May 2015
Vol. 3, No. 5
Welcome to The Ancient Near East Today, Vol. III, No. 5! As spring gives way to summer, we take you from Mesopotamia of the Sumerians and Babylonian Exile to modern Afghanistan, by way of Biblical Turkey.
We lead off with a report from ASOR’s Syrian Heritage Initiative, detailing recent damage to parts of the Assyrian city of Nimrud. Yigal Block then introduces new information on the lives of Judeans in Babylonia, and Mark Wilson explains the background to his guidebook, Biblical Turkey. Davide Nadali and Andrea Polcaro bring us up to date on their excavations at Tell Surghul in southern Iraq, and Suzanne E. Bott and her colleagues review an important training program for Afghanistan’s beleaguered cultural heritage specialists.
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Living and Working in the Shadow of the Seven Churches
By: Mark Wilson
I first came to Turkey in 1992 during my doctoral research on the Book of Revelations. My visit to the Seven Churches – the seven early churches or congregations mentioned in the Book of Revelations – was life-changing. The experience birthed in me a desire to introduce others to this amazing land that, after Israel, has more biblical sites than any other country.
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Working in Sumer: the New Italian Archaeological Expedition at Nigin, Southern Iraq
By: Davide Nadali and Andrea Polcaro
Despite Iraq’s troubles, archaeological research continues to expand. The Italian Archeological Expedition to Tell Surghul, ancient Nigin, started in February 2015 (Map). The project is a joint effort by Sapienza University of Rome (Davide Nadali) and Perugia University (Andrea Polcaro).
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Professional Education for Afghan Cultural Heritage Faculty at the University of Arizona
By: Suzanne E. Bott, R. Brooks Jeffery, Atifa Rawan, and Nancy Odegaard
Archaeologists estimate there are more than 5000 archaeological sites in Afghanistan, but not all have been identified. And after three decades of war and neglect, Afghan sites and artifacts are in serious need of trained staff, proper site management, security, funding, national and international commitment, and development of advocacy and awareness programs.
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New Sources and Insights on Judeans in the Babylonian Exile
By: Yigal Bloch
The biblical books of Kings and Jeremiah present the narrative of the destruction of the kingdom of Judah and the exile of its inhabitants to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar II (2 Kgs. 24-25; Jer. 39:1-10; 52). Given the presence of Judeans in Babylonia.
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The Ancient Near East Today features contributions from diverse academics, a forum featuring debates of current developments from the field, and links to news and resources. The ANE Today covers the entire Near East, and each issue presents discussions ranging from the state of biblical archaeology to archaeology after the Arab Spring.
