Ceremonial Standards in the Visual Culture of Early Mesopotamia
August 2023 | Vol. 11.8 By Renate van Dijk-Coombes Ceremonial standards feature prominently in the iconography of ancient Mesopotamia. Today when we think of standards, we usually
Who Invented Idolatry?
June 2023 | Vol. 11.6 By Daniel Barbu In late antiquity, Christian authors triumphantly celebrated the end of polytheism and idolatry: Christ had vanquished the demons and the Chur
The Başbük Rock Wall Panel: Serving Empire, Honoring Syro-Anatolian Gods
april 2023 | Vol. 11.4 By Mehmet Önal , Celal Uludağ, Yusuf Koyuncu and Selim Ferruh Adalı Authors’ note: A catastrophic earthquake, the epicentre of which was Türkiye’s so
The Meaning and Symbolism of Swimming-Girl Spoons from Egypt
april 2023 | Vol. 11.4 By Peter Lacovara In ancient Egypt, cosmetics were important for both the living and the dead, as maintaining a youthful and beautiful appearance was deemed
Are Possession and Other Spirit Phenomena Depicted in the Hebrew Bible?
March 2023 | Vol. 11.3 By Reed Carlson Pop culture tropes have often had an outsized influence on how laypersons and scholars alike conceive of possession and other similar spirit
The “Tomb of Absalom”: The Earliest Judeo-Christian Place of Pilgrimage in Jerusalem
March 2023 | Vol. 11.3 By Joe Zias The so-called Tomb of Absalom in Jerusalem is one of the more popular pilgrimage sites since the Late Roman period. It is also one of the most en
Achieving Divinity: “Golden Mummies of Egypt” at Manchester Museum
March 2023 | Vol. 11.3 By Campbell Price An international touring exhibition “Golden Mummies of Egypt”, consisting of 107 objects from Manchester Museum, has recently returned
Absences, Archaeology, and the Early History of Monotheistic Religions in the Near East
February 2023 | Vol. 11.2 By Robin Derricourt In my writing I use archaeology and history together to understand phenomena of the deep past. I have authored survey volumes on inter
Death Wishes in the Hebrew Bible
December 2022 | Vol. 10.12 By Hanne Løland Levinson Many of us in the depths of despair have wished for death. What about figures in the Hebrew Bible? “Enough! Now, YHWH, take m
The Babylonian Akītu Festival and the Ritual Humiliation of the King
September 2022 | Vol. 10.9 By Sam Mirelman Many Mesopotamian festivals are known, but only one involved a priest striking the king. The akītu was one of the most importa