Introduction and General

Abstract

Introduction and General Brent A. Strawn and Christopher T. Begg 2437. [Bullae from the Shara Temple] Nawala Ahmed Al-Mutawalli, Khalid Salim Ismael, and Walther Sallaberger, Bullae from the Shara Temple (Cuneiform Texts from the Iraqi Excavations at Umma [Jokha] 2; with contributions by Hamza [End Page 872] Shahad Al-Harbi and Adelheid Otto; Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2019). Pp. 201 + plates + 6 [Arabic title, table of contents, & preface]. €68. ISBN 978-3-447-11159-1. This volume is the second in a series (but the first to appear) that will publish the cuneiform texts from the Iraqi Excavations at Umma (Jokha) that were conducted in the years 1999 to 2002. It focuses on 107 bullae from the Shara Temple, which all stem from a single room, Room 21. The rest of the bullae (more than 200) from Umma (Jokha) were recovered from the main tell; they will be published in vol. 3 of the series. The Umma (Jokha) cuneiform tablets date to the Early Old Babylonian period, with many belonging to the time when Umma was ruled by Sumuel of Larsa (1894–1866 b.c.e.). The bullae as well are from the Early Old Babylonian period. After an introduction to the archaeological evidence for the Shara Temple of Umma in the Early Old Babylonian Period, the authors provide an extensive overview of the bullae archive from the temple administration and the information that can be gleaned from this. The catalogue follows, after which one finds the texts in transliteration and translation (in both English and Arabic), a treatment of the seals and seal inscriptions, and a consideration of the iconography of the seal impressions. A bibliography, plus indexes (year dates, personal names, divine names, geographical names, field names, glossary) and plates of the 107 texts conclude the volume.—B.A.S. 2438. Victoria Altmann-Wendling, Mondsymbolik-Mondwissen. Lunare Konzepte in den ägyptischen Tempeln griechisch-römischer Zeit (2 vols.; Studien zur spätägyptischen Religion 22; Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2018). Pp. xx + 698 (vol. 1); 699-1055 + 31 b/w plates + 8 color plates (vol. 2). €198. ISBN 978-3-447-11136-2. In this reworking of her 2017 Tübingen dissertation, A.-W. provides a comprehensive account concerning the moon (Egyptian ʾIʿḥ, ʾIwnḥʿʿ) in the life and religion of Greco-Roman Egypt. Vol. 1 surveys the relevant source material for the study, i.e. the pictorial and/or textual evidence drawn from central temples of the era (Dendara, Edfu, and Karnak in particular), local cult sites at oases, and papyri. In her second volume, A.-W. then seeks to synthesize the data generated in the first, here highlighting the range of mythological/theological, cultic, astronomical, symbolic, and calendrical conceptions surrounding the "lunar phenomenon," the iconographical representations of these, and the complex interplay among them in the late period of ancient Egypt's history. Her vol. 2 also includes an appendix consisting of a catalogue of texts containing the two above-mentioned words for "moon," an extensive bibliography, various indexes, and a series of plates illustrating her previous discussion of Egyptian lunar iconography.—C.T.B. 2439. [Egyptian and ANE Palaces] Manfred Bietak, Paolo Matthiae, and Silvia Prell (eds.), Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Palaces, Vol. II: Proceedings of a Workshop Held at the 10th ICAANE in Vienna, 25-26 April 2016 (Contributions to the Archaeology of Egypt, Nubia, and the Levant [CAENL] 8; Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2019). Pp. 256. €98. ISBN 978-3-447-11183-6. This collection of studies on ANE and Egyptian palaces derives from a workshop organized jointly by the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei that was held in Vienna in April 2016 in conjunction with the 10th meeting of the ICAANE. The objective of the workshop was to present and augment existing knowledge about ANE palaces in relation to those of ancient Egypt. It has become clear that while concepts [End Page 873] of axial plans and symmetry in Egyptian palaces reflect the pharaonic mindset, ANE palace architects were more flexible in planning their constructions. Besides the...