Scribal culture and society in the ancient western Asia - the Middle Euphrates and Habur areas in the second millennium BC

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Ancient West Asian Civilization as the foundation of all modern civilizations: A counter to the 'Clash of Civilizations' theory.
• Project/Area Number: 24101007
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Humanities and Social Sciences
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: YAMADA Shigeo 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 教授 (30323223)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NAKATA Ichiro (財)古代オリエント博物館, 館長 (50119541) ; WATANABE Chikako 大阪学院大学, 国際学部, 准教授 (40290233)
• Research Collaborator: MAUL Stefan M. ハイデルベルク大学, 教授 ; ZIEGLER Nele フランスCNRS, 上級研究員
• Project Period (FY): 2012-06-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 古代西アジア / メソポタミア / シリア / 楔形文字文書 / 歴史 / 文化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The project dealt with the data of various cuneiform documents originating from different sites in Mesopotamia and Syria in a holistic manner, in order to understand comprehensively the aspects of cultures and societies of those areas in the second millennium BC and thereafter. Holding three international academic meetings, we have intensively studied and discussed the following subjects: (1) the characteristics of scribal curricula and scribal traditions in different areas and their relations with each other; (2) the calendars and festivals in various cities in the areas and its difference and interrelations; (3) various questions relating to the politics, administration, societies, religion and scribal culture of the Assyrian empire. We have planned to publish three monographs in English following our meetings, and have already published one of them.

Free Research Field

アッシリア学