Oxford University Press - A Babylon Calendar Treatise Book

Explore a significant piece of ancient history with A Babylon Calendar Treatise: Scholars and Invaders in the Late First Millennium BC. Published by Oxford University Press, this volume provides the first full publication of all known cuneiform manuscripts belonging to a unique Akkadian calendar treatise. The text focuses on the theme of Babylonia's invasion and was likely composed in the Hellenistic period before approximately 170 BC. This scholarly work is set within the milieu of Marduk's Esagil temple in Babylon. It details how Esagil rituals were viewed as necessary to protect Babylonia and the principal cult statue of Marduk from foreign attacks. By drawing on late Babylonian cuneiform scholarship, the treatise connects astronomy-astrology with historical accounts of warfare involving Elam and Assyria. This book serves as an essential resource for students and researchers interested in the intersection of ancient religious practice, warfare, and astronomical study in the late first millennium BC.