February 2015
Vol. 3, No. 2
Welcome to The Ancient Near East Today, Vol. III, No. 2! This month, we’re delighted to take you from Iran to the Aegean, and from the questions raised by unprovenanced objects to the relationship between the Bible and archaeology.
We begin with Ralph Hawkins asking about the relationship between the Bible and archaeology. Benjamin Foster then looks at the difficult problem of acquiring and publishing unprovenanced cuneiform tablets. Helen Dawson discusses the colonization of Mediterranean islands, and Megan Cifarelli examines the difficult question of identifying gender using archaeological evidence. Finally, we’re pleased to present field reports from students who have received ASOR scholarships and to highlight a campaign to support students in the upcoming year.
As always, please forward articles from The Ancient Near East Today to family and friends, post links to Facebook and be in touch with the editor. Remember, being one of the Friends of ASOR is free!
A Statement on Mesopotamian Antiquities Issues
By: Benjamin R. Foster
The Yale Babylonian Collection will not purchase, accept as a donation, or authenticate any Mesopotamian artifact that the curator has reason to believe was acquired by its current owner in violation of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
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Gender and Jewelry at Hasanlu
By: Megan Cifarelli
How do we show others who we are? This problem was as present in antiquity as it is today. As an art historian, I’m particularly interested in the role that dress and personal adornment have played in the creation and expression of gendered identities in the past.
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Beyond the Sea: New Light on Mediterranean Colonization
By: Helen Dawson
Like a sea in continuous motion, Mediterranean communities are constantly changing and adapting through time, while paradoxically maintaining their distinctive character. As an archaeologist studying the earliest human colonization of the Mediterranean islands, I am interested in understanding when, where, and how people decided to settle the islands.
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The Bible, Archaeology, and the History of Early Israel
By: Ralph K. Hawkins
The problem of the relationship between the Bible and archaeology is an old one, and archaeological trends over the last several decades have shifted away from using the Bible. For those working in biblical or Near Eastern studies, however, the question has an abiding relevance.
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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.
