ARTICLE
Esarhaddon’s Claim of Legitimacy in an Hour of Crisis
Sociological Observations
2016 年 51 巻 p. 123-142
詳細
2016 年 51 巻 p. 123-142
The article aims at a systematization of the evidence relating to Esarhaddon’s royal legitimacy in the various sources available, which include royal writings, letters, and chronicles. The discussion encompasses several facets of legitimacy discernible in the texts: characteristics of legitimate power, the role of administrative apparatus as an addressee of royal legitimizing rhetoric, and legitimization of power as an instrument of rule in contrast to physical and nonphysical coercion. The exceptional variety of legitimizing elements in the sources under consideration is understood as a response to Esarhaddon’s legitimacy crisis following his defeat in Egypt, which was compounded by constant opposition due to his irregular succession.
