Substitution in Ancient Mesopotamian War Rituals

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 97 - 107, 26.03.2025

Yeşim Dilek

Abstract

Ritual performance has its own set of beliefs. In particular, ritual in the broadest sense, performative behavior that is accepted as normal and not identified as such, or external conduct are the means by which the generative matrix of ideology is produced. From significant social and political gatherings to everyday actions by individuals, these rituals take many forms. War is another ritualized human habit. It is a set of practices that require a lot of preparation and design before the war action. In order to decide on the best course of military action and whether to go to war, the gods had to be consulted and enlisted in ancient Mesopotamia. Every phase of war, from peacetime to hostilities and from the demands of a military campaign to the return to daily life, is marked and facilitated by rituals. In some war rituals substitutes are used, such as clay figurines or animals, to symbolize the enemy. Then, these items or animals become the target of violence. Substitution is a way that the royal power is asserted. It is the pious king who is favored by the gods and enforcing divine justice who will ultimately beat the enemy, and success is always certain. The aim of this study is to draw attention to the practices of substitution in the war rituals of Ancient Mesopotamian New Assyria and Babylion period in the light of sample war ritual texts.

Keywords

Ancient Mesopotamia, War, Violence, War Ritual, Substitution

Eski Mezopotamya Ritüellerinde Vekil Uygulaması

Abstract

Ritüel performansın kendine has inançları vardır. Özellikle, en geniş anlamıyla ritüel, normal olarak kabul edilen ve bu şekilde tanımlanmayan performatif davranış veya dışsal davranış, ideolojinin üretici matrisinin üretildiği araçlardır. Önemli sosyal ve siyasi toplantılardan bireylerin gündelik eylemlerine kadar bu ritüeller pek çok biçim alır. Savaş da bir başka ritüelleşmiş insan alışkanlığıdır. Savaş eylemine geçmeden önce pek çok ön hazırlığı ve tasarımı gerektiren uygulamalar bütünüdür. Eski Mezopotamya'da en iyi askeri hareket tarzına ve savaşa girilip girilmeyeceğine karar vermek için tanrılara danışılması ve onlardan yardım alınması gerekirdi. Barış zamanından düşmanlığa ve askeri seferin taleplerinden günlük hayata geri dönüşe kadar savaşın her aşaması ritüeller tarafından işaretlenmiş ve kolaylaştırılmıştır. Bazı savaş ritüellerinde düşmanı sembolize etmek için kilden heykelcikler ya da başka hayvanlar gibi vekiller kullanılırdı. Daha sonra bu nesneler ya da hayvanlar şiddetin hedefi haline gelirdi. İkame, kraliyet gücünün ortaya konmasının bir yoludur. Tanrılar tarafından tercih edilen ve ilahi adaleti uygulayan kral düşmanı nihayetinde yenecektir ve başarı her zaman kesindir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, örnek savaş ritüel metinleri ışığında Eski Mezopotamya Yeni Asur ve Babil dönemi savaş ritüellerindeki vekil uygulamalarına dikkat çekmektir.

Keywords

Eski Mezopotamya, Savaş, Şiddet, Savaş Ritüeli, İkame

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