The moon god Nanna/Sin is one of the primary deities in the Sumero-Babylonian pantheon, and, for this reason, has been of interest since the early days of Assyriological research. In addition to the ubiquitous presence of Sin in cuneiform sources, and the crescent moon in Mesopotamian art, scholarly interest in him can be attributed to his prominent role in the context of celestial divination: the lunar omens dominate the sphere of celestial divination in the 1st millennium BCE. Also, the marked interest of the Sargonid kings of Assyria in the ?arranian moon god in the 8th-7th centuries BCE and the veneration of Sin by Nabonidus in the 6th century BCE have received much attention from various scholars. The theological concepts surrounding Sin are by no means limited only to his role as the god of the moon, but he shared numerous abilities and powers with other deities of the Mesopotamian pantheon depending on the context. The sources from the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods describe the moon god Sin first and foremost as the moon, a celestial luminary that embodies cosmic order and regulates time, conveys messages about the decisions he or other deities have made, brings stability to the reign of the king, allows people (and animals) to procreate, and afflicts them with epilepsy and skin diseases (but also heals them, if he wills). He is present not only in cult images in and around sanctuaries but also in the night sky, where he unceasingly makes himself manifest from day to day, month to month; the jewel of heavens, surrounded by rejoicing stars. - The present study is subdivided into two main parts: "Theologies of the Moon God in Assyria and Babylonia", characterizing himself and his family and entourage, and "The Cult of Sin in Babylonia and Assyria" on his role in the context of his places of worship and temples. These parts are supplemented by editions of selected texts and extensive indices.

This volume is an interdisciplinary investigation and contextualization of the various concepts of divine union in the private and public sphere of the Greek and Near Eastern worlds.

In July, 2010, the International Association for Assyriology met in Barcelona, Spain, for 5 days to deliver and listen to papers on the theme “Time and History in the Ancient Near East.” This volume, the proceedings of the conference, contains 70 of the papers read at the 56th annual Rencontre, including the papers from several workshop sessions on “architecture and archaeology,” “early Akkadian and its Semitic context,” “ Hurrian language,” “law in the ancient Near East,” “Middle Assyrian texts and studies,” and a variety of additional papers not directly related to the conference theme. The photo on the back cover shows only a representative portion of the attendees, who were warmly hosted by faculty and students from the University of Barcelona.

This volume deals with the myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria, and as these reflect the civilization in which they developed, a historical narrative has been provided, beginning with the early Sumerian Age and concluding with the periods of the Persian and Grecian Empires. Over thirty centuries of human progress are thus passed under review. Keywords: myth, legend, ancient, religion, classic

Ancient Mesopotamia was a rich, varied and highly complex culture whose achievements included the invention of writing and the development of sophisticated urban society. This book offers an introductory guide to the beliefs and customs of the ancient Mesopotamians, as revealed in their art and their writings between about 3000 B.C. and the advent of the Christian era. Gods, goddesses, demons, monsters, magic, myths, religious symbolism, ritual, and the spiritual world are all discussed in alphabetical entries ranging from short accounts to extended essays. Names are given in both their Sumerian and Akkadian forms, and all entries are fully cross-referenced. A useful introduction provides historical and geographical background and describes the sources of our knowledge about the religion, mythology and magic of "the cradle of civilisation".

A collection of Babylonian and Assyrian myths and legends, including various analogues of the biblical flood story and discussions of the history of Babylon and Assyria, and descriptions of various forms of Babylonian worship, Assyrian cults, and archaeological excavation of Babylonian and Assyrian sites.

This volume examines the state ideology of Assyria in the Early Neo-Assyrian period (934-745 BCE) focusing on how power relations between the Mesopotamian deities, the Assyrian king, and foreign lands are described and depicted. It undertakes a close reading of delimited royal inscriptions and iconography making use of postcolonial and gender theory, and addresses such topics as royal deification, “religious imperialism”, ethnicity and empire, and gendered imagery. The important contribution of this study lies especially in its identification of patterns of ideological continuity and variation within the reigns of individual rulers, between various localities, and between the different rulers of this period, and in its discussion of the place of Early Neo-Assyrian state ideology in the overall development of Assyrian propaganda. It includes several indexed appendices, which list all primary sources, present all divine and royal epithets, and provide all of the “royal visual representations,” and incorporates numerous illustrations, such as maps, plans, and royal iconography.