Mary Bachvarova | Willamette University (original) (raw)

Books by Mary Bachvarova

Research paper thumbnail of From Hittite to Homer: The Anatolian Background of Ancient Greek Epic

NOW IN PAPERBACK, WITH A 20% DISCOUNT! This book provides a groundbreaking reassessment of the pr... more NOW IN PAPERBACK, WITH A 20% DISCOUNT!
This book provides a groundbreaking reassessment of the prehistory of Homeric epic. It argues that in the Early Iron Age bilingual poets transmitted to the Greeks a set of narrative traditions closely related to the one found at Bronze-Age Hattusa, the Hittite capital. Key drivers for Near Eastern influence on the developing Homeric tradition were the shared practices of supralocal festivals and venerating divinized ancestors, and a shared interest in creating narratives about a legendary past using a few specific storylines: theogonies, genealogies connecting local polities, long-distance travel, destruction of a famous city because it refuses to release captives, and trying to overcome death when confronted with the loss of a dear companion. Professor Bachvarova concludes by providing a fresh explanation of the origins and significance of the Greco-Anatolian legend of Troy, thereby offering a new solution to the long-debated question of the historicity of the Trojan War.

Research paper thumbnail of From Hittite to Homer: The Anatolian Background of Ancient Greek Epic (2016). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

This book provides a groundbreaking reassessment of the prehistory of Homeric epic. It argues tha... more This book provides a groundbreaking reassessment of the prehistory of Homeric epic. It argues that in the Early Iron Age bilingual poets transmitted to the Greeks a set of narrative traditions closely related to the one found at Bronze-Age Hattusa, the Hittite capital. Key drivers for Near Eastern influence on the developing Homeric tradition were the shared practices of supralocal festivals and venerating divinized ancestors, and a shared interest in creating narratives about a legendary past using a few specific storylines: theogonies, genealogies connecting local polities, long-distance travel, destruction of a famous city because it refuses to release captives, and trying to overcome death when confronted with the loss of a dear companion. I conclude by providing a fresh explanation of the origins and significance of the Greco-Anatolian legend of Troy, thereby offering a new solution to the long-debated question of the historicity of the Trojan War.

Research paper thumbnail of The Fall of Cities: Commemoration in Literature, Folk Song, and Liturgy, edited by M. R. Bachvarova, D. Dutsch and A. Suter (2016). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Research paper thumbnail of Anatolian Interfaces: Hittites, Greeks and Their Neighbors: An International Conference on Cross-Cultural Interaction Held at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University (Sept. 17-19, 2004), edited by. B. J. Collins, M. R. Bachvarova and I. C. Rutherford (2008). Woodbridge, Conn.: Oxbow Press.

Papers by Mary Bachvarova

Research paper thumbnail of Survival of "Popular" Mythology: From Hittite Mountain Man to Phrygian Mountain Mother

Religious Convergence in the Ancient Mediterrean, 2019

Mountains were nodes of contact and places of continuity that allowed for the transfer across spa... more Mountains were nodes of contact and places of continuity that allowed for the transfer across space, time, and cultures within Anatolia of stories connected to the storm god's rise to kingship in heaven. Versions of the Bronze Age stories other than the ones available to us lie behind the story of the births of Cybele and Agdistis in Arnobius (Adv. Nat. 5.5-6), which represented versions not aimed at the concerns of the Hittite court, focused less on kingship and more on transgressive sexuality, gestation, and birth, which were metaphorized as volcanic and metallurgic processes.

Research paper thumbnail of The destroyed city in ancient "world history": from Agade to Troy

The Fall of Cities: Commemoration in Literature, Folk Song, and Liturgy, 2016

I follow the thread of the theme of the sacked city from its earliest manifestation in Mesopotami... more I follow the thread of the theme of the sacked city from its earliest
manifestation in Mesopotamian historiography to the Iliad, showing that
the Greek epic picked up on many themes originating in early second millennium Mesopotamia, and reworked them to new purposes. As with
the Hittites, the Greeks used the claim of responsibility for the destruction
of a famous city to position themselves on the world stage and to place
themselves in world history, conceived of as a series of cities destroyed in
turn. The deepened understanding of the tradition behind the Homeric
epic improves our ability to appreciate the innovations as well. Furthermore, I suggest that we take into account not only the interplay
between female personal lament and male epic in the Iliad, but also
possible influence from an indigenous liturgical lament tradition originally
cognate with the Mesopotamian one, but diverging decisively when it
began to be used to celebrate in cult a city whose ruined walls became
the locus of cultural memories about a lost age of heroes.

Research paper thumbnail of Of gods and men: Bridging the gap between cosmogony and the heroic age in early Greek legendary history

Narrating the Beginnings, eds. A. Bernabé Pajares and R. Martín Hernández. Wiesbaden. 69-93., 2021

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Research paper thumbnail of Towards an Understanding of the Gendered Hittite Landscape: What Does it Mean When Mountains Give Birth?

Acts of the IXth International Congress of Hittitology, Çorum, 08-14 September 2014. ed. A. Süel. Çorum: Baskı. 81-100, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Multiformity in the Song of Ḫedammu: Evidence and Implications

Altorientalische Forschungen 45, 2018

in Altorientalische Forschungen 45: 1-21. The narrative tradition of the Hurro-Hittite Song of Ḫe... more in Altorientalische Forschungen 45: 1-21. The narrative tradition of the Hurro-Hittite Song of Ḫedammu is presented, arguing that two separate Hittite versions can be reconstructed, one relatively condensed, the other more prolix. Such multiformity supports the postulation of an oral tradition lying behind the scribal production of Hurro-Hittite narrative song at Ḫattuša.

Research paper thumbnail of Formed on the Festival Stage: Plot and Characterization in the Iliad as a Competitive Collaborative Process

in: Homer in Performance: Rhapsodes, Characters, and Narrators, eds. J. L. Ready and C. Tsagalis... more in: Homer in Performance: Rhapsodes, Characters, and Narrators, eds. J. L. Ready and C. Tsagalis (2018, University of Texas Press)

An analysis of the plot twists and multi-faceted characterization of Hector in the Iliad as by-products of an aesthetic developed in the context of festival performances in which multiple bards performed their favorite sections of the story of the fall of Troy.

Research paper thumbnail of revision of translation: "Kumarbi Cycle," in Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: A Sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern Myths in Translation (2017), ed. C. López-Ruiz. 2nd ed. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press.154-76.

See "Multiformity in the Song of Hedammu" explaining my changed translation.

Research paper thumbnail of Translation of Song of Release, from Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: A Sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern Myths in Translation, 2nd ed. (2017), edited by Carolina López-Ruiz. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press (2013)

The Shield of Achilles is described in I lomer's Iliad (18.474-608) and has excited the imaginati... more The Shield of Achilles is described in I lomer's Iliad (18.474-608) and has excited the imagination of artists and scholars since atleast the nineteenth century. Achilles' divine armor was made by Hephaistos himself out of gold, silver, bronze, and tin. Homer uses the fantastic artifact to depict the cosmic and human order: scenes of war and peace, and joy and grief, filled the shield just as they fill these pages. The images, arranged in concentric bands, presumably evoked the detailed low reliefs engraved in metalwork, especially in the so-called "orientalizing" or Daedalic style (8th-7th cents. BCE), which inspires this rendition. The imaginary shield is too dynamic for static artwork to adequately represent. It takes us from the cosmic elements in the central scene (earth and sea, heaven and stars) to the life of human communities in the surrounding rings. In two cities, one at peace and one at war, we see a wedding party, a judgment over a blood crime, men involved in war preparations and battles, and those dedicated to agriculture and its festivities. Sea waves surround the shield's outer rim, as Greeks and Mesopotamians believed the Ocean encircled the inhabited world.

Research paper thumbnail of "Wisdom of Former Days: The Manly Hittite King and Foolish Kumarbi, Father of the Gods," in Mapping Ancient Near Eastern Masculinities (2016), edited by Ilona Zsolnay (Routledge Press)

I explore here some aspects of how masculinity was constructed in Late Bronze Age Anatolia, focu... more I explore here some aspects of how masculinity was constructed in Late
Bronze Age Anatolia, focusing specifically on the masculine identity of the
Hittite king and using the insights provided by two sets of texts coming from
the Hittite capital of Hattuša, Old and Middle Hittite ritual and admonitory
texts, and Hurro-Hittite narrative song.

Research paper thumbnail of Mourning a city “empty of men”: stereotypes of Anatolian communal lament in Aeschylus’ Persians

Commemoration in Literature, Folk-Song, and Liturgy, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of "Hurrians," in Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, Vol. 12: Ho Tsun Shen – Insult, eds. D. C. Allison, Jr., et al. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter (2016). 601-7.

Research paper thumbnail of "Feasts and Festivals, Anatolia," in Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, Vol. 8: Essenes – Fideism (2014), eds. C. Helmer, et al. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter. 1053-5.

Research paper thumbnail of Migrations in Anatolian Narrative Traditions

I present evidence for how Anatolians viewed their origins and their relationship with theGreeks,... more I present evidence for how Anatolians viewed their origins and their relationship with theGreeks, showing that East-West relations were first framed using inherited Near Eastern models,then the models changed into Greek-oriented migration stories in which Carians and Lycians,like the Greeks, were considered to have arrived in Anatolia from Crete or the Aegean islands.While the sources are all in Greek, it is possible to see Anatolian responses within the Greek stories, especially with regard to the early history of Miletus. And, while Homer studiouslyignores the Greek migrations, preferring relationships created by dynastic marriages, as withBellerophon, we can see that a conversation has already started about the migration, especiallywith regard to Glaucus and Sarpedon, possibly within the context of a Greco-Lycian epictradition. Sarpedon presents an unusually complex case. I argue that his name means 'high place'in Carian, and could be applied to both geographic features and people. That fortuitouscoincidence spurred the connection between a Lycian hero and a founding hero of the Carian cityof Miletus.

Research paper thumbnail of Telipinu Myth GODS, HEROES, AND MONSTERS

My translation of the Anatolian Telipinu Myth, from the 2013 editon of Gods, Heroes and Monsters ... more My translation of the Anatolian Telipinu Myth, from the 2013 editon of Gods, Heroes and Monsters (ed. C. López-Ruiz). It was not included in the 2nd edition

Research paper thumbnail of "Hurro-Hittite Narrative Song as a Bilingual Oral-Derived Genre," Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference of Hittitology in Warsaw, Poland, Sept. 5-9, 2011, edited by M. Kapelus and P. Taracha (2014, Agade Press). 77-110.

Research paper thumbnail of Translations of Hurro-Hittite Stories and Hittite Pregancy and Birth Rituals in Women in the Ancient Near East: A Sourcebook (ed. Mark Chavalas, 2013), includes Mt. Wasitta in Labor, Ishtar and Mt. Pishaisha, Song of Keshshi, The Heroic Deeds of Gurparanzah

Research paper thumbnail of From Hittite to Homer: The Anatolian Background of Ancient Greek Epic

NOW IN PAPERBACK, WITH A 20% DISCOUNT! This book provides a groundbreaking reassessment of the pr... more NOW IN PAPERBACK, WITH A 20% DISCOUNT!
This book provides a groundbreaking reassessment of the prehistory of Homeric epic. It argues that in the Early Iron Age bilingual poets transmitted to the Greeks a set of narrative traditions closely related to the one found at Bronze-Age Hattusa, the Hittite capital. Key drivers for Near Eastern influence on the developing Homeric tradition were the shared practices of supralocal festivals and venerating divinized ancestors, and a shared interest in creating narratives about a legendary past using a few specific storylines: theogonies, genealogies connecting local polities, long-distance travel, destruction of a famous city because it refuses to release captives, and trying to overcome death when confronted with the loss of a dear companion. Professor Bachvarova concludes by providing a fresh explanation of the origins and significance of the Greco-Anatolian legend of Troy, thereby offering a new solution to the long-debated question of the historicity of the Trojan War.

Research paper thumbnail of From Hittite to Homer: The Anatolian Background of Ancient Greek Epic (2016). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

This book provides a groundbreaking reassessment of the prehistory of Homeric epic. It argues tha... more This book provides a groundbreaking reassessment of the prehistory of Homeric epic. It argues that in the Early Iron Age bilingual poets transmitted to the Greeks a set of narrative traditions closely related to the one found at Bronze-Age Hattusa, the Hittite capital. Key drivers for Near Eastern influence on the developing Homeric tradition were the shared practices of supralocal festivals and venerating divinized ancestors, and a shared interest in creating narratives about a legendary past using a few specific storylines: theogonies, genealogies connecting local polities, long-distance travel, destruction of a famous city because it refuses to release captives, and trying to overcome death when confronted with the loss of a dear companion. I conclude by providing a fresh explanation of the origins and significance of the Greco-Anatolian legend of Troy, thereby offering a new solution to the long-debated question of the historicity of the Trojan War.

Research paper thumbnail of The Fall of Cities: Commemoration in Literature, Folk Song, and Liturgy, edited by M. R. Bachvarova, D. Dutsch and A. Suter (2016). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Research paper thumbnail of Anatolian Interfaces: Hittites, Greeks and Their Neighbors: An International Conference on Cross-Cultural Interaction Held at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University (Sept. 17-19, 2004), edited by. B. J. Collins, M. R. Bachvarova and I. C. Rutherford (2008). Woodbridge, Conn.: Oxbow Press.

Research paper thumbnail of Survival of "Popular" Mythology: From Hittite Mountain Man to Phrygian Mountain Mother

Religious Convergence in the Ancient Mediterrean, 2019

Mountains were nodes of contact and places of continuity that allowed for the transfer across spa... more Mountains were nodes of contact and places of continuity that allowed for the transfer across space, time, and cultures within Anatolia of stories connected to the storm god's rise to kingship in heaven. Versions of the Bronze Age stories other than the ones available to us lie behind the story of the births of Cybele and Agdistis in Arnobius (Adv. Nat. 5.5-6), which represented versions not aimed at the concerns of the Hittite court, focused less on kingship and more on transgressive sexuality, gestation, and birth, which were metaphorized as volcanic and metallurgic processes.

Research paper thumbnail of The destroyed city in ancient "world history": from Agade to Troy

The Fall of Cities: Commemoration in Literature, Folk Song, and Liturgy, 2016

I follow the thread of the theme of the sacked city from its earliest manifestation in Mesopotami... more I follow the thread of the theme of the sacked city from its earliest
manifestation in Mesopotamian historiography to the Iliad, showing that
the Greek epic picked up on many themes originating in early second millennium Mesopotamia, and reworked them to new purposes. As with
the Hittites, the Greeks used the claim of responsibility for the destruction
of a famous city to position themselves on the world stage and to place
themselves in world history, conceived of as a series of cities destroyed in
turn. The deepened understanding of the tradition behind the Homeric
epic improves our ability to appreciate the innovations as well. Furthermore, I suggest that we take into account not only the interplay
between female personal lament and male epic in the Iliad, but also
possible influence from an indigenous liturgical lament tradition originally
cognate with the Mesopotamian one, but diverging decisively when it
began to be used to celebrate in cult a city whose ruined walls became
the locus of cultural memories about a lost age of heroes.

Research paper thumbnail of Of gods and men: Bridging the gap between cosmogony and the heroic age in early Greek legendary history

Narrating the Beginnings, eds. A. Bernabé Pajares and R. Martín Hernández. Wiesbaden. 69-93., 2021

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Research paper thumbnail of Towards an Understanding of the Gendered Hittite Landscape: What Does it Mean When Mountains Give Birth?

Acts of the IXth International Congress of Hittitology, Çorum, 08-14 September 2014. ed. A. Süel. Çorum: Baskı. 81-100, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Multiformity in the Song of Ḫedammu: Evidence and Implications

Altorientalische Forschungen 45, 2018

in Altorientalische Forschungen 45: 1-21. The narrative tradition of the Hurro-Hittite Song of Ḫe... more in Altorientalische Forschungen 45: 1-21. The narrative tradition of the Hurro-Hittite Song of Ḫedammu is presented, arguing that two separate Hittite versions can be reconstructed, one relatively condensed, the other more prolix. Such multiformity supports the postulation of an oral tradition lying behind the scribal production of Hurro-Hittite narrative song at Ḫattuša.

Research paper thumbnail of Formed on the Festival Stage: Plot and Characterization in the Iliad as a Competitive Collaborative Process

in: Homer in Performance: Rhapsodes, Characters, and Narrators, eds. J. L. Ready and C. Tsagalis... more in: Homer in Performance: Rhapsodes, Characters, and Narrators, eds. J. L. Ready and C. Tsagalis (2018, University of Texas Press)

An analysis of the plot twists and multi-faceted characterization of Hector in the Iliad as by-products of an aesthetic developed in the context of festival performances in which multiple bards performed their favorite sections of the story of the fall of Troy.

Research paper thumbnail of revision of translation: "Kumarbi Cycle," in Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: A Sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern Myths in Translation (2017), ed. C. López-Ruiz. 2nd ed. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press.154-76.

See "Multiformity in the Song of Hedammu" explaining my changed translation.

Research paper thumbnail of Translation of Song of Release, from Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: A Sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern Myths in Translation, 2nd ed. (2017), edited by Carolina López-Ruiz. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press (2013)

The Shield of Achilles is described in I lomer's Iliad (18.474-608) and has excited the imaginati... more The Shield of Achilles is described in I lomer's Iliad (18.474-608) and has excited the imagination of artists and scholars since atleast the nineteenth century. Achilles' divine armor was made by Hephaistos himself out of gold, silver, bronze, and tin. Homer uses the fantastic artifact to depict the cosmic and human order: scenes of war and peace, and joy and grief, filled the shield just as they fill these pages. The images, arranged in concentric bands, presumably evoked the detailed low reliefs engraved in metalwork, especially in the so-called "orientalizing" or Daedalic style (8th-7th cents. BCE), which inspires this rendition. The imaginary shield is too dynamic for static artwork to adequately represent. It takes us from the cosmic elements in the central scene (earth and sea, heaven and stars) to the life of human communities in the surrounding rings. In two cities, one at peace and one at war, we see a wedding party, a judgment over a blood crime, men involved in war preparations and battles, and those dedicated to agriculture and its festivities. Sea waves surround the shield's outer rim, as Greeks and Mesopotamians believed the Ocean encircled the inhabited world.

Research paper thumbnail of "Wisdom of Former Days: The Manly Hittite King and Foolish Kumarbi, Father of the Gods," in Mapping Ancient Near Eastern Masculinities (2016), edited by Ilona Zsolnay (Routledge Press)

I explore here some aspects of how masculinity was constructed in Late Bronze Age Anatolia, focu... more I explore here some aspects of how masculinity was constructed in Late
Bronze Age Anatolia, focusing specifically on the masculine identity of the
Hittite king and using the insights provided by two sets of texts coming from
the Hittite capital of Hattuša, Old and Middle Hittite ritual and admonitory
texts, and Hurro-Hittite narrative song.

Research paper thumbnail of Mourning a city “empty of men”: stereotypes of Anatolian communal lament in Aeschylus’ Persians

Commemoration in Literature, Folk-Song, and Liturgy, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of "Hurrians," in Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, Vol. 12: Ho Tsun Shen – Insult, eds. D. C. Allison, Jr., et al. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter (2016). 601-7.

Research paper thumbnail of "Feasts and Festivals, Anatolia," in Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, Vol. 8: Essenes – Fideism (2014), eds. C. Helmer, et al. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter. 1053-5.

Research paper thumbnail of Migrations in Anatolian Narrative Traditions

I present evidence for how Anatolians viewed their origins and their relationship with theGreeks,... more I present evidence for how Anatolians viewed their origins and their relationship with theGreeks, showing that East-West relations were first framed using inherited Near Eastern models,then the models changed into Greek-oriented migration stories in which Carians and Lycians,like the Greeks, were considered to have arrived in Anatolia from Crete or the Aegean islands.While the sources are all in Greek, it is possible to see Anatolian responses within the Greek stories, especially with regard to the early history of Miletus. And, while Homer studiouslyignores the Greek migrations, preferring relationships created by dynastic marriages, as withBellerophon, we can see that a conversation has already started about the migration, especiallywith regard to Glaucus and Sarpedon, possibly within the context of a Greco-Lycian epictradition. Sarpedon presents an unusually complex case. I argue that his name means 'high place'in Carian, and could be applied to both geographic features and people. That fortuitouscoincidence spurred the connection between a Lycian hero and a founding hero of the Carian cityof Miletus.

Research paper thumbnail of Telipinu Myth GODS, HEROES, AND MONSTERS

My translation of the Anatolian Telipinu Myth, from the 2013 editon of Gods, Heroes and Monsters ... more My translation of the Anatolian Telipinu Myth, from the 2013 editon of Gods, Heroes and Monsters (ed. C. López-Ruiz). It was not included in the 2nd edition

Research paper thumbnail of "Hurro-Hittite Narrative Song as a Bilingual Oral-Derived Genre," Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference of Hittitology in Warsaw, Poland, Sept. 5-9, 2011, edited by M. Kapelus and P. Taracha (2014, Agade Press). 77-110.

Research paper thumbnail of Translations of Hurro-Hittite Stories and Hittite Pregancy and Birth Rituals in Women in the Ancient Near East: A Sourcebook (ed. Mark Chavalas, 2013), includes Mt. Wasitta in Labor, Ishtar and Mt. Pishaisha, Song of Keshshi, The Heroic Deeds of Gurparanzah

Research paper thumbnail of "Io and the Gorgon: Ancient Greek medical and mythical constructions of the interactions between women's experiences of sex and birth," in Arethusa (2013) 46: 415-46.

Research paper thumbnail of "Adapting Mesopotamian Myth in Hurro-Hittite Rituals at Hattuša: IŠTAR, the Underworld, and the Legendary Kings," in Beyond Hatti: A Tribute to Gary Beckman (2013), eds. Billie Jean Collins and Piotr Michalowski. Atlanta, Ga.: Lockwood Press. 23-44.

Research paper thumbnail of "CTH 767.7: The Birth Ritual of Pittei: Its Occasion and the Activity of the Scribe," in Luwian Identities: Language and Religion between Anatolia and the Aegean (2013), edited by Alice Mouton, Ian C. Rutherford, and Ilya Yakubovich. Leiden, New York: Brill. 136-157.

Research paper thumbnail of "From 'kingship in heaven' to king lists: Syro-Anatolian courts and the history of the world." Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 12 (2012) 97-118.

I examine the literary and conceptual background of a Hurro-Hittite ritual calling on divinized r... more I examine the literary and conceptual background of a Hurro-Hittite ritual calling on divinized royal ancestors (šarrena), characters from Hurro-Hittite song, members of the Sargonic dynasty, a variety of kings from far-off lands, and the “lord of Hatti” (KUB 27.38). I show that the ritual provides a unique glimpse of the complex Near Eastern tradition telling the history of the world from its beginning. The ritual also helps us to understand how historical memory informed ritual behaviors that legitimated the kingship of regional rulers, allowing them access to the distant past and connecting them to world events. Overall, the šarrena ritual suggests that the histories of the divine and human worlds were linked into a single master narrative by the middle of the second millennium BCE.

Research paper thumbnail of The Chariot of the Sun-­‐God: Technological Innovation and Near Eastern Cult Practice

Powerpoint slides for lecture given at Brown University, Joukowsky Institute, Oct. 20, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of The Pain of Loss: From Hittite Disappearing Deity Rituals to Ancient Greek Women's Festivals

Research paper thumbnail of Reconsidering the Path for Transmission of Liver Divination Again: Scribal Lore versus Orally Transmitted Practice

slides for a powerpoint presentation, presented at Dhlem Seminar, Freie Universität, Berlin, June... more slides for a powerpoint presentation, presented at Dhlem Seminar, Freie Universität, Berlin, June 28, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of "Come from Wherever You Are": Methods of Borrowing and Methodology in Comparative Studies in Greek and Near Eastern Religion

Powerpoint presentation from 64th Rencontre Assyriologique, 12th Melammu Symposium, July 16, 2018