Exploring the Book of the Dead through the Getty Collection
November 2023 | Vol. 11.11 By Sara E. Cole “Book of the Dead” is a modern term to describe a series of ancient Egyptian ritual spells (instructions and incantations). These hel
Archaeology of the Silk Road: What Lies Ahead?
November 2023 | Vol. 11.11 By Kate Franklin The idea of the Silk Road seems to be everywhere: bestselling books, museum exhibits, conferences, tours, travelogues, and geopolitical
Gender in the Ancient Near East and Egypt
November 2023 | Vol. 11.11 By Stephanie Budin Sex and gender have become central topics of discussion and scholarship in a wide variety of fields, ever since second-wave feminism e
A Reverse History of the Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria: From the Underwater Remains to the First Structure
October 2023 | Vol. 11.10 By Michael Denis Higgins The Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria on the Mediterranean coastline of Egypt existed for 1600 years, through three major political
How Empires and Cities in the Ancient Near East Accelerated Wealth Inequality
October 2023 | Vol. 11.10 By Andrea Squitieri and Mark Altaweel The rise and economic development of mostly Western states from the 18th to 20th centuries resulted in increased ph
Beyond the Fertile Crescent: Life in the Black Desert
October 2023 | Vol. 11.10 By Yorke M. Rowan The forbidding landscape known as the Black Desert is created by lava flows stretching from southern Syria to northern Saudi Arabia that
Dogs as Part of the Social Fabric of Iron Age Settlements
October 2023 | Vol. 11.10 By Lidar Sapir-Hen and Deirdre N. Fulton The interaction of humans with their best friend, the dog, is extensively studied. In historical periods, evidenc
Maritime Viewscapes and the Material Religion of Levantine Seafarers
September 2023 | Vol. 11.9 By Aaron Brody For ancient peoples, travel was profoundly liminal. Voyaging at sea was doubly liminal, leaving the safety of land and existing in a state
Horvat Midras (Israel): A Window into Socio-Religious Change in Rural Roman Palestine
September 2023 | Vol. 11.9 By Orit Peleg-Barkat and Gregg E. Gardner The ongoing excavation of Horvat Midras/Khirbet Durusiya (Israel) provides an opportunity to study changes in t
The Harsh Life of Diplomatic Messengers in Egypt in the Late Bronze Age
September 2023 | Vol. 11.9 By Mohy-Eldin E. Abo-Eleaz International relations in Egypt during the Late Bronze Age (~1500 BCE – 1200 BCE) depended mainly on diplomatic envoys; the