December 2014
Vol. 2, No. 12
Welcome to The Ancient Near East Today, Vol. II, No. 12 – the last issue of 2014! In this month’s issue, we take you from cursing in the past, to priestly attire, with look at the problem of being a kingdom on the Euphrates, and recent results of archaeology in Iraq and Qatar.
We lead off with Joan Taylor’s discussion of what Jewish priests from the Second Temple wore. Adam Miglio reviews the modern-sounding politics of Zimri-Lim’s kingdom on the Central Euphrates. After that, Anne Marie Kitz looks at ancient curse formulas and what they really mean, and Sultan Muhesin and Faisal Al Naimi review recent archaeological work in Qatar. Finally, Jason Ur’s plenary lecture from the 2014 Annual Meeting highlights the renewed archaeological research in Iraq.
As always, we encourage you to send The Ancient Near East Today articles to family and friends, post links to Facebook and Twitter, and to be in touch with the editor. Remember, being a Friend of ASOR is free, so please spread the news!
What did Jewish Priests Wear?
By Joan E. Taylor
In antiquity, as today, ritual experts of various kinds were distinguished by dress that marked them off as engaged in sacred duties. In ancient Rome a priest of the imperial cult, the flamen, wore flame-coloured clothing with a remarkable apex-pointed skullcap.
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Political Landscapes along the Central Euphrates River, Then and Now
By Adam Miglio
Headlines across media outlets of all types remind us of the troubling events in Syria and Iraq. Yet when reading the stories behind the headlines, it quickly becomes apparent that modern geo-political boundaries are of secondary significance to understanding these current events.
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Cursing in the Ancient Near East
By Anne Marie Kitz
All families fight and sometimes what sound like harsh words are used. But what is really meant when someone asks their deity to “inflict a curse and evil”? In the ancient Near East curses and blessings were a fundamental aspect of the relationship between human beings and their deities.
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Notes on Archaeological Discoveries from Qatar
By Sultan Muhesen and Faisal Al Naimi
Qatar was once best known for pearls. In the twentieth century this gave way to oil. But the archaeological heritage of this state on the northeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula is swiftly being brought into the twenty-first century.
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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.
