Transtextual stylization of Neo-Assyrian accounts of war

Abstract

This paper studies the transtextual features of accounts of war and descriptions of enemies in Assyrian royal narrative texts. It first offers a discussion of the relevant theoretical background, mainly the works of Gérard Genette, and then outlines a methodology for consistent analyses of transtextual features in the studied corpus. The main part of the paper consists of case studies, diachronically ranging from Tiglath-Pileser III to Esarhaddon. These case studies aim at analyzing the poetics and effects of transtextual arrangements. Here, the paper mainly looks at allusions to the epos of Gilgameš and the enūma eliš. The non-mytho-epical topos of the enemies’ ruler’s flight on a lone mare, attested in a few early Neo-Assyrian texts, is traced back to its pictorial origins. Finally, the paper highlights the importance of literay allusions when textually stylizing both enemies and Assyrian king engaged in acts of warfare.