTERN AND HOMERIC TREATIES V. The People The Role of the People Stipulations Concerning the Fate of Fugitives VI. War Conventions The Talking and Sharing of Booty The Use of Surrogates Firing the First Shot VII. Conventions Associated with Treaty-Making Meals Deposition and Recitation The Duration of the Agreement VIII. Conclusion: Continuity or Discontinuity? Bibliography Index of Proper Names and Titles Index of Transliterated Terms SUPPLEMENTS TO MNEMOSYNE