Wisdom from the Late Bronze Age (Writings from the Ancient World) (Society of Biblical Literature/Writings from the Ancient Wor)

This volume presents the original texts and annotated translations of a collection of Mesopotamian wisdom compositions and related texts of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1500–1200 B.C.E.) found at the ancient Near Eastern sites of Hattuša, Emar, and Ugarit. These wisdom compositions constitute the missing link between the great Sumerian wisdom corpus and early Akkadian wisdom literature of the Old Babylonian period, on the one hand, and the wisdom compositions of the first millennium B.C.E., on the other. Included here are works such as the Ballad of Early Rulers, Hear the Advice, and The Date-Palm and the Tamarisk, as well as proverb collections from Ugarit and Hattuša. A detailed introduction provides an assessment of the place of wisdom literature in the ancient curriculum and library collections. Frontmatter Series Editor's Foreward (page vii) Preface (page ix) Acknowledgements (page xiii) Abbreviations (page xv) Part 1 - Introduction 1.1 A General Overview of the Compositions and Their Sources (page 3) 1.2 Definitions and Approaches (page 7) 1.3 The Historical and Social Contexts (page 21) 1.4 The Archaeological and Archival Contexts (page 37) 1.5 The Curricular Context: The Place and Role of Wisdom Literature within the Scribal-School Curriculum (page 55) Part 2 - Late Bronze Age Wisdom Compositions 2.1 Šimâ Milka or The Instructions of Šūpê-amēli (page 81) 2.2 The Ballad of Early Rulers (page 129) 2.3 Enlil and Namzitarra (page 151) 2.4 The Righteous Sufferer or A Hymn to Marduk from Ugarit (page 165) 2.5 The Date Palm and the Tamarisk (page 177) 2.6 Proverb Collections from Hattusa (page 199) 2.7 An Akkadian-Hurrian Bilingual Proverb Extract (page 207) 2.8 Proverbs and Proverbial Sayings in Letters: The Mari Letters and Late Bronze Age Correspondence (page 213) Bibliography (page 233) Index of Sources (page 249) Index of Names (page 252) Part I : Introduction -- A General Overview Of The Compositions And Their Sources -- Definitions And Approaches -- The Historical And Social Contexts -- The Archaeological And Archival Contexts -- The Curricular Context: The Place And Role Of Wisdom Literature Within The Scribal-school Curriculum. Part Ii : Late Bronze Age Wisdom Compositions -- Sima Milka, Or The Instructions Of Supe-ameli -- The Ballad Of Early Rulers -- Enlil And Namzitarra -- The Righteous Sufferer, Or A Hymn To Marduk From Ugarit -- The Date Palm And The Tamarisk -- Proverb Collections From Hattusa -- An Akkadian-hurian Bilingual Proverb Extract -- Proverbs And Proverbial Sayings In Letters: The Mari Letters And Late Bronze Age Correspondence. By Yoram Cohen ; Edited By Andrew R. George. Should Be Number 34 Of Series. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 233-247) And Indexes. This volume presents the original texts and annotated translations of a collection of Mesopotamian wisdom compositions and related texts of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1500 1200 B.C.E.) found at the ancient Near Eastern sites of Hattu a, Emar, and Ugarit. These wisdom compositions constitute the missing link between the great Sumerian wisdom corpus and early Akkadian wisdom literature of the Old Babylonian period, on the one hand, and the wisdom compositions of the first millennium B.C.E., on the other. Included here are works such as the Ballad of Early Rulers, Hear the Advice, and The Date-Palm and the Tamarisk, as well as proverb collections from Ugarit and Hattu a. A detailed introduction provides an assessment of the place of wisdom literature in the ancient curriculum and library collections.