The study of languages forms the foundation of any study of ancient societies. While we are dependent upon archaeology to unearth pottery, tools, buildings, and graves, it is through reading the documentary evidence that we learn the nuances of each culture--from receipts and letters to myths and legends. And the access to those documents comes only through the basic work of deciphering scripts, conjugating verbs, untangling syntax, and mastering vocabulary.
Ancient Language Resources brings together some of the most significant reference works for the study of ancient languages, including grammars, dictionaries, and related materials. While most of the volumes will be reprints of classic works, we also intend to include new publications. The linguistic circle is widely drawn, encompassing Egyptian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Phoenician, Hattic, Hittite (Nesite), Hurrian, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Ethiopic, Arabic, Greek, Coptic, Latin, Mandaean, Armenian, and Gothic. It is the hope of the publishers that this will continue to encourage study of the ancient languages and keep the work of groundbreaking scholars accessible.
--K. C. Hanson Series Editor
Georg Heinrich von Ewald (1803-1875) was Professor of Old Testament and then Oriental languages at the University of Goettingen. After protesting the repeal of the constitution by King Ernst August, Ewald was dismissed. After visiting England, he was appointed Professor of Philosophy and then Theology at the University of Tubingen before being invited back to Gottingen. He was subsequently removed from his position again when he refused to sign an oath of allegiance to the Prussian king. He published grammatical works on Hebrew, Arabic, and Sanskrit, as well as commentaries and exegetical studies on both Old and New Testament books and biblical theology.
