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'Ancient features' of Ethiopic in Aksumite inscriptions and ancient MSS must be discussed with consideration of the philological aspects implied, and their distribution may hint at the coexistence of parallel scribal traditions during Aksumite and early Post-Aksumite periods; from the 14th cent. onwards 'ancient features' tend to become much more sporadic and one traditional standard prevails; ancient MSS which did not observe the prevalent standard may have been systematically substituted; 'lost traditions' may survive in few scanty relics.

This book is a comprehensive treatment of the ancient prophetic phenomenon as it comes to us through biblical, Near Eastern, and Greek sources. Once a distinctly biblical concept, prophecy is today acknowledged as yet another form of divination and a phenomenon that can be found all over the ancient Eastern Mediterranean. Even Greek oracle, traditionally discussed separately from biblical and Mesopotamian prophecy, is essentially part of the same picture. The book gives an up-to-date presentation of textual sources, whether cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia, the Hebrew Bible, Greek inscriptions, or ancient historians, the number of which has increased substantially in recent times. In addition, the book includes comparative essays on topics such as prophetic ecstasy; temples as venues of prophetic performances; prophets and political rulers; and the prophets' gender which can be either male, female, or non-gendered. The book argues for a common category of ancient Eastern Mediterranean prophecy, even though the fragmentary and secondary nature of the sources allows only a restricted view to it. The ways prophetic divination manifests itself in ancient sources depend not only on the socio-religious position of the prophets but also on the genre and purpose of the sources. The book shows that, even though the view of the ancient prophetic landscape is restricted by the fragmentary and secondary nature of the sources, it is possible to reconstruct essential features of prophetic divination.

Members and leaders of the Kurdish speaking Yezidi diaspora in Phoenix, Arizona—and transnationally—are in dialogue with members of the Indian diaspora about their common historical connections. "Are Yezidis from ancient India, or are Indians from ancient Mesopotamia?" Both of these claims and hypotheses situate Yezidis on the outside of a historical Muslim world, and have material effects. They add validity to non-Muslim traditions, by imagining a historical cultural root structure between India and Mesopotamia. They also help both Hindu nationalists and Yezidis to displace historical Muslim culture and dominance to somewhere else while reinforcing tropes of Islam synonymous with the "war on terror." By de-historicising Islam and its presence in the Middle East and in India, Hindu and Yezidi community leaders co-imagine a pan-polytheism with roots in ancient Persian (Kurdish) Yezidi culture and language. The symbols that can be recognized today that span both traditions— the peacock, the peacock statue (sanjak), and the use of fire in places of worship—give testament to that imagined past. The contradictions of that historical narrative point to the limits of this historical work in the two communities, and find limits in modern identity articulations of Yezidi identity and Hindu identity alike. Material effects of the historical narrative include Indian imagery on the wall of Lalish, online circulating images and articles equating Yezidis to Hindus, and common activism, fundraising, and humanitarianism between Yezidi and Hindu communities in Phoenix, India, and in the Middle East.

A review essay on a book by Elena Isayev, Ancient Umbria (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). References.

Ancient Oaxaca. Richard E. Blanton. Gary M. Feinman. Stephen A. Kowalewski. and Linda M. Nicholas. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. 153 pp.

TheEncyclopaedia Iranicais Truly a Monumental Undertaking, Containing thousands of carefully selected items of information covering most aspects of Iranian civilization past and present. As the first seven volumes demonstrate, it is an indispensable reference work that belongs in the libraries of all universities and in the homes of everyone interested in Iran, whether for professional or personal reasons. In connection with ancient or pre-Islamic Iranian religions, theEIrrepresents the most important scholarly contribution since James Hastings edited the thirteen-volumeEncyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics(Edinburgh, 1908-1926, reprint New York, 1955, Edinburgh, 1994). In fact, both may be used as complementary research guides, for the rich descriptions of rituals in theEncyclopaedia of Religion and Ethicsare not repeated in theEIrwhereas the former lacks the up-to-date information on persons, places, events, ideas, theoretical standpoints, and bibliography so fully articulated in the latter.

Since in ancient times, in all human cultures, children transfered from biological parents to parents that want them to create family, for political alliances, for inheritance, for a future marriage, or to care for elderly parents. The practice of adoption was fairly common in different places and periods. Adoption is mention on Bible and Quran. Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Babylonians had adoption systems.

Takeshi Umehara, director general of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, is Japan's most famous philosopher, controversial for his idea of Japanese "uniqueness." Umehara, also a playwright, is author of such books at The Concept of Hell, The Exiling of the Gods and Japan's Deep Strata.Back in 1990, I sat down with him in his office amid the bamboo forests that cover the hills surrounding Kyoto to get an Eastern view of the theme raised by Western thinkers from Arnold Toynbee to Lewis Mumford: the central role of the religious imagination in the rise and fall of civilizations.Here, he sets out his ideas in an essay tracing his disillusionment with Western philosophy and his rediscovery of Japan's Shinto roots. Our conversation follows.

La larga y notable historia de Roma comienza con su legendaria fundación en el siglo VIII a. de C. y finaliza en el siglo V d. de C. y tras conocer distintas formas de gobierno: monarquía, república e imperio. En la civilización romana se destaca el importante desarrollo cultural, artístico y económico; y la fuerza militar que la llevó a crear un vasto imperio por todo el mar Mediterráneo. ; SC ; Biblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; biblioteca@mecd.es ; GBR