https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/429 Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:21:08 GMT 2026-08-04T08:21:08Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32745 Interpreting "heroic" concepts in Ancient Near Eastern studies : towards an emic framework for the understanding of Shimshôn and Gilgameš Coetzee, Derick The confluence of modern and ancient concepts is a constant in academics' minds. Much of our modern culture can trace its roots, even tangentially, to some ancient custom performed by our ancestors or necessitated by environmental changes. However, in many cases, this link between the ancient and the modern is so distant that it is no longer apparent to the modern researcher. This creates a knowledge gap that the mind’s subconscious automatically fills by interpreting the unknown through the known, resulting in the ancient being interpreted through the lens of the modern. This has been proven to be controllable and, in some cases, preventable. In this thesis, a framework is proposed that would incorporate cognitive sciences, emic-etic theory, and Panofsky’s Iconology to provide a researcher with the means to independently isolate the source material they are studying and, as much as possible, remove their own modern-cultural-infused bias from the subject matter. The concept of “Heroism” was chosen as a test, with Shimshôn and Gilgameš used as subject matter since a direct comparison has yet to be done (or isn’t widely available), even though researchers often compare the two to Herakles as if they were contemporaries in a vast pantheon of Ancient Near Eastern heroes. Through a systematic and methodological approach, the emic characters of Shimshôn and Gilgameš are revealed and contrasted. Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32745 2024-03-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31463 Göbekli Tepe – Neolithic Temple or Monolithic slaughterhouse? Boshoff, Carel Willem Hendrik Göbekli Tepe is an ancient site in upper Mesopotamia recognised as an artificial mound by K Schmidt in 1994. Circles comprising large monolithic stones, described as T-pillars, were interpreted by Schmidt as ‘monumental’ and he identified the site as a sanctuary. This theory was expanded upon by numerous academics and others and soon Göbekli Tepe became known as a ritualistic centre or even a religious site or temple. The prevailing interpretation may be challenged on the premise that the construction of Göbekli Tepe had a different purpose altogether, a premise supported by environmental, geographical, archaeological and anthropological evidence, hence the topic of this proposal: was Göbekli Tepe indeed a Neolithic temple or simply a utilitarian construction used for something as mundane as a monolithic slaughterhouse, a circular building constructed of large pillars and used for the slaughter of animals and concomitant activities? Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31463 2023-12-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31159 Decolonising Tshivenda Bible translations (1936 and 1998): a tragic tale of Vhavenda, a people whose concept of God was and continues to be ploughed under by the translated Bibles Ramantswana, Hulisani Fri, 22 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31159 2023-09-22T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31104 Plague as discourse in John of Ephesus` account of the Justinianic plague (ca. 542-544 CE) De Wet, Chris L Thu, 18 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/31104 2022-08-18T00:00:00Z