2.6-2.13MIDTERM FEB 20- Soul must make a journey (aradu) to the Netherworldo Must cross the desert and then cross the river (via boatman) before getting tothe Netherworldo Additionally the soul could be attacked by humanso Lamastu – demon that carries two snakes and is responsible for making children sicko Pazuzu – the most feared demon of the underworld- Need weapons and provisions (sudu) for the tripo Buried with chests, carts, and sometimes boats for the rivero They are buried with weapons and guards to defend against demonso They also are buried with personal items like cosmetic compacts, and music instruments and games for when they are bored- The dead depend on the livingo The soul needs a proper burial (with rites) Placement in the ground to start the journey If the body doesn’t go into the ground with these rites, then they can’t start their journey Therefore, the dead rely on the living to bury them Travelling stuff (such as grave goods) are provided by the livingo Ceremonies in which the names of the dead are pronounced aloud If the dead’s name wasn’t said, the dead would sink into oblivion Ex. “Divide Bread” ceremony (at the end of every lunar month); a family gathering and feasto Therefore, the dead soul is extremely dependent on survivors and the survivors have great obligationso If the survivors do not fulfill their obligations, the soul might wander miserably and spitefully on Earth, harming people Similar to BerawanSumerian Deathways Summary- Must put body in ground to start journeyo Relation between disposition of corpse and fate of soul (Hertz #2)o Sumerian punishment for worst crimes: the body is impaled and cremated or left unburied; prevents soul’s journey- Journey (aradu)o Liminal, transitional, intermediary (when making this journey, the person is neither living or dead)o Dangerous period for the deceased and the livingo Voyage symbolism- Sumerian info teaches us a new point about intermediaryo Actions of survivors critical to fate of deceased (dead depend on the living, as in Berawan case)- Length of Sumerian intermediaryo Not knowno Filling of Royal Tombs was a “protracted process”o Were post-burial ceremonies rites of passage?- Netherworld – not replicate life on Eartho Soul, when full dead, did not need earthly thingso Did the family then reclaim the grave goods once the soul was in the land of the dead?o This would explain the “looting” that was not likelyFits the archaeological record- Grave goods:o Travelling stuffo Provisions- Purpose – getting the dead to the netherworld- Grave goods have a temporary role; so were they then reclaimed (rather than looted)?Why human sacrifices?- Woolley thought that the royal retainers were meant to continue serving the dead ruler in the afterlife- However, Sumerian Netherworld didn’t work that way; there were no queens- Maybe the retainers were meant to be attendants/guards for her for the journey to the Netherworld; Queen would have taken attendants, and Kings would have taken their harem of wives- Hertz: sacrifice – need something to disappear from this world to appear in the next- Could it possibly be that the souls were meant as gifts for Nergal to better the position of Puabi and the other rulers in the Netherworld?Is the theater dead? Not when the dead are theater!- A performing perspective on funeral ritualo Role of ritual Communicate/express ideas, values, and attitudes and shape the perceptions/interpretations of these o Create modal experiences (feelings) Rituals made those people feel things in the same ways that movies, plays, etc. make us feel things Emotionally charged ideas, values, etc. Thinking of them later summons an emotional state- Analyzing from a theatrical perspective helps us to think of deathways as a performance:o Shifts attention from tomb objects to details of deathways (visuality, timing, etc. of funeral); the tomb objects could be analogous to propso Recreate funeral as a sensory experience  How did the people involved experience it?  What messages were highlighted? How were emotions created?o Provides a set of categories for a comparative viewpointWho attended the burial?- It was public, so probably anyoneRole of Deathways in Society- Old viewo Funeral ceremonies were passive and reflective about the person being buriedo Funeral “about” the dead, the grave goods- New Viewo Ceremonies about making social statementso Funeral “about” statements survivors are making about the deadDeath Pits about Power- Full of images of power- Clothing, jewels- Rampant ram (symbol of power) - Scepters and standards- And the ultimate exercise of power – taking others’ lives- The power exerted was secular not religious- Opposite of Egyptian royal tombso Sumerians not buried in temples and there are no images of gods in their burialsDeath of ruler is a transfer of leadership (“king is dead, long live the king”)Dangerous time politically (big tear in fabric)New ruler buries dead ruler, so deathways make statements about:- Continuity of power of dynasty- Legitimacy of successor- Ancestry as claim to authorityRoyal funerals are more “about” kingship than dead king- Example King Tut’s tomb is not a memorial to Tut, it is more about Ay (the person who buried Tut) doing the burials and inscriptions and shows his legitimacy as the next rulerRoyal burials - Royal funerals = public theater - Ancient “media events”- Propaganda opportunity- Successor to the throne gains from organizing the funeral pageant:o Community solidarityo Exercise authorityo Role of royal deathways is the creation of subjectsWhy the Death Pits?- Why do they only occur between 2600 – 2100 BC? Not known- Theory: it was a time of social change and tension- Progression of the competition for power:o First, land-owning kinship groupso Then, rich temples and powerful priesto Finally, secular kings- Tombs display power and majesty of royal dynasty and centralizing institutionsEgypt vs. UrEgypt UrSpectacular SpectacularDead depend on the living (mummification,burial furniture and possessions)Dead depend on the living (put in ground,sudu or provisions for journey, divide-bread)Intermediary period (70 days) – length oftime of the typical mummificationIntermediary period (length of aradu orjourney across the river)State of the body is connected to the state