Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GALATEO (GALATEO (Good Attitudes for Life in Assyrian Times: Etiquette and Observance of Norms in Male and Female Groups))
Reporting period: 2023-06-01 to 2024-05-31
The GALATEO (Good Attitudes for Life in Assyrian Times: Etiquette and Observance of Norms in Male and Female Groups) project aimed to understand anew the importance of etiquette in late Assyrian society (10th–7th century BCE) and to investigate through a multidisciplinary approach the extent to which etiquette influenced the subsequent cultures of the Middle East. In Middle Eastern studies, this is an unexplored field of research and its investigation shed new light on how etiquette played a fundamental role in Assyria, and in Middle Eastern societies more in general, in regulating the interactions between men, women, eunuchs, and deities. In this regard, the main issues that were addressed are 1) understanding the way that correct behavior in Assyrian society was codified and imposed during meetings, and 2) how etiquette became a means for both men and women to display their social status and gender. The first aspect was approached from a sociological perspective, in order to study gestures, postures, proxemic interactions, choice of language, and table manners; the second aspect was examined from an anthropological perspective, in order to analyse the etiquette of hygiene. The latter approach, in particular, emphasized the extent to which hygiene plays a role in assigning order and integrity to a culture or group.
The study of manners and etiquette carried out revealed how changes in the interactions between individuals, and especially in the ways in which people act, are and feel themselves to be, were linked to profound social and political changes. In this sense, the project helps us to appreciate and understand that the study of manners and etiquette is not a trivial, formal, or mechanical study of formalities, but rather a means of illuminating social changes as well as the relations between individuals and groups, especially of different sexes. This aspect is of great importance for society because it deals with societal resilience, insofar as it aimed at identifying and investigating the solutions developed by Assyrian society and later Middle Eastern cultures to face social issues, from identity preservation to natural disasters.
In practical terms, the research examined all types of available evidence, including archaeological, visual, and written sources, although much importance was given to visual evidence. The chief research objectives were:
1) the development of an adaptable theoretical model for the study of etiquette in the ancient Middle East, which works through six steps: semiotic analysis, written sources examination, analysis of environment, emotional approach, sociological and anthropological approach;
2) the publication of a research monograph, which is at its revision stage;
3) the creation of an open source Atlas. In detail, the Atlas is conceived as an open repository, in which the addition of new references to delineate the manners of a given culture can contribute to the understanding of etiquette, from the ancient to the contemporary Middle East. The Atlas structure works through a twofold search engine: “Objects Type” and “Nonverbal Communication”.
The study of manners and etiquette carried out revealed how changes in the interactions between individuals, and especially in the ways in which people act, are and feel themselves to be, were linked to profound social and political changes. In this sense, the project helps us to appreciate and understand that the study of manners and etiquette is not a trivial, formal, or mechanical study of formalities, but rather a means of illuminating social changes as well as the relations between individuals and groups, especially of different sexes. This aspect is of great importance for society because it deals with societal resilience, insofar as it aimed at identifying and investigating the solutions developed by Assyrian society and later Middle Eastern cultures to face social issues, from identity preservation to natural disasters.
In practical terms, the research examined all types of available evidence, including archaeological, visual, and written sources, although much importance was given to visual evidence. The chief research objectives were:
1) the development of an adaptable theoretical model for the study of etiquette in the ancient Middle East, which works through six steps: semiotic analysis, written sources examination, analysis of environment, emotional approach, sociological and anthropological approach;
2) the publication of a research monograph, which is at its revision stage;
3) the creation of an open source Atlas. In detail, the Atlas is conceived as an open repository, in which the addition of new references to delineate the manners of a given culture can contribute to the understanding of etiquette, from the ancient to the contemporary Middle East. The Atlas structure works through a twofold search engine: “Objects Type” and “Nonverbal Communication”.
The first three months were spent at the Università degli Studi di Messina (UniMe) to carry out the Career Development Plan. The remaining 21 months at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) were mostly focused on the collection and analysis of textual and archaeological sources with the aim of a) offering a definition of etiquette in the ancient Middle East, b) understanding the extent to which etiquette was gendered, c) reconstructing hygiene practices.
Research results were submitted as talks at conferences, workshops, and webinars, and then turned into publishable articles submitted to open access peer-reviewed journals. Also, a workshop was organized within the the ASOR – American Society of Overseas Research (October/November 2022). The proceedings of the workshop were accepted for publication by the series Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis. In addition, a monograph on "Etiquette in Ancient Assyria" is currently in progress.
Results were communicated to a non-specialist audience through social networks (Facebook and X) and, especially, an exhibition organized at the Penn Museum, entitled “Manners and Etiquette in Mesopotamian Life”. The exhibit was opened on March 2, 2023 and will be on view up to March 2025. To better communicate the results of the GALATEO project, the animation videos of two artefacts included in the exhibit were made in cooperation with Steve K. Simons, animator and computer expert (Panoply Vase Animation Project). The animated artefacts were an ivory plaque showing a royal banquet with the Assyrian king and a register of the famous Ur-Namu stele. In conjunction with the exhibition, a talk was held during the exhibit opening, and a course addressed to Bachelor, Master and Doctoral students was taught at the Department of History of Art together with Prof. Holly Pittman. The course was entitled: "Courtly Life in Mesopotamia, Persia, and the Mediterranean".
During the incoming phase at UniMe a) the theoretical model for the study of etiquette in the ancient Middle East was finalized, b) the structure of the GALATEO Atlas was fully developed, and c) the evidence collected and examined were turned into a monograph.
Results were disseminated chiefly through two events: a workshop on "Hygiene in the Ancient Near East: Power, Privilege, Inequality" (Leiden 17-20 July), and a conference on "The Meeting Etiquette in the Middle East: Continuity and Change" (Messina, May 9-10). Both the workshop and the conference proceedings will be published in two edited volumes. In addition, it was organized a course addressed to Bachelor and Master students entitled "Il galateo in Mesopotamia e in Persia. Microstorie di buone maniere e di vita di corte".
Results were also duly communicated through the organization of outreach activities, the most important of which was the participation, together with Prof. Annunziata Rositani, in the MEDNIGHT - La Notte Mediterranea delle Ricercatrici (September 23, 2023). During the event, video animations were displayed and games on etiquette and hygiene rules were offered to kids and families, as well as teachers and educators.
Research results were submitted as talks at conferences, workshops, and webinars, and then turned into publishable articles submitted to open access peer-reviewed journals. Also, a workshop was organized within the the ASOR – American Society of Overseas Research (October/November 2022). The proceedings of the workshop were accepted for publication by the series Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis. In addition, a monograph on "Etiquette in Ancient Assyria" is currently in progress.
Results were communicated to a non-specialist audience through social networks (Facebook and X) and, especially, an exhibition organized at the Penn Museum, entitled “Manners and Etiquette in Mesopotamian Life”. The exhibit was opened on March 2, 2023 and will be on view up to March 2025. To better communicate the results of the GALATEO project, the animation videos of two artefacts included in the exhibit were made in cooperation with Steve K. Simons, animator and computer expert (Panoply Vase Animation Project). The animated artefacts were an ivory plaque showing a royal banquet with the Assyrian king and a register of the famous Ur-Namu stele. In conjunction with the exhibition, a talk was held during the exhibit opening, and a course addressed to Bachelor, Master and Doctoral students was taught at the Department of History of Art together with Prof. Holly Pittman. The course was entitled: "Courtly Life in Mesopotamia, Persia, and the Mediterranean".
During the incoming phase at UniMe a) the theoretical model for the study of etiquette in the ancient Middle East was finalized, b) the structure of the GALATEO Atlas was fully developed, and c) the evidence collected and examined were turned into a monograph.
Results were disseminated chiefly through two events: a workshop on "Hygiene in the Ancient Near East: Power, Privilege, Inequality" (Leiden 17-20 July), and a conference on "The Meeting Etiquette in the Middle East: Continuity and Change" (Messina, May 9-10). Both the workshop and the conference proceedings will be published in two edited volumes. In addition, it was organized a course addressed to Bachelor and Master students entitled "Il galateo in Mesopotamia e in Persia. Microstorie di buone maniere e di vita di corte".
Results were also duly communicated through the organization of outreach activities, the most important of which was the participation, together with Prof. Annunziata Rositani, in the MEDNIGHT - La Notte Mediterranea delle Ricercatrici (September 23, 2023). During the event, video animations were displayed and games on etiquette and hygiene rules were offered to kids and families, as well as teachers and educators.
Previous studies have given very little consideration to manners and etiquette in the ancient Middle East. The research carried out has raised awareness in US and European scholars, students, and people on the importance of etiquette and filled these gaps by achieving the following main results:
1) The customs and proprieties of conduct may reflect fundamental shifts in the way that humans behaved and felt, and they may have been strictly linked to changes in the forms of authority.
2) The interactions between individuals can help to provide a better understanding of the interplay between gender, class, and status.
3) Nonverbal expressions were used to convey a group identity.
4) Hygiene practices strengthened group identity and determined the quality of social relationships, including etiquette rules.
5) Artistic conventions and social conventions do not always overlap.
The research project and its results had a great impact on academics, who now are including the study of etiquette in their work, and raised awareness on a non-expert audience of the importance of etiquette rules and manners in everyday life.
1) The customs and proprieties of conduct may reflect fundamental shifts in the way that humans behaved and felt, and they may have been strictly linked to changes in the forms of authority.
2) The interactions between individuals can help to provide a better understanding of the interplay between gender, class, and status.
3) Nonverbal expressions were used to convey a group identity.
4) Hygiene practices strengthened group identity and determined the quality of social relationships, including etiquette rules.
5) Artistic conventions and social conventions do not always overlap.
The research project and its results had a great impact on academics, who now are including the study of etiquette in their work, and raised awareness on a non-expert audience of the importance of etiquette rules and manners in everyday life.