样式: 排序: IF: - GO 导出 标记为已读
-
Der verarmte missachtete Gelehrte Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2024-07-31 Josephine Fechner
Der mesopotamische “leidende Gerechte” wurde bislang als eine weitestgehend homogene Figur bewertet: als ein gottesfürchtiger und rechtschaffener (aber nicht unfehlbarer!) Mensch, der trotz seiner redlichen Lebensführung unerklärliches Leiden in Form von Krankheiten, sozialem Abstieg und Verarmung ertragen muss. Anhand neuer Textquellen zum “leidenden Gerechten” aus der Brief- und Weisheitsliteratur
-
The Evidence of Osiris Lord of Neheh-Eternity in Amun Temple B 700 at the Sacred Town of Gebel Barkal, Sudan Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2024-07-31 Simone Petacchi
This paper focuses on the analysis of a religious text coming from the reused blocks in Amun temple B 700 at the capital of the Napatan Kingdom (713–290 BCE), in the Sudan. This is the first fragmented Osirian hymn attested in Kush, while its integral version was found in Thebes, in the inner walls of the chapel erected by the Divine Adoratrice Ankhnesneferibre at Karnak North. The article presents
-
Rites for the Dead, Amity for the Living: the Old Assyrian nasbītum Rite and Its Relation to the Old Babylonian kispum Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2024-07-31 Trey Nation
While recent scholarship has clarified the spelling of the little-known Old Assyrian nasbītum rite, formerly glossed as naspittum, its etymology and social context have remained obscure. This paper suggests the elusive rite has its etymology in the OA verb sabā’um, “to brew/draw beer,” and refers to the act of libation. While the textual evidence for nasbītum is currently limited, an analysis of the
-
Ritual as an Aspect of Cultural Integration: Ugarit, Emar, and the Hittites in Syria Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2024-07-31 John Tracy Thames
Although the Syrian kingdoms of the 13th century BCE may not have been integrated into the Hittite empire politically or economically, there is evidence that the Hittites employed strategies of cultural integration – part of bridging the geographical and social divide between the rulers and the ruled. The recently published documents from Ugarit reveal that both the Hittite Great king himself, as well
-
The Adoption of Nabû and Tašmētu into the Babylonian Pantheon Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Zachary Rubin
Though Nabû is well known in Babylonian religion as the minister of its patron god Marduk, and Tašmētu as Nabû’s wife, this paper argues that they were not originally envisioned as such. Instead, both the god and goddess seem to have been introduced into Marduk’s circle over the course of the Old Babylonian period, having previously been venerated in independent cults. Unexpected appearances of Tašmētu
-
Divine and Human Hatred in Ancient Egypt Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Amgad Joseph
This article examines the conceptualization of hatred as a complicated and intense emotion in the realms of humans and deities in ancient Egypt. It thoroughly discusses the addressees, psychology, effects, justifications, and incitements of hatred, as well as the possibility of the pacification of its feelings. It discusses the attestations of hatred, its perceived consequences and experience by the
-
Reflections on the Qaṭna Letters TT1–5 (II): Hittite God-Napping in Syria Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Eduardo Torrecilla
This article discusses and attempts to contextualize a few references to the practice of god-napping in the Qaṭna letters TT2–5 and in the Amarna letter EA 55. The references to god-napping in said letters enrich the debate on why the New Hittite Kingdom historiography, as opposed to the Old Hittite one, does not mention this practice, since the texts were probably written during or in the wake of
-
The Transgression List in Šurpu Tablet IV and Its Sordid Moral Implications Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 Yitzhaq Feder
Modern scholarship has become more attentive to the interrelation between performative and scholastic factors in the production of ancient Near Eastern ritual texts. This article aims to shed light on the compositional processes responsible for the integration of a list of transgressions into Šurpu Tablet 4. This analysis is facilitated by the identification of a close parallel from the Namerimburruda
-
Angefleht und dann beopfert: Zur Beziehung von Mythos und Festritual in hethitischen Texten Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-26 Susanne Görke
This article considers the relationship of Hittite festival rituals and mythical accounts, based on the mythical narrative of the feast of the sun god, in which the invited deities are not satiated despite sufficient food and drink. It is shown that the myths of the disappearing and returning deities were originally invocations or supplications (mugawar) incorporated into ritual acts that were intended
-
Atraḫasīs, behind the First Sin That Cried to Heaven and Related Matters Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-26 Abraham Winitzer
This paper inquires about the source of human blood in the Biblical Primeval History, beginning with the report in the Cain and Abel story of bloodshed and a related cosmic-upsetting noise. It is posited that this unique report and the sophisticated case of ancient philology extending to it from the Eden story and relating ʾādām, “Adam,” dām, “blood,” and ʾădāmâ, “earth” are inspired by the Mesopotamian
-
Bethel and Yahō: A Tale of Two Gods in Egypt Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-26 Tawny Holm
Aramaic documents from Egypt suggest that Yahwists there may have identified Yahweh/Yahō with the Syrian-Aramean deity Bethel (Bayt-ʔēl). Portions of Papyrus Amherst 63, the long and complex multi-composition Aramaic text written using Demotic script, also support this view. For instance, Bethel and Yahō seem to be paralleled with each other in two poems on the papyrus; both deities share some attributes
-
“When Everything Is Human, the Human Is an Entirely Different Thing …” Animal Powers in the Ancient Egyptian Demonic Imagery and Beyond Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-26 Rita Lucarelli
This article attempts a comparative analysis of the ancient Egyptian demonic imagery of animal and hybrid figures, according to anthropological studies and theories of perspectivism, as well as by referring to studies of Monster Theory and Cryptozoology. The aim is to disclose what kind of agency real and imaginary animals of the ancient Egyptian Duat (Beyond) possess and how it relates to the agency
-
Becoming Marduk: A New Look at a Commentary on Marduk’s Address to the Demons from Assur Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2023-05-26 Uri Gabbay
The article deals with a commentary on the Akkadian composition Marduk’s Address to the Demons from the city of Assur. The first part of the article discusses the unique religious view found in Marduk’s Address and its commentary, in which the āšipu priest is identified with the god Marduk. The second part presents a new philological edition of the commentary.
-
A Perilous Sailing and a Lion: Comparative Evidence for a Phoenician Afterlife Motif Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2023-05-26 C. López-Ruiz, E. Rodríguez González
This essay introduces new evidence for an eschatological Phoenician motif that alludes to a final sailing and its perils, represented by a monstrous lion attacking or sinking a boat. The lion-and-boat motif was, so far, only documented in a Phoenician funerary stela from late classical Athens, the Antipatros/Shem stela. Excavations at the fifth-century BCE Tartessic site of Casas del Turuñuelo in southwestern
-
Sacred Texts and the First Myth about the Creation of Writing Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2023-05-26 Annette Zgoll
No myth about the origin of writing is known so far for Mesopotamia (only a legend). By applying the new Hylistic methodology for research into mythology, the first known myth of the creation of writing can be reconstructed. The myth we call Nissaba Creates Writing for the Sacred Song of Enlil narrates the creation of writing, which serves to immortalise the divine song at the very moment when the
-
Upon the Roof of the Temple: Reconstructing Cognitive Aspects of Ancient Levantine Small-Scale Altar Usage Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2023-05-26 Jeremy M. Hutton
Among the ritual practices denigrated through explicit or implicit criticism levied by the biblical writers is the worship of a deity or deities on the rooftops – sometimes of royal architecture, and at other times on private houses. In the present study I interpret this practice using concepts derived from the cognitive science of religion (CSR) and cognitive linguistics. I summarize previous typologies
-
Demons in Egyptian Medical Texts of the New Kingdom: A New Perspective Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2022-06-14 Elena Urzì
This paper investigates the presence and action of demons in New Kingdom medical texts, in which these supernatural beings are recognisable only by their determinative, whereas the etymology of certain names is not always clearly understood. Several scholars have presented their own interpretations about this topic, most of whom believe these names can be ascribed to illnesses or to the supernatural
-
Light of the Land, Sun of the People: The Solarization of Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Lawgivers Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2022-06-14 Dylan R. Johnson
Ancient Near Eastern kings were always assumed to mediate between the divine and human worlds, but where they fell in the spectrum between mortal and divine varied from one king or dynasty to the next. Additionally, human kings could claim divine or semi-divine status through certain activities attached to the office of kingship. Through a diachronic survey, this study examines how the royal act of
-
Revisiting the Hurrian Section of RS 24.643 (KTU 1.148) Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2022-06-14 Arnaud Fournet
The paper revisits the Hurrian section that is inserted in the Ugaritic-language tablet RS 24.643 (KTU 1.148). The present work comprises two main parts: an individual analysis of each line and clause and a structural analysis of the whole hymn. A near complete elucidation of the hymn is proposed.
-
Urartian Cult of the Stelae and New Discoveries at Aznavurtepe and Yeşilalıç (Ashotakert) Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2022-06-14 Rıfat Kuvanç, Kenan Işık, Bülent Genç, Erkan Konyar
The Urartian Kingdom is recognized for its idiosyncratic religious architecture and ritual practices. Tower-temples (susi) at the peak of citadels, dedicated to the “national” god Ḫaldi, constitute the most essential element of religious architecture. Additionally, cult areas with an altar and uninscribed stelae on pedestals, best known from Erzincan/Altıntepe, demonstrate that there were different
-
The Hittite ‘Theogony’ or Song of Going Forth (CTH 344): Stratification of Mythical Traditions: With a Suggested Translation for KUB 33.120 Vs. I 19 f. Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-11-17 Christian Zgoll
The present paper deals with the controversially discussed relationships between the gods Alalu, Anu, Kumarbi, and Tarḫunnaš in the Hittite Song of Going Forth (CTH 344). On the basis of a new philological analysis, of comparisons with theogonies or succession myths in other ancient cultures and on the background of considerations on the cross-cultural stratification of various mythical traditions
-
Marduk’s Basket and the Heavenly Treasury: Comparing Charity in the Dialogue of Pessimism and Sirach Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-11-17 Andrew Geist
The article treats the value of economic generosity (usātu) in the Babylonian Dialogue of Pessimism and compares it to almsgiving in the biblical book of Sirach. It attempts to resolve a longstanding obscurity: whether usātu is placed in Marduk’s “ring” (kippatu) or “basket” (qappatu). External evidence suggests that, while both readings have support and a similar theological significance, the reading
-
Remarks on Mesopotamian Divine Epithets and Their Use in Incantations and Incantation-Prayers Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-11-17 Manuel Ceccarelli
Divine epithets are short nouns, adjectives, and participles which are in apposition to the actual name of a deity or which even replace it. Since incantations and incantation-prayers must be effective, they are enhanced by a variety of strategies. Divine epithets can be understood as strategies used to improve the effectiveness of ritual speeches. They evoke divine qualities that are relevant for
-
Thinking with Clay: Procreation and the Ceramic Paradigm in Israelite Religion Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-11-17 Kerry M. Sonia
The cross-cultural connection between ceramic production and the creation of humans in the ancient Near East offers a new lens through which to examine biblical discourse about procreation and subject formation. The physical properties of clay make it an effective discursive tool in ancient Near Eastern texts, including the Hebrew Bible, for conceptualizing the processes that form and shape the human
-
Lament and Ritual Weeping in the “Negative Confession” of the Babylonian Akītu Festival Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-09-06 Sam Mirelman
This study seeks to contextualise the king’s “negative confession,” which took place in the spring Akītu Festival of Babylon, within the established norms of Mesopotamian ritual practice. The king’s humiliation is situated within the contexts of status reversal, lament and ritual weeping. The study includes a comparative almanac of the Akkadian prayer and/or exclamation known as šigû.
-
Let Praise of Aššur Not Be Forgotten: Temple Heterarchies and the Limits of Royal Patronage in the Neo-Assyrian Empire Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-09-06 Shana Zaia
Understanding how the numerous temples in the Neo-Assyrian Empire situated themselves within the imperial network is challenging, largely because of a bias in the official sources towards a few temples, especially that of Aššur. Revealing the relationships between the less-attested temples necessitates not only moving beyond the top of the hierarchy but also doing away with hierarchies almost entirely
-
Toward the Reconstruction of a Sacred Landscape of the Judean Highlands Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-09-06 Aaron A. Burke
At least a dozen biblical toponyms for sites and landscape features in ancient Judah’s highlands bear divine name elements that were most common during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. In light of archaeological evidence from many of these sites, it is suggested that they were first settled as part of a settlement influx in the highlands during the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000–1550 BCE), following a
-
הַמַּבּוּל מַיִם, “The Well of Waters”: Yahweh’s Fresh Water Reservoir beneath His Mountain-Palace Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-09-06 Daniel Sarlo
The Noahic Deluge is commonly understood to have resulted from the infiltration of chaos waters into the ordered universe from two sources: one situated above the Rāqîaˁ and one underground. This interpretation does not find support in the HB and contradicts the precepts of the cosmological worldview of the ANE. According to Gen 6:17 Yahweh uses one single source of water to flood the land, referred
-
Between City, King, and Empire: Will the Real “Lady of Byblos” Please Stand Up? Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-04-16 Michael J. Stahl
Who was the goddess known anciently as the “Lady of Byblos”? Typically, scholars have tried to answer this question by identifying the goddess’s “true” proper name. By contrast, this article emphasizes the goddess’s primary identification by the city of Byblos as a social-political community in order to analyze the Lady of Byblos’s role in shaping Late Bronze Age Byblos’s political landscape, which
-
A Double-Plated Cosmos? Gen 1’s Cosmology, the Baal Stele, and the Logic of a Firmament of the Earth Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-04-16 Samuel L. Boyd
The cosmology as described in the creation account in Gen 1:1–2:4a has occasioned endless commentary. One of the more perceptive studies of this text was published by Baruch Halpern in 2003. In this article, I review Halpern’s argument and add evidence from iconography at Ugarit. The Baal Stele (Louvre catalog number AO 15775), in which the deity holds lightning and stands with the king, also displays
-
On the History and Evolution of Qws: The Portrait of a First Millennium BCE Deity Explored through Community Identity Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-04-16 Andrew J. Danielson
This article explores the history and evolution of the deity Qws through a study of the communities affiliated with Qws, presenting also a current collection of all inscriptional references to this deity. Diachronic and spatial analyses of the references reveal nuanced insights into how Qws was understood by his adherents, as well as the patterns of behavior, linguistic practices, and identities that
-
The Two-Act Structure: A Narrative Device in Akkadian Epics Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2021-04-16 Sophus Helle
Most Akkadian epics are organized according to the same structure: the narrative arc is divided into two acts, of which the second mirrors and expands the first. The structure has already been observed in Atra-hasis, Enuma Elish, Gilgamesh, and Etana, but the recurrence of the pattern has not previously been noted. The essay explores the widespread application, individual adaptations, and literary
-
Dressing Up for the Gods: Ceremonial Garments in Hittite Cultic Festivals according to the Philological and Archaeological Evidence Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2020-06-18 Alice Mouton, Yiğit Erbil
Through the combined study of Hittite cuneiform texts and the iconography of Hittite relief vases (Anatolia of the second half of the second millennium BCE), this paper addresses the ceremonial garments of key participants in cultic ceremonies, namely the royal couple, priests and priestesses, as well as festival entertainers. The paper also discusses a particular gesture which is frequently mentioned
-
The First Day of the AN.TAḪ.ŠUM-Festival Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2020-06-18 Adam Kryszeń
The study proposes a revaluation of the sources dealing with the first days of the great Hittite spring AN.TAḫ.ŠUM-festival. It offers a close comparison of the so-called outline-tablets, which present a brief but essential overview of the entire festival, with the tablets that provide detailed descriptions of individuals days. Through an in-depth analysis of all the key elements of the celebrations
-
Never Truly Hers: Ereškigal’s Dowry and the Rulership of the Netherworld Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2020-06-18 Alhena Gadotti
This paper considers the mythological tale Nergal and Ereškigal in an attempt to investigate the nature of Ereškigal’s dominion over the Mesopotamian Realm of the Dead. By using other Mesopotamian literary composition as well as Near Eastern law, the paper demonstrates that Ereškigal never relinquished her power over the Netherworld to Nergal because such a power was never hers to lose.
-
A Sacred Landscape of Sumer: Statuettes from Ur Depicting a Goat on a Tree Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2020-06-18 Naomi F. Miller, Philip Jones, Richard L. Zettler, Holly Pittman
The statuettes commonly referred to as “Ram Caught in a Thicket” (2500 BC) may well be associated with what is known from later texts (2nd millennium BC) as the (daily) determining-of-the-fates ritual that occurred at sunrise. Symbolic elements (tree, rosette, leaf, possible mountain), and motifs (quadruped facing a tree) occur in other media—glyptic, musical instruments—and their meaning informs the
-
The Cupbearer and the Cult-Priest in the Temple: External and Internal Cultic Practitioners in Early Bronze Age Mesopotamia Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2019-12-10 Walther Sallaberger
-
Babylonian Priesthood during the Third Millennium BCE: Between Sacred and Profane Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2019-12-10 Piotr Steinkeller
This article offers an overview of the early Babylonian priesthood, as it was organized and operated during the third millennium BCE. It is emphasized that the priests and priestesses proper, i.e., individuals who were specifically concerned with cultic matters, represented a relatively small segment of the employees of temple households. Much more numerous within these institutions (which might more
-
Identity Through Appearance: Babylonian Priestly Clothing During the 1st Millennium BC Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2019-12-10 Louise Quillien
Through a study of Babylonian priestly clothing, one can see the social role and attitudes of priests in Babylonian cities, not only when they worship deities, but also in their daily lives. Information on priests’ clothing is rare in cuneiform texts. A Hellenistic ritual from Uruk gives interesting insights that one can compare with the data from the daily records from the Neo-Babylonian period. It
-
Kings, Priests, and Power in the Neo-Assyrian Period Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2019-12-10 Shana Zaia
Despite a relative dearth of information in the surviving corpus about Assyrian priests’ more routine concerns, the Assyrian state correspondence contains some details that can improve our knowledge of priests’ daily lives, rights, and responsibilities. Using four case studies, this paper analyzes situations in which priests are accused of misconduct or crimes to better understand the powers and expectations
-
Prebends and Prebendaries in Old Babylonian Nippur Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2019-12-10 Wiebke Meinhold
Office holders in Babylonian temples were provided with an income, a prebend, by the temples in return for their services. In the Old Babylonian period these prebendaries do not occur in ritual texts but are well attested in legal documents. The extensive evidence from Old Babylonian Nippur gives a rough impression of the tasks of these prebendaries and of their remuneration. Moreover, it sheds light
-
Priests of Ur in the Old Babylonian Period: a Reappraisal in Light of the 2017 Discoveries at Ur/Tell Muqayyar Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2019-12-10 Dominique Charpin
Thirty-two years after the publication of Le Clergé d’Ur au siècle d’Hammurabi (1986), a reappraisal of the situation is made possible by collations of already known texts, and by new tablets provided by the resumption of excavations on the site of Tell Muqayyer. The question of the estate properties within the city of Ur will first be examined: generally, the members of the clergy owned the houses
-
Temple Towns and Nation Building: Migrations of Babylonian Priestly Families in the Late Periods Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2019-12-10 Paul-Alain Beaulieu
This article surveys the Babylonian evidence from inter-city migration of priests and their families. The phenomenon is already attested during the Old Babylonian period and there are some indications that it continued under Kassite rule. However, most of the evidence comes from temple archives of the first millennium and is heavily concentrated during the long sixth century (ca. 626–484 BC). Although
-
Urukean Priests and the Neo-Babylonian State Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2019-12-10 Michael Jursa, Shai Gordin
The paper is constructed around a short micro-historical portrait of a priestly family active in Uruk in the sixth century BCE. This introduces two interrelated issues that the paper will subsequently discuss with a view towards a contextualization of the family in question: the interaction between the Neo-Babylonian state and priests outside the capital city, and the drive towards inter-temple interaction
-
An Altar for Yhwh in the Land of Aram (2 Kings 5:17) Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2018-11-26 Nadav Na’aman
The article discusses the date and cultural background of the Elisha and Naaman story (2 Kings 5). It first analyses the story and emphasizes the difference in its presentation of the prophet and the way he operates vis-à-vis all other stories in the Elisha story-cycle. It then analyses Naaman’s request to carry soil from the Land of Israel in order to erect an altar for Yhwh in Damascus (5:17) and
-
Charming a Clogged Nose: A Late Coptic Magical Spell from Saqqara Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2018-11-26 Jacques van der Vliet
A reedition and analysis of a late (ca. 10th–11th cent.) Coptic magical charm found at Saqqara. The commentary links the charm to pre-Christian models and discusses the possible modes of transmission of traditional ritual knowledge in Christian Egypt.
-
Reconstructing the Pre-Meroitic Indigenous Pantheon of Kush Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2018-11-26 M. Victoria Almansa-Villatoro
This article sets out to address questions concerning local religious traditions in ancient Nubia. Data concerning Egyptian gods in the Sudan are introduced, then the existence of unattested local pre-Meroitic gods is reconstructed using mainly external literary sources and an analysis of divine names. A review of other archaeological evidence from an iconographic point of view is also attempted, concluding
-
The Forgotten Female Figurines of Elephantine Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2018-11-26 Collin Cornell
In spite of renewed scholarly interest in the religion of Judeans living on the island of Elephantine during the Persian period, only one recent study has addressed the religious significance of the fired clay female figurines discovered there. The present article seeks to place these objects back on the research agenda. After summarizing the history of research, it also makes a new appraisal of the
-
Counterintuitive Demons: Pazuzu and Lamaštu in Iconography, Text, and Cognition Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2018-05-24 Brett Maiden
This paper examines the demons Pazuzu and Lamaštu from a cognitive science perspective. As hybrid creatures, the iconography of these demons combines an array of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic properties, and is therefore marked by a high degree of conceptual complexity. In a technical sense, they are what cognitive researchers refer to as radically “counterintuitive” representations. However, highly
-
“Prayers from Him Who Is Unable to Make Offerings”: The Cult of Bēlet-ṣēri at Late Babylonian Uruk Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2018-05-24 Julia Krul
After 484 BC, several deities were (re)introduced into the pantheon of Uruk—most importantly the city’s new patron deity, the sky god Anu, but also the netherworld goddess Bēlet-ṣēri (“Lady of the Steppe”). In this article, I investigate the possible reasons behind the introduction of Bēlet-ṣēri’s cult at Uruk and the role ascribed to her by local worshipers. Using literary compositions, ritual texts
-
Drums, Hearts, Bulls, and Dead Gods: The Theology of the Ancient Mesopotamian Kettledrum Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2018-05-24 Uri Gabbay
The article deals with the theology of the lilis kettledrum, used to accompany prayers in ancient Mesopotamian temple cult. The article analyzes the ritual in which the head of the kettledrum was covered with the hide of a bull and the ancient commentary on this ritual, showing that the ancient understanding of this ritual was that it reflected the primordial battle between the gods Enlil and Enmešara
-
The Dwelling of ˀIlu in Baˁlu and ˀAqhatu Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2017-12-04 M. Richey
In an arrival formula that recurs throughout the Ugaritic epics Baˁlu and ˀAqhatu, the dwelling of the chief god, ˀIlu, is described as encompassing, among other things, a {dd}. Scholars have understood this term in various ways, chiefly as “field,” “mountain,” and “defense.” I argue that the etymological rationales grounding the first two semantic analyses are unsound, and that the case for the third
-
Children and Religion in the Archaeological Record of Ancient Israel Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2017-12-04 Kristine Garroway
The current scholarly milieu has placed great interest in the topics of children and family household religion of ancient Israel; however, scholarship exploring the intersection of the two has not yet been undertaken. This article draws attention to children as vital participants in that domestic cult. Using theories of socialization and enculturation, the article explores how ancient Israelite children
-
Maqlû i.73–121 and Trial Procedure Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2017-12-04 Shalom E. Holtz
In the Akkadian anti-witchcraft ritual Maqlû, the incantation in i.73–121 exemplifies the theme of conducting adjudicatory proceedings against the witch in the divine courtroom. In particular, the patient’s presentation of the witch in effigy and the demand for judgment accord well with similar features attested in Neo-Babylonian trial records. Study of the incantation in light of these court records
-
Toward the Identification of the Goddess of Ekron Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2017-12-04 Alexander Fantalkin
The article puts forward a new hypothesis concerning the origin of the goddess of Ekron, mentioned in Ekron’s royal dedicatory inscription from the early 7th century bce. Contrary to a widely held view, it is suggested that the origin of the Philistine Goddess of Ekron should not be sought in the Aegean world but rather in northern Syria.
-
In Search of the Temples of YHWH of Samaria and YHWH of Teman Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2017-07-07 Nadav Na’aman
The Kuntillet ‘Ajrud inscriptions mention blessings by the names of YHWH of Samaria and YHWH of Teman. Like all ancient Near Eastern gods, these two regional gods must have had central temples. This article examines their possible locations and suggests that the combination of the Kuntillet ‘Ajrud inscriptions with the eighth-century prophecies of Amos and Hosea holds the key for identifying these
-
Love of God and Apologia for a King: Solomon as the Lord’s Beloved King in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Contexts Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2017-07-07 Isaac Kalimi
The birth story of Solomon is unique in the ancient Israelite historiography from the monarchic period. Though the birth name of the newborn child was “Solomon,” he received an additional name “Yedidyah.” The purpose of this name should be understood within three contexts: the immediate passage in 2 Samuel 12; the wider story regarding Solomon’s rise to power in 1 King 1–2; and comparable ancient Near
-
A Prayer to Sîn and the Psalms Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2017-07-07 Joel Travis Hamme
The paper argues that scribes in Mesopotamia and Israel adapted prayers into various contexts for different purposes. The adaptations introduced were governed by the larger purposes of the prayer’s new context. The paper uses Pss 14 and 53 and Sîn 6 to illustrate this point. Psalms 14 and 53 were adapted to fit into the larger purpose and message of the first and second Davidic Psalters, respectively
-
Revisiting the Fosse Temple at Tel Lachish Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2017-07-07 Ido Koch
This paper reconsiders the Late Bronze Age history of the Fosse Temple at Lachish and reconstructs its context vis-à-vis the broader role of the local Canaanite cult. During the reign of Amenhotep iii the structure’s plan was modified to conform to Egyptian-style and there was a profusion of Egyptian imports to the site, primarily associated with the cult of Hathor. These facts reflect the cultic innovations
-
Reconsidering the Function of Tomb Inscriptions in Iron Age Judah: Khirbet Beit Lei as a Test Case Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions (IF 0.3) Pub Date : 2016-12-15 Alice Mandell, Jeremy D. Smoak
The following article challenges the widely held view that refugees wrote the inscriptions preserved on the tomb walls of Khirbet Beit Lei. We argue that the so-called “refugee-hypothesis” should be based upon a stronger methodological foundation and that the interpretation of the inscriptions at the site should give more serious consideration to their context in the space of a tomb. Toward this end