Letters have weight: weighted 'k'-shells in a Neo-Assyrian co-attestation network

Abstract

Network Analysis is still gaining momentum within Neo-Assyrian (c. 934-612 BCE) scholarship. Studies are exploring different types of networks, and what various centrality measures highlight in their datasets. In this contribution, we suggest how weighted k-core centrality could be used in the identification of elite groups within a co-attestation network. The network is built from co-attestations in correspondence dated to the reign of Sargon II (721-705 BCE), and we present a weighting scheme that reflects the strength of communication between those attested in a single document. We then use this weighting scheme to identify the weighted k-shells of the network. Our results align with a group whom traditional Assyriological research has identified as part of the elite, and they show promise for further studies into Neo-Assyrian elites.

Keywords

• neo-assyria
• k-core
• elites
• centralities
• sargon ii