What is a ‘House of a God’?
Ancient Near Eastern temples are frequently described as a ‘house of a God’? But what can we learn when temples do not resemble houses?
A Calendar in Stone: Hittite Yazılıkaya
All cultures have calendars. Some also make stone monuments. Hittites’ stone calendar included depictions of some of their thousands of gods.
Resurrection in the Mediterranean World
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth gradually made its way around the ancient Mediterranean world. But it fell on fertile ground because the idea of resur
Human Sacrifice in the Ancient Near East and Egypt
Human sacrifice was never very common, but it occurred around the world. And as with many things, what mattered what who was doing the sacrificing.
Birth and Rebirth in Ancient Egypt
Birth is one of the most dangerous parts of life. But for ancient Egyptians the birth of a child had a counterpart: the rebirth after death. Both of these were necessary to maintai
What Sorts of Rituals Really Went on Inside Late Babylonian Temples?
From Aristotle to John Adams, great minds of government have revered Carthaginian democracy as the purest expression of a people’s will. What impact did it have in the developmen
Phoenician and Punic Masks: What Are They and What Were They Good For?
Many human societies created masks, but they were especially common in the Eastern Mediterranean. Phoenician masks spread from east to west, but what were they for and why did the
Where Does Yhwh Come From?
The God of the Hebrew Bible is universal, but everyone – and every idea - comes from someone. What does a close reading of sources both within and outside of the Bible suggest ab
The Golden Pome: The Pomegranate from its Deepest Roots to Modern Culture
Pomegranates are renowned as health food but that association is very ancient. And it should not be surprising that pomegranates are also associated with powerful deities across th
How Eclipses Were Regarded as Omens in the Ancient World
Humans have long been fascinated by celestial events. In the ancient world, eclipses were regarded as signs of things to come.