Translating the Bible Against the Ancient Near Eastern Background
Translators try to understand the language of ancient texts and the world view of the writers. Doing so requires going beyond the literal text to try and capture the poetic meaning
The Post-2002 Fragments and the Scholars Who Turned Them Into Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 and fully published by 2001. But the next year fragments began appearing on the antiquities market, ready to satisfy eager collectors.
The Golden Pome: The Pomegranate from its Deepest Roots to Modern Culture
Pomegranates are renowned as health food but that association is very ancient. And it should not be surprising that pomegranates are also associated with powerful deities across th
Salt in Mesopotamia: A Blessing and A Curse
Salt was common in Mesopotamia; Assyriologists tend to ignore it. A closer look shows Mesopotamian writers were concerned with salinization and that salt was an integral part of di
The Bearded Figure Who Might be King
Figurines appear in the Iron Age Levant but very few are made of the material called faience. Fewer still can be plausibly interpreted as representing an actual king.
Marvel Meets Mesopotamia: How Modern Comics Preserve Ancient Myths
Superheroes fight the battles the rest of us never could, but that idea is surprisingly ancient. So it’s not surprising that the original superhero, Gilgamesh, has teamed up with
Making Bibles in Early America
“Making a bible” in early America involved both paper and ink and a universe of culturalpractices and assumptions by which early Americans related to each other and to the Bibl
Where Do Cats Come From?
Across the centuries, cats have accompanied people all over the world along trade routes. There are currently more than 1.2 billion feral and pet cats across all continents except
Northern Exposure: Tel Abel Beth Maacah after Six Seasons of Excavation
The northernmost major site in Israel has been excavated for six seasons, bringing to light remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages. The project directors present a summary of some o
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.