Making Peace in the Ancient World

The title of the Melammu Workshop “Making Peace in Antiquity” points to two intertwined aims. The first consists in the analysis of the events, conditions, decisions and rules that led to and/or contributed to building and maintaining peace in particular periods and circumstances of the ancient world. The second consists in considering the idea and instruments of peace and making peace as evolving over time in a process that has distant roots. For instance, it is possible to trace this path, which certainly was not linear, in the stipulation of treaties, a practice which is attested since the 25th century BC, and in the formulation of international law 4,500 years ago. Moreover, it is worth considering the expectations and the meanings attributed to peace in their historical development and change.

Section I presents “Key Note Lectures” by Paolo Matthiae, Marc Van De Mieroop and Kurt A. Raaflaub. Section II is devoted to “Ancient Near East and Egypt” encompassing the histories of peace in Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, Biblical and Achaemenid realms. Section III, “The Mediterranean Worlds and Beyond” focusses on making peace from Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods.

Giovanni B. Lanfranchi / Simonetta Ponchia / Robert Rollinger: Introduction

Antonio Daniele: Saluto dell’Accademia Galileiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Padova

I Key Note Lectures

Paolo Matthiae: The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Syria and Iraq and the Perspective of a Rebirth

Marc Van De Mieroop: Making Peace in the Ancient Near East

Kurt A. Raaflaub: Making and Experiencing Peace in the Ancient World

II Ancient Near East and Egypt

Manfred Bietak: The Antagonism between Animosity and Peace-making in Ancient Egypt: Between Ideology and Practical Foreign Policy: An Extended Synopsis

Seth Richardson: Raiders, Neighbours, and Night-time: “Hybrid Peace” in Babylonia

Stefano de Martino: Making Peace in the Hittite Kingdom

Salvatore Gaspa: Making Peace in the Ancient Near East of the First Millennium BCE: The Case of the Assyrian Empire

Martti Nissinen: Peace and Peacemaking in the Hebrew Bible

Ann C. Gunter: Commemorating the End of Conflict in the Ancient Near East: Material Perspectives

Matthew Waters: Peace in Pieces: Making Peace in Elam

Josef Wiesehöfer: Peace and Views of Peace in Achaemenid Iran

III The Mediterranean Worlds and Beyond

Christoph Schäfer: Making Peace in the Hellenistic World

Wolfgang Spickermann: Problems of Making Peace in the Roman Republic: The Case of Appius Claudius Caecus and King Pyrrhus

Sven Günther: Frames of Making Peace and Treaties in the Roman Empire

Umberto Roberto: Making Peace with the Goths and the Burial of Athanaric in Constantinople (January 381): A Note on Jordanes, Getica 28, 142–145

Johannes Preiser-Kapeller: Many Eyes of the World? Making Peace between Byzantium and Other Empires, 600–1200 CE

Index