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