Journal of Ancient Civilizations (JAC) 35/1 (2020)

ARTICLES
Pallavidini, Marta: Shaping Diplomacy through Language: Networks of
Metaphors in Hittite Diplomatic Texts (pp. 1–12)

Ouyang, Xiaoli: Managing the Treasuries of the Gods – Administration
of the KÙ.AN in Ur III Umma (pp. 13–32)

Piccin, Michela: Assyrian Treaties: “Patchwork” Texts (pp. 33–70)

Herz, Peter: Bilanz eines Imperiums. Anmerkungen zum athenischen Staat
des 5. Jh. v.Chr. (pp. 71–94)

Ruffing, Kai: Papyri and the Economy of the Greco-Roman World (pp. 95–131)
Abstracts (pp. 133–134) [See below]

The double blind peer-reviewed JOURNAL OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS (JAC)
is published annually in two fascicles by the Institute for the
History of Ancient Civilizations (IHAC, Northeast Normal University,
Changchun, Jilin Province, People’s Republic of China). Further
details on the review process can be found at our homepage:

[ihac.nenu.edu.cn]
...

This issue comprises articles that question common frames of ancient
historical material and related modern scholarship. Marta Pallavidini
looks at formulas used in Hittite diplomatic treaties while Xiaoli
Ouyang and Michela Piccin both examine lists as stores of historical
narratives in different ANE sources. The latter two articles derive
from a workshop at the 64th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale in
Innsbruck 2018, and all three provide useful insights into the
potential of so-called documentary sources beyond the mere “facts.”
Peter Herz challenges the widespread view that the Athenian Empire in
the 5th century BC brought democratic happiness and economic
prosperity to all the polities related to Athens; instead he shows the
dark, exploitative side of Athens’ arche. Finally, Kai Ruffing
investigates the use of papyrological evidence in the history of
studies in ancient economies. Interpretation along the
primitivist-modernist schism and recent rise of studies in economic
papyri based on New Institutional Economics mirror the importance of
current research frames for examining ancient sources, and remind of a
perpetual critical review of all historians’ “Standortgebundenheit” as
Johann Gustav Droysen has stated in his Historik.


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ABSTRACTS
Marta PALLAVIDINI (FU Berlin)
SHAPING DIPLOMACY THROUGH LANGUAGE: NETWORKS OF METAPHORS IN HITTITE
DIPLOMATIC TEXTS (pp. 1–12)
Diplomatic language always follows specific rules in order to be
effective. In the Late Bronze Age, Near Eastern countries developed a
web of intense diplomatic relations that were kept alive by the
exchange of messages, goods, and people. In the exchange of messages
language plays a key role. This contribution analyses how conceptual
metaphors in the Hittite diplomatic texts shaped the diplomatic
language and, as a result, the making of diplomacy itself.

Xiaoli OUXANG (History Department, Fudan University, Shanghai)
MANAGING THE TREASURIES OF THE GODS – ADMINISTRATION OF THE KÙ.AN IN
UR III UMMA (pp. 13–32)
The term KÙ.AN is attested in more than a dozen administrative records
from Umma of the Ur III period (c. 2112–2004 BC). An analysis of those
records with respect to the context, the formula, and the people
involved indicates that KÙ.AN may well refer to a treasury where
treasures of a deity were kept in a temple. Such an analysis also
sheds new light upon the function and organization of this kind of
treasuries within the administrative framework of the Umma temples.

Michela PICCIN (North-West University, SA)
ASSYRIAN TREATIES: “PATCHWORK” TEXTS (pp. 33–70)
The article offers a linguistic and stylistic analysis of the
Neo-Assyrian treaties culled from the SAA II (1988). The analysis
focuses on defining scribal procedures in building up the text, which
may then be conclusively labelled as a “patchwork.” Proceeding through
the preamble, list of witnesses, and content, I explore a range of
sampling which demonstrates the substantially fixed – albeit
expandable – structure of the treaties’ texts. I argue that this
evidence shows that the structure of the treaties’ texts had a great
communicative efficacy thanks to its standardized character, as well
as facilitated the scribes’ editorial work. The fixed nature of these
texts was also related to the principles of the legal tradition, which
itself was adapted to the historical and political circumstances of
the Neo-Assyrian period.

Peter HERZ (Universität Regensburg)
BILANZ EINES IMPERIUMS. ANMERKUNGEN ZUM ATHENISCHEN STAAT DES 5. JH.
V.CHR. (pp. 71–94)
The article aims at correcting some misinterpretations of modern
research with regard to Greek public finances, exemplified in a
case-study of ancient Athens. The finance-system of Greek poleis was
totally different from modern states. While modern states’ revenues
are based on the income-taxation of their respective citizens or on
taxes of goods and service, ancient states managed their expenditures
through liturgies given “voluntarily” by their citizens or incomes
from lease of (farm) land. Direct taxation of citizens (eisphora) was
usually a sign of an emergency situation, for instance, during
war-times and thus reflects the then heavy burden of, and pressure on,
the polity. Instead, extraction of tribute (phoros) was a common means
of benefitting from rule over other polities, as did Athens in the
First League.

Kai RUFFING (University of Kassel)
PAPYRI AND THE ECONOMY OF THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD
(pp. 95–131)
In current research on the economy of the Hellenistic and Roman worlds
it is taken for granted to use papyri as evidence for ancient economic
structures, practices, and mentalities. Nevertheless, the utility of
papyri is all but self-evident, at least as far as research of the
20th century is concerned. Egypt including its source material was
considered a special, particular case and thought to be entirely
useless for writing economic history of Greece and Rome. This was
especially true for primitivist orthodoxy. Moreover, it was
particularly German scholarship that showed some neglect towards
economic history and thus papyri. Against the background of the
general discussion on the character of ancient economy the present
paper aims to trace how and to what extent papyri were and are used as
evidence. It starts with the outbreak of the Bücher-Meyer controversy
and tries to pursue the discussion to the present day.