March 2016
Vol. 4, No. 3
Welcome to The Ancient Near East Today Vol. IV, No. 3! In this issue, we go from the names of the Biblical period to the plains of southern Turkey, with stops to consider Mesopotamian prayers and the history of Biblical Archaeology.
We begin with Mitka Golub’s consideration of Biblical names while Eric Meyers takes a look at famed Israeli archaeologist Yigal Yadin’s final visit to America. From there, Alan Lenzi discusses the nature of Akkadian prayers, and Minna Silver introduces us to the enormous site of Harran in Turkey. We’re also pleased to have two podcasts, with Robert Kawashima and Kerry Muhlestein, on crime, punishment, and violence in the ancient Near East. Finally, we present links to the latest ASOR fellowship and Cultural Heritage Initiative reports.
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!
Unearthing the Past at Ancient Harran and the Wells of Paddan-Aram
By Minna Silver
Many know Harran from the biblical story of Abraham and his family’s wanderings. Today the huge tell of Harran, the mound of the ancient city, measures over one kilometre across and is surrounded by ancient walls.
READ MORE
Akkadian Prayers in Ancient Mesopotamia
By Alan Lenzi
Prayer is ubiquitous in human societies, including ancient Mesopotamia, but it often appears alien or distant to our modern sensibilities. A closer look shows that this seemingly arcane topic tells us much about Mesopotamian hopes, fears, rituals, and history, sometimes in deeply human ways.
READ MORE
What names teach us about Iron II society in the Land of Israel
By Mitka Golub
Names send messages about identity. Today, many African-Americans have first names that are totally different from those of white Americans. But until the early 1970s there was a great similarity between the two communities. Scholars who studied this phenomenon.
READ MORE
Yigael Yadin’s Last Night in America: ASOR and the Biblical Archaeology Movement
By Eric M. Meyers
In light of the sharp decline in enrollments in the humanities in colleges and universities in the United States and abroad, I thought it might be helpful to share a story about Yigael Yadin’s last day in America, the day before he died.
READ MORE
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.
