Ancient Mesopotamian kings surrounded themselves with guards, walls, spies, soldiers, oaths, and rituals, yet those closest to...
Mesopotamia
Enter the world of ancient Mesopotamia, where cities rose between the Tigris and Euphrates and some of history’s earliest states took form. These studies examine the institutions and beliefs that shaped life in the region.
When an eclipse foretold a ruler’s death, Assyrian scholars offered a chilling solution: crown another man, transfer...
Göbekli Tepe challenges old assumptions about civilization, suggesting that ritual, monumentality, and shared belief may have preceded...
Blending history and literary invention, The Legend of Cutha reveals how Mesopotamian naru texts shaped royal memory,...
Across continents and civilizations, pyramids emerged as powerful expressions of belief, authority, and memory, revealing a shared...
The deification of Naram-Sin was neither a theological accident nor an isolated curiosity of ancient Mesopotamia. It...
The collapse of the Akkadian Empire was not a sudden catastrophe imposed by an indifferent sky. It...
The agrarian history of ancient Mesopotamia offers one of the earliest and clearest demonstrations that economic collapse...
From Late Bronze Age Mesopotamia to modern administrative states, power survives by changing form rather than relinquishing...
The history of Mesopotamian scribal culture reveals that repetition is not the enemy of civilization but one...
It was especially the prophetic function that gave Egašankalamma a nationwide significance, and this was actively promoted...
The family unit was of such importance that the hierarchy of palace and temple was based on it. Introduction Family in...
Literature inspired by the tension between Sumerian farmers and herdsmen who both required land. Introduction The Debate...
The hymn was preserved orally because it had become a popular song and was finally committed to...
Whatever purpose the song served, it was clearly popular as many copies have been found. Introduction The Song...
Iran offers an incredible variety of archaeological and cultural wonders. Introduction Iran, or Persia as it was formerly known,...
The story of a comet hitting the earth and triggering an ice age some 13,000 years ago....
Examining the circulation of ancient chemical knowledge. Egypt It appears that Egyptian craftsmanship had mastered specific procedures...
Old Babylonian scribal education. Curated/Reviewed by Matthew A. McIntoshPublic HistorianBrewminate Introduction and Archaeological Evidence An eduba[a] (‘house where tablets...
Aspects of the legal system in Mesopotamia. By Oxford University Press Introduction During the 21st century BCE,...
The development of these works progressed through a number of eras. Introduction Ancient Mesopotamian art and architectural...
Coming from Babylon, the text follows the traits common to cuneiform herbals. Abstract This article offers, in...
Funerary rituals were intended to honor the dead and send them respectfully on to the next world....
The site marks the appearance of the oldest permanent human settlements anywhere in the world. Introduction Göbekli...
There was no concept of separation of religion and politics, and festivals also served a political purpose....
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations was held in London in 1851. Introduction...
It specifically names the types of ghosts who might be causing the trouble, sending them back to...
Cyrus’ empire included terrain of all types and climes. Introduction The estimated expanse of the Achaemenid Empire at its...
Better understanding the god of the Mediterranean Sea and elucidating aspects of Late Bronze Age. Abstract This...
The birth of agriculture was a pivotal moment in human history. Introduction The ancient Near East, and the...