Transition and Continuity of Assyrian Religion

1.亚述的特点。亚述是美索不达米亚北部的一个国家，位于古代近东世界的中心，从公元前2000年左右到公元前612年，持续了1400年。亚述的这种非凡的长寿加强了亚述宗教的连续性。然而，这项研究指出，亚述宗教的延续反而使亚述的长寿成为可能。另一方面，亚述一直在接受美索不达米亚南部的巴比伦文化和周围国家的其他文化。它产生了亚述宗教的一些重要转变。2.从文献学和肖像学的角度分析了这种转变和连续性。(1)从文献学的角度，本研究展示了在巴比伦流行了一千多年的一些传统咒语是如何在亚述部分改变的，这些咒语最晚在公元前9世纪被借用。亚述人也接受了来自亚述西部的咒骂。在赫梯和希伯来语文本中可以找到一些类似的诅咒，但在巴比伦文本中却没有。这些诅咒附加在法律文本中，特别是誓言和国际条约，以增强其效果。迄今为止最大的帝国亚述使文本变得比以往任何时候都更加国际化。(2)图像学研究集中在公元前二千年后半叶从西方引进的太阳神Shamash的象征--有翼太阳圆盘。在巴比伦，Shamash的象征一直是没有翅膀的“太阳圆盘”。在亚述，“有翼太阳圆盘”不仅象征着太阳神，也象征着王权的守护者。它可以追溯到赫梯文化，当时有一个类似的象征--“有翼的太阳圆盘”。

1.Characteristics of Assyria.Assyria, the country in northern Mesopotamia and in the center of the Ancient Near Eastern world, lasted for 1400 years from ca. 2000 BC to 612 BC. This exceptional longevity of Assyria strengthened the continuity of Assyrian religion. This research, however, pointed out that the continuity of Assyrian religion rather made the longevity of Assyria possible. On the other hand, Assyria had been accepting Babylonian culture in southern Mesopotamia and the other cultures of the surrounding countries. It yielded some important transitions of Assyrian religion.2.The transition and the continuity analyzed form both philological and iconographical points of view.(1)Philologically, this study showed how some traditional curses which had been prevailed for more than a thousand years in Babylonia were partly changed in Assyria, after they had been borrowed at latest in the 9th century BC. Assyria also adopted the curses from the west of Assyria. Some parallel curses can be found in Hittite and Hebrew texts, but not in Babylonian texts.Those curses were attached to legal texts, especially oaths and international treaties in order to enhance their effects. Assyria, the largest empire theretofore, made the texts to be more "international" than ever.(2)Iconographical study is focused on the "winged sun disc" as a symbol of the sun god Shamash adopted from the west in the latter half of the second millennium BC. In Babylonia, the symbol of Shamash was always "sun disc" without wings. In Assyria, "winged sun disc" symbolized not only the sun god, but also the guardian of the kingship. It can be traced back to Hittite culture which had a similar symbol of "winged sun disc."