The Shavei Zion Figurine Assemblage. A Cultic Site at Sea
An underwater discovery off the coast of Israel revealed terracotta figurines. But there was no shipwreck and the finds dated across hundreds of years of the Iron Age. Was this an
Data Science and the Bible: Rediscovering the History of the Christian Bible in Ethiopia
Ethiopia was one of the first Christian societies to translate the Bible into a local language. Thanks to data science, the patterns of transmission are now coming into better focu
Aspects of Daily Life in Ancient Egyptian Letters
Ancient Egyptian art gives an idealized view of that world. In contrast, letters are personal and direct, as in what happens when a leased donkey isn’t returned on time.
Rethinking Slavery in the Ancient Near East
Our picture of slavery is often conditioned by images of the American South and other situations. But in the Ancient Near East slavery was far more complicated.
Divine Channels: Rediscovering the Canal Networks of the Assyrian Empire
Today northern Iraq is a land of rolling plains and a few rivers. But Assyrian kings cut immense canals into the landscape for irrigation and transportation.
The Location of the Biblical ‘Red Sea’
The Exodus from Egypt was a foundational event for the Israelites. But where exactly did they cross the ‘Red Sea’? Scholars have debated this question for centuries, as have ma
Royal Illness in the Bible and the Ancient Near East
The Exodus from Egypt was a foundational event for the Israelites. But where exactly did they cross the ‘Red Sea’? Scholars have debated this question for centuries, as have ma
Altered States and Paleolithic Caves
Humans have been using caves for at least 100,000 years. Caves let humans get closer to the entities below, but does oxygen deprivation help create altered states and worldly wonde
The Ancient Salt Industry on the Mediterranean Coast of Israel
The Exodus from Egypt was a foundational event for the Israelites. But where exactly did they cross the ‘Red Sea’? Scholars have debated this question for centuries, as have ma
Making, Trading, and Consuming Phoenician Wine
Phoenicia was an ancient and acclaimed wine making region. New studies are showing how Phoenician wine was made at home and influenced viticulture around the Mediterranean.