Ancient near east

Here is one way to picture the size of the Ancient Near East during Bible times.

Map of the ancient Near East during the Amarna Period, showing the great powers of the period: Egypt (green), Hatti (yellow), the Kassite kingdom of Babylon (purple), Assyria (grey), and Mittani (red...

“Five thousand years ago the chain of independent city-states lining the River Nile united to form one long, thin country ruled by one king, or pharaoh. Almost instantly a highly distinctive …

Digital Artifact - Ancient Near East (Persia)

Canaan was a civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC, with city states. The Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–c. 1200 BCEcity states was mainly one of Egyptian dominance in Canaan. During the transition from the Late Bronze to the Early Iron Age—probably about 1250 BCE—the Israelites entered Canaan, settling at first in the hill country and in the south. By the Early Iron Age, the southern Levant came to be dominated by the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

We know as Christians, on an intellectual level, that we have idols—be it family, food, football or whatever. But to see the allure of idolatry can be hard for those of us in the Western world. That’s why I appreciate the points laid out by Doug Stuart in his Exodus commentary (450-54). Stuart suggests nine reasons idolatry was attractive to the Israelites and in the cultures of the Ancient Near East. 1. It was guaranteed. If you do the right incantation, you get the right results. Just say…

The Hayasa-Azzi were an indigenous Bronze Age tribal confederation which flourished on the plateau of ancient Armenia and eastern Anatolia between c. 1500 and...

This is a map of Mesopotamia showing the dominant kingdoms of Egypt, Mitanni, Hatti, and Kassite Babylonia.