Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sumerian'

The poetry of Sumer, inscribed in cuneiform script on clay tablets dating from 2000 B.C., is considered humanity's earliest written literature. Hymns To Inanna is a three-movement, mixed media work based on adapted English translations from ancient Sumerian text. The text is sung by SATB choir and musically illustrated by harp, flutes, percussion, and computer-generated sound (on tape). My musical setting displays these hymns not as a reflection of antiquity but as a timeless expression of spiritual thought. Certain elements of the composition evoke associations with early culture and music. These components, however, are transformed or merged with musical characteristics of other eras, idioms, and forms thus representing a conceptual and stylistic "bridge" between past, present, and future.

The corpus of artifacts from the Lagas state constitutes what is arguably the single largest cohesive body of elite representational display forms thus far discovered to have come from Early Dynastic (ED) Sumer. Unlike the equally extraordinary finds from ED levels of Ur, which consist primarily of grave goods and small finds (Woolley 1934; Woolley 1956), what is unique about the finds from Lagas is that the majority of them are programmatic artifacts that were intended to be displayed to specific audiences. Specifically, many of them are relief carvings or, to a lesser degree, statues that were carefully composed and executed in order to encode and transmit carefully constructed messages on the part of individual rulers, or the religious establishment. As such, the ED Lagas corpus is a particularly important record of how one particular group of Sumerian rulers viewed themselves and how the wished to be viewed by others.

The present study is an interpretation of the two myths copied in the Old Babylonian period in which the Sumerian mother goddess is one of the main actors. The first myth is commonly called “Enki and Ninḫursaĝa”, and the second “Enki and Ninmaḫ”. The theoretical point of departure is that myths have society as their referents, i.e. they are “talking about” society, and that this is done in an ideological way. This study aims at investigating on the one hand which contexts in the Mesopotamian society each section of the myths refers to, and on the other hand which ideological aspects that the myths express in terms of power relations. The myths are contextualized in relation to their historical and social setting. If the myth for example deals with working men, male work in the area during the relevant period is discussed. The same method of contextualization is used regarding marriage, geographical points of reference and so on. Also constellations of mythical ideas are contextualized, through comparison with similar constellations in other Mesopotamian myths. Besides the method of contextualization, the power relations in the myths are investigated. According to this latter method, the categories at issue, their ranking, as well as their changed ranking, are noted. The topics of the myths is issues important for the kingship and the country, such as irrigation, trade, health and healing, birth, collective work, artisanry and rivalry. All these aspects are used in order to express what the power relations between the goddess Ninḫursaĝa/Ninmaḫ and the god Enki look like. The relations are negotiated and recalibrated, which leads to the goddess getting a lowered status. Part of the negotiations and recalibrations is gender behavior, which is related to historical developments in society. The present work points to the function of these myths as tools of recalibrating not only deities, but also men and women in society.

This thesis examines the potential of semantic web technologies to support and complement scholarship in Assyriology. Building on prior research, it is unique in its assessment of the suitability of three existing OWL ontologies (CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model, FRBRoo and Ontomedia) to adequately capture and represent the heterogeneous and incomplete narratives published as composites by the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Its agenda sits firmly within the interdisciplinary context of the Digital Humanities and Web Science, and it describes a process centered on the development, implementation and valuation of an ontological representation system (mORSuL), designed to reflect the needs, desires, challenges and opportunities of Assyriological research paradigms. Underlying the process are two fundamental assumptions: firstly, that semantic technologies can be used to support academic endeavours in the Humanities, and secondly, that the benefits of doing so can be identified and evaluated. The thesis culminates in the conclusion that these existing ontologies are mostly suitable for the representation of the narrative content of these ancient texts, requiring only a few additions and changes.

La present tesi doctoral consisteix en una aproximació a l’armament associat amb les figures heroiques divines des de la perspectiva literària. Aquest treball té un caràcter multidisciplinari, ja que per a la seva elaboració s’han combinat la sumerologia i la metodologia i els recursos d’altres disciplines acadèmiques com la critica i la teoria literària, l’antropologia, la mitologia, l’èpica heroica i el folklore. La tesi consta de sis capítols en els quals es plantegen diverses qüestions: una aproximació historiogràfica a la literatura sumèria (capítol I), un estudi des de la perspectiva de la teoria literària sobre els conceptes d’heroi, antiheroi i aventura (capítol II), una anàlisi de les particularitats del corpus heroic (capítols III i IV), l’estudi de les figures divines sumèries des de la perspectiva religiosa i literària (capítol V) i, per últim, una anàlisi individual i comparativa de l’armament associat amb Asag, Inanna, Martu, Nergal, Ninĝiszida, Ninurta i Sulpa’e, que mostra les funcions pràctiques, simbòliques i literàries que tenen les armes en els poemes sumeris (capítol VI).
La presente tesis doctoral consiste en una aproximación al armamento asociado con las figuras heroicas divinas desde la perspectiva literaria. Este trabajo tiene un carácter multidisciplinar ya que para su elaboración se han combinado la sumerología y la metodología y los recursos de otras disciplinas académicas como la crítica y la teoría literaria, la antropología, la mitología, la épica heroica y el folclore. La tesis consta de seis capítulos en los que se plantean diversas cuestiones: una aproximación historiográfica a la literatura sumeria (capítulo I), un estudio desde la perspectiva de la teoría literaria sobre los conceptos de héroe, antihéroe y aventura (capítulo II), un análisis de las particularidades del corpus heroico (capítulos III y IV), el estudio de las figuras divinas sumerias desde la perspectiva religiosa y literaria (capítulo V) y, por último, un análisis individual y comparativo del armamento que se asocia con Asag, Inanna, Martu, Nergal, Ninĝiszida, Ninurta y Sulpa’e, que muestra las funciones prácticas, simbólicas y literarias que desempeñan las armas en los poemas sumerios (capítulo VI).
The present Ph.D. consists of an approach to the weaponry associated with divine heroic figures from a literary perspective. This work has a multidisciplinary character which combine sumerology with the methodology and resources of other disciplines such as criticism and literary theory, anthropology, mythology, heroic epics and folklore. The Ph.D. comprises six chapters in which various questions are raised: a historiographical approach to Sumerian literature (chapter I), a study from the perspective of literary theory about the concepts of hero, antihero and adventure (chapter II), an analysis of the particularities of the heroic corpus (chapters III and IV), the study of the divine figures from the religious and literary perspective (chapter V) and, finally, an individual and comparative analysis of the weaponry associated with Asag, Inanna, Martu, Nergal, Ninĝiszida, Ninurta and Sulpa’e, showing the practical, symbolic and literary functions of weapons in Sumerian poems (chapter VI).

La presente tesis propone una interpretación de la organización de la producción textil en la Tercera Dinastía de Ur (ca. 2100-2000 a.n.e.) en Mesopotamia. Se centra en las relaciones de género, la división sexual del trabajo, la jerarquización y el estatus para explicar las categorías laborales y los grupos de trabajo especializados. La evidencia utilizada procede esencialmente de textos sumerios de Ur III publicados entre 1972 y 2010. De entre ellos se han seleccionado 100 textos relacionados con la producción de tejidos que se presentan en transliteración y traducción al castellano.
This dissertation proposes an interpretation of how textile production was organised during the Third Dynasty of Ur (ca. 2100-2000 BCE) in Mesopotamia. We concentrate on gender relationships, the sexual division of labour, hierarchy and status to explain job categories and specialised working groups. The sources used are basically Sumerian texts from the Ur III period, published between 1972 and 2010. Among them, we have selected 100 texts related specifically to textile production. All are presented in transliteration and translation into Spanish in this dissertation.

Los animales han tenido siempre una gran repercusión en la Historia del ser humano. Durante el Paleolítico eran cazados como fuente de alimento para complementar una dieta pobre en proteínas. Más tarde, la domesticación de algunas especies fue uno de los principales motores de la revolución neolítica, convirtiéndolos en un recurso económico de gran importancia. Además de la carne y las pieles, se empezaron a explotar otros productos secundarios como la leche o la lana, y algunos animales fueron empleados como fuerza de trabajo agrícola y medio de transporte terrestre. Pese a estos cambios trascendentales, los animales salvajes siguieron teniendo una importante presencia en la sociedad. Los depredadores eran una amenaza constante para las personas y sus rebaños, mientras que los herbívoros seguían siendo cazados por necesidad o por entretenimiento. El caso de Mesopotamia no es distinto. A lo largo de toda su historia encontramos multitud de referencias a los animales salvajes tanto en las fuentes escritas como en las representaciones figurativas, demostrando que su importancia, al menos simbólica, era parecida a la de los animales domésticos. Incluso algunos de ellos tuvieron cierta trascendencia en actividades económicas. En este contexto, la presente tesis analiza la presencia de fauna salvaje en la Mesopotamia del tercer milenio a. C. y su relación con la sociedad de la época, centrándose en el caso concreto de los grandes mamíferos. Para ello, se propone un enfoque multidisciplinar que incluye el estudio de los restos faunísticos, las representaciones figurativas y las fuentes escritas (lexicográficas, literarias y administrativas), con el objetivo de tener una visión lo más completa posible sobre la situación concreta de cada una de estas especies en el periodo estudiado.
Animals have always had quite a large repercussion on humans’ history. In the Paleolithic, they were hunted as feeding source to complement a low-protein diet. Later on, the domestication of some species facilitated the Neolithic revolution as animals became an important economic resource. Apart from consuming their meat and using their furs, other secondary products such as milk and wool started to being exploited. Some others were used as working animals in agriculture and for terrestrial transportation. Even though all these transcendental changes, wild animals still had an important presence in society. Predators were a constant threat for people and herds, while herbivores were hunted because of necessity or as entertainment. Mesopotamian case was not different. Throughout all its history, numerous references to wild animals in textual sources as well as figurative representations can be found, what demonstrates that their importance was similar to the domestic animals’, at least in a symbolic way. Some of these wild animals even had a certain transcendence in economic activities. In this context, the aim of this dissertation is to analyse the presence of wild fauna in Mesopotamia during the third millennium BC and its relationship with the society of the period, focusing on the specific case of big mammals. To achieve such a goal, an interdisciplinary approach is proposed, which includes the study of faunal remains, figurative representations and written sources (lexical, literary and administrative) to provide a general picture of the status of the animal world in the third millennium BC.

Understanding Gilgamesh – brokenly – is to understand life brokenly. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the narrative of life. It records the full cycle of the nerve and aplomb of youth, of the doubt and crisis of midlife, of the acceptance and quiescience of maturity. Moreover, this understanding is a broken understanding. It starts with the clay tablets that are broken in a literal sense of the word. Further, the narrative is a narrative of broken-ness – the story ends in tears. A man has lost his last chance of obtaining life everlasting. Yet he manages to recuperate despite his failure. The first part of this thesis examined the world of Gilgamesh. Initially he was known as the Sumerian king Bilgames. He makes his appearance in the form of oral compositions that are recited or sung in the royal courts of kings during the Sumerian period: sheer entertainment, nothing really serious. At his side is his loyal servant Enkidu who supports his master in everything he does. Akkadian gradually ousts Sumerian as vernacular, yet the latter continues to dominate as the language of culture and court. Bilgames survives the reign of the Sargonic dynasty, and even revives during the glorious Ur III period of Shulgi and of Ur-Nammu. Sumerian Bilgames-poems are recorded in writing. However, by the time that Hammurapi draws up his legal codex, the Sumerian Bilgames is known as the vibrant Akkadian king Gilgamesh. His servant Enkidu is elevated to the status of friend. Together they defy men, gods, monsters. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh goes even further in search of life everlasting. He reaches Uta-napishtim the Distant in order to learn the secret of eternal life. The optimism of the Old Babylonian Kingdom is replaced by the reflection and introspection of the Middle period. Life is difficult. Life is complex. The Gilgamesh Epic is once again re-interpreted and supplemented by a prologue and an epilogue: both begin and end at the same place, at the walls of Uruk. Here Gilgamesh looks back and forward to his life and contemplates about the meaning of life in general. The second part of this thesis dealt more specifically with the story – the literary aspects of the Epic. Genette’s theory illuminated several interesting literary devices with regards to the rhythm and pace of the narrative. However, much of the reflective nature of the Epic was also revealed. There were moments of looking forward, and looking backward: after Gilgamesh broke down in tears at the end of the Epic, he suddely gained perspective on life. Somehow a broken narrative focused into a meaningful whole that may just make future sense. Jauss’s theory illuminated why Gilgamesh refuses to be forgotten, why he is once again alive and well in the twenty first century. Although he was buried in the ruins of Nineveh for a thousand plus years, he is suddenly back on the scene – and not for academic reasons only. Not only scholars of the Ancient Near East take an interest in the old Epic, but also people from all sectors of life. Somehow Gilgamesh seems to respond to questions that are asked even by those who understand nuclear physics – but who grapple with the paradox of living meaningfully. Understanding Gilgamesh – brokenly – understands life.
Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2006.
Ancient Languages
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Determina la validez del indicador diatomeas como prueba diagnóstica para diferenciar la muerte por asfixia de sumersión vital de la muerte por sumersión pasiva post morten; en cadáveres necropsiados en la Morgue Central de Lima durante el período 2008 al 2013. El tipo de estudio es observacional, descriptivo, analítico-comparativo. La muestra de estudio abarca 60 de 70 informes periciales de necropsia médico legal y muestra 60 de 70 informes periciales de biología forense donde se realiza toma de muestra para diatomeas; los 10 restantes son considerados no válidos por presentar datos incompletos. A la revisión de 50 resultados de exámenes de diatomeas en cadáveres necropsiados por asfixia de sumersión vital, se encuentran 35 exámenes de diatomeas con resultados positivos que hacen un 70% del total y 15 exámenes de diatomeas con resultados negativos que hacen un 30% del total. Las diatomeas se localizan con mayor frecuencia en pulmones e hígado con 15 (42.86%) de 35 necropsias por asfixia de sumersión vital con examen de diatomeas positivo. A la revisión de 10 resultados de exámenes de diatomeas en cadáveres necropsiados por sumersión pasiva post morten, se encuentran 7 exámenes de diatomeas con resultados positivos que hacen un 70% del total y 3 exámenes de diatomeas con resultados negativos que hacen un 30% del total. Las diatomeas se localizan con mayor frecuencia en pulmones con 7 (100%) de 7 necropsias por sumersión pasiva post morten con examen de diatomeas positivo. Para determinar la validez del indicador diatomeas se evalúa la sensibilidad que da un resultado de 70%, una especificidad de 30%, valor predictivo positivo de 85% y valor predictivo negativo de 15%. Concluye que el indicador diatomeas es válido como prueba diagnóstica para diferenciar la muerte por asfixia de sumersión vital de la muerte por sumersión pasiva post morten.
Trabajo académico

The thesis attempts to provide a critical evaluation of the social consequences of privatization. It is mainly based upon a field study conducted in Eregli, an industrial town in Central Anatolia, and evaluates workers&rsquo
attitudes towards the effects of privatization on their lives. For that purpose, firstly, social development paradigm is highlighted since its current premise is the necessity of privatization
secondly, Turkish Experience of the State Economic Enterprises is taken into consideration
and lastly, providing a case study on the privatization of Sü
merbank Eregli Cotton Plant, social consequences of privatization are examined more closely. Thus, it will also be possible to point out concretely that privatization is a social phenomenon in addition to its economic side. The main conclusion of this thesis is that a large scale privatization without taking into consideration social returns damaged the welfare of communities in which it experienced.

Conservation of industrial heritage is a very popular issue in last years. But this conservation studies are not adequate so a lot of industrial complexes which effected architectural features of industrial buildings, style of producing, production and economic history and social life of citizens, are face to face with being demolished. These complexes should be preserved and inherited to the next generations. One of these complexes is Kayseri Sumerbank Bez Fabrikasi which was established in Early Republican Period in 1934 by Sumerbank in Kayseri. Turkish Government who made merit of development and progress in the first years of republic made a number of investments following variant policies. It was considered that economic independence, social development and modernization could be made by those investments. Industry was one of the major investments. It was aimed to make economy independent by industrialization. Locations for production and materials were decided through a certain plan. The first and the most important of the industrial investments was Sü
merbank Bez v Fabrikasi established by Sü
merbank in Kayseri. It was not only for economic progress but also for social development. It was built in 1935 by Russian architects in a modernist approach in reinforced concrete system for the first time in Kayseri. Factory was not just a production place. It consisted of a lot of social and service buildings and areas. Kayseri as a city of a longstanding history shaped its future with Sü
merbank Bez Fabrikasi. Sü
merbank is the basis of the city&
#8217
s industry as it is called an industry center today. Sü
merbank Bez Fabrikasi was effective in the development of Kayseri and Turkey with its qualified workers, modernization and progress it brought to city. The main aim of this work is to determine the value of Kayseri Sü
merbank Bez Fabrikasi penetrated Turkish Republic&
#8217
s and Kayseri&
#8217
s social and economic development, to state decisions for conservation of those values and to provide reintegration to the city.

2008/2009
Il lavoro di tesi ha come oggetto lo studio della documentazione a carattere letterario in lingua sumerica ritrovata negli archivi delle città di Hattusa, Emar ed Ugarit durante il periodo compreso tra il XVI e il XII secolo a. C. L’obiettivo della ricerca è quello di capire le relazioni della documentazione siro-anatolica esistenti da una parte con la produzione letteraria paleo-babilonese e dall’altra con quella coeva medio-babilonese al fine di comprendere la tradizione dei testi e i percorsi attraverso i quali queste opere giunsero in Siria ed Anatolia.
XXII Ciclo
1980

La presente tesis doctoral ofrece una edición actualizada de la lista lexical paleo babilónica Ugu mu,ejemplo de producción lexicográfica utilizada en los procesos de aprendizaje y entrenamiento de los escribas mesopotámicos. En este trabajo se incorporan los nuevos textos catalogados desde 1967, año de la primera edición de la lista, tanto en su versión monolingüe sumeria como en aquella bilingüe sumerio-acadia, incluyendo tres textos inéditos procedentes de la colección Schøyen (OsloyLondres). Puesto que Ugu-muelenca términos anatómicos y alusivos al cuerpo humano, el grueso del trabajo se ha focalizado en el tratamiento de las categorías partonómicas en sumerio y en acadio y en el análisis semántico del vocabulario de la lista, así como en los procesos de formación de nomenclatura anatómica, los contextos de uso de la terminología incluida en Ugu-mu, y en las ideas, conceptos y prácticas vinculadas al cuerpo humano presentes en el corpus de textos cuneiformes.
This PhD dissertation offers an updated version of the Old Babylonian lexical list Ugumu, a source that was used as a learning and teaching device for the training in cuneiform writing of the Mesopotamian scribes.This work includes the new Ugu-mu texts, both monolingual (Sumerian) and bilingual (Sumerian-Akkadian), catalogued from 1967 on, when the first edition of the list was published. Besides, the unpublished texts of the list from the Schøyencollection (Osloand London) are edited and analysed as well. Since Ugu-mu lists anatomical and body-related terms, a significative part of this dissertation has focused on Sumerian and Akkadian partonomic categories, as well as in the semantic analysis of the vocabulary in Ugu-mu, its use in context, and the ideas, concepts and practices linked to the human body within the corpus of mesopotamian cuneiform texts.

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The analysies of this thesis, based on a feminist hermeneutics of liberation, center on the figure of Inana, the most important and most popular goddess of Sumer who, as I tar, held a predominant position also in the posterior Mesopotamian pantheons. Chapter 1 gives a reconstruction of life in Sumer, since neolithic times until the beginnings of the Old Babylonian Period (approximately 5000 to 2000 BCE), with special attention to data on women and gender aspects. Chapter 2 presents presargonic documents, iconographical and philological, related with the figure and the cult of Inana, and offers first reflections on particular aspects and conflicts that show her special position in the religion of Sumer and its increasing patriarchalization. In Chapter 3, these aspects and conflicts are discussed focusing on traditions of Inana as the Lady of Eana, of the Me and of Kur, with special attention to the myths Inana and Eana , Inana and the Me and Inana and the Netherworld (ETCSL 1.3.5; 1.3.1; 1.4.1). It shows that the myth Inana and Eana is the result of manipulations to legitimate the cult of An in the main temple of Inana, that Inana and the Me reflects attitudes of resistance against attempts of her depowerment, and that Inana and the Netherworld is composed of different myths that evidence several conflicts related to functions and powers of Inana. Thus it is demonstrated that the conflicts in the sphere of Inana reflect human repressions and resistances within a kyriarchal society and the increasing patriarchalization of its religion. Although political and religious activities of women in today s societies do not need legitimation by examples from old religions, their feminist reconstruction and memory can serve to stimulate such activities when they try to construct a different image of the divine, and when they struggle for a world of equal rights and dignity for all people.(AU)
As análises desta tese, baseadas numa hermenêutica feminista libertadora, têm como centro a figura de Inana, a deusa mais importante e mais popular da Suméria, que predominou, sob o nome de I tar, também nos panteões mesopotâmicos posteriores. O Capítulo 1 oferece uma reconstrução da vida na Suméria, desde os tempos neolíticos até os inícios do Período Babilônico Antigo (aproximadamente de 5000 a 2000 aEC), com especial atenção para dados sobre mulheres e para aspectos de gênero. O Capítulo 2 apresenta documentos pré-sargônicos, iconográficos e filológicos, relacionados com a figura e o culto de Inana, oferecendo as primeiras reflexões sobre aspectos particulares e conflitos que mostram sua posição especial na religião na Suméria e na sua crescente patriarcalização. No Capítulo 3, esses aspectos e conflitos são discutidos enfocando tradições de Inana como Senhora da Eana, dos Me e de Kur, com especial atenção para os mitos Inana e a Eana , Inana e os Me e Inana e o Inframundo (ETCSL 1.3.5; 1.3.1; 1.4.1). É mostrado que o mito Inana e a Eana é o resultado de manipulações para legitimar o culto de An nesse templo de Inana, que Inana e os Me reflete atitudes de resistência contra tentativas de seu desapoderamento, e que Inana e o Inframundo é composto de mitos diferentes que evidenciam vários conflitos relacionados com funções e poderes de Inana. Desse modo mostra-se que os conflitos em torno de Inana refletem repressões e resistências humanas no âmbito de uma sociedade quiriarcal e da crescente patriarcalização de sua religião. Embora a atuação política e religiosa de mulheres em sociedades de hoje não necessite de legitimações a partir de exemplos provenientes de religiões antigas, a reconstrução e memória feministas de tais exemplos podem servir de estímulo para tal atuação quando busca construir uma outra imagem do divino e quando luta por um mundo de igualdade em direitos e dignidade para todas as pessoas.(AU)

Objetivos El objetivo de esta tesis fue determinar las concentraciones de distintos elementos traza en suero con el fin de evaluar la capacidad discriminatoria de los elementos traza de forma individual y conjunta para diagnosticar las muertes por sumersión y diferenciar las muertes por sumersión en agua salada de las muertes por sumersión en agua dulce y analizar si existe una correlación significativa entre las concentraciones de estos elementos traza en suero y la edad, el sexo, el intervalo post-mortem, el tiempo de permanencia del cadáver en el agua y las concentraciones de los elementos traza en el medio de sumersión. Material y métodos Estudiamos 140 cadáveres seleccionados de las autopsias médico-legales llevadas a cabo en el Instituto de Medicina Legal de Cádiz. De acuerdo con la escena, causa y circunstancias de la muerte, además de los hallazgos de la autopsia, los 140 casos fueron clasificados en los siguientes grupos diagnósticos: (a) sumersión (n=67) (sumersión en agua dulce (n=14); sumersión en agua salada (n=53)), (b) otras asfixias (n=44) (ahorcadura (n=33); sofocación (n=9); aspiración (n=2)) y (c) otras causas de muerte (n=29) (traumatismo múltiple (n=17); disparo con arma de fuego (n=8); enfermedad cardiovascular (n=4)). Se llevó a cabo un estudio a doble ciego analizando las muestras en el laboratorio sin conocer los resultados de las autopsias. De cada cadáver se extrajeron muestras de sangre de ventrículo izquierdo, derecho y de vena femoral mediante técnicas estándares y se conservaron a -70ºC. En todas ellas se determinó el estroncio en sangre total y el magnesio, sodio, cloro, calcio, hierro, urea, creatinina y troponina T en suero. En los casos de sumersión se determinó además el estroncio, magnesio, sodio, cloro, calcio y hierro en las muestras de agua del lugar del suceso. Para llevar a cabo el análisis estadístico de los datos se ha utilizado el programa SPSS versión 19.0. Se ha realizado un análisis descriptivo de los datos, de comparación de medias, de correlación, de Curvas ROC y análisis discriminante. Resultados Nuestros resultados ponen de manifiesto una correlación positiva entre las concentraciones de los elementos traza en el agua de sumersión y en sangre, lo que sugiere la existencia de difusión post-mortem desde el agua de sumersión a la circulación sanguínea. Sin embargo, cuando se eliminaron los cinco casos que permanecieron más de 3 días en el agua, la correlación significativa entre las variables desapareció, dando importancia a la utilidad de los elementos traza, pero sólo dentro de la primeros 3 días después de la muerte. Obtenemos que las concentraciones medias de estroncio, cloro y magnesio en ambos ventrículos, en sangre periférica y las diferencias entre ventrículo izquierdo y ventrículo derecho y las concentraciones de calcio en ventrículo izquierdo y las de sodio en ventrículo derecho presentan valores significativamente más altos al comparar los casos de sumersión con el resto de causas de muerte. En los casos de sumersión en agua salada, las concentraciones de estroncio, magnesio, calcio, sodio y cloro fueron significativamente más elevadas en ventrículo izquierdo que en derecho como resultado de la aspiración de agua hipertónica con altas concentraciones de estos elementos. Por el contrario, la hemodilución es evidente debido a niveles de hierro y urea significativamente más elevados en ventrículo derecho que en ventrículo izquierdo en los casos de sumersión en agua salada, y por los niveles más elevados de magnesio y creatinina en ventrículo derecho comparado con el ventrículo izquierdo en los casos de sumersión en agua dulce. En los casos de sumersión en agua salada, las concentraciones sanguíneas de estroncio se confirman como el mejor parámetro para su diagnóstico, aunque otros elementos traza también pueden también ser útiles, como es el caso de las concentraciones séricas de magnesio y cloro. En el caso de las sumersiones en agua dulce, la determinación conjunta de estroncio y otros marcadores bioquímicos, especialmente el hierro, puede aumentar la posibilidad de un diagnóstico correcto, siendo especialmente útiles los elementos traza en estos casos.
"Serum biochemical markers in drowning: diagnostic efficacy of strontium and other trace elements" Objetives The aim of our study was to analyse several serum biochemical markers in order to evaluate the discriminant capacity of trace elements individually and jointly in drowning (seawater drowning and freshwater drowning) and their correlation with age, sex, postmortem interval, time in water and concentrations of the trace elements in the drowning medium. Materials and methods We studied 140 cadavers selected from medico-legal autopsies performed in the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Cadiz. According to the scene, cause and circumstances of death, besides the autopsy findings, the 140 cases were classified into the following diagnostics groups: (a) drowning (n = 67) (53 seawater drowning; 14 freshwater drowning), (b) other asphyxias (n = 44) (33 hanging; 9 suffocation; 2 aspiration), and (c) other causes (n = 29) (17 multiple trauma; 8 gunshot; 4 cardiovascular disease). A double blind study was carried out in the laboratory without knowing the autopsy results. Blood samples were obtained in the autopsies from the right and left ventricle and the femoral vein using standard techniques and they were stored at -70ºC. Strontium in blood samples and magnesium, sodium, chloride, calcium, iron, urea, creatinine and cardiac Troponine T serum levels were measured in the serum of all cadavers and, in the case of drowning, strontium, magnesium, sodium, chloride, calcium and iron in the water medium itself. For statistical analyses of the data, the SPSS 19.0 software was used. A descriptive analysis of the data, comparison of means, correlation, a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and a discriminant analysis was made. Results Our results show a positive correlation between the concentrations of trace elements in water medium and blood concentrations, suggesting the existence of a post-mortem diffusion from water medium into the bloodstream. However, when the five cases which remained more than 3 days in the water were removed, the significant correlation between variables disappeared, giving importance to the usefulness of trace elements but only within the first 3 days of death. Mean concentrations of strontium, chloride and magnesium in both ventricles and peripheral blood and left ventricle –right ventricle (Lv-Rv) differences and calcium in left ventricle and sodium in right ventricle were significantly higher in cases of drowning than for other causes of death. In seawater drowning, strontium, magnesium, calcium, sodium and chloride were significantly higher in left ventricle than in right ventricle as a result of aspirating hypertonic water with high concentrations of these trace elements. In contrast, haemodilution is evident from the significantly higher levels of iron and urea in right ventricle than in left ventricle in cases of seawater drowning, and from the higher magnesium and creatinine levels in right ventricle than in left ventricle in freshwater drowning. In the case of seawater drowning, blood levels of strontium are confirmed as the best parameter for diagnosis, although other trace elements may also be useful, such as the serum concentrations of magnesium and chloride. In the case of freshwater drowning, the joint determination of strontium and other biochemical markers, especially iron, may increase correct diagnosis, being especially useful trace elements in these cases.

L’objectif de l’étude consiste en l’analyse de l’organisation administrative du bureau de l’agriculture de la province d’Umma à l’époque de la Troisième Dynastie d’Ur. La comparaison avec la situation qui prévaut dans la province méridionale de Girsu-Lagaš montre que le secteur agricole d’Umma est environ cinq fois moins important que de sa voisine.

L’étude identifie les districts agricoles de la province d’Umma et leurs responsables. Elle définit en outre le nombre de charrues utilisées pour cultiver les terres arables de l’état ainsi que leur répartition par district.

Elle propose enfin dans un deuxième volume une prosopographie des administrateurs de domaines agricoles et des laboureurs.
Doctorat en Langues et lettres
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The study of Sumerian has traditionally been carried out in isolation from mainstream linguis- tics, thus limiting our ability to understand the language and to situate it in a cross-linguistic context. This dissertation shows how the tools of corpus linguistics and modern syntactic the- ory can be gainfully applied to Sumerian. Existing corpora of Sumerian texts are largely lacking in morphological annotation, with query facilities consisting only of basic string searches. Two existing corpora (one completely unannotated and one tagged for part-of-speech) are given morphological annotation using a process of query-based annotation. A query language (based on CQL and XPath) is used to query this corpus, and as queries are made, the results are tagged so that the resultant query objects can be used as the basis for subsequent queries. In this fashion a morphologically- annotated corpus is built up without having to rely on the services of a skilled annotator. This annotated corpus is then used to provide evidence for two important problems in Sumerian morphosyntax: the dimensional prefixes and the conjugation prefixes. The dimen- sional prefixes, which have previously been considered to represent concord between the verb and the associated nominal phrases, are shown instead to be a system of applicative heads which serve to introduce the verb’s arguments. The conjugation prefixes, whose purpose has been the subject of a century of debate, are shown to be the manifestation of inner aspect features which express the speaker’s perspective on the structure of the event. By using a corpus to provide the underlying data and by considering Sumerian morphosyntax in light of cross-linguistic evidence and modern syntactic theory, previously misanalysed aspects of Sumerian are shown to have analogues in other languages. The dimensional prefixes and conjugation prefixes are not oddities specific to Sumerian, but represent variations on morphological systems found elsewhere.

One of the great mysteries of ancient history is why the Indus Valley Civilisation, the largest of the five original ancient civilisation regions declined. The aim of this thesis is to document the role of infectious disease on the decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation c. 1900 – 1300 BCE. This is the first time this has been done. There have been many theories about possible causes for the end of the Indus Valley Civilisation such as climate change, shift of the monsoon eastwards from the Indus River basin to the Ganges River basin, tectonic forces changing the course of the Indus River to variously cause drought or flooding and finally Aryan invasion. The hypothesis of this thesis is that infectious diseases may have contributed to the decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation. This thesis will also show that an infectious disease epidemic, most likely pneumonic plague, may have helped in the decline of the Sumerian Civilisation c.2000 BCE. This epidemic could have come from what is today Russia or China via the Zagros Mountains or from the Indus Valley Civilisation onboard boats used in their mutual sea trade. Conversely the Sumerian epidemic could also have gone in the opposite direction and infected the Indus Valley Civilisation instead. Both the Sumerian and Indus Valley Civilisations did not end abruptly but instead slowly declined with, most importantly, their ideas, beliefs, language, writing methods, mathematics and moral values being absorbed into subsequent civilisations. This thesis will use mainly an historiographic approach to propose that up to twelve different infectious diseases which existed in ancient times were possible major causes or co-factors in the decline of the Sumerian and Indus Valley Civilisations. These diseases include five that are so lethal that they have been used as biological warfare agents, namely smallpox, plague, tularemia, shigella dysentery and anthrax. The other seven diseases are leprosy, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, malaria, measles, haemorrhagic fevers and influenza.

Tese de Doutoramento em Estudos Clássicos, no ramo de Mundo Antigo, em regime de cotutela entre a Universidade de Barcelona e a Universidade de Coimbra, e apresentada à Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra
Many authors devoted to the study of ancient social systems pointed out the great dependence on farming and herding for complex society’s genesis. In that sense, such dependence must have had an intrinsic influence on the cultural matrix of cultures sustained by agriculture, as the entire Mesopotamian and italic regions. Farming and herding regulated the daily activities, interfering with the conceptualization of the surrounding cosmos. The natural world was reflected in the abstract thought and that inevitably stated the basis for linguistic creativity an expression based on signs of meaning inspired by the agricultural landscape. A variety of media often shows such potential ‘metaphoric’ language, which surpasses the simple expression of literary telluric feelings; it is the manifestation of obvious images to an interlocutor who recognizes meaning in signs culturally transmitted by empirical experience within the agricultural cosmos or by traditional preconceptions. In this sense, through the identification and crystallization of what modern semiotics call ‘signs of meaning’, the empirical visualization of fertility, abundance and quality of production would work as source for the creation of imagery constructed upon the common sense and upon the experience of rural life and natural phenomena. Those images compounded by cristalyzed signs of meaning would be converted in linguistic symbols, which semantics would reflect the symbiosis of three conceptual planes: rural life, natural phenomena and welfare. The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the way the prejudgment on meanings from nature, based on common sense, is constructed and maintained in a defined cultural context, far behind the exclusivity and artificiality of literary expression. And, at same time, how can such prejudgment help us to understand better an ancient culture and help to approach the thoughts of the silent people of the ancient world. In order to interpret how the allegorical images and mechanics on crystallization of traditional bias are built, I intend to identify possible traces of ancient traditional linguistic thought in Sumerian literature and Latin instructions on farming, which matrix was formed by the contact with the natural world and goes back to pre-historical times. The objective is to identify meaning in images transmitted by literary language applying the same method to two unrelated cultures, in order to attest that different cultures may have the same mechanisms of building abstract meaning, with similar results, when agriculture and nature are the main background context.
Muitos autores dedicados ao estudo de antigos sistemas sociais apontaram que a gênese das sociedades complexas foi sustentada em grande medida pelo desenvolvimento da agricultura e do pastoreio. Nesse sentido, a matrix cultural destas sociedades foi produndamente influenciada por estas actividades económicas, tal como sucedeu com as culturas antigas de toda a região mesopotâmica e itálica. A agricultura e o pastoreio regulavam as atividades diárias, interferindo na conceptualização do cosmos circundante. O mundo natural reflectia-se no pensamento abstrato o que, inevitavelmente, estabeleceu a base para a criatividade linguística e para uma expressão baseada em signos de sentido inspirados na paisagem agrícola. Essa linguagem potencial "metafórica" manifesta-se através de diferentes formas de expressão, que ultrapassa a simples expressão de sentimentos telúricos literários; esta linguagem é a manifestação de imagens óbvias para um interlocutor que reconhece o significado em signos culturalmente transmitidos pela experiência empírica dentro do cosmos agrícola ou por preconceitos tradicionais. Nesse sentido, através da identificação e cristalização daquilo que a semiótica moderna nomeia de ‘signos de sentido’, a visualização empírica da fertilidade, abundância e qualidade de produção funcionaria como fonte para a criação de imagens construídas sobre o senso comum e sobre a experiência de vida rural e fenômenos naturais. Essas imagens compostas por sinais de significado cristalizados seriam convertidas em símbolos linguísticos, cuja semântica refletiria a simbiose de três planos conceituais: vida rural, fenômenos naturais e bem-estar. O objetivo desta dissertação é analisar a forma como o prejuizo sobre a simbologia baseada no mundo natural, sustentada pelo senso comum, é construído e mantido em um contexto cultural definido, muito para além da exclusividade e artificialidade da expressão literária. E, ao mesmo tempo, como tal preconceito pode ajudar a entender melhor uma cultura antiga e favorecer a abordargem ao pensamento das ‘vozes silenciosas’ do mundo antigo. Para interpretar como as imagens e as mecânicas alegóricas sobre a cristalização do preconceito tradicional são construídas, pretendo identificar possíveis traços do antigo pensamento linguístico tradicional na literatura suméria e nas instruções latinas sobre agricultura, cuja matriz foi formada pelo contacto com o mundo natural e remonta a tempos pré-históricos. O objetivo é identificar o significado em imagens transmitidas por linguagem literária aplicando o mesmo método a duas culturas não relacionadas, a fim de atestar que diferentes culturas podem ter os mesmos mecanismos de construção de significado abstracto, com resultados semelhantes, quando agricultura e natureza são os principais definidores de contexto.
Muchos autores dedicados al estudio de los sistemas sociales antiguos señalaron la gran dependencia de la agricultura y el pastoreo para la génesis de la sociedades complejas. En este sentido, tal dependencia habría tenido una influencia intrínseca en la matriz cultural de las culturas sustentadas por la agricultura, como toda la región de Mesopotamia y Itálica. La agricultura y el pastoreo regulaban las actividades diarias, interfiriendo con la conceptualización del cosmos circundante. El mundo natural se reflejó en el pensamiento abstracto e inevitablemente estableció la base de la creatividad lingüística como expresión basada en ‘signos de significado’ inspirados en el paisaje agrícola. Una variedad de formas de expressión a menudo muestra ese potencial lenguaje "metafórico", que supera la simple expresión de los sentimientos telúricos literarios; ese lenguaje es la manifestación de imágenes óbvias para un interlocutor que reconoce el significado de signos culturalmente transmitidos por la experiencia empírica dentro del cosmos agrícola o por prejuicios tradicionales. En este sentido, a través de la identificación y cristalización de lo que la semiótica moderna llama "signos de significado", la visualización empírica de la fertilidad, abundancia y calidad de producción funcionaría como fuente para la creación de imágenes construidas sobre el sentido común y sobre la experiencia de vida rural y fenómenos naturales. Esas imágenes compuestas por ‘signos de significado’ cristalizados se converten en símbolos lingüísticos, cuya semántica refleja la simbiosis de tres planos conceptuales: la vida rural, los fenómenos naturales y el bienestar. El objetivo de esta disertación es analizar la forma en que el prejuicio sobre los significados de la naturaleza, basados en el sentido común, se construye y mantiene en un contexto cultural definido, muy por detrás de la exclusividad y la artificialidad de la expresión literaria. Y, al mismo tiempo, cómo puede este prejuicio ayudarnos a comprender mejor una cultura antigua y ayudarnos a acercarnos a los pensamientos de la gente silenciosa del mundo Antiguo. Para interpretar cómo se construyen las imágenes alegóricas y la mecánica de la cristalización del preconcepto tradicional, pretendemos identificar posibles rastros del antiguo pensamiento lingüístico tradicional en la literatura sumeria y en las instrucciones latinas sobre la agricultura, cuya matriz se formó por el contacto con el mundo natural y se remonta a tiempos prehistóricos. El objetivo es identificar el significado en imágenes transmitidas por lenguaje literario aplicando el mismo método a dos culturas no relacionadas, para atestiguar que las diferentes culturas pueden tener los mismos mecanismos de construcción de significado abstracto, con resultados similares, cuando la agricultura y la naturaleza son la base fundamental del contexto.

Il presente lavoro intende analizzare le evidenze testuali relative alle figure divine di Inanna e Dumuzi. Attraverso lo studio approfondito della tradizione letteraria di periodo paleo-babilonese (ca 2000-1600 a.C.) in lingua sumerica, è stato possibile delineare la natura del rapporto che unisce le vicende dei due personaggi mitici. La ricerca si è concentrata non solo sulle composizioni d’amore aventi in oggetto proprio la nascita e lo sviluppo del sentimento che coinvolge i due giovani dei, ma anche sulle tradizioni mitiche che che riguardano il periodo di formazione dell’identità delle due singole figure. L’analisi condotta ha permesso di individuare i caratteri principali delle due personalità divine, che fino ad oggi, specialmente nel caso di Dumuzi, erano state oggetto di una vivace discussione nel campo assiriologico. In virtù del particolare rapporto di omologia funzionale tra il dio Dumuzi ed la figura del sovrano nella letteratura sumerica di periodo paleo-babilonese, si è deciso di tenere in considerazione anche quelle composizioni che testimoniassero un legame privilegiato tra un personaggio di rango reale e la dea Inanna; ciò ha permesso di delineare con maggiore chiarezza le sfere di competenza e di tutela dei due personaggi divini in rapporto all’istituzione regale. La presente ricerca ha beneficiato di un approccio multidisciplinare che ha permesso di unire la metodologia storico-religiosa a quella assiriologica, al fine di ancorare saldamente il panorama letterario in oggetto al contesto storico di provenienza e di utilizzo. L’uso di un approccio che predilige la contestualizzazione storica del materiale non solo ha fatto sì che si ottenesse un’analisi puntuale della documentazione, ma ha anche permesso di evitare generalizzazioni diacroniche sulle figure oggetto della ricerca. In definitiva, lo studio ha permesso una rivalutazione della natura dei personaggi divini di Inanna e Dumuzi nel contesto letterario paleo-babilonese, sia per quanto riguarda le caratteristiche delle singole figure che nel loro rapporto di interdipendenza, con particolare riferimento alla costruzione di un’ideologia regale legittimata dalla sfera divina.