Essays on Disability History

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CHAPTER


DOI :10.26650/B/AA09.2020.007.03   IUP :10.26650/B/AA09.2020.007.03    Full Text (PDF)

The Disabled in Cuneiform Texts: Physical And Mental Impairments in Ancient Mesopotamia

Gökhan Kağnıcı

In this study, Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform texts will be analyzed to elucidate the social and cultural norms underlying processes of identifying “disability status” and the recognition of the physically and mentally “impaired.” The period between ca. 3500 BC and ca. 1500 BC in Ancient Mesopotamian civilizations will be emphasized. In this way the status and importance of disability in historical context will be outlined, along with an exposition of specific attitudes and practices of “disability status” as seen and expressed by these societies. The study includes not only physical disabilities after accidents but also mental disorders and congenital anomalies. The primary objective is to show how information about the disabled was reflected in the cuneiform texts. There will be a focus on what disabilities existed in ancient Mesopotamian societies, the causes of these disabilities, and how Mesopotamians coped with them. Thus, the practices and attitudes of society towards the disabled will be identified, as well as the ways in which these people located themselves in Mesopotamian cities. 


Keywords: Cuneiform texts, ancient Mesopotamia, physical and mental impairments and disabilities
DOI :10.26650/B/AA09.2020.007.03   IUP :10.26650/B/AA09.2020.007.03    Full Text (PDF)

Çivi Yazılı Metinlerde Engelliler: Eski Mezopotamya’da Fiziksel Ve Zihinsel Yeti Yitimleri

Gökhan Kağnıcı

Bu çalışmada M.Ö. 3. binin ortalarından 1. binin ortalarına kadarki zaman dilimi çerçevesinde Eski Mezopotamya uygarlıklarında toplumsal ve kültürel normlar ile tıbbi yeterlilikler açısından fiziksel ve zihinsel anlamda “yeti yitimli” olan ve “anormal” olarak algılanan ve yorumlanan “sakatlık hallerinin” belirleniş süreçleri Sümerce ve Akadça çivi yazılı metinlerdeki bilgiler ışığında saptanmaya çalışılacaktır. Böylece bu toplumlarda görülen ve tanımlanan “sakatlık hallerinin”, kendine has tutum ve uygulamaları açığa çıkarılmaya ve söz konusu toplumlarda sakatlığın sakatlık tarihi açısından önemi ve yeri belirlenmeye çalışılacaktır. Sadece kasıtlı ve kazaen gerçekleşen fiziksel yeti yitimleri değil aynı zamanda zihinsel bozukluklar ve doğum anomalileri de çalışmaya dâhil edilmiştir. Çalışmanın öncelikli hedefinin bu insanlarla ilgili bilgilerin çivi yazılı metinlere nasıl yansıdığını göstermek olduğu ifade edilmelidir. Mezopotamya toplumlarında ne türden sakatlıkların bulunduğu, bu durumlara nelerin yol açtığı ve bu insanların bu kayıpların üstesinden nasıl geldiğiyle ilgili bilgiler verilecektir. Böylece toplumun yeti yitimli kimselere karşı uygulama ve yaklaşımları belirlenmeye çalışılacak ve bu insanların Mezopotamya şehirlerinde kendilerine nasıl yer buldukları üzerinde durulacaktır.


Keywords: Çivi yazılı metinler, eski Mezopotamya, fiziksel ve zihinsel yeti yitimleri ve sakatlıklar

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