Review of Thomas Richter and Sarah Lange, Das Archiv des Idadda: Die Keilschrifttexte aus den deutsch-syrischen Ausgrabungen 2001–2003 im Königspalast von Qaṭna, Qaṭna Studies 3

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

Keywords

Thomas Richter, Sarah Lange

Abstract

The discovery of new languages and archives from the ancient Near East always generates buzz and excitement in biblical studies. This was also the case in 2002 when a significant number of cuneiform texts was discovered at Tel Migrife (also spelled Mishrifeh; ancient Qatna), Syria, by a German- 88 Bulletin؛OT Biblical Research 25.1 Syrian archaeological team under the leadership of Peter Pfaizner from the Eberhardt-Karls Universität Tübingen and Michel al-Maqdissi from the Syrian Antiquities Department. The fact that this particular archive by King Iddada of Qafna was found in sffw in a collapsed layer of destruction dated to the 14th century B.c. (and thus straight in the middle of the crucial Late Bronze Age) added to the enthusiasm of historians and biblical scholars (cf. Gerald A. Klingbeil, "Entre centro y periferia: Qatna en la investigación arquéologica e histórica reciente," DavarLogos 1 [20٥2] 149-62). Together with the significant textual material from Ugarit and Emar, the discovery of King Idadda's archive from Qatna has opened another important window into Syria's (and the larger ancient Near East's) history during that period. Qatna's central location along a major route connecting Karkemish, Aleppo, Ebla, Qatna, with Damascus and then further south with Amman and Petra represented a major (and welltraveled) north-south axis in the ancient world.

Journal Title

Bulletin for Biblical Research

Volume

25

Issue

1

First Page

87

Last Page

89

First Department

Old Testament

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