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?
Sheshonq (Shishak) in Palestine: Old Paradigms and New Vistas
April 2021 | Vol. 9.4 By Felix Höflmayer and Roman Gundacker Pharaoh Sheshonq I (c. 943-923 BCE) is traditionally viewed as the founder of the 22nd Dynasty, which, due to the king
![Picture of the Theodotus Inscription from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel: “Theodotus—son of Vettenus, priest and the ruler of the synagogue, son of the ruler of the synagogue, and grandson of the ruler of the synagogue—built this synagogue, which his ancestors, the elders, and Simonides laid the foundation of, for the reading of the Law and the teaching of its commands. [He built] the guest-chamber, the rooms, and the plumbing for the lodging of those who are in need from a foreign country” (Hannah M. Cotton et al., Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae: A Multilingual Corpus of Inscriptions from Alexander to Muhammad [Berlin: de Gruyter, 2008], I.1.9; © and translation by D. Clint Burnett).](https://anetoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Image-6.jpg)
Reading Inscriptions Alongside the New Testament
April 2021 | Vol. 9.4 By D. Clint Burnett Inscriptions, messages engraved on durable materials, play an important but underappreciated role in our earliest Christian documents, inc
The (Historical) Origin of God
March 2021 | Vol. 9.3 By Theodore J. Lewis When a historian of Israelite religion talks of the origin of God, she certainly doesn’t mean ontology. Proofs for the existence of God
Are Monuments History? (Neo-) Hittite Meditations on Two Memes
Many societies express power by building monuments to commemorate people or events. Tearing down monuments are also expressions of power, but of a different sort.