What is Karaism and Are There Still Karaites?
august 2024 | Vol. 12.8 By Daniel J. Lasker Anyone familiar with a typical synagogue would be surprised by this photograph. Men are wearing skullcaps and prayer shawls. The ark is
The Relationship Between “Jews” and “Israelites” After the Babylonian Exile
july 2022 | Vol. 10.7 By Jason Staples In his review of Karl Georg Kuhn’s Achtzehngebet und Vaterunser und der Reim, the Dutch Biblical scholar M.A. Beek fondly recalls
Were There Sumerians?
February 2022 | Vol. 10.2 By Paul Collins The Sumerians can seem very familiar. They have been understood as a distinct people, speaking a common language, who occupied the alluvia
The Exceptional Career of a Mesopotamian Ruler without a Crown: Kudur-Mabuk and the Kingship of Larsa
January 2022 | Vol. 10.1 By Baptiste Fiette Where did Mesopotamian kings come from? In the second third of the 19th century BCE, the kingdom of Larsa in southern Mesopotamia went t
David and Solomon’s Kingdom as a State: An Archaeo-Historical Anachronism
Archaeologists have spent much time and energy looking for ‘states’ in the past, including in ancient Israel. Not surprisingly, they find them. But what is a 'state', and how d
Why Did the World End in 1200 BCE?
The year 1200 BCE has iconic status in histories of the ancient world. But did an English polymath and a German historian who liked round numbers foist this on the world?
Did an Academic Outsider Determine What Saved Jerusalem from Conquest by the Assyrian Emperor Sennacherib in 701 BCE?
Academics don’t have all the answers. A new look at a neglected book by a journalist suggests an intriguing solution to the question of who saved Jerusalem from Sennacherib’s a
New Symbols of Hierarchy: On the Origins of the Cartouche and Encircling Symbolism in Old Kingdom Pyramids
In Old Kingdom Egypt the famous symbol known as the cartouche emerged. What did this complex image of encircling represent and why did it persist for 2000 years?
The Art of Conservative Rebellion: A Short Introduction to the First Sealand Dynasty
Until recently, almost nothing was known of the “kings of Urukug” – better known as the Sealand. New tablets and excavations are now revealing this small southern Babylonian
Monotheism or Monopoly? Akhenaten and His Religious-Political Reform
Few ancient personalities excite as much interest as Akhenaten. Was he an enlightened religious leader and an idealistic politician, or was he mentally ill and physically frail?