What is patronage?
- An asymmetric personal relationship between dominant "patron" and socially inferior "client"
- Based on mutual exchange of goods and services: access and protection from patron, loyalty and prestige from client
- Patronage is long-term: a single event or encounter does not comprise patronage
- Patronage is voluntary: it involves moral obligations but no explicit rules or legal rights
Case study 1: Urad-Gula's PGP fall from favour
- Urad-Gula first employed as deputy to Sennacherib's PGP chief physician TT (SAA 6: 193)
- Then worked as exorcist TT under Esarhaddon (e.g., SAA 10: 257, 290)
- Complaints about unjust recompense (SAA 10: 289)
- Professional failures in Esarhaddon's last years (SAA 10: 291, 293)
- (Exiled by Assurbanipal on his accession: no direct evidence)
- Adad-šumu-uṣur PGP , king's exorcist, petitions for his son Urad-Gula's reinstatement (SAA 10: 224, 226)
- But instead has to show gratitude for other family members' promotion and his own continued employment at court (SAA 10: 227, 228)
Case Study 2: Interpreting astrological events
- In late April 676 BC, Jupiter PGP was seen to disappear behind the moon (occultation TT )
- Astrological reports TT survive from two different scholars
- Ṭabiya PGP interprets the event entirely favourably TT (SAA 8: 438)
- Akkullanu's PGP interpretation is entirely unfavourable TT to Assyria (SAA 8: 100)
- Akkullanu writes to justify himself, stressing the importance of his communication and asking for independent corroboration of his observation (but not the interpretation) (SAA 10: 84)
- Akkullanu remained in royal favour well into the reign of Assurbanipal (e.g., SAA 8: 104, SAA 10: 100)
Scholars could not rely on the king's continued favour but regularly had to assure him of their support. Loyalty to the crown had to come before family ties. No one scholar had a monopoly of the king's attention. He gathered information and interpretations from many rival sources, thereby aiming to prevent complacency and to promote scholarly excellence.
Further reading
- Westbrook, 'Patronage', 2005
- Parpola, 'The forlorn scholar', 1987
- Péçirková, 'Divination and politics', 1985
- Brown, 'Scientific revolution', 2002
- Koch-Westenholz, Mesopotamian astrology, 1996, Chapter 6: 'Practice' (pp. 137-151) and Appendix A: 'Reports written on March 15th 668 BC' (pp. 180-186)
Content last modified: 05 Apr 2024.