The earliest temples were simple huts made of plaited wickerwork, used as shrines for the symbols of God; the altar was nothing more than a mat made of reeds. In the earliest temples, a wall surrounds...

The Pharaoh Akhenaten, who ruled almost half of the civilization for a brief period during the fourteenth century BC, provoked a greater flow of ink from the pens of historians, archaeologists, moralists,...

No direct explanation is given for the origin and nature of the luminous bodies, the sun, the planets, and the stars. Because, as far back as our written sources go, the Sumerians regarded the moon-god,...

There is a wide variety of types and genres in these compositions, which are as startling as it is revealing, given the age of the culture involved. In Sumer, nearly a millennium before the Hebrews wrote...

Anunnaki governor Ur-Nammu, who subsequently became an independent king (2113-2096 BC) and founded a spin-off dynasty known as the Third Dynasty of Ur (or Ur 3 period), lasted for more than a century...

It is possible that the Adamu man lived in south Iraq without leaving traces that are recognizable today. Our present concrete evidence for advanced human occupation in Sumerian begins with the stage...

Sumerian and Akkadian myths tend to focus on the creation of the universe, the origin of the gods, epic stories, ancient sites, and intrigues, and their astronomical achievements and creative building...

Sargon of Agade or Akkad is a name associated primarily with later Mesopotamian tradition, and modern writers view his reign as one of the most crucial periods in the ancient history of his country. As...

The so-called descendant of the Elder God is often seen as a rival in such relationships. Many of his followers worship elder gods. During his lifetime, Nebo acquired something of a reputation as a god...

There is no document of greater importance to the study of the pre-Columbian mythology of America than the "Popol Vuh." It is the chief source of our knowledge of the mythology of the Kiché people of...

A perusal of the texts of the Seven Tablets of Creation, which King was enabled, through the information contained in them, to arrange for the first time in their proper sequence, shows that the main...

In the spring of 1852, Layard was obliged to close his excavations for want of funds, and he returned to England with Rassam, leaving all the northern half of the great mound of Kuyûnjik unexcavated....