Trading the Symbols of the Goddess Nanaya
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20046646 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joan Goodnick Westenholz (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Pages | 167-198 |
| Publication date | 2014-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | Religions and Trade (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Brill (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1163/9789004255302_008 |
| OpenAlex | W842664143 |
| ISBN | 9789004255302 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
In the marketplace of religions, the goddess Nanaya was a popular commodity among worshippers of various polytheistic traditions. Her cult was adopted and adapted by the Sumerians, Akkadians, Elamites, Arameans, Hellenistic Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, and the many Iranian groups. The author attempts to answer the question: What caused the goddess Nanaya to be bought? The inquiry focuses on her sacred symbols as one medium for conveying religious beliefs, since icons and images have always played an important role in the process of densification and diffusion of those beliefs. The basic axiom is that religious symbol systems are shaped gradually in cultural exchange and encounters by various forms of adaptation and transformation. The trade network to be surveyed constitutes the western part of the ancient trading network of Central Asia and of greater Central Eurasia, the so-called Silk Road. Keywords: Central Asia; Central Eurasia; goddess Nanaya; Hellenistic Greeks; polytheistic traditions; sacred symbols
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Central asia · Commodity · Cult · Greeks · Islam · Linguistics · Literature · Ancient Near East History · Classics · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2024 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |