Matthew Suriano (PhD, University of California Los Angeles) researches the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, ancient Near Eastern religions, Northewest Semitic epigraphy, and the archaeology of the Levant. His first book The Politics of Dead Kings: Dynastic Ancestors in the Book of Kings and Ancient Israel (Mohr Siebeck, 2010) examined the motifs used to describe a king's death. His forthcoming book, The History of Death in the Hebrew Bible (Oxford University Press, in press), looks more broadly at the problem of death in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Israel. His other areas of research include royal inscriptions and the study of kingship. Dr. Suriano is an active member of SBL and ASOR, and has been a fellow at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem (AIAR). He has participated in several archaeological excavations in Israel, and is a current member of the Tel Burna excavation project.