andrew phillips
@herfst.bsky.social
þe hıne æꞇ ꝼꞃumꞅceaꝼꞇe
ꝼoꞃð onꞅenꝺon ænne oꝼeꞃ ẏðe umboꞃƿeꞅenꝺe
ꝼoꞃð onꞅenꝺon ænne oꝼeꞃ ẏðe umboꞃƿeꞅenꝺe
from a Sumerian drinking song
kaš naŋ‐e me‐e sig₁₀‐ga‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
kurun₂ naŋ‐a ul ti‐a‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
šag₄ ḫul₂‐la ur₅ sag₉‐ga‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
šag₄‐ŋa₂ šag₄ ḫul₂‐la ŋal₂‐la‐bi
while I'm drinking beer (𒁉 kaš)
while I'm drinking kurun happily
with joy in the heart and a contented liver
my heart is a heart full of joy!
kaš naŋ‐e me‐e sig₁₀‐ga‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
kurun₂ naŋ‐a ul ti‐a‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
šag₄ ḫul₂‐la ur₅ sag₉‐ga‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
šag₄‐ŋa₂ šag₄ ḫul₂‐la ŋal₂‐la‐bi
while I'm drinking beer (𒁉 kaš)
while I'm drinking kurun happily
with joy in the heart and a contented liver
my heart is a heart full of joy!
January 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM
from a Sumerian drinking song
kaš naŋ‐e me‐e sig₁₀‐ga‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
kurun₂ naŋ‐a ul ti‐a‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
šag₄ ḫul₂‐la ur₅ sag₉‐ga‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
šag₄‐ŋa₂ šag₄ ḫul₂‐la ŋal₂‐la‐bi
while I'm drinking beer (𒁉 kaš)
while I'm drinking kurun happily
with joy in the heart and a contented liver
my heart is a heart full of joy!
kaš naŋ‐e me‐e sig₁₀‐ga‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
kurun₂ naŋ‐a ul ti‐a‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
šag₄ ḫul₂‐la ur₅ sag₉‐ga‐ŋu₁₀‐ne
šag₄‐ŋa₂ šag₄ ḫul₂‐la ŋal₂‐la‐bi
while I'm drinking beer (𒁉 kaš)
while I'm drinking kurun happily
with joy in the heart and a contented liver
my heart is a heart full of joy!
Reposted by andrew phillips
Lepus leaping.
From the Aratea, a 9th-century manuscript on astronomy featuring constellations comprised of words. More here: https://buff.ly/34uIsEa
From the Aratea, a 9th-century manuscript on astronomy featuring constellations comprised of words. More here: https://buff.ly/34uIsEa
January 21, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Lepus leaping.
From the Aratea, a 9th-century manuscript on astronomy featuring constellations comprised of words. More here: https://buff.ly/34uIsEa
From the Aratea, a 9th-century manuscript on astronomy featuring constellations comprised of words. More here: https://buff.ly/34uIsEa
Reposted by andrew phillips
Why did Hammurabi write his law code?
(Music: Song of the Water, Al Andalus Ensemble)
(Music: Song of the Water, Al Andalus Ensemble)
January 21, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Why did Hammurabi write his law code?
(Music: Song of the Water, Al Andalus Ensemble)
(Music: Song of the Water, Al Andalus Ensemble)
Reposted by andrew phillips
Sami al-Saei said he heard the Israeli prison guards who raped him laughing through the assault, before they left him blindfolded, handcuffed & in agony on the floor to take a cigarette break.
Hei has defied social stigma to speak out about what a report calls a ‘grave pattern’ of sexual violence.
Hei has defied social stigma to speak out about what a report calls a ‘grave pattern’ of sexual violence.
‘I could not stay silent’: Palestinian prisoner tells of sexual abuse in Israeli jail
Sami al-Saei has defied social stigma to speak out about what a report calls a ‘grave pattern’ of sexual violence
www.theguardian.com
January 21, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Sami al-Saei said he heard the Israeli prison guards who raped him laughing through the assault, before they left him blindfolded, handcuffed & in agony on the floor to take a cigarette break.
Hei has defied social stigma to speak out about what a report calls a ‘grave pattern’ of sexual violence.
Hei has defied social stigma to speak out about what a report calls a ‘grave pattern’ of sexual violence.
Reposted by andrew phillips
Yr eitem dan sylw heddiw a restrir yng nghampwaith Daniel Huws
Llyfr Ffortun
Prif destun y llyfr yw astroleg, cylchred y lleuad a'r tywydd.
Today’s featured item listed in Daniel Huws Magnus Opus
Fortune Book
The main text focusses on astrology, the lunar cycle and the weather
1685-1688 BMSS/4
Llyfr Ffortun
Prif destun y llyfr yw astroleg, cylchred y lleuad a'r tywydd.
Today’s featured item listed in Daniel Huws Magnus Opus
Fortune Book
The main text focusses on astrology, the lunar cycle and the weather
1685-1688 BMSS/4
January 21, 2026 at 9:17 AM
Yr eitem dan sylw heddiw a restrir yng nghampwaith Daniel Huws
Llyfr Ffortun
Prif destun y llyfr yw astroleg, cylchred y lleuad a'r tywydd.
Today’s featured item listed in Daniel Huws Magnus Opus
Fortune Book
The main text focusses on astrology, the lunar cycle and the weather
1685-1688 BMSS/4
Llyfr Ffortun
Prif destun y llyfr yw astroleg, cylchred y lleuad a'r tywydd.
Today’s featured item listed in Daniel Huws Magnus Opus
Fortune Book
The main text focusses on astrology, the lunar cycle and the weather
1685-1688 BMSS/4
Reposted by andrew phillips
🚨New animal linguistics paper🚨
Together with @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social and @maelmleroux.bsky.social, we tried to finally answer this question: Do titi monkeys have complex syntactic skills?
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Together with @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social and @maelmleroux.bsky.social, we tried to finally answer this question: Do titi monkeys have complex syntactic skills?
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The As and Bs of titi monkey linguistics: why emotional communication is not the enemy
The alarm call sequences of titi monkeys (genera Plecturocebus, Callicebus and Cheracebus) have sparked important debates over whether they exhibit parallels with human language. Some researchers con...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 21, 2026 at 12:31 PM
🚨New animal linguistics paper🚨
Together with @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social and @maelmleroux.bsky.social, we tried to finally answer this question: Do titi monkeys have complex syntactic skills?
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Together with @geoffreymesbahi.bsky.social and @maelmleroux.bsky.social, we tried to finally answer this question: Do titi monkeys have complex syntactic skills?
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by andrew phillips
#OnThisDay
On 2024 Jan 19, Maddalena Poli @madpoli.bsky.social shared with us several new online resources and databases for the study of ancient Chinese manuscripts, including 戰國竹簡全文資料庫, 中國古代簡帛字形辭例數據庫 , 開放古文字字型庫, and 漢語多功能字型庫.
Read more:
🔗 digitalorientalist.com/2024/01/19/o...
On 2024 Jan 19, Maddalena Poli @madpoli.bsky.social shared with us several new online resources and databases for the study of ancient Chinese manuscripts, including 戰國竹簡全文資料庫, 中國古代簡帛字形辭例數據庫 , 開放古文字字型庫, and 漢語多功能字型庫.
Read more:
🔗 digitalorientalist.com/2024/01/19/o...
January 19, 2026 at 12:04 PM
#OnThisDay
On 2024 Jan 19, Maddalena Poli @madpoli.bsky.social shared with us several new online resources and databases for the study of ancient Chinese manuscripts, including 戰國竹簡全文資料庫, 中國古代簡帛字形辭例數據庫 , 開放古文字字型庫, and 漢語多功能字型庫.
Read more:
🔗 digitalorientalist.com/2024/01/19/o...
On 2024 Jan 19, Maddalena Poli @madpoli.bsky.social shared with us several new online resources and databases for the study of ancient Chinese manuscripts, including 戰國竹簡全文資料庫, 中國古代簡帛字形辭例數據庫 , 開放古文字字型庫, and 漢語多功能字型庫.
Read more:
🔗 digitalorientalist.com/2024/01/19/o...
Reposted by andrew phillips
Reminder that the United States led the charge to delegitimise UNRWA in 2024. The Biden administration and most of the Democrats in Congress passed a law banning the US from funding it, a policy which Trump extended. UNRWA is (was) the main organisation responsible for feeding refugees in Gaza.
“Early this morning, Israeli forces stormed the UNRWA Headquarters, a United Nations site, in East Jerusalem.”
Statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini:
www.unrwa.org/newsroom/off...
Statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini:
www.unrwa.org/newsroom/off...
January 20, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Reminder that the United States led the charge to delegitimise UNRWA in 2024. The Biden administration and most of the Democrats in Congress passed a law banning the US from funding it, a policy which Trump extended. UNRWA is (was) the main organisation responsible for feeding refugees in Gaza.
Fun exercise from an Oxford Classics Admissions Test: analyse these sentences in an invented language you've never seen before, and translate a few sentences on your own
www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/...
www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/...
January 21, 2026 at 12:03 AM
Fun exercise from an Oxford Classics Admissions Test: analyse these sentences in an invented language you've never seen before, and translate a few sentences on your own
www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/...
www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/...
Prayer-letter from the priest Kug-Nanna to the god Ninšubur
tukum-bi diŋir-ŋu₁₀-ra an-na-kam
šag₄ ib₂-ba-zu ga-ab-huŋ-e, ur₅-zu he₂-bur₂-e
if it pleases you, my god
let me pacify your furious heart (𒊮 šag₄), so that your spirit (𒄯 ur₅, “liver”) will be appeased
cdli.earth/artifacts/46...
tukum-bi diŋir-ŋu₁₀-ra an-na-kam
šag₄ ib₂-ba-zu ga-ab-huŋ-e, ur₅-zu he₂-bur₂-e
if it pleases you, my god
let me pacify your furious heart (𒊮 šag₄), so that your spirit (𒄯 ur₅, “liver”) will be appeased
cdli.earth/artifacts/46...
January 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Prayer-letter from the priest Kug-Nanna to the god Ninšubur
tukum-bi diŋir-ŋu₁₀-ra an-na-kam
šag₄ ib₂-ba-zu ga-ab-huŋ-e, ur₅-zu he₂-bur₂-e
if it pleases you, my god
let me pacify your furious heart (𒊮 šag₄), so that your spirit (𒄯 ur₅, “liver”) will be appeased
cdli.earth/artifacts/46...
tukum-bi diŋir-ŋu₁₀-ra an-na-kam
šag₄ ib₂-ba-zu ga-ab-huŋ-e, ur₅-zu he₂-bur₂-e
if it pleases you, my god
let me pacify your furious heart (𒊮 šag₄), so that your spirit (𒄯 ur₅, “liver”) will be appeased
cdli.earth/artifacts/46...
Reposted by andrew phillips
"Winter is now used as a weapon..."
Australian doctor Nada Abu Alrub explains that Israel is weaponising the weather to kill more Palestinians
In passing she also mentions how Israel blocked a groups of doctors from entering Gaza because they had a stethoscope on them.
Australian doctor Nada Abu Alrub explains that Israel is weaponising the weather to kill more Palestinians
In passing she also mentions how Israel blocked a groups of doctors from entering Gaza because they had a stethoscope on them.
January 20, 2026 at 3:17 PM
"Winter is now used as a weapon..."
Australian doctor Nada Abu Alrub explains that Israel is weaponising the weather to kill more Palestinians
In passing she also mentions how Israel blocked a groups of doctors from entering Gaza because they had a stethoscope on them.
Australian doctor Nada Abu Alrub explains that Israel is weaponising the weather to kill more Palestinians
In passing she also mentions how Israel blocked a groups of doctors from entering Gaza because they had a stethoscope on them.
Reposted by andrew phillips
No. 23
"There's something beyond the hill."
inna warāʾa al-akamati mā warāʾahā
The story is a servant wanted to meet her lover beyond a local hill but the people she worked for gave her too much work and she couldn't go and said this.
Said when one reveals something they had kept secret.
"There's something beyond the hill."
inna warāʾa al-akamati mā warāʾahā
The story is a servant wanted to meet her lover beyond a local hill but the people she worked for gave her too much work and she couldn't go and said this.
Said when one reveals something they had kept secret.
January 19, 2026 at 6:41 PM
No. 23
"There's something beyond the hill."
inna warāʾa al-akamati mā warāʾahā
The story is a servant wanted to meet her lover beyond a local hill but the people she worked for gave her too much work and she couldn't go and said this.
Said when one reveals something they had kept secret.
"There's something beyond the hill."
inna warāʾa al-akamati mā warāʾahā
The story is a servant wanted to meet her lover beyond a local hill but the people she worked for gave her too much work and she couldn't go and said this.
Said when one reveals something they had kept secret.
nirŋal-e (authoritative [one] | ergative)
anam (what[ever])
b-i-n-dug (it | about, regarding smth | he/she | to say)
nu-zid (not | to be true)
anam (what[ever])
b-i-n-dug (it | about, regarding smth | he/she | to say)
nu-zid (not | to be true)
January 18, 2026 at 4:00 PM
nirŋal-e (authoritative [one] | ergative)
anam (what[ever])
b-i-n-dug (it | about, regarding smth | he/she | to say)
nu-zid (not | to be true)
anam (what[ever])
b-i-n-dug (it | about, regarding smth | he/she | to say)
nu-zid (not | to be true)
The dedication inscribed on the back of the statue
January 17, 2026 at 11:00 PM
The dedication inscribed on the back of the statue
Reposted by andrew phillips
No. 20
"Through just a narrow opening great calamities may be seen within."
inna l-khaṣāṣa yurā fī jawfihā al-raqam
The meaning is that something momentous may be hidden within something modest or trivial.
"Through just a narrow opening great calamities may be seen within."
inna l-khaṣāṣa yurā fī jawfihā al-raqam
The meaning is that something momentous may be hidden within something modest or trivial.
January 15, 2026 at 4:27 AM
No. 20
"Through just a narrow opening great calamities may be seen within."
inna l-khaṣāṣa yurā fī jawfihā al-raqam
The meaning is that something momentous may be hidden within something modest or trivial.
"Through just a narrow opening great calamities may be seen within."
inna l-khaṣāṣa yurā fī jawfihā al-raqam
The meaning is that something momentous may be hidden within something modest or trivial.
Reposted by andrew phillips
Children in Darfur are expected to die from hunger ‘within days’ as famine conditions persist more than 1,000 days into Sudan’s brutal conflict, UN warns.
Children expected to die of hunger in Darfur ‘within days’, says UN Sudan chief
UN's humanitarian coordinator Denise Brown warns of 'horrendous' conditions 1,000 days into the brutal war
www.middleeasteye.net
January 15, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Children in Darfur are expected to die from hunger ‘within days’ as famine conditions persist more than 1,000 days into Sudan’s brutal conflict, UN warns.
Maths exercise from Nippur (ca 2500-2340 BCE), here the short side (𒊕 sag) of a rectangle is calculated when the long side (𒍑 uš) and area (𒃷 gán) are known
uš = 𒐕𒐌𒑏𒃻𒁺, 67½ ninda (405 m)
gán = 𒁹𒃷, 1 iku (3600 m²)
The answer is given as
𒁹𒃻𒁺𒐊𒌑𒈫𒋗𒆕𒀀𒐈𒋗𒋛𒑚𒋗𒋛, 1 ninda 5⅔ cubits 3⅓ fingers (8.89 m)
uš = 𒐕𒐌𒑏𒃻𒁺, 67½ ninda (405 m)
gán = 𒁹𒃷, 1 iku (3600 m²)
The answer is given as
𒁹𒃻𒁺𒐊𒌑𒈫𒋗𒆕𒀀𒐈𒋗𒋛𒑚𒋗𒋛, 1 ninda 5⅔ cubits 3⅓ fingers (8.89 m)
January 14, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Maths exercise from Nippur (ca 2500-2340 BCE), here the short side (𒊕 sag) of a rectangle is calculated when the long side (𒍑 uš) and area (𒃷 gán) are known
uš = 𒐕𒐌𒑏𒃻𒁺, 67½ ninda (405 m)
gán = 𒁹𒃷, 1 iku (3600 m²)
The answer is given as
𒁹𒃻𒁺𒐊𒌑𒈫𒋗𒆕𒀀𒐈𒋗𒋛𒑚𒋗𒋛, 1 ninda 5⅔ cubits 3⅓ fingers (8.89 m)
uš = 𒐕𒐌𒑏𒃻𒁺, 67½ ninda (405 m)
gán = 𒁹𒃷, 1 iku (3600 m²)
The answer is given as
𒁹𒃻𒁺𒐊𒌑𒈫𒋗𒆕𒀀𒐈𒋗𒋛𒑚𒋗𒋛, 1 ninda 5⅔ cubits 3⅓ fingers (8.89 m)
5,300-year-old administrative clay tag from the Uruk IV period, bearing the proto-cuneiform signs SANGA (𒋃), GIR₃ (𒄊) and DUB (𒁾). While the underlying linguistic content remains unclear, it could perhaps be read as “basket of temple official (sanga) Bull (personal name)” cdli.earth/artifacts/2207
January 8, 2026 at 6:00 AM
5,300-year-old administrative clay tag from the Uruk IV period, bearing the proto-cuneiform signs SANGA (𒋃), GIR₃ (𒄊) and DUB (𒁾). While the underlying linguistic content remains unclear, it could perhaps be read as “basket of temple official (sanga) Bull (personal name)” cdli.earth/artifacts/2207
Reposted by andrew phillips
LJS 57 is a collection of astronomical texts, including works on eclipses, an introduction to astrology, the zodiac, and astrology concerning humankind collectively, with numerous tables, diagrams, and illustrations. Written in Catalonia, ca. 1361 #medievalsky
Online: bit.ly/3C7Owmh
Online: bit.ly/3C7Owmh
January 7, 2026 at 5:46 PM
LJS 57 is a collection of astronomical texts, including works on eclipses, an introduction to astrology, the zodiac, and astrology concerning humankind collectively, with numerous tables, diagrams, and illustrations. Written in Catalonia, ca. 1361 #medievalsky
Online: bit.ly/3C7Owmh
Online: bit.ly/3C7Owmh
Reposted by andrew phillips
"Orpheus Leading Eurydice out of the Underworld" by Jean Baptist Camille-Corot, c. 1861.
January 7, 2026 at 5:06 PM
"Orpheus Leading Eurydice out of the Underworld" by Jean Baptist Camille-Corot, c. 1861.
Reposted by andrew phillips
No. 13
"Iron is split by iron."
inna l-ḥadīda bi-l-ḥadīdi yuflaḥ
When confronting a difficulty, one must seek help from something or someone of strength commensurate to the difficulty.
"Iron is split by iron."
inna l-ḥadīda bi-l-ḥadīdi yuflaḥ
When confronting a difficulty, one must seek help from something or someone of strength commensurate to the difficulty.
January 7, 2026 at 4:38 AM
No. 13
"Iron is split by iron."
inna l-ḥadīda bi-l-ḥadīdi yuflaḥ
When confronting a difficulty, one must seek help from something or someone of strength commensurate to the difficulty.
"Iron is split by iron."
inna l-ḥadīda bi-l-ḥadīdi yuflaḥ
When confronting a difficulty, one must seek help from something or someone of strength commensurate to the difficulty.
Reposted by andrew phillips
The last page contains a copy of tomb inscription of Bishop Valentinian of Chur from the crypt of Chur Cathedral.
Here's the whole manuscript: e-codices.ch/en/descripti...
Here's the whole manuscript: e-codices.ch/en/descripti...
January 7, 2026 at 2:53 PM
The last page contains a copy of tomb inscription of Bishop Valentinian of Chur from the crypt of Chur Cathedral.
Here's the whole manuscript: e-codices.ch/en/descripti...
Here's the whole manuscript: e-codices.ch/en/descripti...
Reposted by andrew phillips
174 #Manuscripts in the #Library of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in Damascus, Syria, are digitized, cataloged, and available online in HMML Reading Room (vhmml.org). Learn more: https://bit.ly/3MESnjD
Pictured (MARI 00024): https://bit.ly/4ahAtx9
Pictured (MARI 00024): https://bit.ly/4ahAtx9
January 7, 2026 at 2:54 PM
174 #Manuscripts in the #Library of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in Damascus, Syria, are digitized, cataloged, and available online in HMML Reading Room (vhmml.org). Learn more: https://bit.ly/3MESnjD
Pictured (MARI 00024): https://bit.ly/4ahAtx9
Pictured (MARI 00024): https://bit.ly/4ahAtx9
Reposted by andrew phillips
Back at work this week and I wanted to share something that's actually a cool history post and not just, like, anti-imperialist rage. This is a Buddhist 'dharani' amulet found in a tomb at Chang'an (modern Xi'an) in northern China. It was *printed* (probably by monks) circa 650-670 CE.
January 7, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Back at work this week and I wanted to share something that's actually a cool history post and not just, like, anti-imperialist rage. This is a Buddhist 'dharani' amulet found in a tomb at Chang'an (modern Xi'an) in northern China. It was *printed* (probably by monks) circa 650-670 CE.