Deciphering the Tongues of Biblical Mesopotamia

Mosaic’s April essay describes the discovery of some of the oldest parts of Jerusalem, dating back to biblical times, and the continuing efforts to excavate them. It begins with the expedition of the British archaeologist Charles Warren, who didn’t invent biblical archaeology, but was certainly one of its earliest practitioners. Before Warren, the most important findings in the Middle East were being made in Mesopotamia, revealing the remains of ancient civilizations like Sumer and Assyria, and shedding much light on the Bible’s context. Robert Alter reviews a new book on that subject by Joshua Hammer: