The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age (Revealing Antiquity)

The culture of the ancient Greeks has often been described as emerging like a miracle from a genius of its own, owing practically nothing to its neighbours. Walter Burkert offers a decisive argument against that view, pointing toward a more balanced picture of the archaic period "in which, under the influence of the Semitic East - from writers, craftsmen, merchants, healers - Greek culture began its unique flowering, soon to assume cultural hegemony in the Mediterranean". Cover ......Page 1 THE ORIENTALIZING REVOLUTION......Page 4 CONTENTS......Page 6 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 8 PREFACE......Page 10 THE ORIENTALIZING REVOLUTION......Page 12 INTRODUCTION......Page 14 Historical Background......Page 22 Oriental Products in Greece......Page 27 Writing and Literature in the Eighth Century......Page 38 The Problem of Loan-Words......Page 46 "Craftsmen of the Sacred": Mobility and Family Structure......Page 54 Hepatoscopy......Page 59 Foundation Deposits......Page 66 Purification......Page 68 Spirits of the Dead and Black Magic......Page 78 Substitute Sacrifice......Page 86 Asclepius and Asgelatas......Page 88 Ecstatic Divination......Page 92 Lamashtu, Lamia, and Gorgo......Page 95 From Atrahasis to the "Deception of Zeus"......Page 101 Complaint in Heaven: Ishtar and Aphrodite......Page 109 The Overpopulated Earth......Page 113 Seven against Thebes......Page 119 Common Style and Stance in Oriental and Greek Epic......Page 127 Fables......Page 133 Magic and Cosmogony......Page 137 CONCLUSION......Page 141 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 144 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 148 Introduction......Page 166 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND......Page 171 ORIENTAL PRODUCTS IN GREECE......Page 175 WRITING AND LITERATURE IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY......Page 182 THE PROBLEM OF LOAN-WORDS......Page 187 "CRAFTSMEN OF THE SACRED"......Page 190 HEPATOSCOPY......Page 193 FOUNDATION DEPOSITS......Page 197 PURIFICATION......Page 199 SPIRITS OF THE DEAD AND BLACK MAGIC......Page 203 ASCLEPIUS AND ASGELATAS......Page 207 ECSTATIC DIVINATION......Page 208 LAMASHTU, LAMIA, AND GORGO......Page 210 FROM ATRAHASIS TO THE "DECEPTION OF ZEUS"......Page 213 COMPLAINT IN HEAVEN......Page 217 THE OVERPOPULATED EARTH......Page 219 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES......Page 220 COMMON STYLE AND STANCE IN ORIENTAL AND GREEK EPIC......Page 224 FABLES......Page 226 MAGIC AND COSMOGONY......Page 228 INDEX OF GREEK WORDS......Page 232 GENERAL INDEX......Page 234 Back Cover ......Page 240 Cover 1 THE ORIENTALIZING REVOLUTION 4 CONTENTS 6 ILLUSTRATIONS 8 PREFACE 10 THE ORIENTALIZING REVOLUTION 12 INTRODUCTION 14 1. "WHO ARE PUBLIC WORKERS" The Migrant Craftsmen 22 Historical Background 22 Oriental Products in Greece 27 Writing and Literature in the Eighth Century 38 The Problem of Loan-Words 46 2. "A SEER OR A HEALER" Magic and Medicine from East to West 54 "Craftsmen of the Sacred": Mobility and Family Structure 54 Hepatoscopy 59 Foundation Deposits 66 Purification 68 Spirits of the Dead and Black Magic 78 Substitute Sacrifice 86 Asclepius and Asgelatas 88 Ecstatic Divination 92 Lamashtu, Lamia, and Gorgo 95 3. 'OR ALSO A GODLY SINGER" Akkadian and Early Greek Literature 101 From Atrahasis to the "Deception of Zeus" 101 Complaint in Heaven: Ishtar and Aphrodite 109 The Overpopulated Earth 113 Seven against Thebes 119 Common Style and Stance in Oriental and Greek Epic 127 Fables 133 Magic and Cosmogony 137 CONCLUSION 141 ABBREVIATIONS 144 BIBLIOGRAPHY 148 NOTES 166 Introduction 166 1. "Who Are Public Workers" 171 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 171 ORIENTAL PRODUCTS IN GREECE 175 WRITING AND LITERATURE IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY 182 THE PROBLEM OF LOAN-WORDS 187 2. "A Seer or a Healer" 190 "CRAFTSMEN OF THE SACRED" 190 HEPATOSCOPY 193 FOUNDATION DEPOSITS 197 PURIFICATION 199 SPIRITS OF THE DEAD AND BLACK MAGIC 203 SUBSTITUTE SACRIFICE 207 ASCLEPIUS AND ASGELATAS 207 ECSTATIC DIVINATION 208 LAMASHTU, LAMIA, AND GORGO 210 3. "Or Also a Godly Singer" 213 FROM ATRAHASIS TO THE "DECEPTION OF ZEUS" 213 COMPLAINT IN HEAVEN 217 THE OVERPOPULATED EARTH 219 SEVEN AGAINST THEBES 220 COMMON STYLE AND STANCE IN ORIENTAL AND GREEK EPIC 224 FABLES 226 MAGIC AND COSMOGONY 228 INDEX OF GREEK WORDS 232 GENERAL INDEX 234 Back Cover 240 The rich and splendid culture of the ancient Greeks has often been described as emerging like a miracle from a genius of its own, owing practically nothing to its neighbors. Walter Burkert offers a decisive argument against that distorted view, replacing it with a balanced picture of the archaic period "in which, under the influence of the Semitic East, Greek culture began its unique flowering, soon to assume cultural hegemony in the Mediterranean." Burkert focuses on the "orientalizing" century 750-650 B.C., the period of Assyrian conquest, Phoenician commerce, and Greek exploration of both East and West, when not only eastern skills and images but also the Semitic art of writing were transmitted to Greece. He tracks the migrant craftsmen who brought the Greeks new techniques and designs, the wandering seers and healers teaching magic and medicine, and the important Greek borrowings from Near Eastern poetry and myth. Drawing widely on archaeological, textual, and historical evidence, he demonstrates that eastern models significantly affected Greek literature and religion in the Homeric age. The splendid culture of the ancient Greeks has often been described as emerging like a miracle from a genius of its own, owing practically nothing to its neighbors. Walter Burkert offers a decisive argument against that distorted view, pointing toward a balanced picture of the archaic period in which, under the influence of the Semitic Eastfrom writers, craftsmen, merchants, healersGreek culture began its unique flowering, soon to assume cultural hegemony in the Mediterranean.