Latest posts
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The Hittite Royal Archive at Šamuḫa: 184 Tablets From a 3,400-Year-Old Crisis
A newly announced royal archive from ancient Šamuḫa preserves 184 Hittite and Hurrian tablets and fragments recording epidemic illness, military danger, royal loss and divination about 3,400 years ago.
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How Mesopotamian Cylinder Seals Turned Clay into Identity
Rolled across wet clay, tiny carved stones could identify people, secure containers and mark transactions. Here is how Mesopotamian cylinder seals worked.
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The Vindolanda Birthday Invitation: A Roman Letter Explained
Near the end of a small wooden letter, the handwriting changes. A carefully written invitation gives way to a more personal closing: “I shall expect you, sister.” The Vindolanda birthday invitation, known as tablet 291, was sent by Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina. It invites her to celebrate Severa’s birthday on 11 September, sometime within…