An Annotated Sumerian Dictionary

$199.95 $119.97

Sumerian was the first language to be put into writing (ca. 3200–3100 BCE), and it is the language for which the cuneiform script was originally developed. Even after it was supplanted by Akkadian as the primary spoken language in ancient Mesopotamia, Sumerian continued to be used as a scholarly written language until the end of the first millennium BCE. This volume presents the first comprehensive English-language scholarly lexicon of Sumerian.

Ancient Egyptian and Afroasiatic

Rethinking the Origins

$129.95 $77.97

By challenging assumptions regarding the proximity between Egyptian and Semitic Languages, Ancient Egyptian and Afroasiatic provides a fresh approach to the relationships and similarities between Ancient Egyptian, Semitic, and Afroasiatic languages. This in-depth analysis includes a re-examination of the methodologies deployed in historical linguistics and comparative grammar, a morphological study of Ancient Egyptian, and critical comparisons between Ancient Egyptian and Semitic, as well as careful considerations of environmental factors and archaeological evidence.

The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668–631 BC), Aššur-etel-ilāni (630–627 BC), and Sîn-šarra-iškun (626–612 BC), Kings of Assyria, Part 3

$89.95 $53.97

This is the final installment in a tripartite critical edition of the inscriptions of the last major Neo-Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, and the members of his family.

From Nomadism to Monarchy?

Revisiting the Early Iron Age Southern Levant

$99.95 $59.97

Archaeological exploration in the Central Highlands of the Southern Levant conducted during the 1970s and 1980s dramatically transformed the scholarly understanding of the early Iron Age and led to the publication of From Nomadism to Monarchy: Archaeological and Historical Aspects of Early Israel, by Israel Finkelstein and Nadav Na’aman. This volume explores and reassesses the legacy of that foundational text.

The Temple of Ningirsu

The Culture of the Sacred in Mesopotamia

Sébastien Rey

This two-volume study not only presents the new results of the British Museum team; it also reconsiders and recontextualizes the French reports to produce an indispensable history of the sacred complexes in Girsu over a period of nearly three thousand years. With full-color reconstructions of the principal buildings and installations, as well as many redrawn plans and sections, this lucidly written study reexamines the history of the exceptionally complete series of archaeological structures built on Tell K and Tell A from the beginning of the third millennium BCE to the fourth and third centuries BCE.

Letters from Home

The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity

Malka Z. Simkovich

“A brilliant study of how Second Temple letter-writers and authors constructed diaspora and shaped their own identities, which resonate with our own times as well.”—Adele Reinhartz, author of Cast Out of the Covenant: Jews and Anti-Judaism in the Gospel of John

Israel’s Day of Light and Joy

The Origin, Development, and Enduring Meaning of the Jewish Sabbath

Jon D. Levenson

“A masterful piece of scholarship. Levenson has somehow managed to combine a rigorous historical-critical analysis of the Sabbath with a theologically sensitive discussion of the meaning and value of the Sabbath as it has developed into the present day in a fresh, readable volume seasoned throughout with wit and good humor.”—Jason Staples, author of Paul and the Resurrection of Israel: Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites

The Queens of the Arabs During the Neo-Assyrian Period

Ellie Bennett

The title “Queen of the Arabs” is applied in Neo-Assyrian texts to five women from the Arabian Peninsula. These women led armies, offered tribute, and held religious roles in their communities from 738 to approximately 651 BCE. This book discusses what the title meant to the women who carried it and to the Assyrians who wrote about them.

Christians at Home

John Chrysostom and Domestic Rituals in Fourth-Century Antioch

Blake Leyerle

“It is not very often that one has the privilege to read a work such as this—so well argued, so beautifully written, and making such a crucial contribution to scholarship. This book beautifully presents and critically analyzes the apparent tension between John Chrysostom and his audience regarding his expectations for their domestic religious devotion.”—Chris L. de Wet, author of Preaching Bondage: John Chrysostom and the Discourse of Slavery in Early Christianity

Speaking Words of Wisdom

The Beatles and Religion

Edited by Michael McGowan

“Formal religion and personal spirituality are often overlooked in the story of rock, but as this fascinating book shows, both played a vital role. The Beatles are the perfect case study.”—Steve Turner, author of Hungry for Heaven: Rock ’n’ Roll and the Search for Redemption and The Gospel According to the Beatles