From Monolatry to Monotheism: The Changing Face of the Biblical Pantheon
Exclusive worship of a single god defied the religious norms of the ancient world. So how did Yahweh’s followers push their deity to the top of the divine hierarchy?
What is a God in the Hebrew Bible? Part 2: Characteristics and Hierarchy
Multiple characters in the bible can be classified as gods. What characteristics make them gods, and what is the relationship between them?
What is a God in the Hebrew Bible? Part I: The Divine Cast of Characters
Many people assume there is only one god in the Old Testament—one who is both omniscient and omnipotent. However, a closer look reveals many other gods who differ from the stereo
What is a God in the Ancient Near East?
What is a god? While the question is simple enough, the answer depends on context and perspective.
Person, Place, and Object: Ritual Healing in Roman and Late Antique Palestine
October 2024 | Vol. 12.10 By Megan Nutzman Malaria, battle wounds, pregnancy, scorpion stings, sciatica: these are just a few of the medical concerns that regularly appear in ancie
Osiris Must Die – Understanding the Practice of “Menacing the Gods” in Ancient Egyptian Magic
September 2024 | Vol. 12.9 By Franziska Naether Ancient Egyptian magical texts offer a rich repository of spells and incantations designed to manipulate divine forces for diverse p
No One Thought to Ask the Fruits: Revealing Philistines’ Traditions
June 2024 | Vol. 12.6 By Suembikya Frumin The Philistines (ca. 1200-604 BCE) left no textual sources for understanding their religion, and its study has traditionally been based on
How Did Cyrus the Great Die?
April 2024 | Vol. 12.4 By Morteza Arabzadeh Sarbanani As far as we know, Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, probably died around 530 BCE at the age of seven
A Girl’s Helping Hand on the Journey to the Afterlife: Alabaster Ishtar-Aphrodite Figurines from Seleucid-Parthian Babylonia
December 2023 | Vol. 11.12 By Stephanie M. Langin-Hooper Sometime late in the Seleucid or early in the Parthian period (c. 2nd century BCE), a family living in or near Babylon grie
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