Abstracts
Nick WYATT
(University of Edinburgh)
Encounters between the living and the dead in the ancient Semitic world
In the ancient Syro-Mesopotamian cultural ambit, the dead were believed to continue to exist, and to have a reciprocal relationship with the living. Their continuing nourishment maintained a "life" for the spirit, and also ensured that it did not return to plague the living. At the same time, the evidence shows that dynastic claims, individual property rights, and clan solidarity were tied to the continuance of the kispum rites down the generations. Ugaritic and biblical texts are examined to determine whether such beliefs and practices obtained in these milieux, since such a view, while maintained by some scholars, is denied by others.
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