Prophecy and the Royal Court in the Ancient Near East.

Most ancient Near Eastern prophetic texts were found in royal archives, and therefore, they largely deal with the figure and person of the king in his interaction with the world around him. There is a great emphasis on war and succession, two key crisis moments for ancient Near Eastern monarchs. While the Neo-Assyrian oracles focus on these two areas using a lot of metaphors, the Old Babylonian texts from Mari also show an interest in the diplomatic relationships of the king. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]