Books by Marinella Ceravolo
Papers by Marinella Ceravolo
Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni, 2024
Communication between Ancient Near Eastern studies and religious history has often been difficult... more Communication between Ancient Near Eastern studies and religious history has often been difficult, particularly during the 1920s and 1930s, when the study of Mesopotamian populations was still influenced by biblical studies, as well as the spread of racial theories and antisemitism. Taking these aspects into account, this paper examines Raffaele Pettazzoni’s amazing capacity to investigate cuneiform sources, which at the time were particularly inaccessible to non-specialists in Oriental studies. As a case study, Pettazzoni’s second volume of La confessione dei peccati (1935) is used to examine the issue of sin in Mesopotamia. As a result, this essay explores and compares the numerous ideas on the Mesopotamian concept of “sin” and “confession” developed in Europe and Italy prior to the publication of Pettazzoni’s work, emphasising the differences and novelties with which the historian of religions dealt with cuneiform materials.
Mythopoeïa, 2024
This article examines the correlation between Assyriology and the history of religions between th... more This article examines the correlation between Assyriology and the history of religions between the 19 th and 20 th centuries. In the first part, the study explores the intimate connections that initially bound together Assyriology and biblical studies, focusing on biblical archaeology, the Babel-Bible Streit, and pan-Babylonism. The second part considers how Landsberger's concept of "conceptual autonomy" resulted in the separation of Assyriology from biblical studies and the spreading of a strong philological perspective that censored exegetical analysis, including those related to religious enquiries. The aim is therefore to reflect on how a "pall of silence" has descended on historical-religious studies related to the civilisations of ancient Mesopotamia and what has been done and can still be done to disperse this fog.
Mythopoeïa. Revue d'Histoire des Religions du Proche-Orient Ancien, 2024
Publication director : Jérôme Pace (UMR 8210-ANHIMA).
Editorial board : Ilaria Calini (École P... more Publication director : Jérôme Pace (UMR 8210-ANHIMA).
Editorial board : Ilaria Calini (École Pratique des Hautes Études, UMR 8210-ANHIMA ), Marinella Ceravolo (Università di Roma "La Sapienza"), Jérôme Pace (UMR 8210-ANHIMA).
Scientific committee : Bernardo Ballesteros (University of Oxford), Renée Koch-Piettre (École Pratique des Hautes Études), Valerio Pisaniello (Università di Verona), Vladimir Shelestin (Институт востоковедения Роcсийской академии наук), Lorenzo Verderame (Università di Roma "La Sapienza"), Selena Wisnom (University of Leicester), Gioele Zisa (Universität Wien).
Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni, 2024
HENOCH 45/2, 2023
The mouth-washing ritual (mīs pî) consisted of two days of intense ceremonial practices aimed at ... more The mouth-washing ritual (mīs pî) consisted of two days of intense ceremonial practices aimed at activating the cult statue. Once the mīs pî was completed, the statue was seen as a flesh-and-blood god possessing all five senses. To bring the wooden shell to life, it was crucial to establish that the effigy was of divine origin and not just a man-made object. Therefore, this paper discusses the misrecognition processes of human activity that allowed the statue to be considered a divine being. The study specifically examines the ritual use of the phrase «I did not make» (anāku ul ēpus) by artisans to deny their role in creating the effigy. The "negative confession" of the craftsmen is compared to other Mesopotamian rituals-for instance, the activation of the kettledrum (lilissu)-and discussed on the basis of speech act theory.
HENOCH Vol. 45/2 (2023)
Abstracts: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L7bqOVmuqZSci4rNOJAeZA5hNXfS421Z/view
La sacra scena. Spettacolo e rito dal monto antico alla contemporaneità folklorica, 2024
Archiv für Religionsgeschichte, 2023
Quaderni di Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni, 2022
This study focuses on the warrior aspect of Inanna / Ištar, one of the oldest and most complex Me... more This study focuses on the warrior aspect of Inanna / Ištar, one of the oldest and most complex Mesopotamian deities. The aim is to investigate how the experience of warfare was organized through the symbolic connections that linked this goddess to the sphere of confusion, dance and play. The analysis is conducted taking into account myths, hymns and prayers from the third to the first millennium BC; particular attention is paid to the study of performances or objects linked through metonymy or metaphor to the warlike exercise of Inanna / Ištar, such as the gūštu dance, the pukku and mekkû instruments, and the games of rope, pawns and astragals.
Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni (SMSR), 2021
Since it is not possible to resort to participant observation, it is extremely difficult to recon... more Since it is not possible to resort to participant observation, it is extremely difficult to reconstruct the forms and meanings of dance in a past society. This paper, adopting ancient Mesopotamia as its field of investigation, tries to overcome these limitations by resorting to an analysis of the lexicon and narrative of dance. The aim is to reconstruct part of the semantics of the ancient near-eastern dance, investigating its different symbologies and values. In doing so, clear links will emerge with the spheres of war, play and confusion of the senses.
Historia Religionum, 2022
"The ‘concept’ of peace in Mesopotamia":
The study of the ancient world has contributed to the ... more "The ‘concept’ of peace in Mesopotamia":
The study of the ancient world has contributed to the development of peace studies, attempting to reconstruct a history of ideas of peace. Within these investigations into the past, however, the peoples of the ancient Near East have often been thought of as purely warlike and lacking a ‘concept’ of peace. For these reasons, this paper investigates why it is so difficult for modern scholars to recognize the presence of an idea of peace in Mesopotamia. In doing so, this research focuses on reconstructing the mode of narration and conceptualization of peace within Sumerian and Akkadian literary texts.
Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni, 2022
This paper focuses on the study of one of the most important female cult operators of ancient Mes... more This paper focuses on the study of one of the most important female cult operators of ancient Mesopotamia: the en-priestess, known under the modern label of “high priestess”. In particular, it examines the office of the en of the lunar god Nanna, attested from the third to the first millennium BC in the city of Ur. The aim is to reconstruct the scope of the agency exercised by this female cult operator not only within the religious field, but also on an economic, political, and cultural field as well. For this purpose, the research examines sources that refer directly to the en-priestess of Nanna, including seals and inscriptions written in her name, and administrative and literary sources in which she appears as an agent.
Noms des dieux: portraits de divinités antiques, 2021
Retracing the birth of writing and the relationship between image and meaning, this chapter refle... more Retracing the birth of writing and the relationship between image and meaning, this chapter reflects on the symbolic value and agentivity of divine names in Mesopotamia.
M. Ceravolo 2021: "Ceci n'est pas un nom : la polyvalence des noms divins en Mésopotamie", in C. Bonnet (ed.), "Noms de dieux : portraits de divinités antiques", ANACHARSIS, Toulouse, pp. 153-175.
Quaderni di Vicino Oriente XVII, 2021
In 689 BC, the Assyrian king Sennacherib destroyed Babylon and deported the statues of the Babylo... more In 689 BC, the Assyrian king Sennacherib destroyed Babylon and deported the statues of the Babylonian gods to Assyria. In order to restore the political and religious relations between Assyria and Babylonia, Esarhaddon undertakes to renovate the Babylonian statues and relocate them in their temples in southern Mesopotamia. This paper aims to provide an analysis of some royal inscriptions dealing with the (re)creation of the divine effigies and offer an interpretation of their salient passages.
Civiltà e Religioni, 7, 2021
Through the analysis of literary, mythical, and ritual sources, this paper outlines the ideologic... more Through the analysis of literary, mythical, and ritual sources, this paper outlines the ideological and religious heritage that bound the fate of cities to the “physical” presence of their deities in the ancient Mesopotamia. The aim is to investigate how and why the divinities were asked to regulate the earth’s space, by constantly renewing the order that they had established in the illud tempus of the origins. At the same time, the reflection focuses on the strategies adopted by men to modify and manage city space without losing the divine benevolence, and thus preventing the gods from abandoning their earthly abodes.
Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni ( SMSR ), 2021
In the ancient Mesopotamia, the creation of the divine statue was a complex process that required... more In the ancient Mesopotamia, the creation of the divine statue was a complex process that required deep cultic knowledge and technical skills. Since the statue was not only the image of a god or a goddess, but the very essence of him/her, and the effigy itself was endowed with agency, its creation in- volved a unitary presence of deities, cultic officers, and craftsmen. Hence, this paper aims to provide an overview of the divine and human entities that were involved in the creation of the god statue in the light of the Neo-Assyrian cuneiform sources, including rituals, prayers, royal inscriptions, and correspondence.
Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni (SMSR), 2019
The mīs pî, lit. “washing of the mouth”, was one of the solemn rituals of Ancient Mesopotamia. It... more The mīs pî, lit. “washing of the mouth”, was one of the solemn rituals of Ancient Mesopotamia. Its goal was the induction of the cult statue in order to allow its official installation in the temple. For this purpose, a total iden- tity between the statue and its corresponding divinity was strictly required. The ontological union of two natures was obtained through four processions in four different ritual spaces: the workshop, the riverbank, the garden and the temple. This paper investigates the peculiarities of the mīs pî by paying particular attention to the ritual spaces. The aim is to analyze the “washing of the mouth” in terms of rite of passage, underlining the need to rethink van Gennep’s tripartite scheme.
Historia Religionum, 2019
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Abstract · "The Coherent Ambiguity of Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" : ... more [If interested, please email me]
Abstract · "The Coherent Ambiguity of Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" : Scholars have often considered the Sumerian myth of "Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" as a confused and incoherent narrative. In contrast to this exegesis, this article suggests a comprehensive reading of "Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" which aims to demonstrate its narrative coherence. The purpose is to analyze the ambiguities of the myth, its puns and its extra-textual references, so as to demonstrate that they were consciously used to build several levels of interpretation. In light of this, "Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" will be interpreted as a succession of mythical events that were brought together following a sophisticated and coherent narrative structure.
Keywords: Sumerian mythology, Puns, Figurative language, Mesopotamian literature.
La Storia delle religioni e la sfida dei pluralismi Atti del Convegno della Società Italiana di S... more La Storia delle religioni e la sfida dei pluralismi Atti del Convegno della Società Italiana di Storia delle Religioni -Roma, Sapienza, 8-9 aprile 2016 MORCELLIANA © 2017 Editrice Morcelliana Via Gabriele Rosa 71 -25121 Brescia Prima edizione: luglio 2017 Volume pubblicato dal Dipartimento di Storia, Culture, Religioni. Con il contributo di: Società Italiana di Storia delle Religioni. I saggi contenuti nel volume sono stati sottoposti a procedura di peer review. www.morcelliana.com I diritti di traduzione, di memorizzazione elettronica, di riproduzione e di adattamento totale o parziale, con qualsiasi mezzo (compresi i microfilm), sono riservati per tutti i Paesi. Le fotocopie per uso personale del lettore possono essere effettuate nei limiti del 15% di ciascun volume/fascicolo di periodico dietro pagamento alla SIAE del compenso previsto dall'art. 68, commi 4 e 5, della legge 22 aprile 1941, n. 633. Le fotocopie effettuate per finalità di carattere professionale, economico o commerciale o comunque per uso diverso da quello personale possono essere effettuate a seguito di specifica autorizzazione rilasciata da CLEARedi, Centro Licenze e Autorizzazioni per le Riproduzioni Editoriali, Corso di Porta Romana n. 108, 20122 Milano, e-mail [email protected] e sito web www.clearedi.org.
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Books by Marinella Ceravolo
https://www.bulzoni.it/it/catalogo/l-historiola-nella-mesopotamia-antica.html
Papers by Marinella Ceravolo
Editorial board : Ilaria Calini (École Pratique des Hautes Études, UMR 8210-ANHIMA ), Marinella Ceravolo (Università di Roma "La Sapienza"), Jérôme Pace (UMR 8210-ANHIMA).
Scientific committee : Bernardo Ballesteros (University of Oxford), Renée Koch-Piettre (École Pratique des Hautes Études), Valerio Pisaniello (Università di Verona), Vladimir Shelestin (Институт востоковедения Роcсийской академии наук), Lorenzo Verderame (Università di Roma "La Sapienza"), Selena Wisnom (University of Leicester), Gioele Zisa (Universität Wien).
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/arege-2022-0003/html
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/arege-2022-0003
The study of the ancient world has contributed to the development of peace studies, attempting to reconstruct a history of ideas of peace. Within these investigations into the past, however, the peoples of the ancient Near East have often been thought of as purely warlike and lacking a ‘concept’ of peace. For these reasons, this paper investigates why it is so difficult for modern scholars to recognize the presence of an idea of peace in Mesopotamia. In doing so, this research focuses on reconstructing the mode of narration and conceptualization of peace within Sumerian and Akkadian literary texts.
M. Ceravolo 2021: "Ceci n'est pas un nom : la polyvalence des noms divins en Mésopotamie", in C. Bonnet (ed.), "Noms de dieux : portraits de divinités antiques", ANACHARSIS, Toulouse, pp. 153-175.
Abstract · "The Coherent Ambiguity of Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" : Scholars have often considered the Sumerian myth of "Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" as a confused and incoherent narrative. In contrast to this exegesis, this article suggests a comprehensive reading of "Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" which aims to demonstrate its narrative coherence. The purpose is to analyze the ambiguities of the myth, its puns and its extra-textual references, so as to demonstrate that they were consciously used to build several levels of interpretation. In light of this, "Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" will be interpreted as a succession of mythical events that were brought together following a sophisticated and coherent narrative structure.
Keywords: Sumerian mythology, Puns, Figurative language, Mesopotamian literature.
https://www.bulzoni.it/it/catalogo/l-historiola-nella-mesopotamia-antica.html
Editorial board : Ilaria Calini (École Pratique des Hautes Études, UMR 8210-ANHIMA ), Marinella Ceravolo (Università di Roma "La Sapienza"), Jérôme Pace (UMR 8210-ANHIMA).
Scientific committee : Bernardo Ballesteros (University of Oxford), Renée Koch-Piettre (École Pratique des Hautes Études), Valerio Pisaniello (Università di Verona), Vladimir Shelestin (Институт востоковедения Роcсийской академии наук), Lorenzo Verderame (Università di Roma "La Sapienza"), Selena Wisnom (University of Leicester), Gioele Zisa (Universität Wien).
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/arege-2022-0003/html
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/arege-2022-0003
The study of the ancient world has contributed to the development of peace studies, attempting to reconstruct a history of ideas of peace. Within these investigations into the past, however, the peoples of the ancient Near East have often been thought of as purely warlike and lacking a ‘concept’ of peace. For these reasons, this paper investigates why it is so difficult for modern scholars to recognize the presence of an idea of peace in Mesopotamia. In doing so, this research focuses on reconstructing the mode of narration and conceptualization of peace within Sumerian and Akkadian literary texts.
M. Ceravolo 2021: "Ceci n'est pas un nom : la polyvalence des noms divins en Mésopotamie", in C. Bonnet (ed.), "Noms de dieux : portraits de divinités antiques", ANACHARSIS, Toulouse, pp. 153-175.
Abstract · "The Coherent Ambiguity of Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" : Scholars have often considered the Sumerian myth of "Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" as a confused and incoherent narrative. In contrast to this exegesis, this article suggests a comprehensive reading of "Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" which aims to demonstrate its narrative coherence. The purpose is to analyze the ambiguities of the myth, its puns and its extra-textual references, so as to demonstrate that they were consciously used to build several levels of interpretation. In light of this, "Enki and Ninḫursaĝa" will be interpreted as a succession of mythical events that were brought together following a sophisticated and coherent narrative structure.
Keywords: Sumerian mythology, Puns, Figurative language, Mesopotamian literature.
link: https://huji.zoom.us/j/85860659687?pwd=R3luV2gwY1pTanR6K3VOeDJLMzh3dz09
Meeting ID: 858 6065 9687
Passcode: 086241
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3abQsg8NF3cZ5xZHCTA6xm2_06gKvLzxVbQPlGn_zWar81%40thread.tacv2/1667924100067?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2284679d45-8346-4e23-8c84-a7304edba77f%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2219da1663-a2fd-45a9-be74-08bc8c7406cc%22%7d
Directeur de publication : Jérôme Pace (École Pratique des Hautes Études).
Comité de rédaction : Ilaria Calini (École Pratique des Hautes Études), Marinella Ceravolo (Università di Roma "La Sapienza"), Jérôme Pace (École Pratique des Hautes Études).
Comité scientifique : Bernardo Ballesteros Petrella (University of Oxford), Renée Koch-Piettre (École Pratique des Hautes Études), Valerio Pisaniello (Università di Verona), Vladimir Shelestin (Институт востоковедения Роcсийской академии наук), Lorenzo Verderame (Università di Roma "La Sapienza"), Selena Wisnom (University of Leicester), Gioele Zisa (Università degli Studi di Palermo).
University of Pisa (Italy), 30 th August - 3 rd September 2021