The Amorites and the Bronze Age Near East: The Making of a Regional Identity
Cambridge University Press, 12/17/2020
EAN 9781108495967, ISBN10: 1108495966
Hardcover, 456 pages, 25.4 x 17.8 x 2.5 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
In this book, Aaron A. Burke explores the evolution of Amorite identity in the Near East from ca. 2500–1500 BC. He sets the emergence of a collective identity for the Amorites, one of the most famous groups in Ancient Near Eastern history, against the backdrop of both Akkadian imperial intervention and declining environmental conditions during this period. Tracing the migration of Amorite refugees from agropastoral communities into nearby regions, he shows how mercenarism in both Mesopotamia and Egypt played a central role in the acquisition of economic and political power between 2100 and 1900 BC. Burke also examines how the establishment of Amorite kingdoms throughout the Near East relied on traditional means of legitimation, and how trade, warfare, and the exchange of personnel contributed to the establishment of an Amorite koiné. Offering a fresh approach to identity at different levels of social hierarchy over time and space, this volume contributes to broader questions related to identity for other ancient societies.
1. Introduction
Amorites, their legacy, and the study of identity
2. Communities at the margins
the origins of Amorite identity, 2500–2200 B.C.
3. Beyond pastoralism
diaspora and opportunity, 2200–2000 B.C.
4. Mercenaries and merchants
networks of political and economic power, 2000–1800 B.C.
5. Competition and emulation
the Amorite Koiné from Dilmun to Avaris, 1800–1500 B.C. 6. Conclusion
Amorite identity in the long durée.