How Old is the Hebrew Bible?
Is the Bible as old as Moses or as young as the Hellenistic period? A new book argues that looking closely at Biblical language and context suggests many ‘ages.’
What Sorts of Rituals Really Went on Inside Late Babylonian Temples?
From Aristotle to John Adams, great minds of government have revered Carthaginian democracy as the purest expression of a people’s will. What impact did it have in the developmen
Smellscapes in Ancient Egypt
From Aristotle to John Adams, great minds of government have revered Carthaginian democracy as the purest expression of a people’s will. What impact did it have in the developmen
Writing and Rewriting the Story of Solomon in Ancient Israel
The Bible regards Solomon as the greatest and wisest of kings. But which Solomon are we talking about, that of Samuel-Kings or Chronicles? And which is closer to ‘history’?
Moses–Yahweh’s Idol?
Prophet. Lawgiver. Deliverer. Judge. None of the terms used to describe Moses fully describe his status. But what if we look outside of the Bible for other ancient Near Eastern ter
Trees and Power in Aegean Art
Every society has symbols of leadership, and in a surprising number of Mediterranean and Near Eastern societies these are trees. A look at tiny examples of Aegean art gives some hi
Rock Art in Central Sahara: From Analogue to Digital
There are hundreds of thousands of examples of rock art in the Sahara, dating from the present back to over 10,000 years ago. But with access currently difficult thanks to unrest,
Peqi‘in Cave—A Unique Chalcolithic Cemetery in the Southern Levant
Peqi‘in Cave— A unique Chalcolithic cemetery in the Southern Levant Over the course of 500 years people brought their dead to a cave in the Galilee. But behind the decorated fa
How Two Historians Reconstruct the Lives of Ancient Children
Children often seem missing from accounts of the past, including ancient Israel. Two new books describe ways to put children back in the picture and to understand their many meanin