Publisher's Synopsis
This volume rethinks the ways through which the terms ideology and propaganda have been used and can be used in ancient Near Eastern studies. The seventeen contributors to this collection include scholars whose work brings new reflections and theoretical approaches to bear on varied materials and contexts. Their essays - from different fields of research (Assyriology, Hittitology, Archaeology and Art History) - untangle the origin of the definitions of ideology and propaganda, reassessing their primary meaning; evaluate newly available sources and examine them through the lens of current theoretical approaches and perspectives; and emphasize the importance of analyzing single-case studies and specific historical events. "Ancient Near Eastern Weltanschauungen in Contact and in Contrast: Rethinking ideology and propaganda in the Ancient Near East" points to a need for a recurring rethinking of western terms that scholars often use to understand and describe ancient Near Eastern cultures.
