Scribalism and Diplomacy at the Crossroads of Cuneiform Culture-The Sociolinguistics of ...

611 Pages·2015·3.64 MB·English

by  Mandell Alice

UCLA
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Title
Scribalism and Diplomacy at the Crossroads of Cuneiform Culture: The Sociolinguistics of
Canaano-Akkadian
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https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7549s617
Author
Mandell, Alice
Publication Date
2015

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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles

Scribalism and Diplomacy at the Crossroads of Cuneiform Culture:
The Sociolinguistics of Canaano-Akkadian

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of
Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

by

Alice Helene Mandell

2015
© Copyright by
Alice Helene Mandell
2015
ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

Scribalism and Diplomacy at the Crossroads of Cuneiform Culture:
The Sociolinguistics of Canaano-Akkadian

by

Alice Helene Mandell
Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
University of California, Los Angeles, 2015
Professor William M. Schniedewind, Chair

The following study examines Canaano-Akkadian, the unique cuneiform system used in the
southern Levant during the Late Bronze Age (1550-1150 B.C.E.), as a diplomatic scribal code used in
contexts of mediated diplomacy with Egypt. The methodologies presented draw upon recent work on
the sociolinguistics of writing and script choice that best elucidate the genesis of this scribal system
and its role in Egypt’s eastern empire. The classification of the language of the Canaanite Amarna
Letters is still a matter of contention. The primary debate is whether or not the mixed Canaano-
Akkadian forms are a reflection of a local dialect(s) of Akkadian, or a written scribal code––one that
was quite distanced from the actual language underlying such messages.
ii
Recent petrographic and paleographic analyses further complicate the correlation between
language and writing in this corpus. Certain cuneiform scribes worked for multiple polities and,
moreover, many tablets were created at quite a distance from the political centers generating this
correspondence. For example, a number of letters were written at Egyptian administrative centers
across the Levant and not at the local courts “sending” these messages. The Canaanite scribe emerges
as the central figure in discussions of linguistic classification, as the language of these letters is a better
reflection of scribal training during this period than what was actually spoken at local Canaanite
courts. As such, there is a need for a reassessment of the scribal and administrative landscape of this
period, and in particular, the system of scribes and messengers. This system of communication was a
dynamic, complex process that entailed at the very least four linguistic layers: the spoken dialects of
the original messages; Canaano-Akkadian, the scribal code of the written versions; the mediated
reading of these letters once delivered, along with any additional socio-political or metapragmatic
subtext; and the final translation into Egyptian.
The present study considers the metapragmatic, linguistic, orthographic, and rhetorical
strategies employed by cuneiform scribes to bridge the geographic and cultural gulf between
Canaanite polities and the royal court at Tell el-‘Amarna, Egypt. The Canaanite glosses and scribal
marks resurface as unique evidence for how Canaanite scribes approached the problem of translation
and linguistic “border-crossing” in these cross-cultural and multilingual exchanges. Such strategies
added nuance and a metapragmatic commentary to guide the translation and interpretation of these
letters and to ensure that they received a positive reception. The cuneiform script was not limited to a
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technological tool in such interactions, but entailed participation in a much larger cultural horizon—
one shared by cuneiform scribes in Canaan and Egypt, who were the gatekeepers facilitating
diplomacy throughout this period.

iv
This dissertation of Alice Helene Mandell is approved.
Giorgio Buccellati
Kathlyn M. Cooney
Bruce Zuckerman
William M. Schniedewind, Committee Chair

University of California, Los Angeles
2015

v
For Brigitte Alice Mandell, the most beloved wife of Don and mother of Alice and Samuel. She
was born in Paris, but spent most of her adult life in San Diego. She had the most depressing taste in
literature and music (Virginia Wolfe and cacophonic music at the breakfast table). When asked, she’d
say that her two favorites songs were Villanueva Junction by Jimi Hendrix and Amazing Grace. We
nicknamed her “truthie” because she spoke truth in a kind but mischievous way. She made the most
outrageous comments when she did not approve of something. She described herself as a “non-joiner,”
“non-achiever,” and “foggy-lofty,” yet she could converse with anyone, and touched many lives. Her
memorial was full of people that she encouraged and supported throughout her life. She had fabulous
style: Paris meets southern California. She was beloved by all the animals. She never killed bugs, but
carefuly set them outside in a safe place. She made amazing pies, breads, and soups. She read poetry,
English literature, and she cheated at Sudoku. She was very small, but made up for her size with feist
and conviction.

…
Mhynvl Prf wnntn alv hwhy Kwrb
wnflmn wnjnaw rbvn jph Myvqwy jpm hflmn rwpxk wnvpn
Blessed is the LORD, who did not let us be ripped apart by their teeth. We are like a bird escaped from
the fowler’s trap.
The trap broke and we escaped.
Ps. 124:6–7
…
Lorsque ma muse refroidie,
Vers le passé fera retour,
J'irai revoir ma Normandie,
C'est le pays qui m'a donné le
jour.
— Frédéric Bérat
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Table of Contents

List of Tables .................................................................................................................................................................. viii
Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................................... xi
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................................... xv
Vita ..................................................................................................................................................................................... xix
CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................................................................... 1
CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................................................... 25
CHAPTER THREE ........................................................................................................................................................... 60
CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................................................................ 125
CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................................................................ 206
CHAPTER SIX ................................................................................................................................................................ 280
CHAPTER SEVEN ......................................................................................................................................................... 344
CHAPTER EIGHT .......................................................................................................................................................... 436
CHAPTER NINE ............................................................................................................................................................ 506
CHAPTER TEN .............................................................................................................................................................. 540
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................................ 544

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List of Tables

Table 1 Rainey’s Verbal Classification 66
Table 2 Pardee’s Reconstruction of the WS Verbal System 67
Table 3 An Akkadographic Reading of EA 254: 6-15 84
Table 4 MB and Canaano-Akkadian forms in EA 254: 1-10 88
Table 5 Parallelism in EA 254: 10-19 92
Table 6 The Postscript in EA 32 185
Table 7 The Postscripts in the Jerusalem Letters 191
Table 8 The Postscript in EA 316 197
Table 9 EA 315 An Appeal to Reʿanapa 199
Table 10 EA 316 An Appeal to Taḫmaya 199
Table 11 The Language of the Postscript in EA 316 200
Table 12 Code-Switching in EA 147: 35b-39 268
Table 13 The Alashian Amarna Letters 295
Table 14 Short Hand Spellings in EA 33 297
Table 15 The Scribal “Dialects” of the Alashian Letters 305
Table 16 The Chronology of the Akkadian of Amurru 311
Table 17 VSO Word Order in EA 62 313
Table 18 VSO Word Order in EA 60 314
Table 19 SOV Word Order in RS 11.370 316
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