December 21, 1998

The newest Chicago House Bulletin, Volume 9, No. 1, is now available. It is the communications of the Oriental Institute's Epigraphic Survey in Luxor, Egypt.

December 9, 1998

The Oriental Institute Publications Office has updated its On-line Catalog with several new publications, including additions to the OIP and SAOC series, as well as Other Publications.

October 12, 1998

Throughout the fall and winter of 1998/99, starting on October 12 with The Harem of Xerxes, we will be placing photographs and captions from the Oriental Institute text/microfiche publication entitled PERSEPOLIS AND ANCIENT IRAN - CATALOG OF EXPEDITION PHOTOGRAPHS on our website, on a building by building basis, until the entire catalog of 999 photographs is available online.

September 16, 1998

The Research Archives of the Oriental Institute, which is the home of Abzu, is the beneficiary of a generous grant from The Elizabeth Morse and Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trusts. In recognition of this gift the Reading room has been named The Elizabeth Morse Genius Reading Room. The Elizabeth Morse and Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trusts also have issued a challenge to friends of the Oriental Institute: The Trusts will match donations to support the further renovation and refurbishment of the Reading Room.

August 18, 1998

The Museum Store (Suq) Book and Video List has been updated, and many new subject headings have been added for ease of searching.

June 12, 1998

An update on the construction of the Giza Plateau Computer Model, RECENT WORK ON THE GIZA PLATEAU COMPUTER MODEL (1997-1998) - TOWARDS A VIRTUAL GIZA is now available, outlining the 1997-1998 work on the architectural constructions for the Khafre Mortuary Temple; Khafre Valley Temple; the Sphinx Temple; Menkaure Mortuary Temple, Menkaure Valley Temple; the interior chambers of the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids, and the interior chambers and temples of the Queens' pyramids for both the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids.

The document describing the original construction of the Giza Plateau Computer Model, CONSTRUCTING THE GIZA PLATEAU COMPUTER MODEL (1990-1995) has also been updated.

June 12, 1998

The Computer Laboratory has created two introductory documents describing it's involvement in Archaeological Site Modelling and Remote Sensing / Satellite Imaging. These documents will be expanded over time, detailing the hardware, software, and experiences of Oriental Institute research projects utilizing these two techniques.

April 26, 1998

The Oriental Institute Map Series is now available. The first installment of the Map Series presents seven Site Maps covering the ancient Near East (Egypt, Sudan, The Levant, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran), locating primary archaeological sites, modern cities, and river courses set against a plain background. All Site Maps are Simple Conic projections at the same scale and orientation.

April 21, 1998

A dissertation proposal by Eric Reymond, presented to The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago, and approved in May 1997, entitled A Structural Analysis of Ben Sira 40:11- 44:15.

April 10, 1998

A new philological component, the Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions (ARI) project, has been added to the Oriental Institute website. The aim of the ARI project is to create an electronic study edition of the inscriptions of the Achaemenid Persian kings in all of their versions--Old Persian, Elamite, Akkadian, and, where appropriate, Aramaic and Egyptian. ARI includes translations, glossaries, grammatical indexes, basic bibliographic apparatus, basic text critical apparatus, and some graphic apparatus (e.g., plans indicating provenience of the inscriptions, images of exemplars); the texts are available for downloading and printing. The first stage of the project presents the inscriptions from Persepolis, where the Oriental Institute carried out excavations between 1931 and 1939.

March 6, 1998

A dissertation proposal by Elizabeth S. Friedman, presented to The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago, and approved in August 1995, entitled Technological Style in Early Bronze Age Anatolia.

March 2, 1998

An updated Construction, Renovation, and Reinstallation Progress Report is now available, containing exterior and interior photographs of the new wing to the Oriental Institute and a reopening schedule for the Museum's galleries.

February 25, 1998

Professor Norman Golb offers a comment, QADMONIOT AND THE "YAHAD" CLAIM, on a recent article in the journal Qadmoniot .

February 1, 1998

A new resource for teachers and the general public, RECOMMENDED READING ON THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST, A Guide to Introductory Readings on the Ancient Near Eastern World, is a collaborative publication of the Research Archives of the Oriental Institute, the Oriental Institute Museum, and the Oriental Institute Museum Education Program.

January 24, 1998

The Oriental Institute Museum Education Office now has an electronic, on-line registration form for its events and activities.

January 1, 1998

The Oriental Institute Museum Education Office pages are now updated for the Winter 1998 schedule of events and activities.