In the blockbuster film The Odyssey, the political context of both the Trojan War and its aftermath is the threat of the “People from the Sea” — a terrifying cohort of maritime warriors whose alleged aim is to dismantle Greek civilization. The most salient aspect of said civilization, at least according to the movie, seems […]
The Sea Peoples and the Israelites Read More »
In which a historical novelist searches for a fragrant tree that meets several exacting specifications.
Most researchers are skeptical that the Exodus really happened. But one has found documentary evidence in Egyptian tombs that bolsters the biblical narrative.
The Case for Exodus: Egypt’s Testimony Read More »
Papyri and stone inscriptions buttress many Hebrew Bible stories, including the Exodus.
Egyptian History and the Bible’s Historicity Read More »
We think of ancient life as cruel and backward compared with our own times, but often it wasn’t.
Even Their Barbarism Was Civilized Read More »
Our understanding of the tangled relationship between ancient Egypt and the culture that produced the Hebrew Bible has deepened thanks to archaeology. It’s pure gold for historical novelists like me.
Jewish Chicken, Egyptian Egg Read More »
The biblical world was wider than one might imagine.
The Spice of Ancient Life Read More »
A metaphor for the ultimate judgment in two ancient cultures - despite their differing interpretations - still has meaning today.
A Tale of Two Scales Read More »
A new analysis of granite fragments, probably from an ancient Egyptian throne, may push back the first time the place-name “Israel” is mentioned outside of the Bible by centuries.
Israel’s first mention Read More »
Three thousand years ago, Semitic tribes shifted from an agricultural calendar based on the flood and ebb of the Nile in Egypt to periods of rain and intense heat in the Land of Israel. How did they all manage to get on the same page of the calendar? And did the change help them stick together over the millennia?
Calendars and Culture Read More »