Suchergebnisse

Classic period Maya rulers are often reduced to "ideal types" and are discussed in terms that would suggest they were a homogenous group of individuals cut from the same cloth. Contrary to that assumption, this study employs epigraphic, iconographic, archaeological, ethnohistoric and ethnographic data to demonstrate there was significant local and regional variation in the way kingship was expressed through artistic programs, calendrics, ritual activity, accoutrements of power, sacred warfare, the taking of theophoric throne names and titulary, and the composition and adaptation of local pantheons. The identity of each polity was inseparably connected with that of its ruler, and variations on the rulership theme served to reinforce their unique identity in the larger landscape vis-à-vis other polities. The underlying theoretical approach relies on concepts of mimesis and alterity, duality, and complementary opposition, all of which are creative acts which serve to establish a sense of Self in contrast to the Other, both human and divine. This study also examines concepts of divine kingship and deification, and argues that rulers were "functionally divine" while living and were elevated to "ontologically divine" status upon becoming apotheosized ancestors after death. As apotheosized ancestors, they took their place in the pliable local pantheon which further reinforced the unique identity of each site.

The ambiguities of African chieftainships, particularly those in Nigeria, are examined, focusing on the difficult role of traditional rulers as intermediaries between central authorities & local constituencies, & on how they deal with the tension between modernity & traditionalism. A model for analyzing postcolonial chieftainships is presented, the political culture in which traditional rulers govern is explored, & the decline in the legitimacy of chieftainships is discussed. Also examined is the educational background of traditional rulers & the attitude of government toward chieftains. It is concluded that for traditional rulers to sustain their power they must develop techniques of legitimation that endear them to the government, nontraditional elites, & the people. Speculations on the future of chieftainships in Africa are offered. W. Howard

This book discusses the 3rd–11th century developments that led to the formation of the three Scandinavian kingdoms in the Viking Age. Wide-ranging studies of communication routes, regional identities, judicial territories, and royal sites and graves trace a complex trajectory of rulership in these pagan Germanic societies. In the final section, new light is shed on the pinnacle and demise of the Norwegian kingdom in the 13th–14th centuries.

Analyzes the institution and its problems, focusing on chiefs in Nigeria.

The Ernst Kantorowicz's personal writings are held at the Leo Baeck Institute Archives in New York City. The "Phases of Medieval Rulership" is a little corpus of unknown pages where the German historian had drafted in the 40's of the 20th century the project of a new book which ultimately remained unpublished. In this article the author analyses the contents of this book comparing different manuscript versions and explaining the historian's version of Medieval history in terms of political theological rulership.

This article explores the crises and debates surrounding the management of imperial family matters, especially succession, under the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) as an approach to understanding the limits of imperial power and the nature of literati discourse on the imperium. Ming officials and members of the literati community became passionately engaged in the debates on imperial family decisions, regarding the moral order of the imperial family as a key feature of their prerogatives over imperial power. This prerogative was based upon claims to Neo-Confucian moral authority. Over the course of the dynasty, these claims grew increasingly widespread and increasingly vociferous.

This article explores the role that gatherings and temporary assembly places played in creating communities and manufacturing early polities and kingdoms. Whereas the archaeological dimension to polity building has often focused upon monumentality in programmes of political articulation, the role of more ephemeral activities is equally meaningful but nevertheless under-appreciated. With new research into assembly culture in first-millennium AD Europe developing apace, the role of gatherings of various types has come into sharper focus. This article explores the changing nature of temporary gatherings in Ireland and what the changing material signature of these practices says about developing hierarchies, emerging kingdoms and the nexus that local concerns formed with regional practices of rulership.