The Symbolic Representation of the Cosmos in the Hittite Rock Sanctuary of Yazılıkaya
The Hittite sanctuary at Yazılıkaya functioned as a calendar. But the carefully carved galleries of gods and goddesses depicted much more, a representation of the cosmos moving t
Housewives, Weavers and Businesswomen: Assyrian Women from Assur and Kanesh
In the 19th century BCE men from Assur traveled a thousand kilometers to the northwest to conduct trade. But archives show that their wives kept the households together and were ke
The Art of Conservative Rebellion: A Short Introduction to the First Sealand Dynasty
Until recently, almost nothing was known of the “kings of Urukug” – better known as the Sealand. New tablets and excavations are now revealing this small southern Babylonian
The Geography of the Neo-Assyrian Empire
may 2021 | Vol. 9.5 By Ariel M. Bagg The Neo-Assyrian Empire was constructed over a period of about 300 years from the late 10th to the late 7th centuries BCE by powerful kings. It
Monotheism or Monopoly? Akhenaten and His Religious-Political Reform
Few ancient personalities excite as much interest as Akhenaten. Was he an enlightened religious leader and an idealistic politician, or was he mentally ill and physically frail?
Mesopotamian Sculpture in Color
Like other ancient sculpture, Mesopotamian statues were painted. Small traces can now be analyzed with scientific techniques and help explain Mesopotamian concepts such as “posit
Glass: Lapis Lazuli from the Kiln
Like other ancient sculpture, Mesopotamian statues were painted. Small traces can now be analyzed with scientific techniques and help explain Mesopotamian concepts such as “posit
My Meeting with Mellaart or, Dutch Cigars and the Case of the Missing Wall Paintings
April 2021 | Vol. 9.4 By Alex Joffe As a young and arrogant graduate student in the 1980s I had a way of barging in unannounced on famous archaeologists. So it was in 1987 or so th
Condemning Statues
April 2021 | Vol. 9.4 By Simon Connor The summer of 2020 gave us the occasion to observe a phenomenon as old as the hills and yet more witnessed than ever in the current climate: t
Excessive and Deviant Consumption in the Hebrew Bible
April 2021 | Vol. 9.4 By Rebekah Welton Food and drink permeate biblical texts. This is unsurprising considering all human beings eat and drink, and since production and processing