Podcasts about ancient near eastern history

Do I need to keep the Sabbath or eat clean to be holy?If Christians don't follow Old Testament laws about clothing and sacrifices, why do some still quote Leviticus about sexuality?Support this show!! : https://www.bibspeak.com/#donateGrab your free gift: the top 10 most misunderstood Biblical verses https://info.bibspeak.com/10-verses-clarifiedJoin the newsletter (I only send 2 emails a week): https://www.bibspeak.com/#newsletterShop Dwell L'abel 15% off using the discount code BIBSPEAK15 https://go.dwell-label.com/bibspeakDownload Logos Bible Software for your own personal study: http://logos.com/biblicallyspeakingSign up for Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=cassianBuild your Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/refer?ref=91448e0438b143e7ad61073df7a93346Join the Biblically Heard Community: https://www.skool.com/biblically-speakingAbout the guest: Richard E. Averbeck, Ph.D.Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Semitic LanguagesTrinity Evangelical Divinity SchoolIn 1980 Richard moved back to Grace Theological Seminary where he took a position as a Professor of Old Testament Studies and taught until 1990. Melinda and Richard have two sons (Nathan and Micah) and two grandsons (Levi and Orion). Richard also has an MA degree in Counseling from Grace in 1989. From 1990 to 1994 Richard taught at Dallas Theological Seminary, and then moved to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois, where he has been teaching Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern studies for the last 29 years.Richard publishes in the fields of Hebrew and Old Testament Studies (especially the Pentateuch), Biblical Theology, Ancient Near Eastern History, Languages, Literature, and Religion (Sumerian, Akkadian, and Ugaritic), the relationship between ancient Near Eastern Studies and the Old Testament, as well as Spiritual Formation, and Counseling. He is the authorof The OT Law for the Life of the Church: Reading the Torah in the Light of Christ (InterVarsity Press, 2022). What Dr. Averbeck recommends for additional reading: The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church by Dr. Richard Averbeck

„Und jetzt zum Wetter“ – jede Nachrichtensendung, ob in Radio oder Fernsehen, endet mit der Wettervorhersage für die kommenden Tage. Wetterberichte in Tageszeitungen gibt es sogar schon seit mehr als 100 Jahren. Und das Wetter ist durch die Geschichte hinweg alltägliches Gesprächsthema der Menschen. Doch der Blick in den Himmel, die Bedeutung der Wolken, der Einfluss von Temperatur, Luftfeuchtigkeit und Wind und was sie für die Wetterprognose bedeuten, war Jahrtausende lang ein Rätsel. Lange bevor es systematische Wetteraufzeichnungen und Supercomputer gab, verließen sich die Menschen notgedrungen auf ihre Alltagsbeobachtungen. Überlieferte Bauernregeln gaben den Menschen Orientierung. Doch ob der Spruch „Abendrot, gut Wetterbot“ tatsächlich zutraf, war mehr oder weniger Zufall. Erst mit der Aufklärung im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert fingen Wissenschaftler an, Wetterphänomene auch physikalisch präzise zu erfassen und leiteten daraus erste Wetterberichte ab. Ein Podcast über Wetterorakel und Bauernregeln, den ersten Wetterbericht im Fernsehen und die Frage: Wie präzise sind Wettervorhersagen heute? Gesprächspartner*innen: Nadin Burkhardt Peter Düben Cornelia Lüdecke Gisberg Strotdrees Özden Terli Literatur Bächtold-Stäubli, Hanns; Hoffmann-Krayer, Eduard (1927): Handwörterbuch Des Deutschen Aberglaubens (Bd. 1). Blöcker, Monica (2018): Volkszorn im frühen Mittelalter. Eine thematisch begrenzte Studie. Deutscher Wetterdienst DWD (2021): Messen-Berechnen-Interpretieren - Wie entsteht eine Wettervorhersage? Burkhardt, Nadin (2014): Bestattungssitten zwischen Tradition und Modifikation. Kulturelle Austauschprozesse in den griechischen Kolonien in Unteritalien und Sizilien vom 8. bis zum 5. Jh. v. Chr.. Gessner, Conrad; Froschauer, Christoph; Forer, Conrad (1583): Thierbuch. Das ist ein kurtze beschreybung aller vierfüssigen Thieren/ so auff der erden vn[d] in wassern wonend/ sampt jrer waren conterfactur: alles zů nutz vn[d] gůtem allen liebhabern der künsten/ Artzeten/ Maleren/ Bildschnitzern/ Weydleüten vnd Köchen/ gestelt — Getruckt zů Zürych. Hegmann, Valentin (1834): Allgemeine Witterungskunde. Ein tägliches Taschenbuch für Jedermann: besonders für Reisende, Forstbeamte, Landwirthe, Jagd- u. Gartenfreunde. Lüdecke, Cornelia (2021): Germans in the Antarctic. Lüdecke, Cornelia (2012): The Third Reich in Antarctica: The German Antarctic Expedition 1938-39 Malberg, Horst (1993): Bauernregeln. Aus meteorologischer Sicht. Mathieu Ossendrijver (2021): Weather Prediction in Babylonia, in: Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History, S. 223-258. Richter, Linda (2019): Semiotik, Physik, Organik. Eine Geschichte des Wissens vom Wetter (1750–1850). Strotdrees, Gisberg (1991): Höfe, Bauern, Hungerjahre. Aus der Geschichte der westfälischen Landwirtschaft 1890–1950. Terli, Özden et al. (2024): Moment der Entscheidung: Wie wir mit Lehren aus der Erdgeschichte die Klimakrise überleben können. Titus Petronius Arbiter: Petronius Niger, 44; Tert. apol. 40; de ieiunio 16, 5. Internetquellen https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25665340 https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/research/television-weather https://www.ku.de/news/extremwetter-in-der-antike-zwischen-goetterglaube-wissenschaft-und-praevention https://www.dwd.de/DE/wetter/thema_des_tages/2023/10/9.html https://www.dwd.de/DE/presse/kinder_sunny/kinder_sunny_node.html https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-archaeological-journal/article/an-upper-palaeolithic-protowriting-system-and-phenological-calendar/6F2AD8A705888F2226FE857840B4FE19 https://www.gottwein.de/Grie/hes/ergde.php https://archive.org/details/aristoteles-acerca-del-cielo-meteorologicos/page/n1/mode/2up https://uni-koeln.de/universitaet/aktuell/koelner-universitaetsmagazin/unimag-einzelansicht/woher-hat-die-meteorologie-ihren-namen https://scaife.perseus.org/library/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.ogl002/

Dive into the historical, spiritual, and eschatological significance of Melchizedek in this comprehensive series. Discover the ancient context and the eternal priesthood that links to our salvation and covenant relationship with the Almighty.

The Opportunist and the Last of His Kind. In the Late Bronze Age, there were few kingdoms as mighty as Hatti. Their Great Kings, like SUPPILULIUMA and KURUNTA, were a significant force in Anatolia and the Near East. But around 1200 BCE, their royal house was divided. And the Hittites suffered greatly in the Late Bronze Age Collapse. In Total War: Pharaoh, you must reunify the highlands, guard the lowlands, and weather the coming storm… Preview and purchase Total War: Pharaoh at https://pharaoh.totalwar.com/. Music in all episodes by Richard Beddow © Creative Assembly 2023. See the History of Egypt Podcast on all podcasting apps and at www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Select references: M. Alparslan and M. Dogan-Alparslan, ‘The Hittites and their Geography: Problems of Hittite Historical Geography', European Journal of Archaeology 18 (2015), 90—110. R. H. Beal, ‘Kurunta of Tarḫuntašša and the Imperial Hittite Mausoleum: A New Interpretation of §10 of the Bronze Tablet', Anatolian Studies 43 (1993), 29—39. G. Beckman, Hittite Diplomatic Texts (1996). T. Bryce, The Kingdom of the Hittites (New edn, 2005). T. R. Bryce, Warriors of Anatolia: A Concise History of the Hittites (2019). H. G. Güterbock, ‘The Deeds of Suppiluliuma as Told by His Son, Mursili II', Journal of Cuneiform Studies 10 (1956), 41--68, 75--98, 107—130. T. P. J. van den Hout, ‘A Chronology of the Tarhuntassa-Treaties', Journal of Cuneiform Studies 41 (1989), 100—114. V. Koros̆ec, ‘The Warfare of the Hittites: From the Legal Point of View', Iraq 25 (1963), 159—66. S. Langdon and A. H. Gardiner, ‘The Treaty of Alliance between Ḫattušili, King of the Hittites, and the Pharaoh Ramesses II of Egypt', The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 6 (1920), 179–205. J. Lorenz and I. Schrakamp, ‘Hittite Military and Warfare', in H. Genz and D. P. Mielke (eds), Insights to Hittite History and Archaeology, Colloquia Antiqua 2 (2011), 125—151. D. D. Luckenbill, ‘Hittite Treaties and Letters', The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 37 (1921), 161—211. S. W. Manning et al., ‘Severe Multi-Year Drought Coincident with Hittite Collapse Around 1198–1196 BC', Nature 614 (2023), 719—724. A. Matessi, ‘The Making of Hittite Imperial Landscapes: Territoriality and Balance of Power in South-Central Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age', Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History 3 (2016), 117—162. R. Meri̇ç, ‘The Arzawa Lands. The Historical Geography of Izmir and Its Environs During Late Bronze Age in the Light of New Archaeological Research', Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Arkeoloji Dergisi (2020), 151—177. C. Mora and G. Torri (eds), Administrative Practices and Political Control in Anatolian and Syro-Anatolian Polities in the 2nd and 1st Millennium BCE (2023). I. Singer, Hittite Prayers (2002). A. Spalinger, ‘Egyptian-Hittite Relations at the Close of the Amarna Period and Some Notes on Hittite Military Strategy in North Syria', Bulletin of the Egyptological Seminar 1 (1979), 55–89. J. Sturm, La guerre de Ramsès II contre les Hittites (1996). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can't understand our globalized world without understanding religion. But that's easier said than done. For any given person, it's sometimes hard enough to understand your own religious perspectives. They often change throughout life, modified by experience and ideas. Modified by people and events. Modified by an encounter with the world and an encounter with God. Then go ahead and multiply that challenge by about 7.7 billion people and the ways that some of them collide and interact. Then we see a few things: we see that diversity is both a promise and a peril, we see that approaches to religious studies, sociology of religion, and the practice of theology all must be grounded in an "informed empathy," and we see that the only way to make progress is to accept responsibility and limits as an individual, and hope and commit to the necessity of collaboration.About Casey StrineCasey Strine is Senior Lecturer in Ancient Near Eastern History and Literature at The University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. He specializes in Old Testament biblical studies, but thinks deeply about the historical connective tissue that links people and societies over time and through space. Casey is also a project partner with the Yale Center for Faith & Culture's Life Worth Living initiative. Follow him on Twitter @CaseyStrine.Production NotesThis podcast featured Casey Strine and Matt CroasmunEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

This week we welcome Jessica Smith from @milkmaidshoney to discuss the Divine Feminine or Mother God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in and celebrates a Heavenly Mother, who loves us and with her Husband and First Born Spirit Son created all living things. When discussing this topic with our older brother, Aaron Dodini, he said, "This belief is unique in modern day Christianity and there is nothing more "feminist" than the belief that woman are Goddesses; that the construct of God is divine union between a man and a woman who together create all living things for the express purpose of giving Their children the chance for eternal progression." During a time when there is such a need for divine womanly representation, it was a breath of fresh air to discuss Her as some of Her daughters. Jessica graduated from BYU in 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in Ancient Near Eastern History with a Hebrew Bible emphasis. Later that year, she and her husband moved to Norway. Jessica uses her degree in Hebrew to explore the lore and linguistic origins of the scriptures. She makes it her journey to find the feelings and emotions in-between the lines and add a woman's voice to the critical analysis of stories we love and cherish as the word of God. Jessica ponders our Mother God and traces of Her within the scriptures. This week's episode is sponsored by MixHers. We are happy to give our listeners 10% off (that can also be added to the subscription which is 20% off = 30% total). Follow the link below and use code: MIXHERS-BABES at checkout. https://mix.crrnt.app/VPWEKy18 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/fromthemouthsofbabes/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fromthemouthsofbabes/support

Episode: In this episode Mark and Chris talk with Dr. K. Lawson Younger (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) about the Contextual Approach and its benefits for interpreting Scripture with caution required to avoid the paradoxical dangers of "parallelomania" and "parallelophobia." Dr. Younger is an Assyriologist who also specializes on the Arameans, so naturally they had to pick his brain for info on the impact of the Assyrians and Arameans on ancient Israel, particularly during the Divided Monarchy. They also discuss the genre of ancient conquest accounts and how the book of Joshua fits that specific genre, an important interpretive aid to understanding Joshua.  Guest: (From the TIU website) Dr. K. Lawson Younger, Jr. (PhD. Sheffield University) is Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages, and Ancient Near Eastern History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School of Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois. A specialist in Assyriology, Aramaic, and Hebrew Bible, Younger has published numerous works involving ancient Near Eastern texts and their relationship to the Hebrew Bible. He is the author of A Political History of the Arameans: From their Origins to the End of Their Polities (2016), the Winner of the Biblical Archaeology Society 2017 Publication Award for Best Scholarly Book on Archaeology. He is also the author of Ancient Conquest Accounts: A Study of Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical History Writing (1990), and The NIV Application Commentary for Judges, Ruth (2002). He is the associate editor of the three-volume The Context of Scripture: Canonical Compositions, Monumental Inscriptions and Archival Documents from the Biblical World (Brill), the editor of volume 4 of The Context of Scripture: Supplements (2016), editor of Ugarit at Seventy-Five (2007), and the co-editor of The Canon in Comparative Perspective (1991), Mesopotamia and the Bible: Comparative Explorations (2002) and “An Excellent Fortress for his Armies, a Refuge for the People”: Egyptological, Archaeological and Biblical Studies in Honor of James K. Hoffmeier (2020). He has also contributed to numerous collections of essays, dictionaries and journals. He is a past trustee of the American Schools of Oriental Research, as well as an active member of the American Oriental Society, the International Association of Assyriology, and the Society of Biblical Literature.  Among his many scholarly papers, he has given lectures at the British Academy, the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, the Vorderasiatisches Museum (Pergamonmuseum, Berlin), and the Israel Museum (Jerusalem). He was the Seymour Gitin Distinguished Professor at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, Israel (2012–13). He is presently writing a book on Aramean Religion. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.  

*This episode was originally published on September 20th, 2021   This week I'm delighted to welcome Dr. K. Lawson Younger to the podcast. Dr. Younger serves as Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages, and Ancient Near Eastern History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Recently, Dr. Younger published his revised commentary on Judges and Ruth with the NIV Application Commentary series.

This week I'm delighted to welcome Dr. K. Lawson Younger to the podcast. Dr. Younger serves as Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages, and Ancient Near Eastern History at Trinity The post “Preaching and Preachers” Episode 221: Preaching Judges appeared first on Preaching and Preachers Institute.

This week I'm delighted to welcome Dr. K. Lawson Younger to the podcast. Dr. Younger serves as Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages, and Ancient Near Eastern History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Recently, Dr. Younger published his revised commentary on Judges and Ruth with the NIV Application Commentary series.

This week I’m delighted to welcome Dr. K. Lawson Younger to the podcast. Dr. Younger serves as Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages, and Ancient Near Eastern History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Recently, Dr. Younger published his revised commentary on Judges and Ruth with the NIV Application Commentary series.

In this episode, Dr. James Arcadi and Dr. Michelle Knight interview Dr. K. Lawson Younger, Jr., Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages, and Ancient Near Eastern History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.Michelle and James talk to Lawson about his interests—from cats to Arameans, and they learn about his work of integrating humor into his teaching. Finally, Lawson offers a perspective on why (some) evangelicals should strive to operate at the highest levels of the academy.Want to check out more of Dr. Younger's work? Here are some of his most recent books:Award-winning, A Political History of the Arameans (SBL Press, 2016)Judges, Ruth, NIVAC Series (Revised; Zondervan, 2020)This episode is also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z_I1JRdFNoQ

This episode is part 1 of a two-part series we recorded for Lesson #7 of our Drama of Redemption Bible study. In this lesson, Anna, Skye, and Sam talk through Exodus 1 and 2 and the situation of the people of Israel when they were slaves in Egypt. Here is the lecture that was mentioned if you are interested in learning more about the archeology and how it connect to the dating of the Exodus. The lecturer, James Hoffmeier, is an Egyptologist and Archaeologist who currently teaches Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Assyrian Imperial Power and How to Oppose It by Karen Radner Alexander von Humboldt-Professor for Ancient History of the Near and Middle East, LMU Munich Honorary Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History, University College London In the early first millennium BC, the ancient kingdom of Assyria became the dominant power of the Middle East. Attitudes and preferences of the imperial center shaped the lives and lifestyles between the Nile and the Caspian Sea. What made the Assyrian Empire so successful? And was it possible to oppose this exemplary lowland predatory state? This audio recording was originally presented as an illustrated lecture on May 1, 2019. The video of this lecture is available on the OI YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/GnRNWyf1Rtw Our lectures are free and available to the public thanks to the generous support of our members. To become a member, please visit: bit.ly/2AWGgF7

Throughout college as I was writing papers on Ancient Near Eastern History and learning how to read the Bible in the original Hebrew (yeah - I was a double major - History and Biblical Studies and loved every minute of it), it was easy to feel like I was spending my time on extremely worthwhile things.  After college, I worked full time and had dreams of getting my masters degree (I still do for that matter) and it was easy to feel like I was contributing to my family by bringing in an income when we really needed it.  Now? My days are spent changing poopy diapers (which amounts to a LOT with three in diapers), the endless cycle of meal prep, cleaning dishes, putting up a new load of laundry, folding that laundry, putting it away and starting all these processes over and over again.  Listen to the Podcast: We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.  Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. It's so easy to head to bed each night, feeling defeated, overwhelmed, and NOT looking forward to tomorrow. Somewhere along the line, it became easy to forget the importance of what I do. Somewhere amidst the poopy diapers and the mile high pile of dishes...it became easy to feel like nothing I do is of much consequence.  I think a lot of us struggle with these feelings from time to time. But we don't want to voice them because then maybe it will look like we are not "good" mothers or "good" homemakers or we are not grateful for all that God gives.  This week I got a question that really touched my heart. And I decided that I needed to address it, in two parts in fact. Here's what this sweet mama said,  "Jami, I've really been struggling with something lately, and was hoping you'd have some advice for me. Lately, I've been so tired. Just tired of the everyday. I get up and feed the kids, then the baby, then do laundry, dishes, a bit of school work, change diapers, feed everyone lunch, and so on and so on. It feels like 80% of my time is spent dealing with feeding my family whether it's prep, cooking, eating with them, or cleaning up afterwards. I go to bed dreading the next day because I think "I have to get up in 7 hours just to do all this again". Seriously, I am missing the point here. I don't feel like I am doing important work, and when I consider the possibility that what I'm doing is important, I don't think I'm doing it right. I mean most days I'm lucky if I get any work done at all or the kids get a bath that night. Sometimes it's several days before they get another one. I know that's not super important but I think it get the point across a bit more. If this all makes sense, please help me see the point or bigger picture in all this drudgery!" She posted this question in a private group of mine and within minutes, several other women were commenting "following" or "I struggle with this same thing!" You see - my friend struck a nerve. So many of us feel this all the time or in certain seasons and it can be easy to fell alone and lost in it.  Next week I am going to address the first part of her question - the physical parts of working around the house, getting some momentum and inspiration, investing in yourself and more. But first, I knew I had to address the real root of the problem.... What to do when... Your Work doesn't feel worthwhile or important!  I know how debilitating it can be when we feel useless. We don't greet our day with joy or enthusiasm when it feels like nothing we do matters. It's easy to feel stuck and to dread the start of yet another un-meaningful day.  So what do we do when we have these feelings?  Our Ultimate Purpose First, as believers we have to think about what our ultimate purpose is. Why has God placed us on Earth? What purpose do we fulfill?

Throughout college as I was writing papers on Ancient Near Eastern History and learning how to read the Bible in the original Hebrew (yeah - I was a double major - History and Biblical Studies and loved every minute of it), it was easy to feel like I was spending my time on extremely worthwhile things.  After college, I worked full time and had dreams of getting my masters degree (I still do for that matter) and it was easy to feel like I was contributing to my family by bringing in an income when we really needed it.  Now? My days are spent changing poopy diapers (which amounts to a LOT with three in diapers), the endless cycle of meal prep, cleaning dishes, putting up a new load of laundry, folding that laundry, putting it away and starting all these processes over and over again.  Listen to the Podcast: We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.  Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. It's so easy to head to bed each night, feeling defeated, overwhelmed, and NOT looking forward to tomorrow. Somewhere along the line, it became easy to forget the importance of what I do. Somewhere amidst the poopy diapers and the mile high pile of dishes...it became easy to feel like nothing I do is of much consequence.  I think a lot of us struggle with these feelings from time to time. But we don't want to voice them because then maybe it will look like we are not "good" mothers or "good" homemakers or we are not grateful for all that God gives.  This week I got a question that really touched my heart. And I decided that I needed to address it, in two parts in fact. Here's what this sweet mama said,  "Jami, I've really been struggling with something lately, and was hoping you'd have some advice for me. Lately, I've been so tired. Just tired of the everyday. I get up and feed the kids, then the baby, then do laundry, dishes, a bit of school work, change diapers, feed everyone lunch, and so on and so on. It feels like 80% of my time is spent dealing with feeding my family whether it's prep, cooking, eating with them, or cleaning up afterwards. I go to bed dreading the next day because I think "I have to get up in 7 hours just to do all this again". Seriously, I am missing the point here. I don't feel like I am doing important work, and when I consider the possibility that what I'm doing is important, I don't think I'm doing it right. I mean most days I'm lucky if I get any work done at all or the kids get a bath that night. Sometimes it's several days before they get another one. I know that's not super important but I think it get the point across a bit more. If this all makes sense, please help me see the point or bigger picture in all this drudgery!" She posted this question in a private group of mine and within minutes, several other women were commenting "following" or "I struggle with this same thing!" You see - my friend struck a nerve. So many of us feel this all the time or in certain seasons and it can be easy to fell alone and lost in it.  Next week I am going to address the first part of her question - the physical parts of working around the house, getting some momentum and inspiration, investing in yourself and more. But first, I knew I had to address the real root of the problem.... What to do when... Your Work doesn't feel worthwhile or important!  I know how debilitating it can be when we feel useless. We don't greet our day with joy or enthusiasm when it feels like nothing we do matters. It's easy to feel stuck and to dread the start of yet another un-meaningful day.  So what do we do when we have these feelings?  Our Ultimate Purpose First, as believers we have to think about what our ultimate purpose is. Why has God placed us on Earth? What purpose do we fulfill?

In the Zoroastrian Empire of Iran during late antiquity, what were the limits of Christian identity? Richard E. Payne, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at the University of Chicago, explains how Christians were able to navigate the Iranian political world and how their identity as Christians did not necessarily preclude political participation in a thoroughly Zoroastrian empire. Payne is the author of "A State of Mixture: Christians, Zoroastrians, and Iranian Political Culture in Late Antiquity" (University of California Press, 2015), which won the AAR's 2016 Book Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in the category of historical studies.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history and significance of eunuchs, castrated men who were a common feature of many civilisations for at least three thousand years. Eunuchs were typically employed as servants in royal households in the ancient Middle East, China and classical antiquity. In some civilisations they were used as administrators or senior military commanders, sometimes achieving high office. The tradition lingered until surprisingly recently, with castrated singers remaining a feature of Vatican choirs until the nineteenth century, while the last Chinese eunuch of the imperial court died in 1996. With: Karen Radner Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London Shaun Tougher Reader in Ancient History at Cardiff University Michael Hoeckelmann British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at King's College London Producer: Thomas Morris.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history and significance of eunuchs, castrated men who were a common feature of many civilisations for at least three thousand years. Eunuchs were typically employed as servants in royal households in the ancient Middle East, China and classical antiquity. In some civilisations they were used as administrators or senior military commanders, sometimes achieving high office. The tradition lingered until surprisingly recently, with castrated singers remaining a feature of Vatican choirs until the nineteenth century, while the last Chinese eunuch of the imperial court died in 1996. With: Karen Radner Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London Shaun Tougher Reader in Ancient History at Cardiff University Michael Hoeckelmann British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at King's College London Producer: Thomas Morris.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Library at Nineveh, a treasure house of Assyrian ideas from the 7th Century BC. In 1849 a young English adventurer called Henry Layard started digging into a small hill on the banks of the River Tigris in Northern Iraq. Underneath it he found the ancient city of Nineveh. Layard unearthed extraordinary things - wonderful carved reliefs, ancient palace rooms and great statues of winged bulls. He also found a collection of clay tablets, broken up, jumbled around and sitting on the floor of a toilet. It was the remnants of a library and although Layard didn't know it at the time, it was one of the greatest archaeological finds ever made.Conceived to house the sum of all human knowledge the library was built in the 7th century BC as the grand Assyrian Empire entered its last years. The clay tablets have proved to be a window into all aspects of Assyrian life, its literature, politics, religion and medicine – practises that are both deeply alien to us and alluringly familiar. With Eleanor Robson, Senior Lecturer at Cambridge University and Vice-Chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq; Karen Radner, Lecturer in the Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London; Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Library at Nineveh, a treasure house of Assyrian ideas from the 7th Century BC. In 1849 a young English adventurer called Henry Layard started digging into a small hill on the banks of the River Tigris in Northern Iraq. Underneath it he found the ancient city of Nineveh. Layard unearthed extraordinary things - wonderful carved reliefs, ancient palace rooms and great statues of winged bulls. He also found a collection of clay tablets, broken up, jumbled around and sitting on the floor of a toilet. It was the remnants of a library and although Layard didn’t know it at the time, it was one of the greatest archaeological finds ever made.Conceived to house the sum of all human knowledge the library was built in the 7th century BC as the grand Assyrian Empire entered its last years. The clay tablets have proved to be a window into all aspects of Assyrian life, its literature, politics, religion and medicine – practises that are both deeply alien to us and alluringly familiar. With Eleanor Robson, Senior Lecturer at Cambridge University and Vice-Chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq; Karen Radner, Lecturer in the Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London; Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London