This volume aims to enrich the study of ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian narrative (understood in a broad sense to include 'story-telling' of many kinds), illustrating how research methods and perspectives developed within other disciplines may fruitfully be applied to ancient writings, and dialogue encouraged between scholars working on widely different periods and geographical regions. The twenty-one contributors employ methodologies from fields which include cultural history, narratology, and linguistics. The discussions therefore revolve around topics where the investigation of language (grammar and discourse analysis) intersects with the study of plot and story. Material is examined which ranges in date from some of the earliest writings in Egyptian and Sumerian to Christian literatures of Late Antiquity, and beyond, while the languages represented embrace those of Mesopotamia (Sumerian and Akkadian), Hebrew, Syriac, Aramaic and all stages of Egyptian, including Coptic.