Divine Channels: Rediscovering the Canal Networks of the Assyrian Empire
Today northern Iraq is a land of rolling plains and a few rivers. But Assyrian kings cut immense canals into the landscape for irrigation and transportation.
The Ancient Salt Industry on the Mediterranean Coast of Israel
The Exodus from Egypt was a foundational event for the Israelites. But where exactly did they cross the ‘Red Sea’? Scholars have debated this question for centuries, as have ma
Making, Trading, and Consuming Phoenician Wine
Phoenicia was an ancient and acclaimed wine making region. New studies are showing how Phoenician wine was made at home and influenced viticulture around the Mediterranean.
Mesopotamian Sculpture in Color
Like other ancient sculpture, Mesopotamian statues were painted. Small traces can now be analyzed with scientific techniques and help explain Mesopotamian concepts such as “posit
Glass: Lapis Lazuli from the Kiln
Like other ancient sculpture, Mesopotamian statues were painted. Small traces can now be analyzed with scientific techniques and help explain Mesopotamian concepts such as “posit
Eggstraordinary Objects
February 2021 | Vol. 9.2 By Tamar Hodos In the interconnected world of the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, Assyrians, and Egyptians, ostrich eggs were coveted by elites across the Med
Pickles and Prehistory
Yeast is having a rare moment. Everyone knows about yeast and brewing, but have we been missing the revolutionary role of fermentation in food preservation?
The Ancient Lands of Honey: Middle East, Egypt, Greece
Long before sugar, there was honey. How did this sticky sweetness go from something collected by brave hunter-gatherers to an industrial product?