Kings into gods : how prostration shaped Eurasian civilizations /
Cotesta, Vittorio, 1944-
Kings into gods : how prostration shaped Eurasian civilizations / by Vittorio Cotesta ; translated by Matthew D'Auria. - 1 online resource (xi, 152 pages) : color illustrations. - International studies in sociology and social anthropology ; 127 . - International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology 127. Social Sciences E-Books Online, Collection 2015, ISBN: 9789004287488. .
"First published in Italian by Bevivino Editore as Prosternarsi: Piccola indagine sulla regalita divina nelle civilta euroasiatiche, Milan, 2012."
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Proskýnesis in Herodotus’s Histories -- An Enquiry on Alexander: Apotheosis, Multicultural Empire and Clash of Civilization -- La Dimension Manifestaire du ces. image Identitaire du Groupe -- Proskýnesis at the Centre of the Clash of Civilizations -- Proskýnesis in the Euroasiatic Continent: Unity and Diversity -- Conclusion -- Dialogue between the Old Oligarch and the Neo-illuminist -- A Short Glossary of the Main Terms and the Main Characters -- Bibliography -- Index of Names.
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
One might be surprised, astonished or indignant seeing men and women prostrating themselves in front of other men and other women. Or one might feel it is right to bow down before God, Allah, the saints, the Holy Virgin or the gods. Kings into Gods: How Prostration Shaped Eurasian Civilizations investigates the reasons why men prostrate themselves before deities or before powerful men. Through an in-depth historical and cultural analysis, this book highlights the connection between rituality and royalty within the Eurasian civilizations. The narrative and iconic documentation gathered and analyzed concerns the Greek and Roman world, the Mongolian civilization during the Middle Ages, the Hindu and Chinese civilizations, the Islamic civilization in India in the fourteenth century, the Mughal civilization and European civilization in the late Middle Ages. The different forms of the rituals in the courts of kings and emperors are tightly connected with the concept of royalty. The prostration is an act of humiliation of defeated enemies, a means to establish a abysmal distance between powerful elite and the people, a way of creating hierarchies within the elite itself.
9789004288423
10.1163/9789004288423 DOI
Monarchy--History.
Kings and rulers--History.
Ritual.
Rites and ceremonies.
Communication and culture.
Gesture in worship.
Posture in worship.
Communication and culture.
Gesture in worship.
Kings and rulers.
Monarchy.
Posture in worship.
Rites and ceremonies.
Ritual.
History.
JC375 / .C6813 2015
321/.6095
Kings into gods : how prostration shaped Eurasian civilizations / by Vittorio Cotesta ; translated by Matthew D'Auria. - 1 online resource (xi, 152 pages) : color illustrations. - International studies in sociology and social anthropology ; 127 . - International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology 127. Social Sciences E-Books Online, Collection 2015, ISBN: 9789004287488. .
"First published in Italian by Bevivino Editore as Prosternarsi: Piccola indagine sulla regalita divina nelle civilta euroasiatiche, Milan, 2012."
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Proskýnesis in Herodotus’s Histories -- An Enquiry on Alexander: Apotheosis, Multicultural Empire and Clash of Civilization -- La Dimension Manifestaire du ces. image Identitaire du Groupe -- Proskýnesis at the Centre of the Clash of Civilizations -- Proskýnesis in the Euroasiatic Continent: Unity and Diversity -- Conclusion -- Dialogue between the Old Oligarch and the Neo-illuminist -- A Short Glossary of the Main Terms and the Main Characters -- Bibliography -- Index of Names.
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
One might be surprised, astonished or indignant seeing men and women prostrating themselves in front of other men and other women. Or one might feel it is right to bow down before God, Allah, the saints, the Holy Virgin or the gods. Kings into Gods: How Prostration Shaped Eurasian Civilizations investigates the reasons why men prostrate themselves before deities or before powerful men. Through an in-depth historical and cultural analysis, this book highlights the connection between rituality and royalty within the Eurasian civilizations. The narrative and iconic documentation gathered and analyzed concerns the Greek and Roman world, the Mongolian civilization during the Middle Ages, the Hindu and Chinese civilizations, the Islamic civilization in India in the fourteenth century, the Mughal civilization and European civilization in the late Middle Ages. The different forms of the rituals in the courts of kings and emperors are tightly connected with the concept of royalty. The prostration is an act of humiliation of defeated enemies, a means to establish a abysmal distance between powerful elite and the people, a way of creating hierarchies within the elite itself.
9789004288423
10.1163/9789004288423 DOI
Monarchy--History.
Kings and rulers--History.
Ritual.
Rites and ceremonies.
Communication and culture.
Gesture in worship.
Posture in worship.
Communication and culture.
Gesture in worship.
Kings and rulers.
Monarchy.
Posture in worship.
Rites and ceremonies.
Ritual.
History.
JC375 / .C6813 2015
321/.6095