ANE Today - Current News About the Ancient Past

Welcome to The Ancient Near East Today, a digital platform for public scholarship on the Ancient Near East and beyond. Whether you are a student, scholar, or enthusiast, you are bound to learn something new.

Subscribe to our Substack Newsletter!

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

Israel

From Texts to Scribes: Evidence for Writing in Ancient Israel

August 16, 2021

Sennacherib watches the fall of Lachish and a procession of Judean prisoners Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC-BY-SA-4.0

Assyria

Why Did Sennacherib Create Two Accounts of His Siege of Lachish?

August 21, 2018

Votive statue of a seated boy from the sanctuary of Eshmun at Bostan ech-Sheikh (Sidon). Marble, ca. 450-300 BCE. Photo by J. Nitschke.

Daily Life

Children in the Ancient (and Present-day) Near East

January 8, 2026

Standing conjurer with our reconstruction. Said to be from Larsa. H. 12.6 cm. 2000-1760 BCE. VA 8791 © Olaf M. Teßmer, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Vorderasiatisches Museum, and A. Nunn/H. Piening

Art

Mesopotamian Sculpture in Color

May 12, 2021

Figure 9. Camel engraving near Dumat al-Jandal, showing a detailed carving of a male camel in rut that has been re-worked multiple times. The outline has recently been scratched, giving it a lighter colour. The original line of the abdomen, the legs, and details of the neck have retained their original desert varnish. © Maria Guagnin

Art

Monumental Sandstone Reliefs from the Neolithic: New Insights from the Camel Site in Saudi Arabia

July 12, 2022

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

From Texts to Scribes: Evidence for Writing in Ancient Israel

Why Did Sennacherib Create Two Accounts of His Siege of Lachish?

Mesopotamian Sculpture in Color

Monumental Sandstone Reliefs from the Neolithic: New Insights from the Camel Site in Saudi Arabia

Decision Making and Leadership in Egyptian Warfare

Search ANE Today

Subscribe

Explore the World of ANE Today