Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I

Rogers, John

doi:10.23889/SUthesis.69096

E-Thesis 435 views

Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I / John Rogers

Swansea University Author: John Rogers

E-Thesis – open access under embargo until: 21st February 2030

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.69096

Abstract

This dissertation examines the changing state structure that accompanied the expansion of the Saite state under Psamtik I (664-610 BCE), through royal and elite discourses of power and authority. It re-examines Saite-Assyrian political relations in light of the specific purpose of references to Psam...

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Published:	Swansea, Wales, UK 2025
Institution:	Swansea University
Degree level:	Doctoral
Degree name:	Ph.D
Supervisor:	Sagrillo, Troy L. ; Knoblauch, Christian
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69096

first_indexed	2025-03-13T13:35:18Z
last_indexed	2025-03-14T09:06:23Z
id	cronfa69096
recordtype	RisThesis
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spelling	2025-03-13T13:57:39.7875645 v2 69096 2025-03-13 Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I b8a3d726bc58afd54a092ab1c861f086 John Rogers John Rogers true false 2025-03-13 CACS This dissertation examines the changing state structure that accompanied the expansion of the Saite state under Psamtik I (664-610 BCE), through royal and elite discourses of power and authority. It re-examines Saite-Assyrian political relations in light of the specific purpose of references to Psamtik I in the Assyrian royal prism inscriptions, and analyses the structure of the court under Psamtik I. This analysis identifies the key ways different elites built their power through their self-representations. In some situations, this was done by focusing on their roles as intermediaries between the local and the king, their proximity to the king, and their status as honoured by the king. They thus used the king as a tool to advance their own purposes, while the king placed himself as the basis of authority in diverse settings throughout the country. Other elites conspicuously avoided using the king however, instead utilising alternative, often more locally specific, referents to maintain and expand their authority. The dissertation therefore uses case studies to examine local administrative continuity and change in different settings, demonstrating the multiple means by which the Saite state became a source of authority for local elites, permeating the local and at the same time placing that local within a broader horizontal network hierarchically below the state. Throughout the transition from Kushite to Saite Egypt, the primary criterion of success in building power was personal political expediency, in which persons sought the best means to advance their own ends and enfranchise others towards this goal. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK Egyptology, Ancient History, Statehood, Authority 21 2 2025 2025-02-21 10.23889/SUthesis.69096 ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1145-7498 COLLEGE NANME Culture and Communications School COLLEGE CODE CACS Swansea University Sagrillo, Troy L. ; Knoblauch, Christian Doctoral Ph.D SURES SURES 2025-03-13T13:57:39.7875645 2025-03-13T13:30:03.6976226 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - Classics, Ancient History, Egyptology John Rogers 1 Under embargo Under embargo 2025-03-13T13:47:44.5788144 Output 16394687 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true 2030-02-21T00:00:00.0000000 Copyright: The Author, John E. H. Rogers, 2025. true eng
title	Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I
spellingShingle	Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I John Rogers
title_short	Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I
title_full	Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I
title_fullStr	Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I
title_full_unstemmed	Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I
title_sort	Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I
author_id_str_mv	b8a3d726bc58afd54a092ab1c861f086
author_id_fullname_str_mv	b8a3d726bc58afd54a092ab1c861f086_***_John Rogers
author	John Rogers
author2	John Rogers
format	E-Thesis
publishDate	2025
institution	Swansea University
doi_str_mv	10.23889/SUthesis.69096
college_str	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_parent_title	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str	School of Culture and Communication - Classics, Ancient History, Egyptology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - Classics, Ancient History, Egyptology
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description	This dissertation examines the changing state structure that accompanied the expansion of the Saite state under Psamtik I (664-610 BCE), through royal and elite discourses of power and authority. It re-examines Saite-Assyrian political relations in light of the specific purpose of references to Psamtik I in the Assyrian royal prism inscriptions, and analyses the structure of the court under Psamtik I. This analysis identifies the key ways different elites built their power through their self-representations. In some situations, this was done by focusing on their roles as intermediaries between the local and the king, their proximity to the king, and their status as honoured by the king. They thus used the king as a tool to advance their own purposes, while the king placed himself as the basis of authority in diverse settings throughout the country. Other elites conspicuously avoided using the king however, instead utilising alternative, often more locally specific, referents to maintain and expand their authority. The dissertation therefore uses case studies to examine local administrative continuity and change in different settings, demonstrating the multiple means by which the Saite state became a source of authority for local elites, permeating the local and at the same time placing that local within a broader horizontal network hierarchically below the state. Throughout the transition from Kushite to Saite Egypt, the primary criterion of success in building power was personal political expediency, in which persons sought the best means to advance their own ends and enfranchise others towards this goal.
published_date	2025-02-21T05:28:33Z
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score	11.096295

Authority and Ambition: Royal Power and Elite Representation under Psamtik I / John Rogers

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