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Recent Articles

Map of Cyprus from 1873-1874 CE, while under Ottoman control. Public Domain via Wikimedia.

History

Cyprus Through Syrian Eyes: Reflections on Hanna Diyab’s 1707 Travels

October 22, 2026

Close-up of a seal impression on a mudstopper from Saqqara tomb S3503 with serekhs (rectangular symbols that were used to frame an Egyptian king’s name in the Early Dynastic period). Courtesy of the Egypt Exploration Society; used with permission from the author.

Digital Archaeology

Did Meretneith Rule Egypt as a Female King in the First Dynasty?

October 1, 2026

Nahal Omer textile collection: a. Supplementary weft cotton; b. Ikat cotton; b. Wool fragment; d. Green cotton with Ikat patch e. wool and cotton; f. Supplementary weft cotton; g. silk.

Archaeological Method

From Trash to Treasure: Nahal Omer and the Virtual Silk Road

September 17, 2026

Featured Articles

A fingerprint found on a figurine. Photo by A. Sanders.

Craft & Industry

Potters and Their Fingerprints

August 8, 2019

Figure 5: Relief sculpture showing a hunting dog involved in a lion hunt. From the so-called Alexander Sarcophagus from the ‘Ayaa Necropolis in Sidon. Late 4th century BCE. Photograph: Jessica Nitschke

Animals

Dogs as Part of the Social Fabric of Iron Age Settlements

October 5, 2023

The linear alphabet continued to be written irregularly through the 11th century BCE; note that the alefs in the Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription from Judah face no less than three different directions! Adapted by S.L. Sanders from drawing by A. Yardeni in Khirbet Qeiyafa 1: Excavation Report 2007-2008 (2009).

Language & Writing

Who Really Invented the Alphabet?

August 24, 2023

Masgouf is considered a national dish of Iraq. Tigris River carp is butterflied, heavily salted, and slow-grilled over an open flame and seasoned with spices. Photo by Hill93, CC By-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia.

Agriculture

Salt in Mesopotamia: A Blessing and A Curse

February 24, 2019

Carthage, necropolis of Dermech, tomb 10: Black African mask, c. mid-7th century BC (Wikimedia Commons).

Phoenicians

Phoenician and Punic Masks: What Are They and What Were They Good For?

April 24, 2019

Recent Articles

Cyprus Through Syrian Eyes: Reflections on Hanna Diyab’s 1707 Travels

Did Meretneith Rule Egypt as a Female King in the First Dynasty?

From Trash to Treasure: Nahal Omer and the Virtual Silk Road

Featured Articles

Potters and Their Fingerprints

Who Really Invented the Alphabet?

Salt in Mesopotamia: A Blessing and A Curse

Phoenician and Punic Masks: What Are They and What Were They Good For?

Dreams of Early Ancient Egypt

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