From Texts to Scribes: Evidence for Writing in Ancient Israel
What do we know about ancient Israel’s scribal culture? Can two words in the biblical text, the verb ‘write’ (katav) and the noun ‘scribe’ (sofer) help us understand the
Why Did the World End in 1200 BCE?
The year 1200 BCE has iconic status in histories of the ancient world. But did an English polymath and a German historian who liked round numbers foist this on the world?
Neo-Assyrian Legal Practices – Law Without Lawyers
Assyria in the first millennium BCE was filled with lawsuits but no lawyers. What do we know about courts, evidence, criminal versus civil law, and ultimately, justice?
Cognitive Science and the Ancient Near Eastern Religious Imagination
Ancient religions imagined all sorts of animals and demons. Cognitive science suggests how humans understood these hybrids, and when they became too much to comprehend.
Contacts Between the Cuneiform Cultures and India
Cultures of Mesopotamia and Western Iran were in contact with the Indian world for millennia. But while elephants were moved from India to Mesopotamia, it is still difficult to est
Did an Academic Outsider Determine What Saved Jerusalem from Conquest by the Assyrian Emperor Sennacherib in 701 BCE?
Academics don’t have all the answers. A new look at a neglected book by a journalist suggests an intriguing solution to the question of who saved Jerusalem from Sennacherib’s a
New Symbols of Hierarchy: On the Origins of the Cartouche and Encircling Symbolism in Old Kingdom Pyramids
In Old Kingdom Egypt the famous symbol known as the cartouche emerged. What did this complex image of encircling represent and why did it persist for 2000 years?
A Treasure Quest in the Copper Scroll from Qumran
The Copper Scroll from Qumran has puzzled scholars and the public since its discovery in 1952. Are the treasures it describes real or imaginary? And is the journey to find them rea
Assurbanipal’s iPad: Wax Boards in the Ancient Near East
Writing on wax began in Mesopotamia and spread to the Mediterranean and Europe. But some lingering questions may have finally been answered by a science project with children.
Temples and Cult Places in Iron Age Transjordan
Many temples and cult places are known from Iron Age Israel but what about in Transjordan? What does a look at these sites reveal about cult and religion in Moab, Ammon, and Edom?