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BiblicalA Perspectiveson the Ancient Worldfrom Mesopotamiato the Mediterranean
Volume 58 Number 3
A Publicationof the American Schools of OrientalResearch 126
Spage
Emar,Capitalof Agtatain the FourteenthCenturyBCE
Jean-Claude Margueron in themid-seventies, Priorto itsexcavation onlythearchivesof Mari,Nuzi,and Ugarit intimatedtheexistenceof theSyriancity of Emar.Thefabulousdiscoveriesat its site, TellMesk6ndat a crucialcrossroads on thesouthernbankof theEuphrates, stillremain less well known thanothers.The substantiallegacyof Emarincludeshundredsof cuneiformdocuments,majorarchitectural edifices,as well as privatehomes,personal archives,anda wealthof materialculture.TheLateBronzeAgehistoryof thesitedetails thenatureof therelationsbetweentheHittitepowerand an old NorthSyriancity.Yetthe site at TellMesk6ndis a completelynew city.The earlierEmarof the second mellenium
126
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Hezekiah'sReformsand the Revolt against Assyria
AncientCoinsfromthe DrewInstituteof ArchaeologicalResearch Excavationsof CaesareaMaritima,1971-1984
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JaneDeRoseEvans Whatdo thenearly2300identifiablecoinstellus aboutthehistoryof Caesareaand itsplace in thechangingeconomicworld?Is thereanynumismaticdatapertainingto Strato's Tower, the earliestsettlementof the site?Coin counts begin to mount in the Seleucidperiod, but why do they abatealmost completelyduring the Hasmoneanmonarchy?The surprisinglyfew internationalcoins fromHerod'stime hardlyreflectan boomingentrepbt. Yetduringthe Byzantineera,Caesareaboaststhelargestnumberof coinsunearthedat any site in Palestine,a testimonyto the significanceof the harbor.
pag 139?ta~~g
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OdedBorowski What is the source of the Bible'ssympathetictreatmentof Hezekiah?He is credited with religiousreforms,butthesewerenot isolatedpiousacts;theywerepartof Hezekiah's grandscheme,his ambitiousplanof returningto the gloriousdaysof his ancestorsthrough remainswitnessto Hezekiah's revoltagainstAssyriato regainindependence. Archaeological centralizationof the sacrificalcult and to constructionactivitiesundertakenfor the storHezekiah'srevoltfailed totally age and distributionof mat6riel.Depitehis preparations, Despitehis failure,the HebrewBibledid not forgetHezekiah'sattemptsto repristinate the ancestralglory
page 139
"
is
DanielE.Fleming MoveoverUgarit:Emar?s richcollectionof cuneiformtablets-deriving fromthe realties of a mixedurbanand small-townSyriancommunity-may offera closersocialcomparison forbiblicalIsraelthanthose of the Ugariticcity-state.Now thatthe manyhundreds of thirteenthcenturyBCE tabletsarebeginningto receivethe study they deserve,numerous featuresof Emar' religiouslifeofferfreshperspectiveson thebiblicalmaterials.Emar ritualtextsinformus aboutthecommunity'scalendarical practices,patternsof festivalconandritesforthedead.Forthestudyof ancientIsraelite struction,anointingpractices, worship, Emarnow challengesUgarit' preeminence.
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archives
139 MoreHelpfromSyria:IntroducingEmarto BiblicalStudy
148
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September1995
Arti-Facts Assyriaat the MetropolitanMuseumof Art,VisitorCenterOpens in the DakhlehOasis, Burial abouttheDeadand TheSociology andBeliefs ofPotEgypt,andreviewsof Judahite Prnctices teryinAncientPalestine.
"
181
Caughtin the Net JohnYounger
page 148
On the cover:The site of Tell Mesk6n6/Emar. The newly created LakeAssad grows in the backgroundwhere the Euphratesonce flowed, providingthis site with a significant role in the commerceof the third and second millenniaBCE.
From
the
Editor
The rituals of the end of excavation season have all played themselves out by now. Camps have been torn down, hoes and screens carted to a storage site, and equipment packed away. Square supervisors have set out a few markers so as to be able to find the final level next season. In some countries, the finds have been laid out for the antiquities authorities and a division negotiated. Artifacts returning with excavators have been packed and customs documents prepared. The critical end-of-season camp show has lampooned the directors who themselves have reviewed the seasons accomplishments, privately and for public consumption. Some rituals are poignant-the parting of summer-only friends-and some comic-the suitcase closings of over zealous sherd collectors or rug buyers. The satisfactions are real, both for the staff veteran and the newly minted single season pro,though the staff knows that the truly consequential and. correspondingly tedious and demanding work of archaeology lies aheazd. There are few rituals that mark, and fewer still that facilitate, this transition from excavation and survey data collection to synthesis, interpretation, and publication. Will all the work ever exercise an appropriate impact on the reconstruction of the ancient world towards which it aimed? This question may have occurred to the excavators of the Syrian site of Emar.Sound archaeology and swift publication of extraordinary finds have not guaranteed as much scholarly attention as seems appropriate.Readers of Jean-Claude Margueron'ssummary of Emar?shistory and the results of its excavation in the mid-1970s will doubtless agree. From monumental architecture to precious artifacts,Emar offers substantial contributions to Late Bronze Age history and presents a parade example of life on the periphery of an empire. And in the way of ritual texts, Emar's tablet legacy contains a unique assemblage of over two hundred texts for rituals composed at Emar.Despite their publication nearly a decade ago, the impact of these texts on studies of worship, particularly Israelite worship, has been less than momentous. Scholars continue to be overly focused on the Ugaritic rendition of the Syrian religious world, to the neglect of the sociologically more comparableEmariteinstitutions. Daniel Fleming forecasts a tremendous change in this respect, both as Syrian history fills out and the dynamics of its native traditions and internal developments become clearer, and as scholars recognize the pertinence of its cultural institutions, from calendar to liturgical construction. The fact that Emar was not a city-state dominated by a palace bureaucracy (like Ugarit and Alalah), but perpetuated a number of tribal inheritances, suggests a closer comparison for Israel and Judah. John Younger contributes a new feature to BA on what is fast becoming a research ritual: gathering and sharing information on the InterNet. "Caught in the Net" will offerJohn'sexperienced advice and commentary on electronic opportunities in archaeology. It's fair to say that these opportunities are multiplying at a rate that challenges even the most inveteratenet cruiser.John'scolumn should be a welcome, if not celebrated, guide, and turning to the back pages of BA for InterNet guidance will become another orienting ritual.
BiblicalArchaeolog on theAncientWorldfrom Perspectives to the Mediterranean Mesopotamia
Editor David C. Hopkins Art Director Bucky Edgett,LuckyProductions Book Review Editor James C. Moyer Arti-FactsEditors Bruceand Carolyn Routledge EditorialAssistant Mary PetrinaBoyd EditorialCommittee Douglas A. Knight JefferyA. Blakely Elizabeth Bloch-Smith Mary Joan Leith GloriaLondon Betsy M. Bryan J.P Dressel Jodi Magness Ernest S. Frerichs Gerald L.Mattingly Ronald S. Hendel Gaetano Palimbo Paul Zimansky RichardS. Hess Kenneth G. Hoglund Subscriptions Annual subscription rates are $35 for individuals and $45 for institutions.There is a special annual rate of $28 for students, those over 65,physically challenged, or unemployed. Biblical is also availableas part of the Archaeologist benefits of some ASOR membership categories. Postage for Canadian and other international addresses is an additional $5.Payments should be sent to ASOR Membership/Subscriber Services,PO. Box 15399,Atlanta,GA 30333-0399 (ph: 404-727-2345;Bitnet:SCHOLARS@ EMORYUI).VISA/Mastercardorders can be phoned in. Back issues Backissues can be obtained by calling SP Customer Services at 800-437-6692or writing SP CustomerServices,PO. Box 6996, Alpharetta,GA 30239-6996. Postmaster Send address changes to Biblical ASOR Membership/Subscriber Archaeologist, Services,P.O.Box 15399,Atlanta,GA 30333-0399. Second-class postage paid at Atlanta,GA and additional offices. Copyright ? 1995by the American Schools of Oriental Research. Correspondence All editorial correspondence 4500 should be addressed to Biblical Archaeologist MassachusettsAvenue NW,Washington,DC 20016-5690(ph: 202-885-8699;fax:202-885-8605). Books for review should be sent to Dr.James C. Moyer,Department of Religious Studies, Southwest Missouri State University,901South National, Box 167,Springfield,MO 65804-0095. Advertising Correspondence should be addressed to LeighAnderson, Scholars Press,PO. Box 15399,Atlanta,GA 30333-0399(ph:404-7272327;fax:404-727-2348).Ads for the sale of antiquities will not be accepted. Biblical Archaeologist (ISSN 0006-0895)is published quarterly(March,June,September,December) by ScholarsPress,819 Houston Mill Road NE, Atlanta,GA 30329,for the American Schools of Oriental Research(ASOR),3301North Charles Printed by Cadmus Street,Baltimore,MD 21218& JournalServices,Baltimore,MD. OF
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Emar, Capital of AMtata in
the
Fourteenth Century
The aerialview of TellMeskene revealsthe village of Balisin the foregroundwhile the portionof Emardirectlyaccessibleto excavationis visiblein the middleground. The ragged plateau borderingthe Euphrates Valleytrailsaway at the rear.Photographby IFAPO. All photographsand drawings courtesyofJ.-C. Margueronand ? Missionarch6ologiqued'Emar.
126
BiblicalArchaeologist58:3 (1995)
By Jean-Claude Margueron
BCE
Translated by Veronica Boutte
NTIL CITY OFEMAR WAS Mesopotamia having emerged from the 1972,THE known only through the archives of Mari, Nuzi, and Ugarit, cities with which it had been in contact politically or commercially. Thanks to his thorough knowledgeof theMariarchives,G.Dossin had proposed to identify Emarwith the tell at Meskene Khadimi. The ancient mound is located on the southern bank of the Euphrateswherethe roadto Aleppo meets the riverand the riverturnstowards
mountains of Anatolia. The construction of a dam at Taqba led to the explorationof Mesk6ndas part of an internationalcampaign to salvage the antiquities doomed to disappear beneath the lake.A mission directed by A. Raymondand L.Golvin of the French Institute of Arab Studies in Damascus initiated the excavation of the ruins of the medieval town of Balis,clearly visible atop one part of the tell.
names of merchants in the texts,Emar'seconomic activity as a strategicpoint of transferon the Syro-Mesopotamia axis is highly likely in this period. Emar during the Timune ofMari The archives at Mari paint a picture of Emarat the beginning of the eighteenth century BCE.This exceptionally rich documentation, which illuminates the Syrian world particularly, displays Emar as a city at the heart of the Syrian trade between Yamhad,Qatna, and Carchemish.Though the Mari documents do not emphasize intense waterway traffic with the Euphratescapital-as though the riverno longerconstituted such an important asset as in the past-Emar appears as the key factor in Syro-Mesopotamian relations. Politically,Emarbelonged to a more restricted world composed by all the towns on the Euphrates. Did it play a .%, major role? Nothing is known with certainty: Emar may have paid tribute to three different kings (most certainly to 't "l '•.; '•','.b \ ,. Artificial 'valley , the King of Aleppo and probably to .:,r .. . . ."f ! the ii '', .. \\1 Natural \alley'\ Kingsof Mariand Carchemish).This j .•*:i. ,•,,,.•: t : . ,? . . • ,,.... 'NC ,C.•.' would show very limitedautonomy,even •• , -.•,• if occasionally the city showed some signs of independence. during the Late BronzeAge \T The textsfromUgaritand Nuzi men.Emar tion Emar. With the Late Bronze Age however, a more precise and less spec., ulative history can be presented, thanks to the discovery of hundreds of documents in the variousfieldsopened during Topographicplan of TellMesk6neshowing the artificialvalleyand the location of the most excavationsat Mesken&. importantfields. All drawingsby O. Callotunlessotherwise noted. The primaryareasof excavationproin autumn of 1976due to the threat of erosion presented by duced a hilani(palace of the local king), temples to Baal and the new Lake El Assad. However, a complementary excava- AMtartat the highest point of the site, private homes and tion took place in the fall of 1978 at Tell Faq~ous, a site personal archives,and, most of all, the library of the Diviner located about ten km downstream from Meskind.TellFaq'ous buried in the ruins of the Pantheon (temple M-l). contained the ruins of a fortress directly associated with the With the exception of one tablet, probably from the Old protection of Emar. Babylonianperiod found in the fill of Field R, the whole of the epigraphicliteraturedemonstratesthat the city was under the rule of the Hittites since the reign of Mursili II (1339-1306BCE). MajorHistoricalLandmarks Emar during the Time of Ebla Emar'ssituation was then radically different from what we The origin of Emaris yet unknown. It owes its appearance know of earlier periods. Emar was now under direct comin history to the archives at Ebla,a kingdom which had evimand of an outside power and not in the sphere of influence of the major neighboring cities. dently become prosperous by the beginning of the second half of the third millennium. The city seems clearlyto have been destroyed around 1187 Four royalnames are known to us from the Eblaarchives: BCE,during the great cataclysmthat devastated Syria and the An alliance Hittite Empire.At least this seems reasonableto deduce from Ib-Da-mu, I-gi-Da-mu,andNa-an-Da-mu. EN-zi-Da-mu, of dynasties probably existed between Ebla and Emar,since a tabletfound on the floorof a privatehome in FieldA.The tablet severaltextsfrom Emarmention Queen Ti'a-Limcoming orig- refersto the Kassitecalculation:'Additional Ellul,second year of Meliihu,"Kingof Babylonia.Evenif not all houses beartraces inally from Ebla. Reciprocal commercial activity certainly formed the basis of their relationship.We know that fairly sig- of violent conflagration,it looks as thoughthe city has been ravnificant quantities of clothing and precious metal objectswere aged, fallen as a result of a siege. For now, our sources are sent to Emar,though we have no idea what Emar shipped to silent about this event, and it would be risky to blame it on Ebla in exchange. However, beyond the appearance of the Peoples of the Sea ratherthan any other people.
Chance intervened in the form of the unexpected discovery of a second millennium BCEtablet,outside of Balis,but on a part of the tell not occupied in that period. This discovery led to the formationof a second mission directed by J.-C.Margueron (then a professor at the University of Strasbourg) in order to explore the accessible levels of the Bronze Age town. After the initial probes confirmed G. Dossin's proposal to identify the town with the ancient city of Emar,six brief campaigns averagingsix to seven weeks began in NovemberDecember 1972.Excavationof the site was brought to an end
Biblical 58:3(1995) Archaeologist
127
Exceptfor the single Old Babylonian tabletalreadymentioned,the epigraphic documents cover at most a century and a half.Thisconclusionderivesfromstudying the individualpersonalitiesdescribed in the texts.The royalfamily coversthree generations, perhaps three and a half between the end of the fourteenth cenUltimately,these texts tury and 1187BCE. tell us only a small fractionof the whole history of the city-no more than one tenth! In the Late Bronze Age, the city of Emaris the chiefcomponentof a province n\noen of the Hittite Empire known as AMtata; it possesses no real autonomy. Emar reports directly to the kingdom of Carchemish which is itself subordinated to Hattuia, center of the empire. Thus the -: imperial capitalcontrols-and certainly .. tightly-one of its remote territories through a series of successive dependencies. Local royal power is exercised by an indigenous family with a clearly .'.c~n limited role under the authorityof a Hittite general.This general,"The Chief of // I L Chariots,"is attested both at Emar and at TellFaq~ous,which was certainly the citadel of Astata.Finally,an assembly of elders seems to have played a role. In summary, the documents unearthed at TellMesk6n6 address not so much the history of a kingdom in the companyof otherstatesof the fourteenth century, as the nature of the relations established between the Hittite power The and an old North Syrian city which had Geomorphology long played a significanteconomicalrole. The writtendocuments deal mostly with .p o0 Tell Meskine % legal, administrative, and economical matters.They contain practically nothing about an international life, which is not surprising given the dependent Geomorphologicalmap of the region of Mesken6displayingthe location of the excavated site at the edge of the plateau and the presumedlocationof the ancient town. Drawingby B. condition forced on Emar at the time. Geyer. Archaeological Periods Present Excavationshave broughtto light the No major occupation characterizedthe first millennium. city of Emarfromthe fourteenthto the beginning of the twelfth century. In fact, Emar is a new city located on a site entirely During the Roman era, the site which was abandoned since 1187BCE,was re-occupied and developed, fairly modestly at constructed by human hands. No trace of strata prior to the first.The city was surrounded by a rampart,which was later fourteenth century was detected on the site itself. Only one reinforced and reshaped during the Byzantine era. The last stratum constitutes the recovered city. Even if one observes restorationphases in some locations, these are very limited. majorphase is representedby a medieval city known as Balis Destroyed by fire probably in 1187BCE,or slightly thereafter which survived until end of the Ayyubid period. Since then, (see above the tablet found on the floor of a house in Field A), a few sporadic occupations were detected, but no important construction took place. the city was abandoned with no traceof any habitation,howthe destruction. ever poor or temporary,following '3
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foot of TellMeskin6.Driftingof the river's meandersat this bend would have made its existence precarious. Most probably this urbansite would have been the third and second millennium town, located only a few hundred meters away from the excavatedtown.This town was probably about to disappear, eroded by the meandering Euphrates. In order to preserve a city which was crucial to the commercial system of the Late Bronze Age, the Hittite king who then dominated Northern Syria (Suppiluliuma I, or his son MursiliII,13391380-1340BCE, 1306 BCE)decided to rebuild the city on the edge of the plateau avoiding the river's erosive power. OverlookingTellMeskenefrom the west, this aerialview shows the most recentcourseof the Euphratesand evidence of its ancient meander,presumablythe site of the most ancient The new city therefore dates to the middle of the fourteenth century. One city of Emarbefore it was moved out of harm'sway to the plateau area. Photographby IFAPO. will probablynever know about the first The western border of the site was excavation of an artificial demarcated the town, which, in its decayed condition, by valley 7 over five hundredmeters in length. Thus,Emar'sbuilderscreated a totally isolated was never detected by the excavators of Emarnor through the surveys which platformfor the foundation of their city. had taken place prior to the formation of Lake El Assad. The older city was drowned in the waters,and the littlethat was left must now be completely lost. Only analysisof ancient documents permits the formulation of this very likely hypothesis regarding its location. The New City The builders of the new Emarchose a portion of flat land on the south bank, which descended towardsthe valley.This massif was bounded by the Euphrates on the northand was limitedon the south by a wadi which encroached upon it severely. It offered a large platform six hundred to seven hundred meters in width north/south and nearlyone thousand meters inlength. The incision of an artificial valley on the west (five hundred meters long, fifty meters wide, twenty meters deep in certain places) cut through the plateau and created a The City rectilinearrock foundation upon which the new city could be The Problem of the Ancient City built. The city sat elevated from the valley, but also entirely How do we understand the absence of any level prior to separated from the plateau, and was thereforeperfectly prothe fourteenthcentury on this site,while the existence of Emar tected. The southern wadi probably had been occupied by a at the beginning of the Bronze Age is asserted by references road traveling from the plateau and serving the old city. at Ugarit and Nuzi, by textsfrom Mari in the seventeenth cenOnce the contour of the foundation was determined, the in at Ebla and the archives the half second of the builders tury, during totally remodeled the surfaceby installing a system third millennium? This is a fairly peculiar situation. of terracesstaged from the level of the riverat about280 meters Recent morphological analysis of the Euphrates valley up to the summit of the site at an elevation of 326 meters. By based on aerialphotographstaken before the formationof the conforming to the existing wadis as well as to the terrain, lake shows that an urban location could have existed at the the builders installed successive levels,with terracewalls conBiblical 58:3(1995) Archaeologist
129
formed to the slightest irregularities and often anchored in the rock itself. By filling the spaces above the terracewalls with rock refuse recovered from the valley cut through the west flank or retrievedfrom the oldercity,Emar's engineerscreateda new topographywhich structured the city somewhat like an amphitheater alongside the river. The network of the main streets,but perhaps also the entire road-system,was conceived at the same time as the terraces.Otherwise, it would have been impossible to disturb the terracesystem to build new roads without creating weak areas within the whole urban structure. The infrastructurewas certainly conceived in advance.The buildings were then constructed successively as the entire development project progressed.It remainsuncertain,however,if each house was foreseenin the originaldesign.A great number of them were founded within the preexisting terraces. A bastion projectsfrom the rampartand bears traces of wooden ties. Though its Organizationof the City The overall design for the city cannot be gates were not to be located, Emarwas probablysurroundedby a citywall that created a rectangleencompassingappoximately175 acres. sketched with confidence; too many elements remainunknown due to insufficientexcavations and later ruins. The city was laid out following a design resembling a rec- which will later constitute this particular category of Syrian tangle approximatelyseven hundred by one thousand meters. palaces.Its facadeclearlyboasted a second story.A colonnaded Excavationsin Field Y,located on the side of the human-made portico led to two oblong rooms, with the second doubtless valley,revealedthe presence of a rampart.Therewere no traces playing the role of the throne room. Dependent structures of gates however, though they probably existed at the center were located to the south.This is the firsttime thatsuch a good of each side, based on the topography of the tell. The entire model of the hdilani type has been found at such an earlyperiod. The discovery therefore challenges the breach often fixed eastern half of the site was covered by the Byzantine town of Barbalissos and the Arab town of Balis and remains terra between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. A Hittite origin Perhapsthis is where the main decision-making cen- of the building form seems most probable. incognita. As the archives found in the building testify,this is where ter of the Hittite power was located,since the lone probe made in the area gave us a Hittite tablet. Some of the major thor- the local king used to live. But despite its very dominant location, and the interest it offers for architectural history, one oughfareshave been unearthed,while others can be deduced from the topography.However,none of the principal lines of should not assign too much importance to the royal authorthe network can any longer be discerned. The major sanctu- ity who resided in this palace. ary of the city,dedicated to the pair Baal/AStart,was situated The Temples Emar'sexcavatorsfound four temples. The first two took on the southwest at summit point of the site, so as to be visithe form of a set of temples associated with a cultic terrace: ble everywhere. The local king's palace occupied another eminent position at the northwest corner.This location per- the major official sanctuary of the city situated on the pinnacle of the tell overlooking,besides the western and southern mitted a watchful view over the city and the port which no doubt bordered the northern side of the town. Other temples valleys, the whole urban area and its immediate surroundwere integrated into the regular urban fabric. ings. Both of them were designed in the megaronstyle (one elongated room for the Holy Place with its offering table,special paraphernaliafor rituals,and podium for the deity or the MajorMonumentalConstruction Most Holy Place),and they were aligned almost parallel,doors The Hilani The local king'spalace,situated on the promontory in the opening to the east, on each side of a street leading to a vast northwest overlooking the valley,takes the form of a complex cultic esplanadeat theirrear.An altarwas erectedon the southmonumentalbuilding:it is in actualityone of the oldest palaces ern edge of the esplanade, and some cupholes (occasionally of a large diameter,but with no visible function) dotted the of the hilanitype. It belongs to the Bronze Age, while most floor. Based on a few tablets collected in this temple characteristic buildings of this type are generally considered all characteristics the The structure of the Iron Age. constellation,it looks as though the temple in the south, located possesses 130
Biblical 58:3(1995) Archaeologist
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slightly above the rest, would have been dedicated to Baal, while inside the northerntemple,A'tart would have been worshipped. The third sanctuary (M-2), sometimes identified as a Pantheon because it seems to have been dedicated to all the gods, was unearthed in Field M. It, too, was designed as a with the typical structures found in Field E,particumegaron, a small cultic esplanade also located behind the temple. larly But this temple possessed the peculiarity of being equipped with an annex consisting of three rooms on its long eastern side. Here excavatorsunearthed the Diviner'sarchives,which might have fallen from an upper floor. The Diviner was an important figure whose reputation reached the court of the GreatHittite king. The last temple,found slightly to the north and not too far from the previous one, was also fully integratedinto the urban fabric.Of the same generic shape,but without a deep entry,it opened into a small room. Very rich artifacts came out of it (glazed ceramics; pearls; a carved caprine horn, one of the most impressive pieces at Emar, artistically), but it was 132
BiblicalArchaeologist58:3 (1995)
impossible to find out which divinity was worshipped in the temple. It is remarkableto see that all the temples belong to the model commonly found in Syria since the third millennium and thatno attemptsby the Hittiteswere made to replacethem with their own. The Houses Diggers excavated about thirty private homes in their entiretyor partiallyIn two Fields(A and D),theyeven unearthed
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Aegean PrehistoryCourse.
Horses on the Net Over AegeaNet and ANE,Paul Rehak (
[email protected]. edu) of LoyolaUniversity,Chicago, asked when horses were first domesticated. Intense discussionfollowed with contributors on both sides of the Atlantic. This-along with many other interesting facts-is what he found out: "Ourfirst possible evidence for the domestication of the in southern Russia,spreading by the horse is ca. 4000 BCE end of the third millenniumto Greece, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia." "Horses"is available in full at AegeaNet's ftp site: ftp ftp.duke.edu and follow the path: pub/archive/lists/ aegeanet.
Aerial visions of the Acropolis These can be found at: http://atlas.central.ntua.gr:8080/webacropol/
teachesGreekart of Classical Professor JohnYounger, Archaeology, Hegotstartedwithe-mailfour andarchaeology at DukeUniversity. yearsagoandnowownsandmanagesthreelists,including he specializesin AegeanBronzeAge AegeaNet.As an archaeologist, art,especiallysealstones,and classicalGreeksculpture.He has dug at
in Melos,Venosain Italy, andMeironin KnossosinCrete,Phylakopi others. Israel--among
Caughtin the Net
ScKolar You ShallNot Abhoran Edomitefor He is YourBrother EdomandSeirin Historyand Tradition DianaVikander editor Edelman, The Edomiteswereneighborsof Israeland Judiah.Duringthe lastthreedecades,theyhave becomebetterknownas a resultof archaeological surveysandexcavations.This volumecollects eightessayson a rangeof topicspertainingto Edomandthe Edomites.Essayson the changingpoliticaland of Edom,its relationship to Judiah,and boundaries geographical Edom'ssocio-economichistoryareincluded.Additionalessays examinethe religionandlanguageof the Edomites,aswellaswhat can be knownaboutthe remainsof Edomiteculturefroma studyof the Transjordon andCisjordan. The essayscollectedin this volumewill be of particular interestto studentsof ancientSyrobiblicalstudies,andhistorical Palestinianhistoryandarchaeology, geography. Code:06 17 03 Cloth:$39.95 ISBN:0-7885-0136-4 ISBN:0-7885-0063-5 Paper:$24.95
LawCollectionsfromMesopotamiaandAsia Minor
MarthaT. Roth The lawcollectionspresentedin thisvolumearecompilations, recordedby scribesin varyingin legalandliterarysophistication, andAsia the schoolsandthe royalcentersof ahcientMesopotamia Minorfromthe endof the thirdmillenniumthroughthe middleof the firstmillenniumB.C.E.Summerian, Babylonian, Assyrian,and are Hittitetexts,with accompanying Englishtranslations, included.Someof the collections,like the famousLawsof achieveda wideaudience;others,likethe Lawsabout Hammurabi, RentedOxen,werescribalexerciseslimitedto a localschool center.All, however,reflectedcontemporary legalpracticein the scribes'recordings of contracts,administrative documents,and courtcasesandalsoprovidehistorianswithevidenceof abstractionsof legalrulesfromspecificcases.In additionto the textsand the volumeincludesa list of sources,bibliography, translations, glossary,andnumerousindexes. Code:06 15 06 Cloth:$59.95 ISBN:0-7885-0104-6 ISBN:0-7885-0126-7 Paper:$39.95
ASOR Annual 51: PreliminaryExcavationReports
Sardis,Paphos,CaesareaMaritima,Shiqmim,Ain Ghazal WillimG. Dever,editor Code:85 02 01 Cloth:$84.95 ISBN:0-7885-0099-6
Membersof the American Schools of Oriental Researchreceive a 33% discount on direct orders to Scholars Press.
ASOR Annual52: PreliminaryExcavationReports
Sardis,Bir UmmFawakhir,Tell el-"Umeiri,The Combined CaesareaExpeditions,andTell Dothan William G. Dever,editor The AmericanSchoolsof OrientalResearcharepleasedto announcethe publicationof ASORAnnual52. The volume containsthe following:TheSardisCampaigns of 1990and1991, Crawford H. Greenewalt, Jr.,Christopher RattY,andMarcusL. Rautman; Gold,Granite,andWater:TheBirUmmFawakhir Survey A Preliminary Project1992,CarolMeyer;MadabaPlainsProject: on the1989Seasonat Tellel-Umeiri andHinterland, Report 0ystein S. LaBianca, T. Larry G: Herr,RandallW. Younker,Lawrence Geraty,DouglasR. Clark,GaryChristopherson, JonA. Cole, P. M. MichdleDaviau,JamesR. Fisher,JohnI. Lawlor,TimothyP. LoritaE.Hubbard, GloriaA. London,RussanneLow, Harrison, andDouglasSchnurrenberger; TheCombined Caesarea Expeditions: TheExcavation of Caesarea's Byzantine CityWall,ClaytonMiles ThePottery Lehmann; fromAreaV14at Caesarea, JodiMagness; TellDothan:TheWestern withComments onJosephFree's Cemetery, 1953-1964. Excavations, Code:85 02 02 Cloth:$84.95
ISBN:0-7885-0099-6
Texts fromthe AmarnaPeriodin Egypt
William J. Murnane In the middleof thefourteenthcenturyB.C.E.,Egypt'spolytheistic religionwassuddenlyattackedby its mosttraditionalupholder,the pharaoh.The short-livedrevolutionwhichfollowedcontinuesto be asdisturbing andenigmaticas the "hereticking"Akhenaten whoset it in motion.WasAkhenatenthe firstmonotheist,ashe is widelyreputedto be?Orwashe an opportunist, possiblyeven an atheist,whocloakeda politicalrevolutionin religiousterms? Modernreaderswill nowfindit easierto addresssuchquestionsby collectionof documents,manyof them usingthiswide-ranging neverbeforetranslated into English,in whichthe fullsweepof one of ancienthistory'smostfascinating periodslivesanew. Code:06 15 05 Cloth:$49.95 ISBN:1-55540-965-2 ISBN:1-55540-966-0 Paper:$34.95
Hittite Myths
Jr., translator HarryA. Hoffner, Code:06 15 02 Cloth:$29.95 Paper:$19.95
ISBN:1-55540-481-2 ISBN:1-55540-482-0
ScholarsP.ess. 7 ..... .
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Stridingsphinx plaque (H:6.9 cm W: 7.75 cm)
carved from ivoryand excavated from Neo-AssyrianNimrud'sFortShalmaneser, room SW 11/12.