Content area
Full text
The development of states coincides with the continuous (re)definition of administrative limits, according to Kutsal Yesilkagit, in this response to Christopher Hood. Hood's thought-provoking essay suggests putting the concept of administrative limits to greater use as an analytical concept and explores the idea of administrative limits from three basic ways of thinking: cybernetics, economics and cultural theory. This author critically analyzes one of Hood's main conclusions-that different types of administrative limits may exist, and that "what kinds of limits we find where is likely to remain a central and contested issue in administrative analysis."
"Be faithful, o Niqmaddu, to the alliance of friendship with the Land of Hatti, and you will see then how the Great King deals with the kings of Nuhashshi, and the king of Mukish who abandoned the alliance of friendship with the Land of Hatti and became the enemies of the Great King their master" (quoted in Bryce 2005, 165). Thus wrote Suppiluliuma (ca. 1350-1322 bce), one of the greatest kings of the Hittites, to his loyal vassal Niqmaddu. From a scarce number of sources arises a picture of a Hittite king's life and work, which was largely about the conquering and reconquering of smaller rulers at the outer skirts of his heartland. This was no easy task. At the height of its power, the kingdom of the Hittites stretched from the Aegean coast of present-day Turkey to Syria in the south. When the king was on expedition in some part of the kingdom, riots and upheavals could break out in other parts. Geography put a hard limit on the administration of the Hittite rulers, which could be achieved only temporarily by treaties with vassal rulers or by the appointment of relatives as viceroys in conquered territories. Even still, the king's administration could only monitor the behavior of his vassals, not that of the people of the vassal state itself.
The development of states, one could argue, coincides with the continuous (re) definition of administrative limits. In his thought-provoking essay, Christopher Hood argues for putting the concept of administrative limits to greater use as an analytical concept, and explores die idea of administrative limits from three basic ways of thinking: cybernetics, economics, and cultural theory. One of his main conclusions...