This conference will explore concepts of power and authority in the ancient world. To do so, it will focus on the civilizations of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective.

While culturally distinct, ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia present a rich source for the comparative study of kingship. Unlike the modern West, both societies conceptualized ultimate legitimate authority in terms of a single figure who both governs the land and mediates between the human and divine worlds. In this conference we will explore kingship against the wider political cultures of the two societies.

To do so, we will utilize archaeological, art historical and philological approaches and focus on the relationship between power and authority. Power is the ability to compel obedience; authority, the framework within which the exercise of power may be considered legitimate. What were native conceptions of power and authority? What institutional form did they take? What context did they provide for the king? How did the king interpret old traditions or try to create new ones to maintain and augment his position? What elements of kingship did competitors for authority adopt to legitimize their claims to power? What relationship did the king's actions have to the organization of space both within the kingdom and beyond? In answering these questions, we will seek to provide a broad comparison of kingship within the two civilizations while providing a richer context for the understanding of specific cases.