Andrew A.N. Deloucas
LightNews LightNews
banner
aandeloucas.com
Andrew A.N. Deloucas
@aandeloucas.com
2.6K followers 470 following 970 posts
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Assyriology at Harvard University. I write on Bronze Age cities of Mesopotamia and their civic, economic, and legal institutions.

visit me at aandeloucas.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
aandeloucas.com
Andrew A.N. Deloucas @aandeloucas.com · Jun 6
Are you looking to read more about Ea-nāṣir, the Bronze Age, or Mesopotamia?

I archive many of my Bluesky threads here: www.aandeloucas.com/conversations
aandeloucas - Conversations
Conversations
www.aandeloucas.com
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
herfst.bsky.social
Mesopotamian astronomers probably observed or were aware of aurorae, or ‘red glows’. The word ‘akukūtu’ meaning “blaze” or “firebrand” is attested in a few tablets in which it refers to a rare meteorological phenomenon, described as ‘išātu ša ina šamê innappaḫ’, a “fire that flares up in the sky”.
Small tablet with five lines of cuneiform text. It warns that if a 'red glow' (akukūtu) is seen in the sky, the army will suffer a defeat. (NBC 6197) Copy of NBC 6197
November 13, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
tamacahut.bsky.social
Folks, does anybody know of a map showing where #cuneiform collections are in museums across the world, similar to @sarabmohr.bsky.social 's map for US colleges and unis, but for museums worldwide? #assyriology
November 11, 2025 at 3:37 PM
aandeloucas.com
Call for Papers for GSANES 8 (NYC, March 26-7, 2026):

Come present your work at ISAW this upcoming spring semester, the topic being ‘As Below, So Above: Mapping Social Experience and the World Beyond'.

Submissions are due December 15.
GSANES 8 CALL FOR PAPERS The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, in cooperation with Brown University, Harvard University, and Yale University, and with the added support of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and the Center for Ancient Studies at New York University, is pleased to announce the eighth annual Graduate Symposium in Ancient Near Eastern Studies (GSANES). This symposium brings together graduate students of the ancient world to foster intellectual exchange and build lasting scholarly connections across institutions and disciplines. Presentations are shared in a collegial setting and receive constructive feedback from peers, attendees, and established scholars in attendance. The event will take place on March 26-27, 2026 at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW NYU), 15 East 84th St (New York City, USA). We welcome submissions from graduate students in both the coursework and dissertation phase. This is an in-person event, meaning that we are not accepting virtual presentations. Registration is free for all presenters and attendees, with funding for one night available to accepted speakers. We warmly encourage colleagues and faculty from nearby institutions to attend. Registration to come. The theme of this year is ‘As Below, So Above: Mapping Social Experience and the World Beyond’. Inspired by the inversion of the well-known maxim “As Above, So Below” and Nelson Goodman’s Ways of Worldmaking (1978), this year’s theme examines the interplay between human society and the divine, emphasizing the role of human agents in mapping their lived social experience onto the divine cosmos, and their expression of the divine within their worlds. We invite papers that explore relationships between social structures and cosmic order, and bring new perspectives on divine-human relations, cosmologies, and social institutions. Submissions may come from an array of academic disciplines that engage with the cultural and intellectual history of the ancient world, such as ancient Near Eastern studies, archaeology, architecture and art history, Assyriology, biblical studies, digital humanities, Egyptology, Hittitology, Jewish studies, Levantine studies, philology, and religious studies. Topics may include and are not limited to ritual and religious practice, cosmology and cosmography, political ideology and kingship, mythology, iconography and iconology, law, language, symbols and semiotics, architecture and sacred space or landscape, social structure and hierarchy. In keeping with ISAW’s vision, the conference encourages papers that adopt interdisciplinary approaches to texts, material culture, and archaeology. Presentations should be 20 minutes, with 10 minutes for questions and discussion following. PowerPoints or handouts are encouraged to accompany your presentation. To apply, please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words through this Google form. The deadline for submissions is December 15th 2025. Please feel encouraged to reach out to Samantha Rainford (samantha.rainford@nyu.edu) or Stefano Aprà (sa8624@nyu.edu) with any questions.
November 10, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
drchristinah.bsky.social
MA/ New England ancient historians: an international boarding school in Braintree is seeking a long term substitute teacher for high school world history, starting ASAP until mid March. Emphasis on ancient and medieval history. DM me if interested!

(Sharing this on behalf of a friend)
November 9, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
chancebonar.bsky.social
November 8, 2025 at 10:08 PM
aandeloucas.com
Assyriologists make incredible faculty members:
willismonroe.bsky.social M. Willis Monroe @willismonroe.bsky.social · 7d
This week were were thinking about how the combination of good archaeology and well provenanced texts can tell richer stories. Ea-naṣir's house and letters provide an excellent case-study, a 4,000 year old micro-history of one merchants life and work in the ancient city of Ur.
I social network of the Old-Babylonian copper merchant Ea-naṣir drawn by students from his dossier.
November 7, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
willismonroe.bsky.social
In class today my students created a social network of (meme-famous) Ea-naṣir based on the letters in his dossier. It coincided with the most recent episode of the Thin Edge of the Wedge. An excellent roundup by great colleagues on everything we know about Ea-naṣir and his historical context...
November 7, 2025 at 2:10 PM
aandeloucas.com
For the Ea-nasir fans, Assyriology podcast 'Thin End of the Wedge' just released a special episode about everyone's favorite copper merchant, featuring @gvkonsta.bsky.social, @gabemoshenska.bsky.social, and Steven Garfinkle, and yours truly.

Listen here:
www.buzzsprout.com/1338718/epis...
80. Ea-nasir: everyone's favourite copper merchant - Thin End of the Wedge
Gina Konstantopoulos, Andrew Deloucas, Gabriel Moshenska, and Steven Garfinkle discuss internet favourite, Ea-nasir. What do we know about the Dilmun traders and their role in the supply of copper to ...
www.buzzsprout.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
lswisnom.bsky.social
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
aandeloucas.com
Ugly cried at the season 6 finale of ER, 25 years later
November 2, 2025 at 2:46 AM
aandeloucas.com
She's gorgeous @rheth.bsky.social!
A hand holds up "A Student's Vocabulary of Akkadian in Assyrian Royal Inscriptions" by T.E. Kelley and Raleigh Heth.
October 26, 2025 at 11:46 AM
aandeloucas.com
In the Presidential address at the 176th meeting of the American Oriental Society, I.J. Gelb (1966) spoke on the approaches one could take to study ancient society. He likened a spectrum of studies in Assyriology as the "struggle between Tammuz and onions." He regarded himself a proud onionologist.
c0nc0rdance.bsky.social c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 22d
TIL that "chives" aren't just the tops of green onions. They're a separate species in the same genus. And GREEN onions are a different species from WHITE onions.

Let's talk about Genus Allium, which includes garlic, onion, shallots, leeks, scallions and chives, along with another ~1000 species.
a person is holding a bunch of green vegetables in a metal tray .
Alt: a person is holding a bunch of green vegetables (chives, I think) in a metal tray .
media.tenor.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
herfst.bsky.social
A 3,300 year-old Egyptian-Akkadian vocabulary from Amarna, with Egyptian words written in cuneiform

ši-na-aḫ=šnꜥ (unit of weight)
ši-na-aḫ-wu₄=šnꜥwj (dual of šnꜥ)
ḫa-am-tu₄ šu-nu-uḫ=ḫmtw šnꜥw (three šnꜥ)
…
na-ab-na-su=nꜣ bnšw (the doorposts)
DU-as-bu=tꜣ jsbt (the chair)
pa-ḫa-tu₄=pꜣ ḥꜥtj (the bed)
Copy of tablet fragment EA 368, with several lines of cuneiform script on both sides. Egyptian words are transliterated into cuneiform syllables, followed by a translation into Akkadian, which has been lost in many lines.
October 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
Today I published a new section of my website with resources for those who wish to learn, study, and/or teach ancient languages using braille. It rests on work we did over the past year to expand screen reader access to these languages through the LibLouis library. Check it out and share around!
New: Braille Resources for Reading Ancient Languages
[Photo by me. Tactile graphic by Crystal Peng.]   I recently created a new section of my website, which provides educational resources for anyone who wants to read ancient Middle Eastern and North …
www.blindscholar.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
chancebonar.bsky.social
God, Slavery, and Early Christianity is out in the real world with @universitypress.cambridge.org!

I have some extra, so retweet this by the end of Oct. 19 if you’re interested in receiving a copy!

Book info here: www.cambridge.org/core/books/g...
October 15, 2025 at 10:28 PM
aandeloucas.com
Fun to see these reddit questions shared around!
orman.bsky.social Orman @orman.bsky.social · Oct 13
Also good example about skepticism about a writer's motives - AFAIK, we don't actually have enough evidence to conclude the complaints had merit.

www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...
From the AskHistorians community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community
www.reddit.com
October 13, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
alisonfisk.bsky.social
The Royal Game of Ur is the world’s oldest playable boardgame!

Played by Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia about 4,500 years ago!

It is a two-player race game, the rules of which have been deciphered from a cuneiform tablet.

Game from the Royal Cemetery of Ur. 📷 British Museum

#Archaeology
British Museum photo showing a two-player board game with gaming counters known as the Royal Game of Ur. Dated c. 2,500 BC. The game board is composed of a hollow box made of wood adorned with shell plaques. There is a drawer at one end for storing game pieces and dice. The top of the board is covered with twenty square-shaped off-white shell plaques, each bordered with dark-blue lapis lazuli. The shell squares are intricately decorated with blue inlaid patterns including dots inside circles and eye-shapes. Five squares are inlaid with flower-shaped rosettes with red limestone and blue lapis lazuli petals. The game board is roughly rectangular in shape. Viewed from above in the photo, on the left side of the board is a block of 12 squares made up of 4 across by 3 down. On the right side of the board is a block of 6 squares made up of 2 across by 3 down. The two blocks are joined by two squares extending between the second square down on the end row of the left block and the second square down on the first row of the second block. Dimensions H: 2.40 cm, L: 30.10 cm, W: 11 cm, (W 5.70 cm at narrowest part) Beneath the board are 14 disc-shaped gaming counters. On the left are 7 white pieces, inlaid with 5 spots of blue lapis lazuli. On the right are 7 black pieces inlaid with five white spots. Between the game pieces are three tetrahedron-shaped dice. L to R: Dark blue, brown, cream.
October 9, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
metalclassicist.bsky.social
I've been doing an AMA all day on r/AskHistorians if you care to jump in:
From the AskHistorians community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community
www.reddit.com
October 3, 2025 at 8:33 PM
aandeloucas.com
Back to wondering whether Sumerian zid-lal3 was something like خبيص (khabeeṣa), which was served in cups to gods and mentioned with morning meals:

[ZID3] Flour, often emmer or semolina
[LAL3] Honey, syrup
A plate of khabeesa
October 3, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
rheth.bsky.social
It's real and available for pre-order! A Student's Vocabulary of Akkadian in Assyrian Royal Inscriptions, out this month through @psupress.bsky.social

www.eisenbrauns.org/books/titles...
A Student’s Vocabulary of Akkadian in Assyrian Royal Inscriptions By T. E. Kelley and Raleigh Heth
Vocabulary acquisition is one of the most fundamental challenges in learning any language—ancient or modern. While many classical languages offer student-focused vocabulary resources, Akkadian has lac...
www.eisenbrauns.org
October 2, 2025 at 4:34 PM
aandeloucas.com
Got my little flair for @askhistorians.bsky.social!
I have been approved for flair on r/AskHistorians for "Ancient Mesopotamia | Political and Economic History".
September 29, 2025 at 3:09 PM
aandeloucas.com
Oops, I saved a csv thinking it was an xlsx and lost several sheets of data!
September 24, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
alisonfisk.bsky.social
Vibrant colour projected onto a 2,600 year-old wall panel offers a glimpse of the past lived in glorious technicolour!

From the North Palace at Nineveh (present day Iraq), where the walls were decorated with brightly painted reliefs. 🎥 by me

#ReliefWednesday
#Archaeology
September 24, 2025 at 4:16 PM
aandeloucas.com
Turns out my wife is an archer!
My wife, placing 3rd in an archery tournament My wife and her archery partner for the tournament waiting for a judge to tally their points. Nearly every arrow is in the small circle closest to the bull's eye.
September 20, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
chancebonar.bsky.social
The digital version of God, Slavery, and Early Christianity is officially out! If you're interested in ancient Mediterranean slavery's effects on Christian thought and practice, this is for you.

www.cambridge.org/core/books/g...
God, Slavery, and Early Christianity
Cambridge Core - History of Religion - God, Slavery, and Early Christianity
www.cambridge.org
September 19, 2025 at 4:17 PM