Metaphorical allusions to life-giving plants in neo-assyrian texts and images
Abstract: In the royal correspondence of late Assyrian kings (8th–7th century BCE), a few letters refer to the so-called “plant of life” (Akk. šammu balāṭi) being placed by the king in the mouth or nostrils of his subjects. At the same time, in the royal iconography that goes from Tiglath-pileser...
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| Formato: | Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Departamento de Historia. Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente
2019
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| Acceso en línea: | https://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/handle/123456789/8714 |
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| Sumario: | Abstract: In the royal correspondence of late Assyrian kings (8th–7th century BCE), a few letters
refer to the so-called “plant of life” (Akk. šammu balāṭi) being placed by the king in
the mouth or nostrils of his subjects. At the same time, in the royal iconography that
goes from Tiglath-pileser III onward (8th century BCE), bas-reliefs and wall paintings
often show the ruler holding a plant or flower in his lowered left hand. This paper
analyses the portraits of the kings—with a special focus on the reign of Sargon II—
in the light of textual evidence in order to identify the meaning and function of the
plant of life. A link between texts and images will be proposed, thereby suggesting
that the plant was used primarily by the king to express his mercy and metaphorically
indicate himself as a life-giving ruler. |
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