The quest for immortality is a theme for much of Sumerian literature, best illustrated in the epic of Gilgamesh, but present in many...

Although it’s been a while since I’ve been working on my Sumerian project, all the same interesting information about Sumerian culture...

If you’re interested in participating in the contest, here is a link. I would really appreciate comments and advice. Thanks! #SonofAPitch...

Thanks to my friends for bringing my attention to this awesome video about my favorite historical character.  Enjoy… #Gilgamesh...

Reposting this amazing recording of the Gilgamesh Epic in its original Akkadian. I should point out that the earliest version of the...

Some time ago, I shared a post about The Gold Lyre of Ur project, which is an assembly of music put together from the most ancient...

Hey had to absolutely repost this from The Laughing Squid: a tablet dating back to circa 1750BC containing a written complaint — the...

In formal venues, I have presented and written about the necessity of research in fiction, the caveats, the immersion process, the...

Even though I finished writing a complete and polished draft of my novel The Faithful Son, I’m still reading up a ton on Mesopotamian...

Most writers I know, continue to have to ask themselves that question: why do I do this to myself? Most writers I know are professional...

The Man in the Lion’s Skin (from The Faithful Son, a novel by Laura Valeri) Copyright Notice: Please respect my ownership of this work....

I’m pleased to announce that WordPlaySound published a podcast of me reading the first chapter of The Faithful Son.  I’ve since polished...

Here is a good post from Prometheus Unbound that highlights the power of women in Mesopotamia, particularly the power of goddess Ninsun,...

The Deluge tablet, carved in stone, of the Gilgamesh epic in Akkadian, circa 2nd millennium BC. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Note: this post...

Christianity.  That book was Holy Blood, Holy Grail, and in it, the authors speculated whether Jesus of Nazareth was the chaste,...

I am going to make a disclaimer right here: I am not a scholar of ancient history. I am a writer and a professor who knows how to do...

Sumerian Musical Notations While doing research for my retelling of Gilgamesh I was trying to discover what types of musical instruments...

This is a piece I wrote about Gilgamesh, who is one of four main characters in my novel in progress titled The Faithful Son. I hope you...

The mythological figure I’m going to focus on today is Semiramis, a mistress of war often depicted as being  promiscuous and  deadly. And...