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Welcome to The Ancient Near East Today Volume IV, No. 1! In this issue we travel from Iraq to Egypt, with a dive off the coast of Israel.

We begin with Ehud Galili and Sarah Arenson, who look at the challenges of managing Israel’s underwater archaeological resources. Next, Helen Malko describes an important project to document Mesopotamian monuments, from ancient sites to early modern buildings. From our sibling publication, Near Eastern Archaeology, we’re pleased to present a version of Renate Müller-Wollermann’s discussion of crime and punishment in ancient Egypt.

We’re also pleased to highlight a video of Susan Alcock’s important plenary talk from ASOR’s 2015 Annual Meeting, and scholarship reports from ASOR-supported students.

As always, we encourage you to send The Ancient Near East Today articles to family and friends, post links to Facebook and Twitter, and to be in touch with the editor. Remember, being a  is free, so please spread the news!

Israel’s Marine Archaeology Treasures – An Endangered Cultural Resource

By: Ehud Galili and Sarah Arenson

The Maritime cultural heritage of Israel is an integral part of human history, from the Neolithic revolution to the first Empires as well as the foundation of monotheistic religions. Responsibly preserving that heritage is an immense challenge.

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Preserving the Past: the Mapping Mesopotamian Monuments Project

By: Helen Malko

Since the appearance of the so-called Islamic State or Daesh in Syria and Iraq, the world has been faced with a vicious attack on cultural heritage aimed at erasing the rich and diverse history of the people in this region.

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Crime and Punishment in Pharaonic Egypt

By: Renate Müller-Wollermann

In ancient Egypt crimes are acts against other persons or the state. Punishments are official, not private sanctions against persons who committed crimes. The term for “crime” is bt3. A capital crime is bt3 ‘3 (n mwt), “great crime” (worthy of death). Egyptian sources for crimes and punishments are extremely diverse but are primarily texts such as royal decrees.

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The Ancient Near East Today features contributions from diverse academics, a forum featuring debates of current developments from the field, and links to news and resources. The ANE Today covers the entire Near East, and each issue presents discussions ranging from the state of biblical archaeology to archaeology after the Arab Spring.