The Social World of the Babylonian Priest: (103 Culture and History of the Ancient Near East)

In The Social World of the Babylonian Priest, Bastian Still presents a comprehensive study of the priestly community of Borsippa during the Neo-Babylonian and early Persian Empires (ca. 620-484 BCE). By examining patterns of marriage, landholding, moneylending, and friendship, he provides an intimate account of the daily life of the Babylonian priesthood beyond the temple walls and develops a more sophisticated understanding of the organisation of ancient Babylonian society as a whole. Combining the use of social network analysis, anthropological studies, and sociological concepts concerned with kinship, tie strength, social boundaries, and identity formation, Bastian Still’s interdisciplinary approach transcends the traditional boundary of cuneiform studies and enables the field of Assyriology to contribute to a more general socio-historical discourse. “S.’s book is a valuable contribution to our growing knowledge of the Mesopotamian priesthoods in the first millennium.” -Nathan MacDonald, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 44.5 (2020)

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Figures and Tables Abbreviations Introduction  0.1 State of the Art  0.2 Research Questions  0.3 Methodology  0.4 Case Study: The Priestly Community of Borsippa  0.5 The Babylonian Priest  0.6 The Temple Hierarchy  0.7 Main Protagonists of this Study   0.7.1 Temple-Enterers   0.7.2 Brewers   0.7.3 Bakers   0.7.4 Oxherds   0.7.5 Reed-Workers  0.8 Book Structure Part 1: Social Interactions among Priests in Borsippa 1 The Hypergamous Marriage System  Introduction  1.1 Marriage in Borsippa: Sacerdotal Endogamy  1.2 The Concept of Wife-Giver and Wife-Taker  1.3 Visualising the Marriage Network  1.4 Wife-Givers and Wife-Takers in Borsippa  1.5 Hypergamy in Historical Context  1.6 Wife-Givers and Wife-Takers in the Cult  Conclusion 2 Landholding  Introduction  2.1 Hanšû Estates and the Ancestral Family   2.1.1 The Nature of Hanšû Land   2.1.2 The Historical Origins of Hanšû Land in Borsippa   2.1.3 The Motivations behind the Land Allotment Schemes   2.1.4 The Identity of the Beneficiaries   2.1.5 The Value of Hanšû Land in the Sixth Century BCE  2.2 Land Sales and the Circulation of Property   2.2.1 Marriage Alliances   2.2.2 Professional Solidarity  2.3 Tenancy and Agricultural Collaboration   2.3.1 Unfree Tenants   2.3.2 Tenants without Family Names   2.3.3 Tenants with Family Names  Conclusion 3 Silver Lending  Introduction  3.1 Temple-Enterers  3.2 Brewers  3.3 Bakers  3.4 Oxherds  3.5 Reed-Workers  Conclusion 4 Circles of Trust and Intimacy  Introduction  4.1 Formal Quantification of Personal Networks  4.2 Qualitative Analysis of Tie Strength and Friendship   4.2.1 Ea-ilūtu-bani   4.2.2 Ilia (A)   4.2.3 Bēliya’u   4.2.4 Rē’i-alpi   4.2.5 Atkuppu  Conclusion Part 2: Priests in Neo-Babylonian Society 5 Homophily and Interaction  Introduction  5.1 Spatial Distribution  5.2 Homophily  5.3 Understanding Rentiers and Entrepreneurs  Conclusion 6 Social Boundary and Collective Identity  6.1 Affiliation to the Temple   6.1.1 Prebend Ownership   6.1.2 Purity and Initiation   6.1.3 Sacrifices and Festivals   6.1.4 Representation   6.1.5 Priestly Families vs. the Individual Priest  6.2 Ownership of Property   6.2.1 Residential Property   6.2.2 Landed Property  6.3 Literacy and Scribal Education  6.4 Language  Conclusion 7 Conclusion  7.1 Summaries of Individual Chapters   Chapter 1: The Hypergamous Marriage System   Chapter 2: Landholding   Chapter 3: Silver Lending   Chapter 4: Circles of Trust and Intimacy   Chapter 5: Homophily and Interaction   Chapter 6: Social Boundary and Collective Identity  7.2 Research Questions Revisited  7.3 Outcomes   The Impact of Temple-Based Regulations   Priests as a Distinct Social Group  7.4 Outlook  Appendix 1: Quantitative Analysis of Priestly Marriages in Borsippa   Introduction   Temple-Enterers   Brewers   Bakers   Butchers   Oxherds   Reed-Workers  Appendix 2: Annotated List of Hanšû Land in Borsippa  Appendix 3: Property Sales in the Borsippa Corpus   Sales of Hanšû Land  Sales of Non-hanšû Land  Sales of Housing Plots  Bibliography

About the Author :
Bastian Still, Ph.D. (2016), Leiden University, is currently employed as a Postdoctoral researcher at the American University of Cairo. His research focuses on the history, culture, and society of Babylonia during the first millennium BCE.

Review :
“S.’s book is a valuable contribution to our growing knowledge of the Mesopotamian priesthoods in the first millennium.” - Nathan Macdonald, in Society for Old Testament Study Book List 2020