Forms of Salutation in the Assyrion Correspondence and Sculpture

Section: Research Paper
Published
Jun 24, 2025
Pages
415-446

Abstract

Salutation and greeting was one of the distinguished ceremonies for the Assyrians which express good manners between individuals. It was also considered one of the basic rules of civility and high level communication at that time. The study of the various texts contents especially letters textsshowed different ways of the concepts of salutation and greeting when they were sent between the individuals, or when a low level person communicated with a superior person e. g. the letters were sent by the rulers and Assyrian officials to the kings. There was a way to send a salutation from the governing king to the governed one. There were also ways to exchange salutation between the equivalent kings according to authority and rank.
This expression of peace had been mentioned to express the concept of hospitality and greeting in the Sumerian language in the form SILIM, DI or Di-mu, which is the equivalent of ulmu in the Akkadian language as the meaning of peace, health, security and safety. It also expressed theconcept of hospitality and greeting. This study depends on showing some relative Assyrian artistic scenes which reflects how to salute handing by hands to express greeting and peace,raising the right hand also to express greeting and salutation which indicates how old this ceremonial tradition is and reflects the civilized civility of the Assyrians at that time.

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How to Cite

Ahmed Abid, N., & نسرین. (2025). Forms of Salutation in the Assyrion Correspondence and Sculpture. Adab Al-Rafidayn, 42(64), 415–446. https://doi.org/10.33899/radab.2012.72446