Introduction

"Losing one's head" is a psychological or physical state entailing the annihilation of self-control. This consideration forms the premise for some reflections on the meanings of decapitation in the archaic cultures of the Near East, for those who inflict it and those who suffer it. The analysis starts from the interpretation of some figurative conventions and their differing associations in the works under consideration. In these works, the act of decapitation – ongoing or shown as a fait accompli in the form of the severed head itself – is a significant component or sometimes even the focal point of the action represented.