Studies on the language, history and religion of Ancient West Asia as reflected in Peripheral Akkadian Documents

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: 24101008
• 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: IKEDA Jun 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 教授 (60288850)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YAMADA Masamichi 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 非常勤研究員 (90589631)
• Research Collaborator: Cohen Yoram Tel Aviv University, Faculty of Humanities, Professor ; Fleming Daniel E. New York University, Faculty of Arts and Science, Professor ; HARUTA Seiro 東海大学, 文学部, 教授 ; YUZAWA Tadayuki 筑波大学, 名誉教授
• Project Period (FY): 2012-06-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 楔形文字 / エマル / 言語 / 歴史 / 宗教

Outline of Final Research Achievements

1. Since Peripheral Akkadian dialects constitute optimal examples of mixed languages, it is unnecessary to opt for alloglottography, which is a less plausible explanation.
2. No more than a single dynasty is attested in Emar documents. Most probably it existed prior to the conquest of the land of Ashtata by the Hittites. The so-called "first dynasty" mentioned in early documents from Emar was not a royal family but a powerful family with a strong tie with the municipal authorities of Emar.
3. The Syrian type was the scribal tradition of old in the land of Ashtata, while the Syro-Hittite type was later imported from elsewhere. There is no evidence in Emar documents, however, for the diachronic transition from the former to the latter.

Free Research Field

言語学