‘Thinking Ontologically’: Ontology Development as the Basis for the Systematic Analysis of a Corpus of Late Antique Aramaic Magic Texts

This article describes the process of developing an ontology of the domain of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic magic bowls and offers some reflections on its significance in the analysis of these materials. Examples are highlighted to illustrate where the work builds on existing conceptualisations of the domain in secondary literature and where magical and religious materials from the Ancient Near East might stimulate some specialised extension of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (ICOM/CIDOC Documentation Standards Group, 2020). The analogy of ‘bridge building’ is offered as a way for humanities researchers to conceive of the work to produce ontologies of specific domains. This reflection is intended to capture the experience of ‘thinking ontologically’ about sources for the first time and of overcoming misconceptions about the nature and significance of this work.

Editor's Introduction

Introduction to the special issue of Studia Orientalia Electronica, collecting papers from the international conference “The Strange and the Familiar: Identity and Empire in the Ancient Near East,” held at the University of Helsinki on August 23 and 24, 2019.

Some remarks on change and innovation in ancient Near Eastern customary law

The article presents the ways customary law could be gradually changed in the ancient Near East. They included working with existing institutions while modifying their consequences as well as their scope of application with tools such as legal fiction. However, the conservative nature of the ancient oriental culture, as well as that of the scribal education made any sudden, radical modification impossible, and even if a new contract type was created, it would keep the pretense of following a long-established practice.

Metal Quivers from Western Asia

This paper presents a review of metal quivers, which belong to a category of metal objects found in Iron Age archaeological contexts in the Ancient Near East, especially in the variegate cultures living in the mountainous highlands bordering Mesopotamia. Each cultural sphere is considered separately, focusing on material brought to light during archaeological excavations. An analysis of different traditions allows comparison of these artifacts in order to detect evidence of contacts and reciprocal influences between different cultural regions, which strongly interacted during the first half of the Iron Age.

Review of Calling Out to Isis: The Enduring Nubian Presence at Philae

Solange Ashby, Calling Out to Isis: The Enduring Nubian Presence at Philae. Georgias Studies in the Ancient Near East 13. Piscataway, Georgias Press, 2020. ISBN 9781463207151. Pp. 332, 32 figures (incl. maps, plans). $95.00.

The World of the Bible: Indispensable Context in the Study of the Old Testament

The Bible was not originally written for the modern reader, but the testimony of the Church is that it continues to speak God’s word to readers/hearers today. However, many modern Bible readers come across texts that need further explanation because the biblical authors did not offer clarification of their writings. They assumed the readers of their time were familiar with the background and could understand the reported events without further explanation. To achieve a “legit” interpretation of Old Testament texts, we first need to understand Scripture correctly, meaning that the biblical text must be read in its narrower and broader context. Only within a context does it become clear what the author meant to say. The main argument of this article is to exhibit that the Bible can only be fully understood against the backdrop of the Ancient Near East (ANE). The broader context consists of the knowledge of surrounding nations during Bible times (i.e., Hebrew Bible). By examining ANE texts and archeological findings we achieve a more complete and enriched comprehension of a given scriptural text or passage. This article exhibits through some concrete examples how archeological findings, inscriptions, and Ancient Near East texts can aid in understanding the broader context of the Old Testament world. In return, the wider context of the Bible world can enlighten or clarify a difficult, incomprehensible, or ambiguous biblical text and henceforth scriptural interpretation become more accurate and closer to the original message and meaning.