Taming Power in Ancient Mesopotamia: Critique, Divination, and Kingship
Taming Power in Ancient Mesopotamia: Critique, Divination, and Kingship

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between free speech, critique, and power in ancient Mesopotamia. While open critique is unlikely in societies mostly ruled by autocrats, a careful analysis of the evidence reveals traces of a system designed to constrain royal authority. Although critique of the ruler played an important role in this system, it was not expressed openly. Instead, different ways were established to criticize the ruler indirectly, through appeals to ancient wisdom or messages attributed to the gods.

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