At the Origins of Politics

Editor: Marco De Pietri

Editorial Board:
Giorgio Buccellati, UCLA and IIMAS

A critical assessment of studies about:

(1) MESOPOTAMIAN POLITICS, understood as a cultural system of structuring political and social systems, that can be defined in terms of the external aspects of expressed principles and identifiable elements, as well as in terms of the actions that are aimed at establishing a relationship with these elements, for both the individual and the community; and

(2) MESOPOTAMIAN HISTORY, understood as the historical (both diachronic and diatopic) development of Mesopotamian political entities, underlying and unifying the basic trends and goals that can be interpreted as both the driving force and the goal of the political system.

The Mesopotamian system of politics is contrasted with other counterparts, seen as cultural, structured phenomenona stemming from specific cultural and social aspects.

It is narrative based, in the sense that it uses at its core a frame of reference to which the individual studies are linked as parallel arguments. It also expands selected topics into larger treatments.

Serving as a point of reference for the field, it remains active through the work of a Research Group that provides input on an ongoing basis.