Fresh light from the ancient monuments

The author surveys recent archaeological and epigraphic discoveries across Egypt, Palestine, Assyria, Babylonia and Asia Minor and explains how monuments, inscriptions and excavations corroborate and clarify narratives found in the Hebrew scriptures. He outlines the decipherment of cuneiform, highlights inscriptions and sites — including the Siloam inscription, the Moabite stone, Hittite monuments, Assyrian records and Babylonian accounts — and shows how they illuminate episodes such as migrations, sieges, imperial campaigns and the administration of Near Eastern rulers. Comparative readings of hymns, legal texts and inscriptions are used to contrast religious ideas and literary culture in the ancient Near East.