Dr. Bosworth's new book Infant Weeping in Akkadian, Hebrew, and Greek Literature has been published
Dr. Bosworth's new book Infant Weeping in Akkadian, Hebrew, and Greek Literature has been published. It correlates scientific research on infant weeping with the presentation of infant cries in ancient literature. Specifically, it examines magical incantations for soothing crying babies from ancient Mesopotamia and how these spells manifesst both caregiving and hostility. It also analyzes infant abandonment stories in the Old Testament and classical Greek literature and finds both commonalities and contrast between these cultures. For example, the Hellenistic Jewish opposition to infant abandonment (inherited by Christianity) may be as ancient as the Old Testament narratives which show several differences compared to the Greek stories derived from a culture known to approve the practice.