By Aaron A. Burke
In this book, Aaron A. Burke explores the evolution of Amorite identity in
the Near East from ca. 2500–1500 BC. He sets the emergence of a collective identity
for the Amorites, one of the most famous groups in Ancient Near Eastern history,
against the backdrop of both Akkadian imperial intervention and declining
environmental conditions during this period. Tracing the migration of Amorite
refugees from agropastoral communities into nearby regions, he shows how
mercenarism in both Mesopotamia and Egypt played a central role in the
acquisition of economic and political power between 2100 and 1900 BC. Burke also
examines how the establishment of Amorite kingdoms throughout the Near East
relied on traditional means of legitimation, and how trade, warfare, and the
exchange of personnel contributed to the establishment of an Amorite koiné.
Offering a fresh approach to identity at different levels of social hierarchy over time
and space, this volume contributes to broader questions related to identity for
other ancient societies.
ISBN: 9781108811361
Paperback; 456 pages