Subproject C02

Ancient Near Eastern Conceptions of Order between Law and Religion

Since the linguistic and conceptional proximity between law and religion in the ancient Near East is striking, this project wants to study the entanglement of these social domains and analyze their mutual impact, which – so the argument goes – was basically established through the use of metaphors. Focusing on the Old Babylonian Period of Mesopotamian history (1^st half of the 2^nd millennium BCE), the project will examine to what extent specific ‘languages’, i.e., a different use of certain phraseologies, have developed in the fields of law on the one hand and religion on the other hand.

Publications

• Pientka-Hinz, Rosel. 2025. “In True Perspective—The Architectural Wisdom of the King.” In Professions as Religious Metaphors, edited by Frederik Elwert. Metaphor Papers 25. https://doi.org/10.46586/mp.434.509.
• Pientka-Hinz, Rosel. 2025. “Professions As Religious Metaphors: Conclusion.” In Professions as Religious Metaphors, edited by Frederik Elwert. Metaphor Papers 25. https://doi.org/10.46586/mp.434.516.

Presentations

• Pientka-Hinz, Rosel: The Sky is the Limit. Of Metaphors and Domains in Mesopotamia, Workshop: DiF Celestial Bodies, SFB 1475, CERES, 24.05.2023, Bochum, Germany.
• Pientka-Hinz, Rosel: The Truth is Out There!, The 13th Biennial Conference on Media, Religion and Culture: “Metaphor & Misinformation: Religion in Media-driven Worlds”, SFB 1475, CERES, 01.-05.08.2023, Bochum, Germany.
• Pientka-Hinz, Rosel: Hartes Licht. Die Materialität einer konzeptuellen Metapher im Alten Orient, Workshop: Sprach-Bild-Sprache. Metaphern in Kunst, Religion und Wissenschaft, SFB 1475, CERES & KKC, 08.12.2023, Bochum, Germany.
• Pientka-Hinz, Rosel: Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn? Vorstellungen von Recht und Gerechtigkeit im Antiken Babylonien, Evangelische Stadtakademie Bochum, 18.06.2024, Bochum, Germany.
• Pientka-Hinz, Rosel: Mesopotamian Luminous Beings – The Aura of the Gods. Conference: More Light on the Metaphors of Light, SFB 1475, CERES, 12.-13.12.2024, Bochum, Germany.
• Pientka-Hinz, Rosel: To Shed Light on a Dark Matter. Masterclass by Charles Forceville: Exploring Multimodal Metaphors, SFB 1475, CERES, 21.-22.01.2025, Bochum, Germany.