Ancient World — Concierge Scholars, LLC

The Ancient World

Archaeology

Ancient texts are not the only sources of information we have about the ancient world. Writers working on historical fiction novels or screenplays often need information about the daily lives of people living in the time periods and locations in which they have set their stories. Archaeological research is often the most robust source for this type of information about diet and daily living that allows stories to come alive. The archaeological findings in the ancient Near East (Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel/Palestine, Egypt) and the Mediterranean (Greece and Rome) constitute the primary focus of the scholars currently working with our firm.

History

More and more historians are recognizing the multitude of voices that exist in the ancient world and bringing those voices to life. Our scholars read the texts produced in the ancient world in their original languages and can share fascinating tidbits regarding historical events anchored in the texts themselves. From the law codes of the Assyrians and Babylonians, to the letters from Canaanite kings, from the funerary inscriptions of the Egyptians to the annals of the Judean kings, your forays into the ancient world can be enriched by it all.

The Bible

The Bible is by far the most popular ancient text that causes our clients to seek us out. While for many of our clients and for many of us scholars as well, the Bible holds important meaning in the present, it remains a collection of books written in the ancient past, composed in ancient languages about events in ancient cultures. the Bible is where many of disciplines intersect, from the ancient languages to ancient history, religion and archaeology. Information about these ancient cultures does not detract from the Bible’s richness, but enhances it. For Christians and Jews, seeing how deeply our religious traditions are rooted in the past provides deeper insight for living in the present within our religious traditions.

Ancient Languages

Whether for something as simple as making sure your tattoo says what you think it says, or for more in-depth questions about the ancient language used to write a particular text, finding someone who is proficient at reading an ancient language is hard to come by outside of academia. Our scholars read Egyptian hieroglyphs, Assyrian and Babylonian cuneiform, Phoenician, Aramaic (including Syriac), Canaanite, Classical Hebrew, ancient Ethiopic (Ge'ez), Classical Greek and Latin.

Religion

The ancient world was filled with numerous religions. Whether it be the myths and deities that drove their imagination or the various ritual practices they followed, religion was very much a part of the daily lives of those in the ancient world. Truly capturing that world will never be complete without insight into ancient religious beliefs and practices.