Review of Weavers, Scribes, and Kings; The Mesopotamian Riddle; and The Victorians and the Holy Land

Abstract

Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East. By Amanda H. Podany. Oxford University Press, 2022. Pp. viii + 662, illus. $24.99 (paper).

The Mesopotamian Riddle: An Archaeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race to Decipher the World’s Oldest Writing. By joshua Hammer. Simon & Schuster, 2025. Pp. xiv + 380, illus. $29.99 (cloth).

 

The Victorians and the Holy Land: Adventurers, Tourists, and Archaeologists in the Lands of the Bible. By Allan Chapman. WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2025. Pp. xiii + 271, illus. $34.99 (paper).