The labors of Idrimi. Inscribing the Past, Shaping the Present at Late Bronze Age Alalah

Abstract

Since the 1949 publication of the Late Bronze inscriptions on the Statue of Idrimi, scholars have been intrigued by the carefully structured and detailed cuneiform text that recounts the rise of King Idrimi of Alalah. Lauinger advances prior scholarship through an in-depth historical analysis that combines textual and material perspectives on the statue and inscriptions. His study reveals how two distinct inscriptions were added to an originally anepigraphic statue to advance a claim about royal legitimacy long after Idrimi’s death during a time of political upheaval at Alalah. This richly illustrated volume includes a translation, more than ninety-five images, and sixteen composite plates that, for the first time, present each line of the inscriptions in its entirety to scholars and students. The appendix offers a detailed philological commentary treating aspects of the inscriptions that have been the subject of multiple scholarly interpretations.