44 dagmar kühn
the appearance of “new” professions formed aramaean society’s social
classes. the extension and reinforcement of the foundations of cities
required skilled workers and artisans. we only have references to such
skilled workers from the assyrian period, because they could start a career
in the service of the assyrians. For example, artisans who made the ivory
carvings in the palaces at nimrud left phoenician and aramaic signs on
some pieces so that we can assume that aramaean artisans produced the
ivories.47
religious worship in the temples required priestly personnel, and
royal administration officials and scribes. presumably, members of the
extended royal family occupied many of these high and important social
positions.48
while the inscriptions of the aramaean kings provide some detail about
social structures within the city-state, we have only scarce information on
the social structures in the many villages. therefore, analogies have been
drawn from similar structures in neighboring cultures. it is reckoned that
established institutions, common to other societies, such as the council
of elders, continued.49 King Bar-rakkab of Samʾal mentions the bʿly kpyry
along with the bʿly rkb (Kai 215: 10). For the most part, they are thought
to be leaders of the village council and commanders of chariots.50 as
J. tropper has remarked, “der Satz könnte besagen, daß panamuwa die
Landwirtschaft und das militärwesen wieder voll im Griff hatte.”51 how-
ever, the etymology of kp( y)r (village, cf. akk. kapru) is problematic and
unclear.52 therefore, e. Lipiński traces kpyr back to Sabaic kfr (sluice,
covered cistern) and assigns both terms to the context of agriculture. he
translates the terms as “proprietors of bituminized cisterns and propri-
etors of a cart.”53
47 millard 2009: 210. eventually the same holds true for bricklayers at nimrud who
left graffiti on some of the bricks. millard reads some of them as aramaic letters. we do
not know if these artisans were migrants or mere deportees, but they contributed to the
spreading of aramaic in assyria, cf. millard 2009: 211 and infra 2.1.
48 cf. infra chapter 2.
49 dion 1997: 284.
50 Sader 1987: 178; dion 1997: 254.
51 tropper 1993: 117.
52 For the problem see tropper 1993: 69f and Lipiński 2000a: 510f.
53 Lipiński 2000a: 510f with n. 152.