Brisch (U. of Chicago) edits international contributors providing 14 essays culled from a seminar at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago in early 2007. Emerging themes from the conference include the need to rethink notions of the categories of the divine and human, the suggestion to view self-deification of rulers as both an anomaly and a dynamic phenomenon, and the realization that the divine kingship manifests itself differently in varying areas of the world. Papers are organized under the topics of the historical and textual aspects of divine kingship in Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, iconography and anthropology of divine kingship, divine kingship and empire, and responses. There is no index to this title. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)