This collection of papers by Bibek Hruška's friends, students and colleagues was intended as a 'Festschrift' to celebrate his 65th birthday in 2010. Sadly, his life came to an abrupt end almost full two years before. The contributions to this volume reflect Bibek's vast range of scholarly interests very well. There are papers dealing with the dawn of Mesopotamian civilization, with issues of third-millennium agriculture, economy, and religio-political issues, articles on mythological literature, medicine, Old Babylonian administrative and agricultural matters, sacred kingship at Mari, Elamite social and Hittite ritual practice, an example from the realm of Neo-Assyrian and Aramaic linguistics, and a case concerning an omitted delivery at Neo-Babylonian Uruk.