Homer and the Bronze Age: The Reflection of Humanistic Ideals in Diplomatic Practices

258 Pages·2013·1.341 MB·English

by  Peter Karavites

Homer and the Bronze Age
Gorgias Studies in the Ancient Near East
2
This series of monographs and edited volumes explores the
societies, material cultures, technologies, religions and languages
that emerged from the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Egypt.
Homer and the Bronze Age
The Reflection of Humanistic Ideals in
Diplomatic Practices
Peter Karavites
9
34
2013
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2013 ܘ 9
ISBN 978-1-59333-985-2
Second Printing.
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from the Library of Congress.
Printed in the United States of America
To my granddaughter Kristina

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents....................................................................................................v
Preface......................................................................................................................ix
Abbreviations........................................................................................................xiii
1 Introduction....................................................................................................1
The Focus........................................................................................................4
Problems with the Sources...........................................................................7
Past Developments......................................................................................11
The Eastern Archival Material and Homer..............................................15
The World of the Gods...............................................................................17
The Term Messenger...................................................................................17
2 Diplomacy during the Egyptian Imperium.............................................19
The Form of Address..................................................................................22
Messengers.....................................................................................................26
Treatment, Dangers, Escorts......................................................................34
Marriage Alliances........................................................................................39
Gift-Symbolism.............................................................................................45
3 Messengers in Western Asia.......................................................................53
Messenger Hospitality..................................................................................65
Messenger Credentials and Welcome........................................................68
The Significance of Gifts............................................................................70
Traveling, Dangers, and Escorts in Mesopotamia and the Littoral......72
Envoys as Informants..................................................................................77
Intermediaries of Royal Marriages.............................................................81
4 Homeric Messengers....................................................................................87
Introductory Remarks..................................................................................87
Continuity vs. Discontinuity.......................................................................92
Pre-Trojan War Stories................................................................................99
Messengers in the Iliad...............................................................................101
Personal Honor...........................................................................................105
The Route to Reconciliation.....................................................................110
The Speeches in Achilles’ Quarters.........................................................114
Priam’s Embassy.........................................................................................117
v
vi HOMER AND THE BRONZE AGE
Other Messenger Cases.............................................................................123
Divine Messengers.....................................................................................127
Messengers in the Odyssey.......................................................................133
Hermes Visits Calypso...............................................................................140
Cyclopes, Laestrygonians, Lotus-Eaters, and Aeolus...........................140
Summation...................................................................................................142
5 Homeric and Near Eastern Analogies....................................................145
Instructions..................................................................................................146
Libations and Prayers.................................................................................147
Envoys’ Departure.....................................................................................148
Hospitality, Identification, Purpose.........................................................148
Credentials...................................................................................................149
Sacrosanctity, Dangers, Escorts, Provisions..........................................150
Gifts..............................................................................................................154
Relationships and Gift Exchanges...........................................................156
Bride-price...................................................................................................158
Salutation and Posture...............................................................................159
Verbatim Delivery......................................................................................161
Sons of Kings as Envoys...........................................................................164
Archives.......................................................................................................165
6 Concluding Remarks..................................................................................169
Afterword.............................................................................................................185
The Diachronic Endurance of Messenger Practices....................................187
Berridge’s View...........................................................................................197
Continuity of Contact................................................................................200
Qualifications of Diplomatic Personnel.................................................201
Bureaucratic Directions.............................................................................202
Mediation.....................................................................................................204
Methods for Underpinning Agreements................................................204
Flexibility......................................................................................................205
Weak Conditions........................................................................................206
Ancient Roots.............................................................................................207
Bibliography.........................................................................................................215
Near Eastern Bibliography........................................................................215
The Amarna Letters...................................................................................215
Lexicon of Ancient Cultures.....................................................................215
General Bibliography.................................................................................215
Homeric and Other Bibliography............................................................222
Lexica............................................................................................................222
TABLE OF CONTENTS vii
Some Homeric Texts and Commentaries..............................................222
Index......................................................................................................................235