Let us imagine you were one of the minor rulers of the times. One day, the envoy of the neighboring bully might knock at your gate, bringing you a throne or a palanquin with the emblem of his master stamped on it. He might also bring you a ceremonial garment, and a fancy wig. You were expected to sit on that throne in a public setting and wear the robe and the wig, for all to see how much of a flunky you have become to that gracious bully. You would not dare send these gifts back, not only because you know yourself incapable of matching such ostentation, but also because armies would be at your gate, come springtime. Sasson J.M. Beyond Babylon: Closing Remarks // Cultures in Contact: From Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean in the Second Millennium B.C. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2013, p. 316.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 12:09:28 +0000
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