Ⅰ．EGYPTIAN MYTHS AND TALES＆JOHN A．WILSON 1
The Memphite Theology of Creation 1
Deliverance of Mankind from Destruction 3
The Story of Sinuhe 5
The Story of Two Brothers 12
The Journey of Wen-Amon to Phoenicia 16
The Tradition of Seven Lean Years in Egypt 24
Ⅱ．MYTHS AND EPICS FROM MESOPOTAMIA 28
A SUMERIAN MYTH＆S．N．KRAMER 28
The Deluge 28
AKKADIAN MYTHS AND EPICS＆E．A．SPEISER 31
The Creation Epic 31
The Epic of Gilgamesh 40
A Cosmological Incantation：The Worm and the Toothache 75
Adapa 76
Descent of Ishtar to the Nether World 80
The Legend of Sargon 85
Ⅲ．A HITTITE MYTH＆ALBRECHT GOETZE 87
The Telepinus Myth 87
Ⅳ．UGARITIC MYTHS AND EPICS＆H．L．GINSBERG 92
Poems about Baal and Anath 92
The Tale of Aqhat 118
Ⅴ．LEGAL TEXTS 133
COLLECTIONS OF LAWS FROM MESOPOTAMIA 133
The Laws of Eshnunna＆ALBRECHT GOETZE 133
The Code of Hammurabi＆THEOPHILE J．MEEK 138
DOCUMENTS FROM THE PRACTICE OF LAW 167
Mesopotamian Legal Documents＆THEOPHILE J．MEEK 167
Aramaic Papyri from Elephantine＆H．L．GINSBERG 170
Ⅵ．EGYPTIAN HISTORICAL TEXTS＆JOHN A．WILSON 173
The Expulsion of the Hyksos 173
Asiatic Campaign of Thut-mose Ⅲ 175
A Campaign of Seti I in Northern Palestine 182
The Report of a Frontier Official 183
A Syrian Interregnum 184
The War Against the Peoples of the Sea 185
The Megiddo Ivories 187
The Campaign of Sheshonk Ⅰ 187
Ⅶ．ASSYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN HISTORICAL TEXTS＆A．LEO OPPENHEIM 188
Ashurnasirpal Ⅱ(883-859)：Expedition to the Lebanon 188
Shalmaneser Ⅲ(858-824)：The Fight Against the Aramean Coalition 188
Adad-nirari Ⅲ(810-783)：Expedition to Palestine 192
Tiglath-pileser Ⅲ(744-727)：Campaigns Against Syria and Palestine 193
Sargon Ⅱ(721-705)：The Fall of Samaria 195
Sennacherib(704-681)：The Siege of Jerusalem 199
Esarhaddon(680-669)：The Syro-Palestinian Campaign 201
Receipt of Tribute from Palestine 202
HISTORIOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTS 202
The Fall of Nineveh 202
The Fall of Jerusalem 203
The Fall of Babylon 203
Nebuchadnezzar Ⅱ(605-562) 205
Cyrus(557-529) 206
Ⅷ．PALESTINIAN INSCRIPTIONS＆W．F．ALBRIGHT 209
The Gezer Calendar 209
The Moabite Stone 209
The Ostraca of Samaria 211
The Siloam Inscription 212
The Lachish Ostraca 212
Ⅸ．CANAANITE AND ARAMAIC INSCRIPTIONS＆FRANZ ROSENTHAL 215
BUILDING INSCRIPTIONS 215
Yehimilk of Byblos 215
Azitawadda of Adana 215
Kilamuwa of Y＇dy-Sam＇al 217
Barrakab of Y＇dy-Sam＇al 218
CULTIC INSCRIPTIONS 219
Ben-Hadad of Damascus 219
Kilamuwa of Y＇dy-Sam＇al 219
Zakir of Hamat and Lu＇ath 219
Yehawmilk of Byblos 220
The Marseilles Tariff 221
The Carthage Tariff 223
Ⅹ．RITUALS AND HYMNS 225
EGYPTIAN EXECRATION TEXTS＆JOHN A．WILSON 225
The Execration of Asiatic Princes 225
EGYPTIAN HYMNS＆JOHN A．WILSON 226
The Hymn to the Aton 226
Hymn of Victory of Mer-ne-Ptah(The＂Israel Stela＂) 231
AN AKKADIAN HYMN＆FERRIS J．STEPHENS 231
Hymn to Ishtar 231
Ⅺ．WISDOM，PROPHECY，AND SONGS 234
EGYPTIAN INSTRUCTIONS＆JOHN A．WILSON 234
The Instruction of the Vizier Ptah-hotep 234
The Instruction of Amen-em-Opet 237
PROVERBS FROM MESOPOTAMIA＆ROBERT H．PFEIFFER 244
ARAMAIC PROVERBS AND PRECEPTS＆H．L．GINSBERG 245
The Words of Ahiqar 245
AKKADIAN OBSERVATIONS ON LIFE＆ROBERT H．PFEIFFER 250
A Pessimistic Dialogue between Master and Servant 250
EGYPTIAN PROPHECIES，SONGS，AND POEMS＆JOHN A．WILSON 252
The Prophecy of Nefer-rohu 252
Love Songs 257
In Praise of the City Ramses 258
Ⅻ．LETTERS 260
AKKADIAN LETTERS＆W．F．ALBRIGHT 260
The Mari Letters 260
The Amarna Letters 262
ARAMAIC LETTERS＆H．L．GINSBERG 278
Letters of the Jews in Elephantine 278
Index to Biblical References 283
Illustrations 285
Index and Glossary 374