For students of the humanities…
This article from Smithsonian Magazine showcases the breadth of the influence of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. After saving an carved stone panel from looters, archeologists uncovered evidence that the Neo-Assyrian culture interacted with the Arameans in what is today Turkey. link to Ancient Rock Art Depicting Divine Procession...
This carving from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is very interesting to me for several reasons. First, it is attributed to an "Old Assyrian Trading Colony," and it was found in what is now Turkey. Also, you don't often see female sphinxes, and most sphinxes come from Egypt. Added to that is the fact that… Continue reading Object: Furniture support: female sphinx with Hathor-style curls
In this article from 2017, ArtNet details the destruction (that was at that time still ongoing) of cultural heritage sites by ISIS. Stories like this show the destructive affect of war on art and culture (in addition to its painful consequences for people's lives and families). link to A Monumental Loss...
When we study the region of the ancient world known as Mesopotamia, we often focus only on a few major cultures: Sumer, Babylon, Akkad, Assyria, etc. However, there is evidence that there is more to the history of Mesopotamia. This article focusses on the evidence for the possible "Forgotten Kingdom" of Ebla. link to First… Continue reading Article: First Kingdoms: The Forgotten Mesopotamian Kingdom of Elba
I recently shared translations of the poetry of the Akkadian author Enheduanna, and in that post, I mentioned that we have an image of the lady in question. This article showcases the relief that represents Enheduanna, and it provides a good amount of information both on that and on her life as well. link to… Continue reading Article: Ur Digitization Project: Item of the Month, June 2012
It always gives me great pleasure to remind people that the first author (whose name we know) was a woman. While her poetry is not quite as old as The Epic of Gilgamesh, Enheduanna's work is special because we know who wrote it (the author of The Epic of Gilgamesh remains anonymous). Even better, we… Continue reading Article: The Temple Hymns of Enheduanna
Magic was important in the ancient world, but it's unfortunately an aspect of culture that modern scholars often ignore of view as somewhat silly. I think that the fact that it was important to the ancients means that it's an important part of understanding them. This article from the Expedition Magazine at the Penn Museum… Continue reading Article: Secrets of Ancient Magic: The Power of Spells, Curses, & Omens
I think that this article may have the longest title of anything I have written about so far, but Ancient Origins has put together a very interesting look at an often neglected people. When we look at the history of language and writing, we often throw the word "cuneiform" out there without any context. This… Continue reading Article: Sumerian Tablets: A Deeper Understanding of the Oldest Known Written Language
Humanities Scholars 