Rituals of Royalty
Power and Ceremonial in Traditional Societies

David Cannadine (Edited by), Simon Price (Edited by)

9780521428910, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 23 April 1992

364 pages
21.7 x 13.9 x 2.6 cm, 0.478 kg

'This is … a collection of fascinating studies, ranging from Babylon to twentieth-century Ghana, from China to Madagascar … Professional historians of the modern period, as well as others, would do well to take ritual seriously.' London Review of Books

Heads of state today mark their rites of passage with splendid ceremonial, from Reagan's inaugural to Andropov's funeral. Such spectacles continue to be a prominent part of modern political systems, of varied ideological hue, but their precise meaning and importance often remain unclear. The essays in this book - all specially written for it - address the central problem in the understanding of royal rituals, namely the relation between power and anthropologists, and the traditional societies examined range from ancient Babylon to nineteenth-century Madagascar, from medieval Europe to contemporary Ghana.

List of illustrations
Notes on contributors
Acknowledgements
Introduction: divine rites of kings David Cannadine
1. Usurpation, conquest and ceremonial: from Babylon to Persia Amélie Kuhrt
2. From noble funerals to divine cult: the consecration of Roman emperors Simon Price
3. The construction of court ritual: the Byzantine Book of Ceremonies Averil Cameron
4. The Lord's anointed and the people's choice: Carolingian royal ritual Janet L. Nelson
5. Bureaucrats and cosmology: the ritual code of T'ang China David McMullen
6. Gifts to the gods: power, property and ceremonial in Nepal Richard Burghart
7. The ritual of the royal bath in Madagascar: the dissolution of death, birth and fertility into authority Maurice Bloch
8. The person of the king: ritual and power in a Ghanaian state Michelle Gilbert
Index.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB]