The Enigmatic Tablets from Late Bronze Age Deir ‘Alla
January 2021 | Vol. 9.1 By Michel de Vreeze On April 1, 1964 Henk Franken and his Leiden University based team stumbled upon two clay tablets. Two days later a third tablet was fou
Sinai in Ten Maps
January 2021 | Vol. 9.1 By Ahmed Shams Can ten maps sum up the history of an ancient land mass? Moreover, can they tell us about the region’s future? Determining where humans se
Saqqara in 3D: A New Look at an Ancient Site
January 2021 | Vol. 9.1 By Elaine Sullivan The Saqqara cemetery, located about 15 kilometers south of the Giza pyramids, is one of Egypt’s most spectacular tourist sites. Modern
Fish Sauces – The Food that Made Rome Great
January 2021 | Vol. 9.1 By Benedict Lowe Recent research has done much to stress the importance of fish in the ancient Roman diet. But there were many ways to consume fish. The mos
A Calendar in Stone: Hittite Yazılıkaya
All cultures have calendars. Some also make stone monuments. Hittites’ stone calendar included depictions of some of their thousands of gods.
The Greek Alphabet: Older Than You May Think?
March 2019 | Vol. 7.3 By Willemijn Waal The Greek alphabet is often considered to be the first ‘true’ alphabet, from which all modern alphabets are derived. So why does it look
The Cross: History, Art and Controversy
The Christian cross is a ubiquitous symbol today, but actual images of the cross were uncommon in Christian iconography before the mid-4th century.
Hebrew as the Language behind the World’s First Alphabet?
Which Semitic language – and people – stands behind the enigmatic Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions? A controversial proposal brings us back to familiar, if equally controversial, gr