Hammurabi’s punishments were far more severe than earlier law codes. Introduction The Code of Hammurabi was a set of...
Mesopotamia
How ancient Mesopotamians fought their greatest fears. By Dr. Jeffrey SpierSenior Curator of AntiquitiesJ. Paul Getty Museum...
The birth of agriculture was a pivotal moment in human history. Introduction The ancient Near East, and the...
It was in this region that many of the most important cultural developments were first established and...
By taking the kingship, he established the Third Dynasty of Ur in Sumer, also referenced as the...
This cuneiform literature provides evidence that ancient practitioners were competent in curing diseases or complaints. Introduction Barbara...
The birth of agriculture was a pivotal moment in human history that allowed the earliest civilizations to...
He is portrayed in unflattering light in the Bible, most notably in the Book of Daniel and...
It was the king’s responsibility to make laws and enforce justice in society. By Sara E. ColeCuratorial Assistant,...
The Kushites were expelled from Egypt by the Assyrians, but their kingdom flourished in Sudan for another...
Described as fiercely independent by contemporary Greco-Roman accounts, the Nabataeans were annexed into the Roman Empire. Introduction...
Back in the times of the early bronze era or approximately 2000 BCE (long before things such...
Exploring its use (and misuse) over the centuries as political propaganda, loot, and even fodder in the...
Cyrus conquered the Medes and established one of the largest empires of the ancient world, the Persian...
Ancient Anatolia is described as a melting pot of civilizations and cultures, a bridge between Asia and...
From their earliest days of the Achaemenid Empire, the Persians introduced a number of novel concepts in...
Many of the most common aspects of daily life, as well as theological paradigms and political systems,...
Marriage in ancient Mesopotamia was of vital importance to the society for the continuation of the family...
Beer was extremely popular in ancient Mesopotamia. Sipped through straws, it was enjoyed by people from all...
Rulers used law codes either to justify their rule or to demonstrate examples of justice and due...
It would appear in later works such as the Atrahasis, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and – most...
The Amarna letters reveal a treasury of knowledge concerning the political relations and social customs of their...
The author of Enuma Elish drew on the earlier Sumerian goddesses, Nammu and Inanna, to create the...
The text of the inscription is a statement by Darius I of Persia, written three times in...
The Hittite civilization was one of the cradles of human culture. Introduction “Hittites” is the conventional English-language...
For thousands of years, the civilization of Egypt was among the most significant in the ancient world....
Together, El (sometimes Yahweh) and Ashera were viewed as the father and mother of the gods. Introduction...
As warlike nomadic herdsmen began to dominate in Mesopotamian culture, they imposed their mythologies on preexisting legends....
Mesopotamian myths appear to have had a more practical purpose and were used to cure and prevent...
While these contributions may be understood as commonplace in the present day, they were entirely novel in...