Jesus in Non-Christian Sources
Jesus is a ubiquitous figure but our textual perspectives are obviously skewed. What do non-Christian sources say about Jesus, his life and death?
Who Are the “Best-Connected” Members of the ASOR Community?
The annual ASOR meeting is a really big show, with hundreds of participants. But an analysis shows that those many hundreds of participants are linked in unusual ways.
Arabic Medieval Cookbooks in English Translation: Treasure Troves for Near Eastern Material Culture
Medieval cookbooks present hundreds of recipes, including a surprising number for sparrow. But they tell us much more than about food; they provide a picture of life and manners.
A Beehive from Solomon’s Pools (in the Albright Attic)
Beekeeping is an ancient human activity but archaeological evidence for it is difficult to find. An ancient jar from an unlikely spot, the attic of the Albright Institute, may be o
Phoenician and Punic Masks: What Are They and What Were They Good For?
Many human societies created masks, but they were especially common in the Eastern Mediterranean. Phoenician masks spread from east to west, but what were they for and why did the
Where Does Yhwh Come From?
The God of the Hebrew Bible is universal, but everyone – and every idea - comes from someone. What does a close reading of sources both within and outside of the Bible suggest ab
From Nippur to Ground Zero
All cuneiform tablets take a journey from the Mesopotamian past to the global present. Only a few were in a Customs Service vault at the World Trade Center on 9/11.
New Discoveries at Sela, the Mountain Stronghold of Edom
High atop a rocky plateau in southern Jordan is an Iron Age site whose survival depended on water management. It seems an unlikely location, but the Babylonian king Nabonidus had n
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