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Definition
Ishtar
Ishtar (Inanna in Sumerian sources) is a primary Mesopotamian goddess closely associated with love and war. This powerful Mesopotamian goddess is the first known deity for which we have written evidence. While largely unknown in the modern...
Article
Mesopotamian Inventions
Mesopotamian inventions include many items taken for granted today, most of which were created during the Early Dynastic Period (2900-2334 BCE) or developed from achievements of the Uruk Period (4100-2900 BCE). The Sumerians are credited...
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Neo-Assyrian Cuneiform Lexical List
Neo-Assyrian lexical list of names of stones on a clay tablet.
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Babylonian Cuneiform Lexical List
Late Babylonian lexical list of personal names on a clay tablet.
Definition
Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal (r. 668-627 BCE, also known as Assurbanipal) was the last of the great kings of Assyria. His name means "the god Ashur is creator of an heir" and he was the son of King Esarhaddon of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. In the Hebrew Tanakh...
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Cuneiform Hand-Me-Downs - how Sumerian outlived its speakers
My favorite example of how odd Cuneiform became as it was passed from civilization to civilization. Thanks, rampant Sumerianization! Cuneiform languages took Sumerian very seriously, even after it was long dead. That’s how Akkadian and...
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Assyrian Cylinder Seal Inscribed in Cuneiform Script
Though not necessarily an Israelite object, this object was uncovered around Samaria and dates to the Iron Age II (8th century BCE). It is 3.9 cm long (The Israel Museum, Jerusalem). The image is significant because it is evidence—among other...
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Basalt Pillar with Cuneiform, Armenia
An ancient balsalt pillar in the southeastern section of the Erebuni Fortress, located on the outskirts of present-day Yerevan, Armenia. (Erebuni Historical and Archaeological Preserve, Yerevan, Armenia.)
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Cuneiform: Irving Finkel & Jonathan Taylor bring ancient inscriptions to life
A brief look into a new book that will bring insight into the world's oldest writing system by authors Irving Finkel and Jonathan Taylor, curators of the world's largest collection of cuneiform tablets at the British Museum. British Museum...
Article
Sumerian Civilization: Inventing the Future
Imagine something that has never been thought of before. If one holds a book in one's hands, one can imagine an e-book, a large-print book, a picture book, all kinds of books. But how does one imagine a book in a world where even the concept...