Ancient history Books

Book SynopsisThis volume—the companion book to the special exhibition Back to School in Babylonia of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago—explores education in the Old Babylonian period through the lens of House F in Nippur, excavated jointly by the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1950s and widely believed to have been a scribal school. The book’s twenty essays offer a state-of-the-art synthesis of research on the history of House F and the educational curriculum documented on the many tablets discovered there, while the catalog’s five chapters present the 126 objects included in the exhibition, the vast majority of them cuneiform tablets.Table of ContentsContents Foreword. Theo van den Hout Foreword. Eleanor Robson Preface. Marc Maillot Acknowledgments. Susanne Paulus List of Contributors Part I: Essays 1. Back to School in Babylonia: The Aims of Babylonian Education. Susanne Paulus 2. Old Babylonian Nippur in Its Environmental and Historical Settings. Hervé Reculeau 3. The Archaeology of Nippur’s House F and Its Neighborhood. Augusta McMahon 4. Living the Edubbaʾa: School as Sensory Experience and Social Identity. Madeline Ouimet 5. Economic Life in the Scribal Quarter of Nippur. Anne Goddeeris 6. Literacy in the Old Babylonian Period. Dominique Charpin 7. Reconstructing the Elementary Nippur Curriculum. Niek Veldhuis 8. Learning the Basics: The First Steps at School. Klaus Wagensonner 9. Complex Lists: Between Didactics and Erudition. Marta Díaz Herrera 10. Bilingualism and Akkadian. Jay Crisostomo 11. Sumerian Grammar for Babylonians. Colton G. Siegmund 12. Sumerian Proverbs. William A. Younger 13. What Did They Learn about Mathematics? Barbora Wichterlová 14. Practicing Law. Susanne Paulus 15. The Decad and Scribal Errors. Paul Delnero 16. Adventures in a Legendary Past: Tales of Long-Ago Kings as Cultural Education. Jane Gordon 17. Learning History. Piotr Michalowski 18. What Did They Learn about Myths and Religion? Christopher Metcalf 19. Learning Rhetoric through Sumerian Disputations. Catherine Mittermayer 20. What Did They Learn about Women? Jana Matuszak Part II: Catalog 21. Discovering a School in Nippur. Madeline Ouimet and Susanne Paulus, with Laura D'Alessandro and Alison Whyte 22. School Life in House F. Marta Díaz Herrera, Jane Gordon, Danielle Levy, Madeline Ouimet, Susanne Paulus, and Ryan D. Winters 23. The Curriculum: From Signs to Literature. Marta Díaz Herrera, Jane Gordon, Madeline Ouimet, Susanne Paulus, and Colton G. Siegmund 24. Topics of Education. Marta Díaz Herrera, Jane Gordon, Jana Matuszak, Madeline Ouimet, Susanne Paulus, Colton G. Siegmund, Barbora Wichterlová, and Ryan D. Winters 25. After School. Susanne Paulus, Colton G. Siegmund, and Ryan D. Winters List of Compositions Concordance of Museum Registration Numbers Bibliography

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Book SynopsisA fascinating, richly illustrated study of the role and significance of ancient statues in Egyptian history and beliefWhy do ancient Egyptian statues so often have their noses, hands, or genitals broken? Although the Late Antiquity period appears to have been one of the major moments of large-scale vandalism against pagan monuments, various contexts bear witness to several phases of reuse, modification, or mutilation of statues throughout and after the pharaonic period. Reasons for this range from a desire to erase the memory of specific rulers or individuals for ideological reasons to personal vengeance, war, tomb plundering, and the avoidance of a curse; or simply the reuse of material for construction or the need to ritually “deactivate” and bury old statues, without the added motive of explicit hostility toward the subject in question.Drawing on the latest scholarship and over 100 carefully selected illustrations, Ancient Egyptian Statues proceeds from a general discussion of the production and meaning of sculptures, and the mechanisms of their destruction, to review the role of ancient statuary in Egyptian history and belief. It then moves on to explore the various means of damage and their significance, and the role of restoration and reuse.Art historian Simon Connor offers an innovative and lucidly written reflection on beliefs and practices relating to statuary, and images more broadly, in ancient Egypt, showing how statues were regarded as the active manifestations of the entities they represented, and the ways in which they could endure many lives before being finally buried or forgotten.Trade Review"Simon Connor has brilliantly synthesized his recent scholarship on Egyptian statues to produce a masterpiece. Connor looks carefully at the evidence of the statues themselves, especially the kinds of alterations they suffered over the entirety of their existence. He offers lucid and jargon-free interpretations of what he sees. Both experienced scholars and students will greatly benefit from reading this book."—Edward Bleiberg, Brooklyn Museum“This is a long-needed, tremendously exciting study and there is probably no better individual to undertake it than Simon Connor. While there are numerous volumes on ancient Egyptian sculpture, few delve into the matters addressed in Ancient Egyptian Statues and none approach it as a principal focus.”—Peter Lacovara, The Ancient Egyptian Archaeology and Heritage Fund and co-author of Nubian Gold"Simon Connor’s concise account of ancient Egyptian sculpture is a totally original, well informed, and fascinating look at why statues were made, how they were regarded, and how and why they were used and reused for many different purposes. This beautifully illustrated book holds many surprising facts and insights on the production and consumption of art in antiquity. A must read for anyone who loves Egyptian sculpture."—Emily Teeter, University of Chicago"Simon Connor tells an engaging story of ancient Egyptian statues, from their creation and original placement to their reuse in various and sometimes surprising contexts. His wide-ranging selection of examples and his comprehensive bibliography provide ample material for study for scholars and Egyptophiles alike."—Ronald J. Leprohon, University of Toronto"This important new study challenges the pervasive (Western) notion that statues capture one moment in time. Pharaonic sculpture can seem particularly static. Simon Connor masterfully demonstrates the constant dialogue between people and Egyptian sculptures, charting multiple lives and afterlives."—Campbell Price, University of ManchesterTable of ContentsAcknowledgments1. Statues Carry the Mark of History2. Statues in Egypt3. Bringing a Statue to Life4. Intentionally Mutilated or Accidentally Damaged?5. Destroying to Annihilate6. Remembering to Forget7. Magic or Ritual Act8. Restoring, Transforming to Re-activate9. Dismantling to Reuse10. Mutilating to De-activate?ConclusionIllustration CreditsIndex

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Book SynopsisAn authoritatively written overview of ancient Egyptian architecture from the point of view of an archaeologist and architectural historianThe monuments of ancient Egypt have held scholars and tourists in their thrall for centuries. The sheer mass of the pyramids of Giza, the interaction of the temples at Deir al-Bahari with the natural environment, and the use of light in the hypostyle hall of Karnak all make these buildings world-class masterpieces of architecture, rivaling those of Greece and Rome.Ancient Egyptian Architecture in Fifteen Monuments presents an authoritative overview of Egyptian architecture from the point of view of an archaeologist and architectural historian with decades of fieldwork experience in Egypt and elsewhere. It focuses on fifteen selected masterpieces, from well-known structures such as the Bent Pyramid in Dahshur and the temple of Horus at Edfu to lesser-known monuments in Hierakonpolis, Abydos, Hawara, and Bubastis, each building representing an important stage in the development of Egyptian architecture and a different vision of what architecture should aspire to achieve.Using sixty reconstruction drawings and black-and-white photographs, Felix Arnold presents new insights into form, meaning, and the organization of space, providing a fresh perspective on ancient Egyptian culture and society.Trade Review"Felix Arnold has given us great insight into the mystery of ancient Egypt's built environment through fifteen examples spanning three millennia."—Zahi Hawass“This authoritatively written overview of Egyptian architecture from the point of view of an archaeologist and architectural historian elucidates the social meanings of built space through insightful analyses that reflect a broad understanding of trends and a deep knowledge of the specialist literature. Arnold presents some fascinating insights that will be new to most readers, providing in some instances completely new theories and a fresh perspective.”—Stephen Harvey, Director, Ahmose and Tetisheri Project, Abydos“No medium is better suited than architecture to express the spirit of a culture—its ideas about the divine, the dead, the other world, political organization—in the transformations of its multi-millennial development. Felix Arnold succeeds, in this brilliantly written and beautifully illustrated analysis, in disclosing the spirit of ancient Egypt and its development through fifteen selected monuments of great architecture.”—Jan Assmann, Heidelberg University“With clean lines, Felix Arnold distills the essence of fifteen masterpieces of ancient Egyptian architecture from the inherent complexities of their archaeological settings. In succinct prose, as elegant as his drawings, he also conveys something of the people behind these monuments, their history, and countryside. As the book reveals an interplay between symbol and setting over an evolution of design, from the prehistoric Per Wer hut to the Karnak Hypostyle and beyond, it gets us to the point of each masterpiece, showing how each contributed to that evolution, and how each was unique. Student and professor alike will gain from Arnold’s insightful, interpretive introduction.”—Mark Lehner, Ancient Egypt Research AssociatesTable of ContentsIntroductionTimeline of Egyptian History and the Buildings Discussed in this Book Part I. Subduing the Forces of Nature and the Founding of a State1. The per-wer: Harnessing Animal-Power 2. The Shunet al-Zebib: Power by Separation 3. The Djoser-Complex: Model Architecture4. The Bent Pyramid: Bodies in Light 5. The Temple of Sahure: Imitating Nature Part II. Moral Responsibility and the Construction of Society 6. The hut-ka-Chapel at Bubastis: Simple Construction 7. The Temple of Mentuhotep II: Opening Space8. The White Chapel: Striving for Perfection9. The Labyrinth: Cultivating Choice10. Hatshepsut’s Thebes: Creating LandscapesPart III. Erected Demarcations and the Emergence of Religious Communities11. The Great Aten-Temple: The Sky is the Limit12. The Great Hypostyle Hall: Projected Power13. The Temple at Tanis: Segregation by Purity14. The Naos of Mendes: Space Compacted15. The Edfu Temple: Space AssembledAncient Egyptian Architecture: A SummaryGlossarySuggested ReadingAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive study of the iron objects found in Tutankhamun's tomb that include daggers, quivers, arrows, and an elaborately decorated bow caseA century after Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon's sensational discovery in 1922 of the virtually intact tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, the boy-king and his treasures continue to fascinate people all over the world. Although nearly 5,400 objects accompanied the young pharaoh on his journey to the afterlife, many of them have not been investigated in detail.Iron from Tutankhamun's Tomb analyzes iron artifacts from the tomb in depth for the first time. This group consists of small iron chisels set into wooden handles, an Eye of Horus amulet, a miniature headrest, and the blade of a richly decorated golden dagger. The most important of these were placed in close proximity to the king's mummy, emphasizing the high value attributed to this rare material in late Bronze Age Egypta time when iron smelting was not yet known in the land of the Nile.Written by a research team of archaeologists, scientists, and conservators, this comprehensive study explores in fascinating detail the context and meaning of these artifacts, while establishing for the first time that Tutankhamun's iron came from meteorites. They complete their examination with the results of chemical analyses, offering in the process a rich overall understanding of iron and its significance in ancient Egypt.

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Book SynopsisSignificantly expanded and updated in light of the most recent scholarship, the second edition of Garland's engaging introduction to ancient Greek society brings this world vividly to life--and, in doing so, explores the perspectives and morals of typical ancient Greek citizens across a wide range of societal levels. Food and drink, literacy, the plight of the elderly, the treatment of slaves, and many more aspects of daily life in ancient Greece also come into sharp focus. More than sixty illustrations are included, as are maps, a chronology, a glossary of Greek terms, and suggestions for further reading.Trade ReviewThis is really fine—lively and reliable—an excellent introduction to the classical world. --Peter Heinegg, Union College, review of the first edition

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Book SynopsisThough now associated mainly with Sophocles' Theban Plays and Euripides' Bacchae, the theme of Thebes and its royalty was a favorite of ancient Greek poets, one explored in a now lost epic cycle, as well as several other surviving tragedies. With a rich Introduction that sets three of these plays within the larger contexts of Theban legend and of Greek tragedy in performance, Cecelia Eaton Luschnig’s annotated translation of Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes, Euripides' Suppliants, and Euripides' Phoenician Women offers a brilliant constellation of less familiar Theban plays—those dealing with the war between Oedipus’ sons, its casualties, and survivors.Trade Review"Luschnig's goal is to offer translations that are both readable and speakable and in this she has succeeded admirably. Both the tragedy expert and the novice will enjoy reading these translations; the stage actor will enjoy speaking these lines. . . . Three Other Theban Plays offers a reliable, thorough resource to its primary audience of students. Undergraduates are likely to find these translations more accessible than those in the similarly targeted University of Chicago Greek tragedy translations and will certainly find this edition, as a whole, more supportive of their efforts to contextualize and interpret these plays." —Adriana Brook, Lawrence University, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review

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Book SynopsisThough now associated mainly with Sophocles' Theban Plays and Euripides' Bacchae, the theme of Thebes and its royalty was a favorite of ancient Greek poets, one explored in a now lost epic cycle, as well as several other surviving tragedies. With a rich Introduction that sets three of these plays within the larger contexts of Theban legend and of Greek tragedy in performance, Cecelia Eaton Luschnig’s annotated translation of Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes, Euripides' Suppliants, and Euripides' Phoenician Women offers a brilliant constellation of less familiar Theban plays—those dealing with the war between Oedipus’ sons, its casualties, and survivors.Trade Review"Luschnig's goal is to offer translations that are both readable and speakable and in this she has succeeded admirably. Both the tragedy expert and the novice will enjoy reading these translations; the stage actor will enjoy speaking these lines. . . . Three Other Theban Plays offers a reliable, thorough resource to its primary audience of students. Undergraduates are likely to find these translations more accessible than those in the similarly targeted University of Chicago Greek tragedy translations and will certainly find this edition, as a whole, more supportive of their efforts to contextualize and interpret these plays." —Adriana Brook, Lawrence University, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review

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Book SynopsisA concise introduction to Ancient Egyptian warfare from the Neolithic period through to the Iron Age, covering everything from battle tactics to weaponry and battle injuries. The excellent preservation of Egyptian artefacts including bows, axes and chariots, means that it is possible to track the changing nature of Egyptian military technology, as well as the equipment and ideas that were adopted from other civilisations of the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East. As well as discussing such crucial issues as military strategy, martial ideology, construction of fortresses and waging of siege warfare, this book includes the study of practical ques­tions of life, death and survival of individual soldiers on the battlefield.Trade ReviewA short read, an overview, not a complete study of ancient Egyptian warfare, but within the pages there is some interesting discussion and cogent observations - probably the outcome that the author set out to achieve * Ancient Egypt Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThis is the first exhaustive study of the Urim and Thummim since 1824, and in this book Van Dam sets out to rectify that lack of attention. He investigates all of the biblical data concerning this enigmatic oracular means of high-priestly revelation and its connection, in the historical books of the Old Testament, with the common phrase “to enquire of Yahweh/God.”After surveying the history of interpretation and the treatment of the terms in the various versions and translations, Van Dam examines the implications of similar oracular devices and priestly dress within the larger cultural context of the ancient Near East. He places the Urim and Thummim within the context of divine revelation and human inquiry and the corollary probibition of divination in ancient Israel. He concludes that the breastpiece functioned as a pouch to hold the Urim and Thummim, which therefore clearly were tangible objects. Van Dam traces the use of this oracular instrument through the early monarchy under David—from the time of Joshua through the early monarchy under David—and its apparent disappearance by the time of the “classical” prophets, where a shift to primarily verbal oracles occurs.Concurrent with his study of the history of the oracle, Van Dam interacts with current discussion on the nature and process of God’s revelation to humankind.Table of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsBibliography of Works Cited by Author’s Name OnlyAbbreviations1. INTRODUCTIONPurpose and MethodOrientation to the Biblical EvidencePart 1: History2. INTERPRETATIONS: A TOPICAL SURVEYDid the Urim and Thummim Have a Physical Identity?The Urim and Thummim as Allegory, Symbol, and TypeThe Urim and Thummim and the Gems of the BreastpieceThe Urim and Thummim and the NameThe Interpretation of the Urim and Thummim as Letters Written on the BreastpieceThe Interpretation of the Urim and Thummim as Gems or Special ObjectsRevelation by Light and LettersRevelation by Divine InspirationRevelation by LotThe Urim and Thummim as Two Means of Revelation3. INTERPRETATIONS: ANALOGUES FROMTHE ANCIENT NEAR EASTLot OraclesThe Urim and Thummim and the TeraphimMesopotamiaThe Tablet of DestiniesIllumination and LightClothingAbandoned ProposalsSummaryThe HittitesUgaritThe Term urmThe Terms ttrp and ipdPossible Analogues from EgyptTummim and the Egyptian Pendant of TruthPectorals and BreastpiecesThe Word ifd and Ephod-Like GarmentsArabiaThe Urim and Thummim and the Betyls of the qubbaChina4. THE TERMS URIM AND THUMMIM: THE HISTORY OF TRANSLATIONThe Greek TranslationsJewish Interpretations and the PeshittaEarly and Medieval ChristianityFrom the Sixteenth to the Mid-Nineteenth CenturyThe Traditional Understanding Questioned5. CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF INTERPRETATIONSEarly and Medieval InterpretationFrom the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth CenturyThe Nineteenth and Twentieth CenturiesProspectsPart 2: Biblical Evidence6. REVELATION AND DIVINATIONDivine Revelation and Human Inquiry in IsraelMethods of Revelation and InquiryExcursus: Biqqes and daras and Inquiring of GodAncient Near Eastern Analogues to ProphecyThe Prohibition of DivinationThe Divine Ban on DivinationThe Self-Revelation of God and DivinationThe Practice of Forbidden Divination in IsraelThe Method of the Investigation7. TERMS AND GARMENTSThe Meaning of the Terms urim and tummimEvidence in Favor of the Traditional UnderstandingFurther ConsiderationsThe Urim and Thummim and the High-Priestly GarmentsThe EphodThe Breastpiece of Judgment and the Urim and Thummim8. THE URIM AND THUMMIM AND THE HIGH PRIESTThe Mediatory Position of the High PriestJoshua and the High PriestLipne YHWH ‘Before Yahweh’The Urim and Thummim and the Levitical PriesthoodLevi and the Thummim and Urim in the Blessing of MosesThe Urim and Thummim and the Teaching and Judging Tasks9. THE OCCASIONS FOR USING THE URIM AND THUMMIMNumbers 27:21 and 1 Samuel 28:6Examples of the Use of the Urim and ThummimAn Investigation into sa’al be YHWH/be lohimNo Answer by the Urim in 1 Samuel 28:6Summary10. THE PROCEDURE FOR USING THE URIM AND THUMMIMHuman InvolvementWere the Urim and Thummim a Lot Oracle?The Context and Text of 1 Samuel 14:41The Lot Theory ExaminedOther Related HypothesesAnalogues Means11. HOW DID THE URIM AND THUMMIM FUNCTION?Revelation by the Urim and Thummim Compared to Revelation by the LotThe Involvement of ProphecyData from Ezra 2:63 (and Nehemiah 7:65)A ProposalConcluding Observations on the Identity of the Urim and ThummimSelective Summary of Key ConclusionsClosing Reflections12. THE ORIGIN AND DEMISE OF THE URIM AND THUMMIMThe Origin and First Use of the Urim and ThummimThe Demise of the Urim and ThummimThe Urim and Thummim and the PsalmsThe Urim and Thummim and ProphecyThe Urim and Thummim and KingshipThe Urim and Thummim and the PriesthoodWhen and under What Circumstances the Urim and Thummim Ceased to FunctionPart 3: Theological Implications13. REVELATION, OFFICES, AND THE URIM AND THUMMIMKey Features of the Urim and ThummimDivine Approval and DemandThe Importance and the Limits of the Urim and ThummimThe Place of the Urim and Thummim in God’s Rule of IsraelThe Time of Joshua and the JudgesThe Time of Samuel, Saul, and DavidSummaryThe Place of the Urim and Thummim in God’s Self-Revelation: An OverviewThe Urim and Thummim and the Office of Priest and Ruler or KingThe Urim and Thummim and the Office of ProphetThe Word AloneINDEXESIndex of AuthorsIndex of ScriptureIndex of Ancient and Medieval Sources

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Book SynopsisJerusalem—one of the most contested sites in the world. Reconstructing Jerusalem takes readers back to a pivotal moment in its history when it lay ruined and abandoned and the glory of its ancient kings, David and Solomon, had faded. Why did this city not share the same fate as so many other conquered cities, destroyed and forever abandoned, never to be rebuilt? Why did Jerusalem, disgraced and humiliated, not suffer the fate of Babylon, Nineveh, or Persepolis? Reconstructing Jerusalem explores the interrelationship of the physical and intellectual processes leading to Jerusalem’s restoration after its destruction in 587 B.C.E., stressing its symbolic importance and the power of the prophetic perspective in the preservation of the Judean nation and the critical transition from Yahwism to Judaism. Through texts and artifacts, including a unique, comprehensive investigation of the archaeological evidence, a startling story emerges: the visions of a small group of prophets not only inspired the rebuilding of a desolate city but also of a dispersed people. Archaeological, historical, and literary analysis converge to reveal the powerful elements of the story, a story of dispersion and destruction but also of re-creation and revitalization, a story about how compelling visions can change the fate of a people and the course of human history, a story of a community reborn to a barren city.Trade Review“Ristau’s generative discussion suggests that the reception of these texts and their effect on the later growth of the city could be a constructive direction for further research. Works of prophetic literature emerge from their historical contexts but nonetheless do not remain yoked to them. As Ristau’s stimulating research indicates, prophetic literature has the capacity to transform not just the world as it is but also the imagined limits of what it can be.”—Sean Burt Review of Biblical Literature“While the restoration of the temple is often viewed as the return of divine favor to God’s people, Ristau successfully demonstrates that for the post-exilic prophets . . . this is only true inasmuch as it reestablishes Jerusalem as the city of Yahweh’s habitation and the locus of the Davidic house. Due to its extensive use of untransliterated and untranslated Hebrew—and the occasional untranslated German—this important volume would be most useful for graduate students or scholars interested in Persian Yehud.”—Kyle R. Greenwood Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsAbbreviationsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionReconstructing Jerusalem: Outline, Method, ScopeThe Rise and Fall of State Ideology in JudahProblems in Post-collapse Judean Society"No Houses Had Been Built": The Archaeology of Persian-Period JerusalemThe SettlementFortificationsEpigraphic EvidenceBurial Site and Significant Material RemainsInterpretations and Regional ContextRecreating Jerusalem: The Isaianic Perspective(s)Reconstruction in Deutero-IsaiahReconstruction in Trito-IsaiahConclusionsRevitalizing Jerusalem: The Perspective of HaggaiThe Date and Organization of the WorkThe Temporal Frame and Sitz-im-LebenThe Nature of the RestorationReconstruction as a Covenant ImperativeThe Temple as BourseZerubbabel as Hoffnungsträger for the Temple's ReconstructionConclusionsReconsecrating Jerusalem: The Perspective of Zechariah 1–8The Composition of the TextThe Temple and the Community in the Divine Combat CycleConclusionsReforming Jerusalem: Synchronic and Diachronic Perspectives from Zechariah 9–14 and MalachiThe Explicit and Implied Imperial and Regional Context(s)Persians and Edomites in MalachiJudean Leadership and the CommunityThe Status of the City and the TempleConclusionsConclusion: From Cult to CultureThe Two DimensionsConclusionBibliographyIndex of AuthorsIndex of Scripture

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Book SynopsisIt is well documented that one of the primary catalysts of intense language contact is the expansion of empire. This is true not only of recent history, but it is equally applicable to the more remote past. An exemplary case (or better: cases) of this involves Aramaic. Due to the expansions of empires, Aramaic has throughout its long history been in contact with a variety of languages, including Akkadian, Greek, Arabic, and various dialects of Iranian. This books focuses on one particular episode in the long history of Aramaic language contact: the Syriac dialect of Aramaic in contact with Greek.In this book, Butts presents a new analysis of contact-induced changes in Syriac due to Greek. Several chapters analyze the more than eight-hundred Greek loanwords that occur in Syriac texts from Late Antiquity that were not translated from Greek. Butts also dedicates several chapters to a different category of contact-induced change in which Syriac-speakers replicated inherited Aramaic material on the model of Greek. All of the changes discussed in the book are located within their broader Aramaic context and analyzed through a robust contact linguistic framework.By focusing on the Syriac language itself, Butts introduces new – and arguably more reliable – evidence for locating Syriac Christianity within its Greco-Roman context. This book, thus, is especially important for the field of Syriac studies. The book also contributes to the fields of contact linguistics and the study of ancient languages more broadly by analyzing in detail various types of contact-induced change over a relatively long period of time.Trade Review“A rigorous and well-presented analysis. It is clear that great care has been taken to ensure that the reader can easily access what are quite complex arguments.”—Siam Bhayro Journal of Early Christian StudiesTable of ContentsChapter 1. IntroductionPart 1: ProlegomenaChapter 2. The Contact Linguistic FrameworkChapter 3. The Sociohistorical SettingPart 2: LoanwordsChapter 4. Greek Loanwords in Syriac: The Methodological FrameworkChapter 5. The Phonological Integration of Greek Loanwords in SyriacChapter 6. The Morphosyntactic Integration of Greek Loanwords in SyriacPart 3: Grammatical ReplicationChapter 7. Grammatical Replication: The Methodological FrameworkChapter 8. The Syriac Copula ʾi aw(hy) Replicated on Greek ἐστίνChapter 9. The Syriac Conjunctive Particle den Replicated on Greek δέChapter 10. ConclusionAppendix 1. Greek Loanwords Inherited in SyriacAppendix 2. Citations for Verbless Clauses BibliographyIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of Biblical SourcesIndex of Syriac WordsIndex of Greek WordsIndex of Subjects

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Book SynopsisThis book is the result of 15 years of research on the ancient Hebrew relative clause as well as the effective application of modern linguistic approaches to an ancient language corpus. Though the ostensible topic is the relative clause, including a full discussion of the various relative words used to introduce Hebrew relative clauses and a detailed presentation of the relevant comparative Semitic data, this work also carefully navigates the challenges of analyzing a “dead” language and offers a methodological road map for the analysis of any feature of Biblical Hebrew grammar. With the appendixes of relative clause data, including the author’s English translations, the work aims at comprehensiveness, exhaustiveness, and full transparency in data, method, and theory.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Relative Clauses: Orientation Chapter 2. Issues of Method and Theory Chapter 3. Relative WordsChapter 4. Relative HeadsChapter 5. Relative Syntax Chapter 6. Relative Semantics Chapter 7. “Relative” Diachrony Chapter 8. The Semitic Relative Appendix A. Relative-Clause Data BibliographyIndex of AuthorsIndex of Scripture

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Book SynopsisAncient Israel is widely regarded as having been set apart from the nations, representing a unique sociopolitical entity in the ancient world. United by a common tribal identity and a commitment to worshiping the God who delivered them from Egypt exclusively, the Israelites established an egalitarian community that stood in contrast to the hierarchical polities of their polytheistic.In spite of these traditions, modern scholarship for the most part has recognized the points of continuity between Canaanite religion and Israelite religion and concluded that the two religious systems largely developed from the same cultural milieu. However, scholars continue to contend that the Canaanites’ and Israelites’ social and political structures were distinct. Most scholars agree that the Israelites were geographical, economic, and/or political outsiders.The Land before the Kingdom of Israel responds to this modern perspective by contributing an original reconstruction of the sociopolitical landscape of the Late Bronze Age Levant that exposes points of continuity between the polities and populations that inhabited the land and those that were later identified with Israel. By examining multiple sources, Brendon Benz isolates and accounts for complex social and political realities that have gone unnoticed. In so doing, he sets the stage for viewing premonarchic Israel and the Bible’s depiction of it in a new way. In addition to shedding light on historical memories embedded in the books of Judges and Samuel that do not conform to conventional wisdom regarding Israel’s early history, Benz demonstrates that a contingent of the early Israelites was heir to the social and political structures of their Late Bronze Age Levantine predecessors.Trade Review“Advances a series of new interpretations on Near Eastern and biblical data and readdresses old problems, and for those reasons alone, it should be said from the outset, scholars of the ancient Levant should read and attend carefully to this work.”—Emanuel Pfoh Review of Biblical LiteratureTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroductionPart 1 The Varieties of Sociopolitical Experience in the Late Bronze Age LevantSetting the Context of the Late Bronze Age Levant: Defining Policies and PerceptionsCities of the Southern LevantLands of the Southern LevantOther Categories of People in the Land: The Sutû and the ’apîrûPart 2 Two Case Studies on the Varieties of Sociopolitical Experience in the Late Bronze Age Levant: The Land of Amurru and the Land of ShechemTracing the Political Trajectory of the Land of AmurruThe House of Lab’ayu and the Land of ShechemThe Land of Shechem in the longue duréeThe Land before the Rise of IsraelPart 3 The Transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron I and the Rise of Early IsraelSetting the Context of Premonarchic IsraelShechem, Israel, and the Historical Memories in Judges 9: The King and the CollectiveShechem, Israel, and the Historical Memories in Judges 9: The Shechemite Identity, the Identity of Shechem, and Identity in IsraelReflections of the Multipolity Decentralized Nature of Early IsraelConclusion: From Decentralization to Centralization and Back: Israel’s Return to Its RootsBibliographyIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of ScriptureIndex of Other Ancient Sources

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Book SynopsisThe publication of the full report of the Tel Beer-sheba Iron Age remains is a fulfillment of a scientific dream. The excavations at Tel Beer-sheba, carried out under the auspices of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, were the highlight of Yohanan Aharoni’s vast research program in the Beer-sheba Valley. He directed this program from 1969 until his untimely death in 1976 at the age of 56. The final season of excavations at Tel Beer-sheba, the eighth, took place in the summer of 1976 and was carried out after Aharoni’s demise by his chief assistants, Ze’ev Herzog, Itzhaq Beit-Arieh, and Anson F. Rainey. The latter two regrettably did not live to see the completion of this publication, but they shared in the work, as did the young staff members who enabled the Tel Beer-sheba project to become a reality.During the National Parks Authority site development, there was further exposure, mainly of the water supply systems, directed by Ze’ev Herzog with David Sappo (Western Quarter, 1990–1991), with Tsvika Tsuk (the well, 1993) and finally with Ido Ginaton (the water-system, 1994–1995).Now, after a lengthy process of analyzing the excavations in the storerooms of Tel Aviv University’s Institute of Archaeology and digging through the endless documentary material amassed, the full data is proudly presented. This work is offered not merely as a final report but as a starting point for further scientific inquiry on the abundant architectural, artifactual, and ecofactual data from Tel Beer-sheba.Volume I reports on the stratigraphy and architecture, volume 2 on the pottery; and volume 3 on the artifacts, ecofacts, and also provides concluding studies. The three volumes are profusely illustrated and an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of Judah, the Beer-sheba Valley, the site itself, and life during the Iron Age in the southern Levant.Trade Review“Rigorous publication of stratigraphy and meticulous analysis of the pottery has allowed the authors to conclude that the Iron Age IIA, a period crucial for the debate on the emergence of the Biblical ‘United Monarchy,’ extends from the mid-tenth down to the early eighth century, and that the evolution of the state in Judah was initiated in the Shephelah rather than in the highlands.”—Biblical Archaeology Review

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Book SynopsisIn 2009, Mario Liverani celebrated his 70th birthday and retired from teaching at the Sapienza in Rome, although his book Antico Oriente: Storia, società, economia remains in wide use and is still foundational for anyone studying the ancient Near East. The Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche, Archeologiche e Antropologiche dell’Antichità, where Mario Liverani was a leading specialist since the department’s inception, celebrated Liverani’s milestone birthday and retirement with a conference held in his honor, and this book publishes the papers that were read at the conference on April 20–21, 2009.The title chosen for the conference was “Not Only History/Non solo storia,” which alludes to Liverani’s multiple interests and forays into the field of the ancient Near East and Egypt. A select group of scholars and colleagues was chosen to represent Prof. Liverani’s fields of interests, because it was impossible to include all of the Italian and international colleagues who could have been invited. Even so, the list of eminent contributors in the fields of ancient Near Eastern history, art, linguistics, and archaeology is more than adequate to recommend acquisition of this fine collection: John Baines (Oxford), Dominique Charpin (Collège de France), Joaquín María Córdoba (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Jerrold Cooper (Johns Hopkins), Jean-Marie Durand (Collège de France), Peter Machinist (Harvard), David Mattingly (University of Leicester), Piotr Michalowski (University of Michigan), Nadav Naʾaman (Tel Aviv University), Nicholas Postgate (Cambridge), Johannes Renger (Free University of Berlin), Marc Van de Mieroop (Columbia University), Irene Winters (Harvard), and Norman Yoffee (University of Michigan).Table of ContentsPreface/PresentazioneCurriculum vitaeBibliography of Mario LiveraniAbbreviationsJoaquín María Córdoba: Sull’armonia tra la storia e l’archeologia del Vicino Oriente: L’opera di Mario Liverani nella vita di un archeologoJohannes Renger: Weber—Polanyi—Sraffa: A Consideration of Modes of ProductionIrene J. Winter: The Court Banquets of Sargon II of Assyria: Commensality as a Positive Affirmation of the (Successful) Hunt and BattleJ. S. Cooper: Was Uruk the First Sumerian City?Marc Van De Mieroop: City and Countryside in Ancient MesopotamiaNorman Yoffee: Mesopotamian Cities in Comparative Perspective, Briefly: An AppreciationJean-Marie Durand: Du texte à l’histoireDominique Charpin: State and Society: Flight in the Near East during the Old Babylonian Period (20th–17th Centuries BCE)Piotr Michalowski: The Ur III Literary Footprint and the HistorianJohn Baines: On Egyptian Elite and Royal Attitudes to Other Cultures, Primarily in the Late Bronze AgeDavid Mattingly: The Garamantes and After: The Biography of a Central Saharan Oasis 400 BC–AD 1900Nadav Na'aman: The “Kenite Hypothesis” in the Light of the Excavations at Horvat UzaPeter Machinist: “Ah, Assyria . . .” (Isaiah 10:5ff.): Isaiah’s Assyrian Polemic RevisitedJ. N. Postgate: Measuring Middle Assyrian Grain (and Sesame)

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Book SynopsisIn the week between July 21 and 25, 2014, the University of Warsaw hosted more than three hundred Assyriologists from all over the world. In the course of five days, nearly 150 papers were read in three (and sometimes four) parallel sessions. Many of them were delivered within the framework of nine thematic workshops. The publication of most of these panels is underway, in separate volumes. As is usually the case, the academic sessions were accompanied by many opportunities for social interaction among the participants, and there was time to enjoy the historical and cultural benefits of Warsaw. Special honor was accorded to two American Assyriologists whose origins can be traced to Warsaw, Piotr Michalowski and Piotr Steinkeller, and a special session to recognize their contributions to the study of ancient Mesopotamia was organized. In this book are presented papers on the main theme of the meeting, “Fortune and Misfortune in the Ancient Near East.” The 31 essays are organized into 5 sections: (1) plenary presenations on “What Is Fortune? What Is Misfortune?”; (2) humanity and fortune/misfortune and luck, with discussion of specific examples; (3) additional papers on definitions of fortune and misfortune; (4) the effects on city and state; and (5) God and temple.Table of ContentsAbbreviationsProgramIntroductionPart 1What Is Fortune?What Is Misfortune?Luck, Fortune, and Destiny in Ancient Mesopotamia or How the Sumerians and Babylonians Thought of Their Place in the Flow of Things—Piotr SteinkellerThe Concept of "Misfortune" in Sumerian Wisdom Literature—Jacob KleinMan's Fate: Divine Responsibility for Human Welfare in Hatti—Gary BeckmanPart 2ManFortune and Misfortune of the Individual: Some Observations on the Sufferer's Plaint in Ludlul bel nemeqi II 12–32—Tzvi AbuschOn the Fortune—or Misfortune—of Having Children: The Abundance of Children According to the Omen Text K. 6403—Nils P. HeeßelGendering for Fortune and Misfortune: Ritual Gender Assignment in the Ancient Near East—Kathleen McCaffreyWhy Did Paškuwatti's Patient Fail in the Matrimonial Bed?—Zsolt SimonIntroduction aux symptômes mentaux en Mésopotamie—Magalie ParysLegal Remedies against Misfortune: Evasion, Legal Fiction, and Sham Transactions in Late Bronze Age Emar—Lena FijałkowskaHierarchy at the Hittite Court—Tayfun BilginFortunes and Misfortunes of Messengers and Merchants in the Amarna Letters—Graciela Gestoso SingerMade Men: Rich Slaves of the Nur-Sins and the Egibis—Benjamin DromardBetting on the Right Horse: Loyalty in the Early Years of the Neo-Babylonian Empire—Yuval LevaviPart 3KingThe Origins of the LUGAL Office—Petr CharvátUps and Downs in the Career of Enmerkar, King of Uruk—Dina Katz"Sulgi, Mighty Man, King of Ur"—Tonia SharlachThe Fate of Yasmah-Addu, the King of Mari—Rafał KolńskiFinding the Good Genius in Your Bowl—Daniel BonneterreThe Royal Adoption Scene in Ugaritic and Biblical Texts—Joanna Töyräänvuori"One Epic or Many?" Das Tukulti-Ninurta-Epos zum Ersten, zum Zweiten und zum...?—Stefan JakobPart 4City and StateClimate Change, the Mardu Wall, and the Fall of Ur—Minna (Lönnqvist) SilverRegional Differences in Middle Assyrian—Jacob Jan de RidderThe Anatolian and Iranian Frontiers: Analyzing the Foreign Policy of the Assyrian Empire under Esarhaddon—Selim Ferruh AdalıFinis Assyriae: The Fall of the Assyrian State, or the Fall of the Assyrian Civilisation?—Stefan ZawadzkiFortune and Politics: Nabopolassar's Campaigns in 616–615 BCE and His Alliance with Media—Kabalan MoukarzelMore about the Crisis in Uruk—Radosław TarasewiczPart 5God and TempleDon't Insult Inana! Divine Retribution for Offense against Common Decency in the Light of New Textual Sources—Jana MatuszakFortune and Misfortune of the Eagle in the Myth of Etana—Evelyne KoubkováWithin the Ekur: Sitz im Leben for a Literary Topos Regarding Nintur—Mark A. Avila, Marcel Sigrist, and Uri GabbaySome Remarks on the Archaeology of the Ekur of Nippur during Post-Kassite Times—Bernhard Schneider

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Book SynopsisThe area of the Judean Foothills – the biblical Shephelah – has in recent years become one of the most intensively excavated regions in the world. Numerous projects, at sites of different types and utilizing various methodological approaches, are actively excavating in this region. Of particular importance are the discoveries dating to the Iron Age, a period when this region was a transition zone between various cultures—Philistine, Canaanite, Judahite, and Israelite. The current volume includes reports from eight of the excavations currently being conducted in the region (Azekah, Beth Shemesh, Gezer, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Tel Burna, Tel Halif, Tell es-Safi/Gath, and Tel Zayit), as well as a general study of the region by Ido Koch. The importance of this volume lies not only in the fact that it collects up-to-date reports on most of the current excavations in the region but also demonstrates the lively, at times even boisterous, scholarly discussions taking place on various issues relating to the archaeology and history of the Iron Age Shephelah and its immediate environs.This volume serves as an excellent introduction to current research on the Iron Age in this crucial zone and also serves as a reflection of current trends, methodologies, and approaches in the archaeology of the Southern Levant.Table of ContentsIntroductionAren M. Maeir and Oded LipschitsFour Seasons of Excavations at Tel Azekah: The Expected and (Especially) Unexpected ResultsOded Lipschits, Yuval Gadot, and Manfred OemingSwinging on the “Sorek Seesaw”: Tel Beth-Shemesh and the Sorek Valley in the Iron AgeShlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi LedermanTel Burna: A Judahite Fortified Town in the ShephelahItzhaq ShaiTel Gezer Excavations 2006–2015: The Transformation of a Border CitySteven M. Ortiz and Samuel R. WolffTell Halif in the Late Bronze and Iron AgeOded BorowskiThe Iron Age City of Khirbet QeiyafaYosef GarfinkelPhilistine Gath after 20 Years: Regional perspectives on the Iron Age at Tell eṣ-Ṣafi/GathAren M. MaeirThe Archaeology and History of Tel Zayit: A Record of Liminal LifeRon E. TappySettlements and Interactions in the Shephelah during the Late Second through Early First Millennia BCEIdo Koch

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Book SynopsisHow does one limit a biblical text? Can one limit it? Should one? These questions drive one to examine core assumptions of biblical interpretation, assumptions about the aims and attitudes one brings to the task of reading the Bible. Is the aim of biblical exegesis to uncover what really happened, to discover the author’s intentions, to attend to the interpretations of readers—ancient and/or contemporary? Furthermore, should the interpreter approach biblical texts from a position of neutrality, suspicion, and/or faith?Strahan’s book aims to offer a (not the) set of answers to these questions by bringing historiographical theory, hermeneutical theory, and theology into conversation, a conversation centered around a case study that deals with limiting the meaning(s) of an enigmatic Gospel text: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34a). Borrowing insight from Augustine’s De Doctrina Christiana, this book offers a renewed, ecclesially located strategy for dealing with polysemy in biblical texts, a strategy that holds together many of the strengths offered by contemporary theological interpreters.

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Book SynopsisSince the early 1990s, about two thousand Idumean Aramaic ostraca have found their way onto the antiquities market and are now scattered across a number of museums, libraries, and private collections. This multivolume textbook classifies these ostraca according to subject matter and brings them together into a single publication. With this fourth installment, Bezalel Porten and Ada Yardeni continue their comprehensive edition of Aramaic ostraca from Idumea. Volumes 1–3 published and cataloged 255 Personal Name Dossiers containing 1,152 texts. Volume 4 contains 377 texts divided into six dossiers, including 54 payment orders, 77 accounts, 74 workers texts, 62 names, 87 jar inscriptions, and 23 letters. The payment orders document officially authorized transfers of goods, while the accounts show how those goods were inventoried. The workers texts illustrate the distribution and supply of laborers, the name lists show people as individuals, and the jar inscriptions track vessels in motion. Color photographs, ceramic descriptions, hand-copies, transcriptions, translations, and commentaries are provided for the texts, along with figures and tables, and introductions and summaries of each dossier.A unique source for the onomastics and social and economic history of fourth-century Idumea—and, by extension, of Judah—this multivolume work will become the primary resource for information on these texts.Trade Review“The publication of these texts represents an important source of information for social and religious life in Idumea—and by analogy also for Judea—in the Persian period. The text editions should therefore not be absent from any library, because they allow a variety of possibilities for scientific analysis in the future.”—W. Zwickel Zeitschriften-und BücherschauTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviations and Select BibliographyIntroductionExplanation of Typographic ConventionsGrain EquivalenciesTerminology of Ceramic DescriptionsNumeration LegendMissing Photos and DrawingsTextsB1.1–4.7 Payment Orders and Instructions Dossier (54 Texts, Tables B1–5)B1.1–7 Payment Orders of Ḥor B2.1–35 Payment Orders of Yaddu B3.1–5 Other Payment Orders B4.1–7 Instructions C1.1–9.9 Accounts Dossier (77 Texts, Tables C1–5) C1.1–12 Accounts of Wheat C2.1–18 Accounts of BarleyC3.1 Account of Wheat and BarleyC4.1–6 Accounts of Other GrainsC5.1–6 Accounts of Non-Grain Agricultural Commodities C6.1–12 Accounts of Unnamed Agricultural Commodities C7.1–7 Accounts of Non-Agricultural CommoditiesC8.1–6 Accounts of CurrencyC9.1–9 Accounts Lacking Commodity or MeasureD1.1–9.7 Workers Texts Dossier (74 Texts, Tables D1–5)D1.1 Sacrifice and Workers from the Clans of Gur and BaalrimD2.1–16 Workers from the Clan of BaalrimD3.1–16 Workers from the Clan of Gur D4.1–14 Workers from the Clan of QoṣiD5.1–2 Worker(s) from the Clan of Al(i)baalD6.1–4 Workers from the Clan of Y(eh)okal D7.1–3 Workers from Miscellaneous Clans D8.1–9 Dated Texts of Workers Unaffiliated with a Clan D9.1–7 Undated Texts of Workers Unaffiliated with a ClanE1.1–5.2 Names Dossier (62 Texts, Tables E 1–5)E1.1–12 Lists of Names with FiliationsE2.1–5 Single Names with Filiations E3.1–29 Lists of Unaffiliated Names E4.1–14 Single Unaffiliated Names E5.1–2 Names in “Jewish” Cursive Script F1.1–5.12 Jar Inscriptions Dossier (85 Texts, Table F 1–4)F1.1 Jar Inscription with ExplanationF2.1–21 Jar Inscriptions with LamedF3.1–33 Intact or Mostly Intact (and Restored) Jar Inscriptions without LamedF4.1–22 Jar Inscription Fragments without Lamed with Uncertain or Incomplete ReadingsF5.1–12 Miscellaneous Other Jar InscriptionsG1.1–5.1 Letters Dossier (23 Texts, Table G 1–4)G1.1–6 Paleographically EarlyG2.1–6 Two-Sided Letters (Opisthographs)G3.1 One-Sided Complete Letters G4.1–9 Letter Fragments Arranged by Epistolary Formulas PresentG5.1 Paleographically Late Letter FragmentTablesIndexes of NamesTable 1. 323 Names That Appear in TAO Volume 4 (TAO B–G), Ordered AlphabeticallyTable 2a. 142 Names That Appear Only in TAO Volume 4 (TAO B–G), Ordered AlphabeticallyTable 2b. 142 Names That Appear Only in TAO Volume 4 (TAO B–G), Ordered by FrequencyTable B1a. 57 Names That Appear in the Payment Orders Dossier (TAO B), Ordered AlphabeticallyTable B1b. 57 Names That Appear in the Payment Orders Dossier (TAO B), Ordered by FrequencyTable B2. 29 Names That Appear in Both the Payment Orders Dossier and Commodity Chit Dossiers (TAO B and A)Table B3. 4 Names That Appear Only in the Payment Orders Dossier and Non-Chit Dossiers (TAO C, D, E)Table B4. 24 Names That Appear Only in the Payment Orders Dossier (TAO B)Table B5a. 33 Names That Appear in the Arad Payment Orders (TAO B2)Table B5b. 15 Names That Appear Only in the Arad Payment Orders (TAO B2)Table C1. 142 Names That Appear in the Accounts Dossier (TAO C), Arranged AlphabeticallyTable C2. 109 Names That Appear in Both the Accounts and Commodity Chits Dossiers (TAO C and A)Table C3. 8 Names That Appear Only in the Accounts Dossier and Other Non-Chit Dossiers (TAO C and E, H, and J)Table C4. 25 Names That Appear Only in the Accounts Dossier (TAO C)Table C5. 56 Names That Appear in Both the Accounts Dossier (TAO C) and the Clans Dossiers (TAO A1–6)Table D1. 65 Names That Appear in the Workers’ Texts Dossier (TAO D), Arranged AlphabeticallyTable D2. 48 Names That Appear in Both the Workers’ Texts and Commodity Chit Dossiers (TAO D and A) Table D3. 7 Names That Appear Only in the Workers’ Texts and Non-Chit Dossiers (TAO D and E, F, G, H, and J)Table D4. 10 Names That Appear Only in the Workers’ Texts Dossier (TAO D)Table D5a. 24 Names That Appear in Both the Workers’ Texts Dossier (TAO D) and the Clans Dossiers (TAO A1–6)Table D5b. 12 Persons That Appear in Both the Workers’ Texts Dossier and the Clans Dossiers (TAO D and A1–6)Table E1a. 160 Names That Appear in the Names Dossier (TAO E), Arranged AlphabeticallyTable E1b. 160 Names That Appear in the Names Dossier (TAO E), Arranged by FrequencyTable E2. 100 Names That Appear in the Names and Commodity Chits Dossiers(TAO E and A) 369Table E3. 14 Names That Appear Only in the Names (TAO E) and Other Non-Chit Dossiers (TAO B, C, F, H, and J)Table E4. 46 Names That Appear Only in the Names Dossier (TAO E)Table F1a. 47 Names That Appear in the Jar Inscriptions Dossier (TAO F), Arranged AlphabeticallyTable F1b. 47 Names That Appear in the Jar Inscriptions Dossier (TAO F), Arranged by FrequencyTable F2. 35 Names That Appear in the Jar Inscriptions and Commodity Chits Dossiers (TAO F and A)Table F3. 3 Names That Appear Only in the Jar Inscriptions Dossier and Other Non-Chit Dossiers (TAO D, E, and J) Table F4. 9 Names That Appear Only in the Jar Inscriptions Dossier (TAO F)Table G1. 21 Names That Appear in the Letters Dossier (TAO G), Arranged AlphabeticallyTable G2. 12 Names That Appear in the Letters and Commodity Chits Dossiers (TAO G and A)Table G3. 1 Name That Appears Only in the Letters Dossier and Other Non-Chit Dossiers (TAO D)Table G4. 8 Names That Appear Only in the Letters Dossier (TAO G)Other TablesTable 3a. 35 (34) Payment Orders of Yaddu at a GlanceTable 3b. Comparing Products in Accounts and Commodity ChitsTable 4. The Workers Dossier at a GlanceTable 5. Workers Listed according to DateThree Dossiers of Miscellaneous ProductsTable 6. The Dossier of Jars ( חביה ), Years 4 and 6 (355 and 353), 25 Entries (23 Chits)Table 7. The Dossier of Flour ( 22 ,(קמח ChitsTable 8. The Dossier of Gyd/r ( 10 ,(גיד\ר ChitsFiguresFigure 1. Breakdown of the 57 names in the Payment Orders DossierFigure 2. Breakdown of the 141 names in the Accounts DossierFigure 3. Breakdown of the 65 names in the Workers’ Texts DossierFigure 4. Breakdown of the 160 names in the Names DossierFigure 5. Breakdown of the 47 names in the Jar Inscriptions DossierFigure 6. Breakdown of the 21 names in the Letters Comparative List of EntriesComparative List of Entries Listed by ISAP Number (B–G) Comparative List of Entries Listed by TAO Number (B–G)

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Book SynopsisW. G. Lambert’s line drawings of cuneiform tablets from the British Museum, together with his meticulous editions of their contents, form a contribution to Assyriology unrivaled in his generation. Upon his death in 2011, Lambert bequeathed his academic legacy to A. R. George, who discovered among its contents approximately 1,400 unpublished pencil drawings. He and Junko Taniguchi took over the task of converting the drawings into images suitable for publication. The first of two planned volumes, this book features drawings of 329 cuneiform tablets found in Lambert’s academic papers. Written by Babylonian and Assyrian scribes between 2500 and 35 BC, the texts in this volume are organized by genre and provided with a descriptive catalogue and indexes. The contents include commemorative and votive inscriptions, late copies of royal inscriptions and royal correspondence, historical and historical-literary texts, Sumerian literature, Akkadian-language compositions of mythological and “epic” content, Babylonian and Assyrian hymns, prayers and praise poetry, incantations, wisdom literature, and fragments of unidentified literary works. The mass of unpublished cuneiform tablets in museums remains a largely unexplored resource with enormous capacity to illuminate all aspects of life in ancient Mesopotamia. This collection constitutes an important milestone on the road to a fuller comprehension of the written legacy of the ancient Babylonians.Trade Review“From this store, Assyriologists should be able to build on Lambert’s legacy, unveiling greater knowledge of Babylonia, thanks to the editors’ selfless labours.”—Alan Millard Journal for the Study of the Old Testament“This monograph is a testimony to Lambert’s vast knowledge and scholarship.”—Elyze Zomer Journal of Near Eastern StudiesTable of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsCatalogue of TextsIndex of Museum NumbersIndex of TextsReferencesCuneiform Texts

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents first editions of a variety of cuneiform tablets from the Old Babylonian period belonging to the collection of the late Shlomo Moussaieff. It makes available for the first time three texts representing varying levels of Mesopotamian scribal education. The first is what the authors argue is the most complete copy of the first fifty lines of the standard version of the Sumerian epic Gilgameš and the Bull of Heaven. The second is a hitherto unpublished bilingual (Sumerian-Akkadian) lexical list of unknown provenance, similar to the Proto-Aa syllabary. Each of the 314 entries preserved on this tablet provides a pronunciation gloss, a Sumerian logogram, and an Akkadian translation. A unique feature of this list is that the signs are arranged on the basis of graphic concatenation: each sign contains one of the graphic components of the preceding sign. It also yields a great number of hitherto unknown, synonymous Akkadian translations to the Sumerian logograms. The final chapter contains an edition of two groups of lenticular school tablets, containing thirty-three elementary-level scribal exercises.With this volume, Jacob Klein and Yitschak Sefati preserve and disseminate important artifacts that advance the study of Sumerian literature, Mesopotamian lexicography, and ancient Near Eastern scribal education.Trade Review“Editing the texts in this volume is a tremendous accomplishment. One can only imagine all the effort and scholarship that went into this publication, which hopefully will reach a broader audience than Sumerologists alone.”—John Hayes Review of Biblical LiteratureTable of ContentsPrefaceGeneral IntroductionI. Gilgameš and the Bull of HeavenIntroductionOutline of the Plot Political-Historical Background Description of the Moussaieff Tablet (ShM) Composite Text and Translation Commentary Score The Mussaieff Tablet Transliteration .Copy Photographs Word Index II. An Old Babylonian Bilingual Lexical Text Introduction Transliteration and Translation Commentary Sequence of Basic Sign Forms Comparative Synopsis of KA, IGI, and KU in the Syllabaries ShM, Proto-Ea, and EaComparative Synopsis of Syllabaries —Number of Lexical EntriesSyllabary Sumerian-Akkadian Word Index Akkadian-Sumerian Word Index Photographs III. Lenticular School Tablets Introduction Collection A (nos. 1–10) Collection B (nos. 46–69) Word Index Bibliography and Abbreviations General Index

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Book SynopsisJudging from the sheer amount of textual material left to us, the rulers of ancient Ur were above all else concerned with keeping track of their poorest subjects, who made up the majority of the population under their jurisdiction. Year after year, administrators recorded, in frightening detail, the whereabouts of the poorest individuals in monthly and yearly rosters, assigning tiny parcels of land to countless prebend holders and starvation rations to even more numerous estate slaves. The texts published in this volume—dating from the time of the Third Dynasty of Ur (ca. 2100–2000 BC)—attest to the immense investment of the ancient rulers in managing their subjects. This volume presents editions of two hundred and twenty-four cuneiform tablets selected from the Schøyen Collection, the vast majority of which have not been previously published. The ancient provenience for these texts is primarily Umma, with other core provinces represented in smaller numbers, such as notable contributions from ancient Adab, which is underrepresented in the published record. In order to provide a fuller picture of the administration of the Ur III state, a number of texts from other collections, both published and unpublished, have been integrated into this volume. Accompanied by Jacob L. Dahl’s precise translations, extensive commentary, and exhaustive indexes, this volume presents extensive new data on prosopography, economy, accounting procedures, letters, contracts, technical terminology, and agriculture that adds significantly to our knowledge of society and the economy during the Third Dynasty of Ur.An important contribution to the study of the Ur III period, in particular for Assyriology, this volume will serve as a useful handbook for scholars and students alike.Table of ContentsStatement of Provenance, by Martin SchøyenSeries Editor’s Preface, by David I. OwenPrefaceConventionsAbbreviationsCatalogConcordances1. Introduction 2. Archival Documents Archival Tags (Nos. 1–5) Sealed Tags with Inscriptions (No. 6) Other Sealed Tags (Nos. 7–11) Commodity Tags (Nos. 12–24)3. Timekeeping (Nos. 25–27)4. Accounts Accounts Nos. 28–31 Structure of the Neo-Sumerian Account “Debits” (sag-nig2-gur11-ra-kam) (Nos. 32–35) “Credits” (ša3-bi-ta ... zi-ga-am3) (No. 36) Operating Balance (No. 37) Colophon 5. Equivalencies (Nos. 38–39)6. Accountability (Nos. 40–42)7. Receipts: The Primary Documents Sealed Receipts (Nos. 43–61) Receipts Mentioning a Conveyor (giri3) (Nos. 62–63) Unsealed Receipts (Nos. 64–66) Sealed Receipts with kišib3 PN (Nos. 67–79) Receipts with Envelopes (Nos. 80–84) Unsealed Receipts (Nos. 85–92) Receipt Copies (Nos. 93–102) mu-kux(DU) Documents (Nos. 103–9) ba-zi and zi-ga Documents (Nos. 110–21) i3-dab5 Documents (Nos. 122–23) in-la2 Documents (No. 124) 8. Administration of Work Inventories (Nos. 125–41) Smaller Inventories (Nos. 142–47) “Work-Crew Lists” Receipts (Nos. 148–54) Accounts (Nos. 155–58) Miscellaneous Work Texts (Nos. 157-158) 9. Letters (Nos. 159–67)10. Messenger Texts Type I Messenger Texts (Nos. 168–89) Type Isub Messenger Texts (Nos. 190–91) Type II Messenger Texts (Nos. 192–94) Type III Messenger Texts Type IV Messenger Texts 11. Legal Texts Purchase Documents (Nos. 196–98) Loan Documents (Nos. 199–201) Miscellaneous Legal Documents (Nos. 202–8)12. Miscellaneous Texts An Inventory of Date Palms (No. 209) An Inventory of Fallen Cattle (No. 210) An Inventory of the Treasury of Alim-mah (No. 211) An Exercise Tablet? (No. 212) The Volume of Ditches and Canals (No. 213) A Field Plan without a Drawing (No. 214) Bundles of Reeds for the Storehouse of the Edana (No. 215) Two Exercises in Cereal Computations (Nos. 216–17) A Discarded Exercise Tablet? (No. 218) Animals for Gods (No. 219) A Receipt without Context (No. 220) A Receipt of Three Receipts? (No. 221) Two Inventories of Unknown Purpose (Nos. 222–23) Two Fragments Glued Together (No. 224a–b) Offerings from the Governor (No. 225) Not a Tag? (No. 226) Two Notes or Exercise Tablets? (Nos. 227–28) Receipts or Exercise Tablets? (Nos. 229–32) A Broken Account of Foodstuffs (No. 233) Two Broken Accounts (Nos. 234–35) Two Texts Related to the Messenger Service? (Nos. 236–37) Two Texts of Uncertain Content (Nos. 238–39) A Very Broken Text (No. 240) Not an Account? (No. 241) Not a Letter? (No. 242) Not a Regular Legal Text (No. 243) A Damaged Garšana Text (No. 244)Appendix. Transliterations of Long Texts from Chapter 8: Worker Inventories (Nos. 126–31, 133, 135, 138, 140) and Work-day Accounts (Nos. 155, 156)BibliographyIndexes Personal Names Divine Names and Names of Rulers Cities, Villages, and Districts Rivers and Canals Fields Threshing Floors Month Names Year Names Sumerian and Akkadian Words

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Book SynopsisJack Murad Sasson, distinguished scholar of the ancient Near East, has enjoyed a long career studying the cultures, languages, and literatures of that consequential region. His many books and articles span a seemingly endless array of topics and materials. Foremost are his in-depth analyses of the Syrian city of Mari and its remarkable heritage. Of comparable importance are his definitive studies of the Hebrew Bible, in particular his commentaries on the books of Judges, Ruth, and Jonah. In addition, the encyclopedic four-volume set he initiated and edited, Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, stands out as an exceptional contribution to peers, students, and the general public.To honor him and his scholarly achievements, thirty-five of his longtime colleagues and friends have collaborated to produce this volume of essays on such diverse cultures as Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, the Amorites, Egypt, Ebla, the Hurrians, the Hittites, Ugarit, the Arameans, Canaan, and Israel. The studies in this volume display the richness of these cultures—their literary legacies, languages, political and social histories, material remains, religions and rituals, and history of ideas—as well as their reception in modern times. The volume is both a contribution to the evolving study of the ancient Near East and also a fitting tribute to Jack Sasson, whose friendship and scholarship we have long cherished and esteemed.Trade Review“From Mari to Jerusalem and Back is a consistently rich collection of important essays that treat both Assyriological and Biblical Studies. As such, it is a fitting tribute to the honoree, whose work has been characterized by these same qualities, and its contributions, like those of its honoree, will no doubt benefit many other scholars.”—Adam E. Miglio Journal of the American Oriental SocietyTable of ContentsPreface Contributors Abbreviations Publications of Jack M. Sasson Part I. Assyriological StudiesKamiš at Ebla Alfonso Archi“Not Tonight, Josephine!”: Women at War in Third Millennium BCE Syria?Maria Giovanna BigaL’élection du P. Scheil au Collège de France en 1905 Dominique CharpinRoyal Hunt among the Semites, West and East: Fertility and Kingship in Myth and RitualGregorio del Olmo LeteHeurs et malheurs de la vie conjugale en Mésopotamie: La séparation decorps dans quelques sources cunéiformes Sophie Démare-Lafont“Si ce n’est toi, c’est donc ton frère … ” Jean-Marie DurandAlbrecht Goetze: Three Mid-Century Reflections on Cuneiform Studiesand Linguistics Benjamin R. FosterA New Manuscript of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld Alhena Gadotti and Alexandra Kleinerman Prière à Itûr-Mêr pour le salut de Zimrî-Lîm Michaël GuichardRoyal Women Sages in Aramaic Literature: The Unnamed Queen inDaniel 5 and Saritrah in the “Revolt of Babylon” Tawny L. HolmThe Beginning of the Sumerian Epic “Gilgameš and the Bull of Heaven”and Its Possible Historical-Political Background Jacob Klein and Yitschak SefatiÀ propos d’une défaite de Mari et d’une négociation diplomatique Bertrand LafontPaul Haupt: Between Two Worlds Peter MachinistSumerian Literature at the Crossroads Piotr MichalowskiContributions to the Dossier of Princess Simat-IštaranDavid I. OwenThe Sitting Moon and the Goats of Gilead: A Rare Akkadian Astronomical Term and a Hapax in Song of Songs Gonzalo RubioOld Babylonian Bread Offerings Marten StolIlumma-ila Unveiled Karel Van Lerberghe and Gabriella Voet“Talking to Doors”: Paraklausithyron in Akkadian Literature Nathan WassermanDie Klausel á mu-ú/u8 -a-šè in altbabylonischen Miet- und Feldpachtverträgen aus Nippur, Isin und unbekannter Herkunft: Politische Motive für die Stilisierung von Rechtsurkunden? Claus WilckeHurritische Beschwörungen mit Bezugnahme auf Ursprungsmythen Gernot WilhelmUn enfant à Alep Nele ZieglerPart II. Biblical StudiesTranslating Biblical Dialogue Robert AlterJob and Not Giorgio BuccellatiThe Earliest Israel: Territorial History in the Highlands of Canaan Israel FinkelsteinThe Name Yhwȝ as a People: Reconsidering the Amorite Evidence Daniel E. FlemingJoshua and Anomie: Retrojection, Projection, and RecoveryDouglas A. KnightThe Plague of Darkness and the Creation of Light: A Reading of Psalm 105:26–36 from the Notion of Calamities in Chinese PerspectiveArchie C. C. LeeThe Oracular Insertion in Zechariah 4: Another Look at the Evidence of Akkadian Royal Building Inscriptions Eric M. Meyers and Carol MeyersMyth, Poetry, and Cosmic Construction in Job 38:4–18 Choon-Leong SeowA Mosaic for Miriam Phyllis Trible

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Book SynopsisThe second in a series of final publications of the Apollonia-Arsuf excavations, this volume reports the finds from the 1996, 2002, 2006, 2012, 2013, and 2017 seasons. The main topics are the excavation of areas to the east of the Apollonia National Park, outside the walled medieval town; the excavations carried out within and just outside the perimeter of the Park; skeletal remains; faunal remains; and a variety of finds, including pottery, glass, stone, metal, and bone objects as well as numerous coins.The analysis of the finds discussed in this report contribute to our understanding of the site during the Byzantine and early medieval occupation. Byzantine Apollonia, called Sozousa, was unwalled and extended over an area of some 280 dunams. Among its architectural remains are a church and industrial quarters with wine and oil presses, plastered pools, and raw glass furnaces. In the days of the Umayyad Caliph ‘Abd al-Malik (685–705), the site, at that point called Arsuf, was fortified by a wall that encompassed some seventy-seven dunams. By the end of the Early Islamic period, it became a ribbat (fort) where Muslim philosophers resided. In 1101, the site was conquered by the Crusaders. Towards the mid-twelfth century, ownership was transferred to a Crusader noble family, and the site became the center of a feudal seigneury. Construction of the castle in the northern sector began in 1241, and in 1261 administration of it, the town, and the seigneury of Arsur, as it was then called, passed to the Knights Hospitaller. By the end of the Mamluk siege in 1265, the town and castle were destroyed and never again settled.Table of ContentsPREFACEOren TalCHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTIONOren TalSECTION ONE: STRATIGRAPHY AND ARCHITECTURE CHAPTER 2 AREA AA (2012−2013)Tamar Harpak and Oren TalCHAPTER 3 AREA AA1 (2012−2013)Itai Elad, Tamar Harpak and Oren TalCHAPTER 4 AREA AA2 (2012−2013)Tamar Harpak and Oren TalCHAPTER 5 AREAS AA3, AA4 AND BB (2012−2013)Tamar Harpak and Oren TalCHAPTER 6 AREA CC (2012−2013)Tamar Harpak and Oren TalCHAPTER 7 AREAS CC2, DD1, DD2, DD3 AND TT8 (1996, 2012−2013)Itai Elad, Tamar Harpak and Oren TalCHAPTER 8 AREA M (2006, 2009)Oren TalCHAPTER 9 AREA N (2002) AND AREA N1 (2017)Oren TalCHAPTER 10 AREA O (2006, 2009)Oren TalCHAPTER 11 BURIALS AND SKELETAL REMAINSYossi NagarCHAPTER 12 CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARYOren TalSECTION TWO: THE FINDSCHAPTER 13 POTTERYItamar TaxelCHAPTER 14 LAMPSOren Tal, Itamar Taxel and Marcio Teixeira BastosAPPENDIX 14.1 OPTICAL MINERALOGY ANALYSIS OF SAMARITAN OIL LAMPSMark IserlisCHAPTER 15 STONE VESSELSItamar Taxel201CHAPTER 16 GLASSRuth E. Jackson-Tal207CHAPTER 17 SMALL FINDSOren Tal246CHAPTER 18 COINS (AREAS AA−DD, M, N, O)Gabriela Bijovsky (with a contribution by Issa Baidoun)263CHAPTER 19 TWENTIETH CENTURY MILITARIAAlexander GlickSECTION THREE: FAUNACHAPTER 20 THE ANIMAL ECONOMY OF BYZANTINE SOZOUSA AND ITS IMMEDIATE HINTERLAND (AREAS M, O, AA1 AND CC)Miriam Pines and Lidar Sapir-HenAPPENDIX 20.1 MEASURMENTS (STANDARDIZED MEASURMENTS TAKEN ACCORDING TO VON DEN DRIESCH 1976)Miriam Pines and Lidar Sapir-HenCHAPTER 21 MOLLUSC REMAINS (AREAS AA−DD)Oz Rittner and Henk K. MienisSECTION FOUR: REGIONAL STUDIESCHAPTER 22 APOLLONIA GLASS AND ITS MARKETS: AN ANALYTICAL PERSPECTIVEIan C. FreestoneCHAPTER 23 CARPE MOMENTO: IN QUEST OF THE MATERIAL EVIDENCE OF THE BATTLE OF ARSUF (7 SEPTEMBER 1191)Rafael Y. LewisSECTION FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSCHAPTER 24 THE SITE AND ITS IMMEDIATE HINTERLAND IN LATE BYZANTINE TIMESOren TalLIST OF LOCITamar Harpak, Oren Tal and Hagi Yohanan

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Book SynopsisIn ancient traditions, Assyria was the first world empire in a series that continued with Persia, Macedonia, and Rome. After Rome, we imagine the series bifurcating into a Western trajectory (from Charlemagne to Napoleon and the Third Reich) and an Oriental trajectory (from the Parthians and Sasanians to the Abbasids until the modern Caliphate). Assyria, often overlooked or slighted by modern studies of empire, still maintains our interest because it provides an example of the “simple form” of empire and imperialism, before subsequent developments resulted in structures of greater complexity.Most important among basic features of “empire” is the “imperial mission”—the mandate given by the gods or God to the emperor to extend, through conquest or persuasion, annexation or hegemony, the only legitimate power of the central state to the entire (known) world. This accomplishment can only be ideological, since in practice no empire, ancient or modern, could actually conquer the world. Nonetheless, ancient empires could come closer to the target, because their known world, the mental map of their oikoumene, was limited to their close surroundings. Assyria, by bringing the most populated and civilized countries of its time (surrounded by mountains, seas, deserts) into submission came close to fulfilling its mission. In our modern, Western perspective, however, the term empire is usually applied to alien and despotic (mainly Oriental) polities, while we in the West prefer to belong to more democratic “alliances.”Nevertheless, ancient Assyria still retains its value as a prototype of the “empire of evil” against which democracy fights and must resist. This book outlines the basic features of Assyrian imperialism within the framework of the general development of the imperial idea, all the while insisting on noting comparative material.The intent is twofold: (1) to better understand Assyria through comparison with later empires, and (2) to underscore the relevance of the “Assyrian model” and its influence on later history. Although the first intention profits ancient historians, the second goal is addressed to modern and contemporary historians, who too often ignore (or at least disregard) the long historical background lying behind more recent developments. The world in general, in the present climate of globalization, deserves to be better informed about pre-modern and non-Western trajectories of world history.Table of ContentsPreface1. Imperialism: Materiality and Ideology2. God's Will3. Communicating with God4. Holy War and Just War5. Exploring and Conquering6. The Disposable Periphery7. Collecting8. Public Display9. Marking Territory: The Steles10. Celebrative Inscriptions11. Royal Titulature12. The Justification of Self-Defense13. Battles and Sieges14. Oaths and Their Transgression15. Punishment and Forgiveness16. Destruction and Reconstruction17. Exporting Despotism18. Organizing the Territory: (a) The City at the Center of the World19. Organizing the Territory: (b) Provinces and Governors20. Organizing the Territory: (c) From Tributaries to Deportees21. Organizing the Territory: (d) The Communication Network22. Becoming Assyrian23. Imperial Prosperity24. Cultural Unification: (a) Technology25. Cultural Unification: (b) Religion26. Cultural Unification: (c) Language27. Conclusions: (a) The Prototype Empire28. Conclusions: (b) Trajectories of Imperialism29. Conclusions: (c) Celebration and Reality30. The View of Others31. Ancient and Modern EmpiresAbbreviations and BibliographyIndexesPlaces and PeoplesTemples and PalacesPersonsDivine and Mythical Beings

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Book SynopsisThis volume completes the publication of Middle Babylonian texts from the Rosen Collection that date to the Kassite period, a project that was initiated by Wilfred H. van Soldt with CUSAS 30 in 2015. In this book, Elena Devecchi provides full transliterations, translations, and extended commentaries of 338 previously unpublished cuneiform tablets from Kassite Babylonia (ca. 1475–1155 BCE). Most of the texts are dated to the reigns of Nazi-Maruttaš and Kadašman-Turgu, but the collection also includes one tablet dating to the reign of Burna-Buriaš II and a few documents from the reigns of Kadašman-Enlil II, Kudur-Enlil, and Šagarakti-Šuriaš, as well as some that are not dated. The tablets published here are largely administrative records dealing with the income, storage, and redistribution of agricultural products and byproducts, animal husbandry, and textile production, while legal documents and letters comprise a smaller portion of the collection. Evidence suggests that these documents originated from an administrative center that interacted closely with the provincial capital Nippur and must have been located in its vicinity. They thus expand significantly our previous knowledge of the Nippur region under Kassite rule, hitherto almost exclusively based on sources that came from Nippur itself, and provide substantial new data for the study of central aspects of society, economy, and administration that traditionally lie at the core of research about Kassite Babylonia.Table of ContentsSeries Editor’s PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbbreviations and conventionsCatalogueConcordancesIntroduction1. Origin of the tablets1.1. The Nippur area1.2 Dûr-Enlilç1.3 House of Enlil-kidinnî, or Bît-Enlil-kidinnî?2. Remarks on individual text groups2.1 Accounts of agricultural revenues2.2 Expenditures2.3 Flock records3. Economic activities3.1 Primary production 3.1.1 Agriculture3.1.2 Animal husbandry3.2 Secondary production3.2.1 Milling3.2.2 Brewing3.2.3 Textile industry4. Administrative structure4.1. The main actors4.2. Further officials4.3 Administrative units4.4. Storage facilities4.5 Temples4.6 Interactions with the royal and provincial governmentTexts1. ADMINISTRATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS1.1 ACCOUNTS OF AGRICULTURAL REVENUES1.1.1 Annual tçlîtu-accounts of a single towni. Barley together with other cereals, pulses and cress (1–16)ii. Sesame (17–21)1.1.2 Annual tçlîtu-accounts of several townsi. Barley together with other cereals, pulses and cress (22–23)ii. Sesame (24)iii. Wheat (25)1.1.3 Annual EDIN-accounts for one town (26–36)1.1.4 Accounts of shares (37–39)1.1.5 Other accounts of revenues (40–46)1.2 STORED GOODS1.2.1 “Stored barley/grain” (47–57)1.2.2 “Rest of the stores” (58–60)1.2.3 Stored flour (61)1.3EXPENDITURES1.3.1Single expenditures (62–91)1.3.2Multiple expenditures for one purposei. Rations (92–104)ii. Fodder (105–107)iii. Seed (108–109)iv. Production supplies (110–117)v. Food allocations for temples (118–119)vi. Loan with interest (120–122)vii. “Delivery” (123)viii. Gifts (124–125)ix. “Exchange” (126)1.3.3Multiple expenditures for various purposes (127–190)1.3.4Aklu-expenditures of foodstuffsi. Single aklu-expenditures (191–235)ii. Summaries of aklu-expenditures (236–245)2. ADMINISTRATION OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY2.1 Sheep (246–253)2.2 Goats (254)2.3 Sheep and Goats (255–262)2.4 Cattle (263–266)3. TEXTILE PRODUCTION3.1 Allocation of wool as work material (267–272)3.2 Production of garments and textiles (273–290)4. MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATIVE TEXTS4.1 Personnel lists (291–292)4.2 Beer (293)4.3 Beer and bread (294)4.4 Beer and draff (295)4.5 Pig’s fat (296)4.6 Receipt of aromatics and disbursement of cereals (297)4.7 Hides (298–299)4.8 Bricks (300)4.9 Paint (301)4.10 Wood (302)4.11 Sickles (303)4.12 Sacks (304)4.13 Metal (305)4.14 Inventory of precious goods (306)4.15 Uncertain (307–323)5. LEGAL TEXTS5.1 tuppi aḫûzati (324)5.2 Contract of exchange (325)5.3 Purchase of an ox (326)5.4 Settlements of disputes (327–328)5.5 Loans (329–331)5.6 Uncertain (332–334)6. LETTERS (335–338)7. REFERENCES8. INDEXES7.1 Personal Names7.2 Professions7.3 Geographic Names7.4 Temples7.5 Cuneiform sources9. PLATES

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Book SynopsisIsrael Finkelstein is perhaps the best-known Israeli archaeologist in the world. Renowned for his innovative and ground-breaking research, he has written and edited more than 20 books and published more than 300 academic papers. He has served as the director of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology and is the Jacob M. Alkow Professor of Archeology in the Bronze and Iron Age at Tel Aviv University. For the past two decades, he has been co-director of the Megiddo Expedition and is currently co-director of the Mission archéologique de Qiryat-Yéarim.His work has greatly changed the face of archaeological and historical research of the biblical period. His unique ability to see the comprehensive big picture and formulate a broad framework has inspired countless scholars to reexamine long-established paradigms. His trail-blazing work covering every period from the beginning of the Early Bronze Age through the Hasmonean period, while sometimes controversial, has led to a creative new approach that connects archaeology with history, the social sciences, and the natural and life sciences. Israel Finkelstein is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and a correspondant étranger of the French Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres.Professor Finkelstein is the recipient of the prestigious 2005 Dan David Prize for his radical revision of the history of Israel in the 10th and 9th centuries BCE. In 2009, he was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture, and in 2010 received an honorary doctorate from the University of Lausanne. He is a member of the selection committee of the Shanghai Archaeology Forum, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. In 2014, his book The Forgotten Kingdom was awarded the esteemed Prix Delalande-Guérineau by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in Paris.This volume, dedicated to Professor Finkelstein’s accomplishments and contributions, features 36 articles written by his colleagues, friends, and students in honor of his decades of scholarship and leadership in the field of biblical archaeology. Trade Review“Thanks to his numerous works as well as his talents as a communicator, Israel Finkelstein is undoubtedly one of the only archeologists of the ancient Levant whose name is known outside specialist circles. In this volume, fifty colleagues (just over half of whom are Israeli) pay tribute, in thirty-six chapters, to his work and his research, which have made lasting progress in the fields of history and archeology in the biblical period.”—D. Luciani Ephemerides Theologicae LovaniensesTable of ContentsThe Omride Annexation of the Beth-Shean ValleyEran ArieFollow the Negebite Ware RoadShirly Ben-Dor EvianA Cooking-Pot from Hazor with Neo-Hittite Seal ImpressionsAmnon Ben-Tor, A. Cohen-Weinberger, and M. Weeden"English Lady Owns Armageddon": Rosamond Templeton, Laurence Oliphant, and Tell El-MutesellimEric H. ClineIs Jacob Hiding in the House of Saul?Margaret CohenWith a Bible in One Hand...Philip R DaviesEntering the Arena: The Megiddo Stables ReconsideredNorma FranklinThe Iron I in the Samaria Highlands: A Nomad Settlement Wave or Urban Expansion?Yuval GadotJeroboam I? Jeroboam II? Or Jeroboam 0?: Jeroboam In History And TraditionLester L. GrabbeRethinking Destruction by Fire: Geoarchaeological Case Studies in Tel Megiddo and the Importance of Construction MethodsRuth Shahack-GrossRethinking AmoritesRobert S. Homsher and Melissa S. Cradic"...Out of the Land of Egypt, Out of the House of Slavery..." (Exodus 20:2): Forced Migration, Slavery and the Emergence of IsraelAnn E. KillebrewWas There a Refugee Crisis in the 8th/7th Centuries BCE?Ernst Axel KnaufIsrael Or Judah? The Shifting Body Politic and Collective Identity in ChroniclesGary N. KnoppersEarly Philistia Revisited and RevisedIdo KochPalynological Analysis of the Glacis of the Seleucid Acra in Jerusalem: Construction Duration Estimation and Environmental ReconstructionDafna LanggutThe Future Of The Past: At-Risk World Heritage, Cyber-Archaeology, and Transdisciplinary ResearchThomas E. LevyBethel RevisitedOded LipschitsRethinking the Philistines: A 2017 PerspectiveAren M. Maeir and Louise A. HitchcockThe Fate of Megiddo at the End of the Late Bronze IIBMario A.S. MartinRediscovering a Lost North Israelite Conquest StoryNadav Na’amanRethinking the Origins of Israel: 1 Chr 1–9 in the Light of ArchaeologyManfred OemingThe Putative Authenticity of the New ‘Jerusalem’ Papyrus Inscription: Methodological Caution as a DesideratumChristopher RollstonThe Rise and Fall of JosiahThomas RömerPax Assyriaca and the Animal Economy in the Southern Levant: Regional and Local-Scale Imperial ContactsLidar Sapir-Hen"Israel" in the Joseph Story (Genesis 37–50)Konrad SchmidPsalm 29, The Voice of God, and Thunderstorms in the Eastern MediterraneanWilliam M. SchniedewindRethinking Israel and the Kingdom of SaulOmer SergiStatistical Inference in Archaeology: Are We Confident?Arie Shaus, Barak Sober, Shira Faigenbaum-Golovin, Anat Mendel-Geberovich, David Levin, Eli Piasetzky, Eli TurkelLooking Back on the Bible UnearthedNeil Asher SilbermanEmpires and Allies: A Longue Durée View from the Negev Desert FrontierYifat ThareaniNew Evidence of Jerusalem’s Urban Development in the 9th Century BCEJoe Uziel and Nahshon SzantonThe Final Phase of the Common "Proto-Semitic" Alphabet in the Southern Levant: A Rejoinder to Sass and FinkelsteinDavid S. VanderhooftMetal Production and Trade at the Turn of the First Millennium BCE: Some Answers, New QuestionsNaama Yahalom MackResilience and the Canaanite Palatial System: The Case of MegiddoAssaf Yasur-Landau and Inbal Samet

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Book SynopsisIn the 5 days from July 16 through July 20, 2012, more than three hundred Assyriologists from all over the world gathered in Leiden, the Netherlands, to read more than 130 papers and to contribute to a variety of workshops. Many of the papers were read in the context of several thematic workshops, some of which were related to the main theme of the conference. This volume publishes 21 of the revised essays on the main topic of the Rencontre-Private and State in the Ancient Near East. As is usually the case, the academic sessions were accompanied by many opportunities for social interaction among the participants, and there was time to enjoy the historical and cultural benefits of Leiden. The book is divided into two sections. In the first section are three "Opening Lectures,"  by Hans Neumann on Mesopotamian society at the turn of the 3rd millennium B.C.; by Adelheid Otto on archaeological perspectives on private and state in the second millennium B.C.; and by Michael Jursa on the state and its subjects during Neo-Babylonian times. In the second section, 18 essays on various aspects of the relationship of private life and activity to the state and government in various periods are presented.Table of ContentsForewordAbbreviationsProgramPart 1: Opening LecturesDie Gesellschaft Mesopotamiens in der Zeit der Wende vom 3. zum 2. Jahrtausend v. Chr. zwischen Theorie und LebenswirklichkeitHans NeumannPrivate and State in the Second Millennium B.C. from an Archaeological PerspectiveAdelheid OttoThe State and Its Subjects under the Neo-Babylonian EmpireMichael JursaPart 2: PapersMesopotamian Divinatory Inquiry: A Private or a State Matter?Netanel AnorSupervision over Weighing in Early Dynastic and Sargonic MesopotamiaVitali BartashReligious Private Practices from Ur III/Old Babylonian UrL. BattiniNomads and the Middle Assyrian State Administration: A New Interpretation of a Letter from Tell Seh Hamad and Some Related MattersYigal BlochHow to Execute a Person in Private and Preserve One's Face in Public: (ARMT 13, 107, Gen 37:20-24, and Jer 38:6-13)Daniel BodiLe lait, la viande et la gloutonnerie du roi: Rites alimentaires d'installation des achemenides a la lumiere de quelques textes mesopotamiensDaniel BonneterreLes Assyriens a Edeli: Vie privee et activites publiquesFabrice De BackerIntellectual Opposition in Mesopotamia between Private and StateSebastian FinkOn Purity-Private and PublicMartin LangSahhan und luzziJurgen LorenzPrivate Religious Life in Emar and the Hittite EmpirePatrick Maxime MichelInfliger la mort: aspects publics et prives dans la documentation de Mari et les recueils de lois du IIeme millenaire av. J.-C.Virginie MullerWriting for the Palace, Writing for the Citizens: The Organization of the Activities of Nuzi ScribesPaola Negri ScafaSeals with Granulation Caps in the First Half of the Second Millennium B.C.: New DataJulie Patrier and Denis LacambreData Mining Tools and GRID Infrastructure for Text Analysis in Assyriology: An Old Babylonian Case StudyGiovanni Ponti, Daniela Alderuccio, Giorgio Mencuccini, Alessio Rocchi, Silvio Migliori, Giovanni Bracco, Paola Negri ScafaPopular Religion or Popular Participation in Public Rites?JoAnn ScurlockNew Observations on the Locations of Some Central Anatolian Towns during the Bronze AgeOEzlem S. GavazAspekte von Kultinventaren im Licht des unveroeffentlichten Textes Bo 8359Ilknur Tas

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Book SynopsisWith its unique geographic diversity and abundant archaeological and textual data, the southern Levant is an excellent “laboratory” for studying how Assyrian domination operated. This collection of essays explains how Neo-Assyrian rule influenced the demographics, economy, and culture of the region.A systematic study of Assyrian rule in the west that integrates archaeological and textual perspectives and reconsiders the “Assyrian Peace” paradigm has long been needed. Building on the unparalleled archaeological and textual information available from the Land of Israel and its surroundings, the studies in this book address various aspects of Assyrian rule, including life under Assyrian hegemony and the consequences of the Assyrian conquests. It includes a broad overview of the vast archaeological data from both the provinces and client kingdoms in the Land of Israel in the Assyrian period, as well as a systematic and chronological survey of Assyrian texts that mention the region or sites therein. The contributors employ widely divergent approaches to topics such as the description of Assyrian encroachment in biblical texts, the Judean experience of Assyrian control, the political structure of the Coastal Plain, and the architecture of hospitality, among others. Integrating various sources of information to reconstruct the demography, economy, architecture, and intellectual life of the southern Levant, the articles in this volume are important not only for the study of Assyrian rule but also for research on empires writ large.In addition to the editors, the contributors to this volume include Amitai Baruchi-Unna, Yigal Bloch, Alexander Fantalkin, Wayne Horowitz, David Kertai, Lily Singer-Avitz, and Peter Zilberg.Trade Review“With regard to Assyrian involvement in the southern Levant, this volume provides both broad overviews of the data as well as in-depth studies on particular topics. Although each essay has its own merits, a strength of the book is the diversity of approaches employed in analyzing the various data in order to reconstruct Assyrian domination.”—Anthony P. SooHoo Orientalia“With differing nuances and stressing the variability of policy across time and space, these studies confirm recent claims, programmatically expressed here by Faust, that only areas outside direct Assyrian control prospered in the southern Levant because Assyria’s primary goal was resource extraction by manipulating the economy along the Levantine coast with minimum infrastructural investments.”—Thomas Renz Journal for the Study of the Old TestamentTable of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Tables Foreword Preface Acknowledgments1 The Southern Levant under Assyrian Domination: An Introduction Avraham Faust and Shawn Zelig Aster2 The Assyrian Century in the Southern Levant: An Overview of the Reality on the Ground Avraham Faust3 The Assyrian Provinces of the Southern Levant: Sources, Administration, and Control Peter Zilberg4 Treaty and Prophecy: A Survey of Biblical Reactions to Neo-Assyrian Political Thought Shawn Zelig Aster5 “Your Servant and Son I Am”: Aspects of the Assyrian Imperial Experience of Judah Amitai Baruchi-Unna6 The Assyrian Influence on the Architecture of Hospitality in the Southern Levant David Kertai7 Neo-Assyrian Involvement in the Southern Coastal Plain of Israel: Old Concepts and New Interpretations Alexander Fantalkin8 On Phoeniciaʼs Trade Relations with Philistia and Judah under the Assyrian Hegemony: The Ceramic Evidence Lily Singer-Avitz9 The Beirut Decree and Mesopotamian Imperial Policy toward the Levant Yigal Bloch10 The Last Days of Cuneiform in Canaan: Speculations on the Coins from Samaria Wayne HorowitzIndexes

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Book SynopsisThis volume is intended to introduce university and seminary students and scholars to the neglected field of ritual studies, particularly within the larger context of biblical and theological studies. At the same time, the author hopes to further the discussion by interacting with numerous scholars in the field, providing an extensive bibliography of relevant works. Klingbeil defines the basic terms used in ritual studies and explains the concepts involved in interpreting biblical ritual. He offers a broad history of the study of biblical ritual, beginning with the critiques of ritual found in the Old Testament prophetic books and surveying attitudes toward ritual down to modern times. Drawing on the fields of anthropology and sociology, as well as his decade of work in the field, Klingbeil presents a comprehensive reading strategy for biblical ritual texts. In addition, he explores connections between ritual studies and theological research. This ground-breaking study promises to generate discussion about biblical ritual and provides an excellent introduction to this growing field of study for students and scholars.Table of ContentsPrefaceAbbreviationsIntroduction: How It All BeganCulture, Religion, and Ritual: Definitions and InteractionRitual from a Social-Science Perspective: Tracing the Outline of an IdeaRitual and Bible: The Genesis of a New DisciplineBiblical Ritual in History: Periods and PerspectivesReading Ritual: Strategies and Trigger PointsStructure, Order and Sequence, Space, and Time: Ritual Elements 1Objects, Action, Participants, and Language: Ritual Elements 2“What Does It All Mean?”Dimensions and Functions of Ritual“Looking over the Fence”: Ritual and Other Areasof Biblical and Theological ResearchRitual Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, or: Some Type of a Conclusion for a Christian TheologyAppendix: Ritual Texts in the PentateuchBibliographyIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of ScriptureIndex of Other Ancient Sources

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Book SynopsisIsraelite festival calendar texts (Exod 23; 34; Lev 23; Num 28–29; Deut 16; and Ezek 45) share many features; however, there are also differences. Some of the most-often-cited differences are the following: festival dates, festival locations, date of the New Year, festival timing, and festival names. Scholars have explored these distinctions, and many have concluded that different sources (authors/redactors) wrote the various calendars at different times in Israelite history. Scholars use these dissimilarities to argue that Lev 23 was written in the exilic or postexilic era. Babcock offers a new translation and analysis of a second-millennium B.C. multimonth ritual calendar text from Emar (Emar 446) to challenge the late dating of Lev 23. Babcock argues that Lev 23 preserves an early (2nd-millennium) West Semitic ritual tradition.Building on the recent work of Klingbeil and Sparks, this book presents a new comparative methodology for exploring potential textual relationships. Babcock investigates the attributes of sacred ritual through the lens of sacred time, sacred space and movement, sacred objects, ritual participants, and ritual sound. The author begins with a study of ancient Near Eastern festival texts from the 3rd millennium through the 1st millennium. This analysis focuses on festival cycles, common festival attributes, and the role of time and space in ritual. Babcock then moves on to an intertextual study of biblical festival texts before completing a thorough investigation of both Lev 23 and Emar 446. The result is a compelling argument that Lev 23 preserves an early West Semitic festival tradition and does not date to the exilic era—refuting the scholarly consensus.This illuminating reading stands as a model for future research in the field of ritual and comparative textual studies.Table of ContentsIntroductionIntroductionThe Comparative Method Sacred Aspect of Ritual Research ObjectivesOverview of ResearchIntroductionOverview of Ritual Development in the Ancient Near East Overview of Leviticus 23 Research in Light of Related Biblical Texts Critique of Jan WagenaarSummaryLeviticus 23Introduction to the Study of Leviticus 23 Original Translation and Text-Critical Notes of Leviticus 23 Structure, Outline, and Literary FeaturesSacred TimeSacred SpaceSacred ObjectsRitual Roles of Participants Ritual SoundSummaryEmar 446: A Multimonth Ritual CalendarIntroduction to Emar Translation and Commentary: Emar 446 (Msk. 74280a + 74291a) Structure, Outline, and Literary Features Sacred Time in Emar 446The Emar Yearly Calendar and New Year Sacred SpaceSacred ObjectsRitual ParticipantsRitual SoundSummaryAppendixLeviticus 23 in the Context of Emar 446IntroductionIntrabiblical FindingsHistory of TransmissionContext, Purpose, and Analytical Genre Structure and Literary FeaturesSacred TimeSacred SpaceSacred ObjectsRitual Roles of ParticipantsRitual SoundConnection between the TextsConclusionBibliography IndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of ScriptureIndex of Other Ancient Sources Index of Festivals

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Book SynopsisMesopotamia is often considered to be the birthplace of law codes. In recognition of this fact and motivated by the perennial interest in the topic among Assyriologists, the 59th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale was organized in Ghent in 2013 around the theme “Law and (Dis)Order in the Ancient Near East.” Based on papers delivered at that meeting, this volume contains twenty-six essays that focus on archaeological, philological, and historical topics related to order and chaos in the Ancient Near East. Written by a diverse array of international scholars, the contributions to this book explore laws and legal practices in the Ur III, Old Babylonian, Middle Assyrian, and Neo-Assyrian periods in Mesopotamia, as well as in Nuzi and the Hebrew Bible. Among the subjects covered are the Code of Hammurabi, legal phraseology, the archaeological traces of the organization of community life, and biblical law. The volume also contains essays that explore the concepts of chaos/disorder and law/order in divinatory texts and literature.Wide-ranging and cutting-edge, the essays in this collection will be of interest to Assyriologists, especially members of the International Association for Assyriology. Trade Review“This handsomely produced proceedings of the 2013 Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale in Ghent successfully reflects the main title and theme of the conference, with many of the contributions dealing with legalities and law codes.”—M. J. Geller Review of Biblical Literature“This collection is outstanding and brings together a conglomerate of sub-disciplinary essays in ANE studies, all of which are focused upon the motifs of order, disorder, and law. I cannot recommend this book enough.”—Nathan S. French Journal for the Study of the Old TestamentTable of ContentsPrefaceAbbreviationsProgram1. Foreseeing the Future, Classifying the Present: On the Concepts of Law and Order in the Omen LiteratureNetanel Anor2. Le vol à l’époque paléo-babylonienne: L’application de la loi à travers la jurisprudenceDalila Bendellal-Younsi3. “Let the Sleeping Dogs Lie” or the Taboo (NÍG.GIG=ikkibu) of the Sacredness of Sleep as Order and Noise at Night (“tapage nocturne”) as Disorder in Some Ancient Near Eastern TextsDaniel Bodi4. Lorsque les généraux prêtent serment . . . : Quelques remarques sur l’usage du serment de loyauté (depuis la documentation d’Ur III jusqu’à l’époque néo- assyrienne)Daniel Bonneterre5. Unjust Law: Royal Rhetoric or Social Reality?Sophie Démarre-Lafont6. The Vocabulary of Rebellion in Neo-Assyrian DocumentsAline Distexhe7. Legal Fiction in Emar and Ekalte: A Source of Order or Disorder in the Legal System?Lena Fijałkowska8. What the “Man of One Mina” Wanted: Law and Commerce in the Ur III PeriodSteven Garfinkle9. How Ancient Near Eastern Societies Regulated Life in theCommunity: Crucial Clues from ArchaeologyMònica Bouso and Anna Gómez-Bach10. A Variationist Approach to Orthographic and PhonologicalPeculiarities of the Language in the Laws of HammurabiRodrigo Hernáiz11. “For Each Runaway Assyrian Fugitive, Let Me ReplaceHim One Hundred- Fold”: Fugitives/Runaways in the Neo- Assyrian EmpireKrzysztof Hipp12. Perfections of Justice? Measure for Measure Aspirationsin Biblical and Cuneiform SourcesSandra Jacobs13. Putting Some Order in Ur III Letter-OrdersDaniele Umberto Lampasona14. Luminous Oils and Waters of Wisdom: Shedding New Light on Oil DivinationAlex Loktionov and Christoph Schmidhuber15. (Mis)Translating Gender: The Scribes Couldn’t Have BeenCompetent, They Didn’t Go to YaleKathleen McCaffrey16. Rétablir l’ordre par la mort dans les textes législatifsdu début du IIe millénaire av. J.-CVirginie Muller17. To Be Guilty at NuziPaola Negri Scafa18. Fremde Götter—eigene Götter: Zu den neuassyrischenGötterbeschreibungenReettakaisa Sofia Salo19. “Not Even Her Own Jewelry”: Marital Property in theMiddle Assyrian LawsJoAnn Scurlock20. Disorder and Its Agents: The Akkadian Epic of AnzûRevisitedDahlia Shehata21. When the Trial Does Not Work: Pathological Elementsin the Judicial Procedure in the Old Babylonian PeriodCristina Simonetti22. The Ashurbanipal Library Project at the British MuseumJon Taylor23. The Sea and Monarchic Legitimation in the Ancient Near EastJoanna Töyräänvuori24. Putting Life in Order: The Architectureof the New Excavations in Kamid el-Loz, LebanonJulia Linke and Elisabeth Wagner-Durand25. Enmity Against Samsu-ditānaElyze ZomerContributors

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