Two Cases of a Pseudo-Dual in Biblical Hebrew
TL;DR: This post discusses the morphology of the Hebrew word for “sky, heaven” (שָׁמַיִם šāmáyim). I propose it is a pseudo-dual, i.e., historically a plural form that was reanalyzed as a dual. This perspective is supported by comparative Semitic evidence and pre-Masoretic orthographic conventions.... Read More
Matthew Saunders
Matthew Saunders is a PhD student in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He researches the languages and literatures of the ancient Near East, especially Aramaic Studies, Ugaritic Studies, and Comparative Semitics.
Venice Digital and Public Humanities Summer School
TL;DR: I spent the past week at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice's Digital and Public Humanities Summer School. The five-day program focused on historical, archaeological, cultural, artistic, and literary materials from Venetian sites and institutions with an emphasis on gaining competency in both applying computational methods as well as digitizing sources and results. The best part was the social atmosphere, enhancing my appreciation for Venice's cultural heritage, valuable connections with fellow scholars, and of course aperol spritz!... Read More
Antwerp Digital Humanities Summer School
4 min read
TL;DR: I attended the University of Antwerp’s 5-day Digital Humanities Summer School, gaining skills in XML, TEI, GitHub, and Transkribus. I participated in engaging lectures, hands-on sessions, and a social program, culminating in the creation of a digital scholarly edition. The experience significantly enhanced my research capabilities and professional network.... Read More
Leipzig AI and Harvard DH
5 min read
Leipzig Artificial Intelligence Summer School Last week (June 25-28), I attended the International ScaDS.AI Summer School in Leipzig, Germany with graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and... Read More
LTR Ancient Akkadian: Caplice, Lesson One
4 min read
Introduction As part of our “Learn to Read Ancient Akkadian” series, this blog reviews the contents of Lesson One in Caplice’s Introduction to Akkadian. Previously... Read More
Oxford University’s Anatolian Languages and Linguistics Summer School (June 17-22)
Over the past week, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Anatolian Languages and Linguistics Summer School at Oxford University in (obviously) Oxford, England.... Read More
Travelogue: Iberian Peninsula (May 24-June 1, 2024)
Introduction Traveling to Portugal and Spain a couple weeks ago was a blend of historical exploration, culinary delights, and cultural immersion, offering a rich tapestry... Read More
Gilgameš and Agga (Lines 1-17)
5 min read
Introduction The Sumerian epic poem called “Gilgameš and Agga” (also spelled Aga or Akka) describes a conflict between two Mesopotamian cities, Uruk (ruled by Gilgameš)... Read More