"In antiquity, as in modernity, titles were conferred on persons both as identifying markers of their function-related roles in society and as honorary epithets assigning specific status. In Egypt, even more than in Mesopotamia, function-related and honorary appellations were so valued that officials and functionaries of varying stations collected the titles accrued in their lifetime and preserved them in titularies resembling modern-day resumes.

Israelites serving at the royal courts in Jerusalem and Samaria or in local administrations held titles as well, though, in the light of extant sources, far fewer than their neighbors.".

"The primary focus of Nili Fox's study is an analysis of the titles and roles of civil officials and functionaries - including key ministers of the central government, regional administrators, and palace attendants - in Israel and Judah during the monarchic period. The nineteen titles she examines fall into three categories: status-related titles; function-related titles; and miscellaneous designations that could be held by a variety of functionaries."--BOOK JACKET.