author
John P. (John Punnett) Peters
1852–1921
An Episcopal clergyman, scholar of the ancient Near East, and early American archaeologist, he helped lead the University of Pennsylvania’s excavations at Nippur in Ottoman Iraq. His work moved between the pulpit, the classroom, and the dig site, giving his books a rare mix of scholarship and firsthand experience.
1 Audiobook
The Animals' Christmas Tree
by John P. (John Punnett) Peters
About the author
Born in New York City in 1852, he studied at Hopkins School and Yale, then continued his training in Berlin and Leipzig. He was ordained in the Episcopal Church and went on to teach Old Testament languages and literature, building a reputation as a scholar of Hebrew and the ancient Near East.
He is especially remembered for helping lead the University of Pennsylvania’s Babylonian expeditions to Nippur in 1889 and 1890, part of one of the earliest major American archaeological projects in Iraq. Alongside his academic and archaeological work, he also served as a priest and later as a rector in New York.
His writing reflects that wide range of interests: biblical study, ancient history, and the practical realities of excavation all meet in his books. He died in 1921, leaving behind a career that linked American religious scholarship with the developing field of Near Eastern archaeology.