The GALATEO (Good Attitudes for Life in Assyrian Times: Etiquette and Observance of Norms in Male and Female Groups) project aimed to understand anew the importance of etiquette in late Assyrian society (10th–7th century BCE) and to investigate through a multidisciplinary approach the extent to which etiquette influenced the subsequent cultures of the Middle East. In Middle Eastern studies, this is an unexplored field of research and its investigation shed new light on how etiquette played a fundamental role in Assyria, and in Middle Eastern societies more in general, in regulating the interactions between men, women, eunuchs, and deities. In this regard, the main issues that were addressed are 1) understanding the way that correct behavior in Assyrian society was codified and imposed during meetings, and 2) how etiquette became a means for both men and women to display their social status and gender. The first aspect was approached from a sociological perspective, in order to study gestures, postures, proxemic interactions, choice of language, and table manners; the second aspect was examined from an anthropological perspective, in order to analyse the etiquette of hygiene. The latter approach, in particular, emphasized the extent to which hygiene plays a role in assigning order and integrity to a culture or group.
The study of manners and etiquette carried out revealed how changes in the interactions between individuals, and especially in the ways in which people act, are and feel themselves to be, were linked to profound social and political changes. In this sense, the project helps us to appreciate and understand that the study of manners and etiquette is not a trivial, formal, or mechanical study of formalities, but rather a means of illuminating social changes as well as the relations between individuals and groups, especially of different sexes. This aspect is of great importance for society because it deals with societal resilience, insofar as it aimed at identifying and investigating the solutions developed by Assyrian society and later Middle Eastern cultures to face social issues, from identity preservation to natural disasters.
In practical terms, the research examined all types of available evidence, including archaeological, visual, and written sources, although much importance was given to visual evidence. The chief research objectives were:
1) the development of an adaptable theoretical model for the study of etiquette in the ancient Middle East, which works through six steps: semiotic analysis, written sources examination, analysis of environment, emotional approach, sociological and anthropological approach;
2) the publication of a research monograph, which is at its revision stage;
3) the creation of an open source Atlas. In detail, the Atlas is conceived as an open repository, in which the addition of new references to delineate the manners of a given culture can contribute to the understanding of etiquette, from the ancient to the contemporary Middle East. The Atlas structure works through a twofold search engine: “Objects Type” and “Nonverbal Communication”.
