Andrew A.N. Deloucas
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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
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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
sarahebond.bsky.social
Late Roman “barbarians”? As if. In case you wondered about frameworks for understanding how decentralized military groups engaged in collective action & used decentering as a tactic? here is a new open access article for you. link.springer.com/article/10.1... I do love the fifth century CE. 🏹
Breaking Down the “Barbarian” Trope: Strategic Military Coordination in Decentralized Collectives - Journal of Archaeological Research
Early modern history abounds with descriptions of “barbarians,” a term originating in ancient Greece and later applied to people deemed uncivilized. Historical knowledge about these groups comes large...
link.springer.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:28 PM
aandeloucas.com
Today at 2:20 pm; stay for the whole day from 8:00-4:00 pm and see some fantastic state of the subject presentations on the ancient economy of the Bronze Age ancient Near East!
The Institutional Economy of Early Old Babylonian Nippur and Ur (2016-1840 BCE) by Andrew Deloucas of Harvard University for the Towards A Working Ancient Economy Session of ASOR annual meeting 2025
November 22, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
moudhy.bsky.social
An ancient multiplication table in clay by a student named Suen-apil-Urim from the 1800s BCE
Photo of a cuneiform tablet in portrait orientation in a blue museum display case
November 22, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
sarahebond.bsky.social
Historian of Ancient Greece Claire Taylor has an important, open access article on "Women, gender and the ancient economy: towards a feminist economic history of the ancient Greek world" in JHS 🧶 I really like this as a method for recovering more invisible labor. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
oinochoe Object Type oinochoe Museum number 1873,0820.304 Description Pottery: White-ground oinochoe. A woman in a long sleeved, dotted chiton, a bordered himation, and sandals, with earrings, bracelets, and hair wound into a ball on the neck and fastened with a fillet, standing to right, twisting between the thumb and first finger of her right hand a thread from a hank of wool on a distaff which she holds up with her left. On… Producer name Attributed to: The Brygos Painter Cultures/periods Attic Production date 490BC-470BC (circa) Production place Made in: Attica (Greece) Europe: Greece: Attica (Greece) Findspot Excavated/Findspot: Locri (said to be from) Europe: Italy: Calabria: Reggio di Calabria (province): Locri Materials pottery Ware White Ground Dimensions Height: 21.59 centimetres Inscriptions Inscription type: inscription Inscription position: on shoulder/body of vase Inscription language: Greek Inscription script: Greek Inscription content: HE ΠAIΣ KAΛΕ Inscription transliteration: ή παΐς καλή Inscription translation: the girl [is] beautiful Inscription note: 'kalos' inscription, painted pre-firing Curator's comments BM Cat. Vases The type of face is very similar to that of the Hera on the Brygos cup, BM Vase Ε65; the dotted dress also suit the style of this artist. Bibliographic references Vase / Catalogue of Vases in the British Museum (D13) Location On display (G69/dc5) Exhibition history Exhibited: 2006 8 Jun-4 Sep, Los Angeles, The Getty Villa, The Colors of Clay 2015, 26 Mar-5 Jul, The British Museum, Defining Beauty: the body in ancient Greek art. Subjects spinner/spinning Acquisition name Purchased from: Alessandro Castellani Department Greek and Roman Registration number 1873,0820.304
November 22, 2025 at 11:26 AM
aandeloucas.com
Let me know if you're at ASOR today! I'll be around today and tomorrow
November 21, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
moudhy.bsky.social
My favourite part of this ancient Assyrian letter to an ancient Assyrian goldsmith, is the last bit where the writer basically declares that the “house where they purify silver” absolutely does not pass the vibe check.

“They are drunk and silver is stolen”
Screenshot of a translation of a cuneiform text which reads: Now suddenly you say, "O God, why did you not write?" You are filled with anger at me! They received a third of a mina of gold from him. The house where they purify the silver is not of good repute. They are drunk and silver is stolen.
November 21, 2025 at 9:16 AM
aandeloucas.com
A new way to kick off this year's ASOR conference: an unplanned gallbladder removal for a weary loved one (who is, all things considered, healthy and a-ok!) 🤕
November 19, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by Andrew A.N. Deloucas
ahpodany.bsky.social
This is fascinating! Semiyarka has been found to be an ancient city in Kazakhstan, specializing in production of tin-bronze, and contemporary with the Late Bronze Age kingdoms (Kassite Babylonia, Mittani, Hatti, New Kingdom Egypt, Mycenaean Greece, etc) in the Middle East and Mediterranean.
antiquity.ac.uk Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 7d
Archaeologists have unearthed a Bronze Age metropolis in the heart of the Eurasian steppe: an early form of city as complex as those of contemporary, more traditionally 'urban' civilisations, showing how steppe polities were just as sophisticated.

🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

🏺 #Archaeology
November 18, 2025 at 12:20 PM
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 · 18d
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 · Oct 23
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
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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