A Short History of Assyriology, 1850-1970

Zusammenfassung

B.R. Foster’s study provides the reader with a “Short History of Assyriology”, concise and focused on a choice of trends and topics set in a chronological narrative. Part 1 introduces the beginnings from the earliest discoveries of Mesopotamian sites and the decipherment of the Akkadian and Sumerian scripts and languages and their subsequent distribution scholarly publications, followed by the creation of Assyriology as a formal academic discipline in Part 2. Provided with the ability to understand the text, the focus switches to the exploration of divergent topics within the discipline: political, social, and economic history – religion – culture and literature (Part 3). Part 4 explores the historical setting of Assyriology between First and Second World Wars and the development of national schools within the discipline. Post-war generations of Assyriologists and the role of women in Assyriology are in the focus of Part 5. The narrative portion of the present study ends about 1970, though note has been taken of the subsequent careers of some Assyriologists who were active in the profession by then, and concluding attention is given to certain larger trends that began to develop about that time, with an overview of some more recent generations. The study is supplemented by an essay on decorative covers of Assyriological books by K. Polinger Foster (Appendix I). In addition to the numerous illustrations of Assyriological books and scholars within the main part of the study, Appendix II assembles a portrait gallery of scholars. For ease of reference, biographical notices on deceased Assyriologists mentioned in the text have been assembled in Appendix III.

Reihe

wEdge - 4

Publikation durchsuchen

Bibliographische Angaben

Auflage

1/2025

Copyrightjahr

2025

ISBN-Print

978-3-96327-268-4

ISBN-Online

978-3-96327-269-1

Verlag

Zaphon, Münster

Reihe

wEdge / Cutting-Edge Research in Cuneiform Studies

Band

4

Sprache

Englisch

Seiten

345

Produkttyp

Monographie