Bulletin of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan

Official Pantheon and Popular Pantheon of Mari

Ichiro NAKATA

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 1-15,103
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.1

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This paper is a comparative study of the official and popular pantheons of Old Babylonian Mari. The official pantheon is known from the so called Mari “Pantheon List, ” while the popular pantheon is considered to be reflected in the configuration of deities mentioned in the Mari personal names. Of some 130 deities known from the thus far published OB Mari texts, 20 who are the most important either in the official pantheon or in the popular pantheon are chosen for this study (References are made to other deities as well.). These 20 deities neatly fall into three distinct groups. Addu, Dagan, Šamaš and Ea of Group A are most important in both pantheons. Here, the two pantheons are in complete agreement. Diritum, Belet-ekallim, Itur-Mer, Nergal, Ninhursagga and Annunitum of Group B are highly regarded in the official pantheon, but are almost totally unknown in the popular pantheon. Most of these deities are well established members of the Babylonian pantheon. No West Semitic deities are included in this group. In a sharp contrast with this, El/Il, Sin, Ištar, Annu (m), Hammu, Erah, Lim, Išhara, Amum and Mamma of Group C are either completely ignored or poorly regarded in the official pantheon, but are quite popular in the popular pantheon. To be noted are the four West Semitic deities found in this group. Thus, differences between the two pantheons are clearly indicated by Groups B and C. Historically speaking, Groups A and B show no break between the Ur III period and the OB period. However, the four West Semitic deities in Group C appearing for the first time in OB Mari indicate a break between the two periods. This “discrepancy” can be explained by the double structure of Mari population consisting mainly of the Akkadian population and the new Amorite population.

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Mitannian Influence on Seals Unearthed in Palestine

Koichiro GOTO

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 17-31,104
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.17

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In Palestine, the so-called “Tree of Life” motif had been represented repeatedly on Late Bronze Age potteries and cylinder seals. The style on the latters reflects almost Mitannian common style. In this connection, the author defined characteristics to the Mitannian glyptic or ornamental representation as following: 1) Union Jack pattern, 2) lattice pattern and 3) maximum use of drilling in the Tree of Life and animals of peculiar style, according to Speiser and Buchanan.
Tracing the cylinder seals under such conditions unearthed in Palestine back to archaeological context, it was attested that they were distributed to or around some of the public or sacred Late Bronze Age constructions in the cities along the main or sub-international trade route. Most of these cities accord those which have been referred in the Amarna letters as politically or strategically important points. Active economic give-and-takes among the big powers in the Amarna Age Orient may have given them direct contacts to the Mitannian art through caravans via northern Syria and small groups of northern people settled in the cities.

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On the Chronology of Ancient South Arabia

Yuzo Shitomi

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 33-54,105
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.33

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This article discusses the chronology of the ancient South Arabian inscriptions during the first four centuries A. D., according to their palaeography.
In the first place, scrutinizing palaeographically the inscriptions whose period and provenance are certain, the author tries to show the following things.
(1) As J. Ryckmans suggested, the graphical differences don't always signify the differences of period, but can correspond with the differences of provenance. For example, in the inscriptions found in Himyar, we already find at the end of the 2nd century, evolved forms of “b”, “w”, “f”, which appear for the first time in the latter half of the 4th century in Saba.
(2) In Saba, “t” appears in the shape of italic “x” instead of roman “x” from ca. 100 to the end of the 3rd century.
(3) We should rather compare the graphical evolution of Hadrami inscriptions with that of Himyar than that of Saba.
In the next place, scrutinizing palaeographically some inscriptions containing the kings' names not yet identified, the author tries to arrange them chronologically.
Hamilton 8… in the latter half of the 1st cent.?
RES 4708… at the beginning of the 2nd cent.
Ingrams 1; RES 3910, 4196, 4912, 4938; Ja 648, 651; CIH 407… at the beginning of the 3rd cent.
RES 4913, 4914, 4915… in the 1st half of the 3rd cent.
RES 4909, 4910… in the middle of the 3rd cent.
RES 4698 (?), Ry 591… in the latter half of the 3rd cent.
RES 4230, Ja 652… at the end of the 3rd cent.
CIH 430, 569… at the beginning of the 4th cent.
RES 3960… in the 1st half of the 4th cent.

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A. W. Keown-Boyd and the Britsh Policy towards Egypt

San-eki Nakaoka

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 55-65,106
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.55

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The purpose of this paper is to delineate the role of A. W. Keown-Boyd in the British policy towards Egypt's internal affairs during the period of the 1920's and 1930's.
A. W. Keown-Boyd was Director General of the European Department of the Ministry of the Interior, from its establishment in 1923 up to its aboiltion in 1937. During that period, he was in charge of protecting securities and interests of the Europeans in Egypt. He was called sometimes, behind his back, Minister of the Interior, and his hawkish policy towards Egypt's national liberation movements has been still within the memory of the contemporary Egyptian political leaders.
The name of A. W. Keown-Boyd has been, however, almost always neglected in the studies of Egypt's modern history or even political history of the 1920's and 1930's On the contorary, we can find so many materials in F. O. 141, F. O. 371 and F. O. 407, which show an eveidence of A. W. Keown-Boyd's important or even decisive role at the spear-head of the British colonial rule over Egypt.
In this paper, A. W. Keown-Boyd's role will be described, especially in relation to Egypt's labour movements, peasant unrests, rural securities, elections, party-politics, etc., on the basis of F. O. 141 materials.

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The Arabian Fleet and the Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in the Age of Constantine IV

Sadaomi Sugimura

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 67-76
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.67

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Al-Mahrajan al-Farabi. In Baghdad, Autumn 1975

Shinji Maejima

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 77-82
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.77

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C. H. Gordon, Ugarit bungaku to kodaisekai, Japanese translation of Ugarit and Minoan Crete by Masao Takahashi, Nippon Kirisutokyodan Shuppankyoku, Tokyo, 1976

Sakae Shibayama

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 83-86
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.83

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Nippon-Saudi Arabia kyokai, Nippon-Kuwait kyokai, Arabia Kenkyu ronso-Minzoku to bunka-, Tokyo, 1976

San-eki Nakaoka

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 87-88
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.87

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G. Pettinato, Das altorientalische Menschenbild und die sumerischen und akkadischen Schöpfungsmythen, Heidelberg, 1971, 164 S., 1 Tafel.

Akiko Okada

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 89-92
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.89

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[title in Japanese]

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 96-99
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.96

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[title in Japanese]

1976 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 99-100
Published: September 30, 1976
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.19.99

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