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Course title and code: Religion and kingship in ancient Mesopotamia Credits: 8
BMNVT20400M
Type of course (lecture/seminar) and hours per week/semester: seminar, 2 h/w
Method of assessment (exam/practical grade): practical grade
Suggested semester: 1
Prerequisites (if any): Course description:
The seminar introduces the students into the interaction of the religion and politic in
ancient Mesopotamia. The seminar focuses on the magical-religion aspects of the Assyrian
king, the main topic of the seminars are following:
 state gods of Assyria
 the role of the Assyrian king in the cults
 magical-apotropaical rites for the king
 religious-magical symbols of Assyrian king

During the seminar the students will elaborate mesopotamian textual (neo-Assyrian royal
inscriptions and letters) and iconograpical (palace reliefs and seals) sources.
Required and recommended reading:
New Dimensions in the Study of Assyrian Religion, in Assyria 1995: Proceedings of the 10th
Anniversary Symposium of the Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project Helsinki, September 7-11, 1995. S.
Parpola and R. M. Whiting, Jr. (eds.) (Helsinki 1997): 165-177.
Jean Bottéro, Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.
Anthony Green: Ancient Mesopotamian Religious Iconography in J. M. Sasson (ed.):
Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. New York – London – Mexico City 1995, 837–
1856
Frans Wiggermann: Theologies, Priest, and Worship in Ancient Mesopotamia. in J. M. Sasson (ed.):
Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. New York – London – Mexico City 1995, 1857-1870.
Lecturers participating in teaching: