Articles

R. Legros — À propos de la datation des tombes égyptiennes de l’Ancien Empire

La datation des tombes égyptiennes est un champ d’étude en perpétuel progrès et, pour l’Ancien Empire, la définition de critères de datation permet depuis longtemps de proposer un séquençage assez pertinent des monuments. Pour autant, la publication récente d’un ouvrage sur cette question rappelle combien la méthode reste contrainte par l’existence ou l’absence de cartouches royaux. Cette publication fournit l’occasion de proposer une alternative qui permettrait de dépasser cet écueil, afin d’établir une sériation plus complète et plus fine.

N. Wasserman — Labor Pains, Difficult Birth, Sick Child: Three Old Babylonian Incantations from a Private Collection

Three short incantations in a private collection are published here with the kind permission of their owner. Their original provenance is unknown. Script and language point to the Old Babylonian period. Incidentally (or not?), the texts are thematically related, dealing with different stages of a traumatic birth (IncPriv 1, IncPriv 2) and the medical intricacies of a sick child (IncPriv 3).

D. Shapira — The Moza Temple and Solomon’s Temple

Solomon’s Temple, as described in 1 Kings 6-7, has been discussed extensively in research. Since no archaeological evidence has been found, nor is it likely for any to be found in the future, researchers look for parallels in temples in the Ancient Near East. Searches conducted in temples from Assyria and Babylon, and from Anatolia have not yielded any actual results, as no parallels to Solomon’s Temple, with the required principal characteristics, have been found in those areas. The searches therefore focused on areas near Canaan, i.e. Syria, and from the country from which the builders and engineers of the temple originated – Phoenicia. The discovery of the temples in Tel Taayinat and in Ain Dara enthused the researchers and they agreed almost unanimously to regard them as parallel to Solomon’s Temple. Even though some elements in the exposed temples in Syria are similar to Solomon’s Temple, I will argue in this article that comparing them to the biblical description is far from satisfactory.

In the excavation in Moza, near Jerusalem, over the past two years, a temple from the 9^th century BC was exposed, that fits in almost all its components to Solomon’s Temple. Even though the excavation is not yet complete, one may learn from the discovered findings a great deal regarding the temple in Jerusalem and in this article, I will claim that this temple is the only parallel that we have to Solomon’s temple, as described in 1 Kings.

A.M. Al-Jallad — The History and Development of Arabic. A Review Article of al-Sharkawi (2017), with Special Focus on Archeology and Epigraphy

The history of Arabic was recently the subject of a monograph-length study by M. al-Sharkawi. This review uses the work to outline some common methodological pitfalls in studying the history of Arabic, while highlighting recent advances in archaeology and epigraphy to challenge some long held assumptions about Arabic’s past.

Book reviews and announcements

Algemeen, Faraonisch Egypte, Grieks-Romeins Egypte, Soedanees Nubië, Assyriologie, Hettitologie, Semitica, Oude Testament, Judaïca, Archeologie, Arabica, Midden-Oosten, Islam, Varia

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