Epidemics in Mesopotamia
Epidemics have been with us since long before the dawn of history. Three collections of documents record some of the ways ancient Near Eastern societies suffered and coped.
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?
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.
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
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
Multi-Dimensional Yahwism: The Case of the Persian Period Judaean Community in Elephantine
Post-exilic period theology centers on Nehemiah and the returnees to Jerusalem. But what about the Judean soldiers serving on the southern borders of Egypt and their religion?
The Current State of Ugaritic Studies
The coastal Syrian city of Ugarit was only discovered in 1929. Since then it has been the most important source for tablets that reveal the history and culture of the late second m