This volume is dedicated to Olof Pedersén, professor emeritus in Assyriology at Uppsala University and primarily known for his studies on the archives and libraries of the cities of Assur and Babylon. The main title of the book, The Rod and Measuring Rope, alludes to the honoree’s architectural background and to his characteristic great attention to details and exactness in teaching and research, and the contributors to his Festschrift are colleagues, friends, and former students.
Reflecting the broad interests of the honoree, the contributions vary in terms of subject (ranging e.g. from notes on grammar to plans of archaeological reconstruction), source type (e.g. with contributions both on research history and based on the analysis of ancient sources), time period (ranging from the Early Dynastic period down to the Neo-Assyrian period), and geography (including e.g. Egypt, Syria, and Iran, beside Sumer, Assyria, and Babylonia). Not only papers in Assyriology can be found in the book but also ones rooted in Near Eastern Archaeology, Egyptology, and Biblical and Graeco-Roman studies. Because of this inclusivity, this book will be of use to readers focused on Assyriology as well as to those centred on related disciplines and to those generally interested in the Ancient Near East. The book is richly illustrated with images, drawings, and graphs.