Athar al-rafedain

This research focuses on studying a category of gods that the inhabitants of Mesopotamia believed acted as ministers to higher-ranking deities. The study highlights the qualifications required for these roles, which enabled them to serve in such capacities, as well as their distinguished status in the divine community based on the rank of their masters. It also examines the nature of the tasks they performed in obedience to commands and directives, without any fatigue or boredom, serving faithfully those they worked for. This role was not limited to males; it also included females, as indicated by the relevant texts included in the research. Wisdom and sound judgment were often regarded as prominent traits of this category of gods.

This study examines unpublished cuneiform texts from the temple of Nabû-šaḫarê in the city of Babylon, dating to the Neo-Babylonian period, discovered during Iraqi archaeological excavations. The texts consist of supplicatory prayers and invocations addressed to the god Nabû by individuals. These prayers reflect the nature of social life and religious thought of the individual in Mesopotamia during that period.

Jewelry is one of the artistic crafts and works that humans have innovated in their manufacturing techniques at various periods of life. The jewelry discovered in archaeological sites reflects the level of artistic and aesthetic taste of humans, as well as the social and economic status, in addition to the religious beliefs of society at that time. Also, it represents one of the civilized aspects of Mesopotamia
The aim of this research is to shed light on the ornaments discovered in some archaeological sites within the project to rescue the antiquities of the Haditha Dam Basin. It also highlights the diversity of jewelry forms and the materials from which they are made, as well as other aspects that accompany the discovery of a huge number of jewelry pieces in the sites affiliated with the above project, due to the importance of these jewelry pieces to the lives of the inhabitants of those sites in ancient times. It is not limited to being an element of the external aesthetic appearance, but rather extends beyond that to its relationship with other intellectual and ideological concepts. Finally, the research focuses on studying ten pieces of jewelry discovered in some sites of the Haditha Dam, which are diverse in shape and material. The pieces are selected from the sites: Telbis (its outbuilding and cemeteries), Jedaida, and Sur Jaraa

This research includes a field study of the Great Mosque in the Syrian city of Idlib, one of its most important historical and religious landmarks. The aim is to shed light on its construction stages and accurately trace them, as well as document its current architectural condition. This is intended to preserve this important cultural heritage in light of the various challenges surrounding it, including irregular construction, haphazard restoration, and modern architectural encroachments.
The mosque has also received attention from all Islamic eras that passed through the region, each of which left its mark and influence on its architecture. It holds a special place in the hearts of the people of the region. Therefore, the research aims to study this mosque, its architectural elements, and determine their connection to the region\'s architecture. It also places it within the correct chronological and architectural framework. This research will serve as a future reference for scholars and researchers in the history and archaeology of the region, given the scarcity of research on archaeological and historical buildings in Idlib.
The researcher relied on field research of the mosque and architectural and archaeological descriptions to arrive at a comprehensive vision covering all stages of its construction.

This research deals with a comparative linguistic study of the words for domesticated animals in the Akkadian language, comparing them with their equivalents in Hebrew and Syriac, as sister Semitic languages. The research relies on the comparative approach by analyzing the phonological and semantic development and rooting the vocabulary shared in both pronunciation and meaning between these three languages. This research contributes to documenting the relationship between Semitic languages and highlights the importance of other Semitic languages as a rich source for studying the vocabulary that has survived in them.

Among the important works of Syriac literature is a unique group whose roots date back centuries, before Christianity. Its content was transmitted through local sources and in local languages, especially Aramaic, Persian, and others from foreign sources such as Greek and Hebrew. Among these unique works, for example, is the story of Ahiqar the wise, whose codification dates back to the 5th century B.C., and of which there are two versions, one ancient Aramaic and the other Syriac; and the poem of Spirit, which dates back to the Parthian era. Another important work of this group is a historical introduction to a text whose codification dates back to the sixth century A.D. It includes the stories of the Christian martyrs in the city of Karkh Beth Slokh - Kirkuk. The introduction tells what is supposed to be the history of the founding of the city of Karkh Beth Slokh by one of the Assyrian kings and the subsequent political events. The domination of the Persians, then the era of Alexander the Great and his successor, Seleucus, through the entry of Christianity into the region until the fifth century AD, a period that extends for more than a thousand years. The research includes translating and studying the historical introduction of the martyrs of Karkh Beth Salokh, the sources of the historian\'s information - who is unknown, and discussing several exciting issues mentioned in the introduction.

The church is considered one of the ancient christian religious buildings that still stand prominently in the ancient city of Mosul, namely in the area of Shahar Souq (or Mansuriya neighborhood). According to historical sources, its history dates back to architecture of the 4th to 7th centuries AD. As for its origins, it traces back to the Chaldean community that owns the largest number of churches in the ancient city of Mosul. The church is located behind the well-known mosque of “Omar Al-Aswad” and it is surrounded by residential buildings. The lower levels of the church with its buildings indicate the significant historical depth of this remarkable religious landmark, in addition to the presence of a tomb near the altar, which is situated underground or accessed throughout descending the stairs.

This study investigates the formation of the regular trilateral verb in the G-stem in Akkadian, with particular emphasis on the morphological structure of the strong verb. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, the research examines the formal patterns that govern the derivation and inflection of this verbal class, focusing on its behavior across the principal tense–aspect forms, including the preterite, present, perfect, and imperative.
The study further analyzes the internal vocalic patterns and consonantal structures that characterize the G-stem, highlighting their role in distinguishing grammatical categories and functional meanings. Special attention is given to the interaction between root structure and morphological patterning, as well as to the stability of the strong verb in contrast to weak verb classes.
In addition, the research explores the semantic values associated with the G-stem, demonstrating how its basic form encodes core lexical meaning while allowing for contextual variation. Comparative observations are also incorporated where relevant in order to situate the Akkadian data within the broader framework of Semitic linguistics.
The findings of this study contribute to a clearer understanding of Akkadian verbal morphology and provide a systematic account of the structural and semantic properties of the G-stem, thereby offering a useful reference for further research in Akkadian grammar and comparative Semitic studies.

Archaeological excavations in Mesopotamia have revealed many flat and cylindrical seal impressions. Seal impressions are as important as the seals themselves, and perhaps even more so, as many different impressions have been found while the seal itself has not been found. The seal impression is considered an official signature and is a distinctive symbol of the seal owner that proves his ownership of the thing that bears the seal impression and gives it official status, whether the thing is a material stored in a clay jar or a contract concluded between two parties or a message sent by one of them to the other.
The importance of the research lies in tracing the emergence and development of the use of seal impressions in Mesopotamia since prehistoric times through historical ages and up to the modern Babylonian era. By tracing and studying these impressions through the ages, it became clear that they have economic, legal, administrative, religious, political, security, historical, geographical and finally artistic importance.

This article presents a typological study of 38 ceramic vessels from Tell Abu Qasim within the context of the Hamrin region excavations during the rescue of the archaeological sites of Hamrin Basin in 1979. Although significant research has been done about the Middle Diyala and the Hamrin region, these studies have not addressed this site.
The results of this study highlight a relationship between Tell Abu-Qasim and the cemetery of Kheit Qasim, excavated by the French mission. They may also clarify the reasons behind the construction of this small, enclosed settlement at Tell Abu-Qasim.
This article is limited to a typological study of the ceramics from Tell Abu-Qasim. However, all of the results are part of a comparative analysis of ceramics from Tell Abu-Qasim and other Hamrin sites, which is currently in preparation. Both studies (this study and the other which is in preparation) are based on the author’s M.A. thesis submitted to the University of Mosul

In this article we study four Neo- Babylonian clay tablets from Babylon that contain Aramaic epigraphs. Deriving from the same archival context, these tablets bring to life social of Babylon community and its multilinguistic landscape.
We argue that the appearance of alphabetic inscriptions is not a coincidence and tells us more about the role of Aramaic in Babylonian society at the time.

The human sense of beauty is innate, and humans have expressed it in a way consistent with their natural instincts—a fact confirmed by anthropologists through their discovery of human art in archaeological sites. Nevertheless, humans were also driven by various motives to produce such artistic works. These motives may have included magical or ritual purposes, religious aims, the pursuit of art for art’s sake, or other objectives that propelled humans toward artistic creation.
Humans have practiced the art of painting since the Mesolithic period, and this art spread widely across the world, most notably in North Africa, particularly in the lands of the ancient Maghreb, which constitute the focus of this study. Rock art extended from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco in the west to the Tadrart Acacus and Fezzan in Libya in the east, and as far as Jebel Uweinat on the Libyan–Sudanese border. A distinctive feature of the sites containing rock paintings and engravings in the Maghreb, compared to other regions of the world, is that they are generally found in open-air settings rather than in caves, with only a few exceptions.
Overall, this study aims to define artistic activity in general, to examine the nature and purposes behind the artworks created by humans of those prehistoric eras, and to provide a chronological classification of rock art in the Maghreb. It also seeks to highlight the role and significance of Maghrebian rock art in conveying a nearly complete picture of the prevailing way of life in these regions during prehistoric times.