The History of the Mesopotamian Naru Literature

Video

Kelly Macquire
by
published on 07 September 2022

The literary genre of Mesopotamian Naru Literature first appeared in the region around the second millennium BCE and the stories not only became very popular, but seemed to replace the actual historical events in the minds of the people. Naru literature featured a famous person, usually a king, as the main character, and the stories often concerned the relationship between humans and the gods.

These stories are written as first-person accounts of significant events, and from them, the audience is meant to learn something important, whether that be the meaning of some historical event, a religious moral, cultural value, or any other lesson that the audience may have benefited from. The term naru was originally used for boundary stones, memorial stones, and monuments and, at the beginning of the second millennium, tablets that were used for building inscriptions and tablets that accompanied gifts were also called naru.

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— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
1:04 What is Mesopotamian Naru Literature?
4:24 The Legend of Cutha
7:10 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Mesopotamian Naru Literature https://www.worldhistory.org/Mesopotamian_Naru_Literature/
Truths Wrapped in Fiction: Mesopotamian Naru Literature https://www.worldhistory.org/article/749/truths-wrapped-in-fiction-mesopotamian-naru-litera/
The Legend of Sargon of Akkad https://www.worldhistory.org/article/746/the-legend-of-sargon-of-akkad/
The Legend of Cutha https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1869/the-legend-of-cutha/

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— ATTRIBUTIONS —
You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - https://worldhistory.typehut.com/the-history-of-the-mesopotamian-naru-literature-images-and-attributions-10943

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

— THUMBNAIL IMAGE —
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/323735?ao=on&showOnly=openAccess&ft=akkad&offset=0&rpp=40&pos=5
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Open Access https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/policies-and-documents/open-access
CC0 https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327048?deptids=3&ao=on&showOnly=openAccess&ft=boundary+stones&offset=0&rpp=40&pos=1
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Open Access https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/policies-and-documents/open-access
CC0 https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

World History Encyclopedia
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#naruliterature #mesopotamia #ancientliterature

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About the Author

Kelly Macquire
Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Macquire, K. (2022, September 07). The History of the Mesopotamian Naru Literature. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2827/the-history-of-the-mesopotamian-naru-literature/

Chicago Style

Macquire, Kelly. "The History of the Mesopotamian Naru Literature." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified September 07, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2827/the-history-of-the-mesopotamian-naru-literature/.

MLA Style

Macquire, Kelly. "The History of the Mesopotamian Naru Literature." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 07 Sep 2022. Web. 07 Nov 2024.

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