Peter Joshua Atkins

@peterjatkins.bsky.social

Biblical Scholar researching: Book of Daniel, Isaiah, Rewilding, Animals and the Bible. I also like dogs 🐕

Delighted to hear I’ve been nominated for a second time by one of my Hebrew students for this year’s Edinburgh University Students'​ Association Teaching Awards. It is always fun teaching introductory Biblical Hebrew and really affirming to know that those on the course enjoyed it as much as me!

Graphic from Edinburgh University Student Association Teaching Awards 2026 stating “I’ve been nominated for a Teaching Award.”

In England “wood with beaver facets [were found] in multiple human constructions, along with extensive networks of ancient beaver dams and channels that had been integrated into prehistoric settlements.” A fascinating piece by Sarah Newman on how animals inspired culture 🦫 aeon.co/essays/did-a...

Did animals provide the blueprints for human culture? | Aeon Essays

Prehistoric humans didn’t create art and architecture out of nothing. They took inspiration from the nonhuman world

aeon.co

For anyone wondering, some possible dog names have survived from cuneiform sources. On tiny dog figurines found buried under a palace in Nineveh, Iraq are inscriptions that seem to be names. dan rigiššu “loud is his bark” munaššiku gārîšu “biter of his foe” mušēṣi lemnūti “expeller of evil”

Photo of 5 dog figurines in profile facing to the left in a staggered line. The closest one is reddish, the three in the middle are beige, and the furthest is dark grey. Each one has a cuneiform inscription on their side.