December 19, 2006

An exhibition review by Prof. Norman Golb, entitled ‘The Dead Sea Scrolls At Seattle’s Pacific Science Center.

November 22, 2006

Religion and Power: Divine Kingship in the Ancient World and Beyond

Announcing our upcoming symposium: Religion and Power: Divine Kingship in the Ancient World and Beyond February 22–24, 2007.

November 9, 2006

Tutankhamun for the Twenty-first Century: Modern Misreadings of an Ancient Culture

Professor Robert Ritner’s inaugural address for incoming University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer, given October 26, 2006.


November 1, 2006

Oriental Institute Job Posting

Membership Coordinator

The University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute is an internationally recognized research center and museum for studying the archaeological and textual record of the ancient Near East. A primary unit within the Institute is its membership office.

The Membership Coordinator is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing membership relations for the Oriental Institute. This includes supervising the processing of new memberships and renewals, managing the members’ travel program, coordinating membership events and overseeing the development of membership communications such as our annual report, quarterly newsletters and general membership announcements.

A bachelor’s degree and the ability to work some evenings and weekends required; minimum of one year professional experience in membership and/or development in a non-profit setting preferred.

We seek a highly motivated individual with excellent writing, organization, and interpersonal skills.

To apply for this position, please apply online at the University of Chicago’s job posting website at http://jobs.uchicago.edu

Requisition #: 074399

Applications must be received by November 24th, 2006.

The University of Chicago is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.


October 31, 2006

Oriental Institute Job Posting

Assistant Professor in Egyptian Archaeology and Art History

The Oriental Institute
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

The Oriental Institute and the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations of the University of Chicago invite applications for a tenure-track position of Assistant Professor in Egyptian Archaeology and Art History with a starting date in Fall, 2007.

Applicants should have broad competence in archaeological method and theory in addition to the archaeology and art of ancient Egypt. All areas of concentration will be considered, but a focus on periods preceding the New Kingdom is desirable. The successful applicant is expected to have or develop a field program, to engage in research, both individual and collaborative, and to teach introductory and specialized courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

All applicants should have the Ph.D. completed at the time of application.

Please submit a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, and a list of 3 referees (including e-mail addresses whenever possible) before December 8, 2006, to:

Chair, Egyptian Archaeology and Art History Search Committee
The Oriental Institute
University of Chicago
1155 East 58th Street
Chicago IL 60637.
USA

Inquiries and electronic submissions may be sent by e-mail to d-whitcomb@uchicago.edu with a copy to oeboyd@uchicago.edu (subject heading “Egyptian Archaeology Search).

The University of Chicago is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.


September 14, 2006

Chicago-Johns Hopkins Theban Workshop

The Chicago-Johns Hopkins Theban Workshop convenes on an annual basis to discuss current research and problems pertaining to the Theban region (modern Luxor). Past themes have included the foundation of empire at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom, tombs in western Thebes, and sacred space and sacred function. This year’s theme is devoted to:

Perspectives on Ptolemaic Thebes

University of Chicago | October 14, 2006

9 AM Welcome: Peter Dorman (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago)
9:15 AM Joe Manning (Stanford University)
The Ptolemaic Capture of the Thebaid
10 AM Robert Ritner (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago)
Ptolemy IX (Soter II) at Thebes
10:45 AM Coffee break
11 AM Carolin Arlt (University of Wurzburg)
Scribal Offices and Scribal Families in Ptolemaic Thebes
12 noon Lunch
1:30 PM J. Brett McClain (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago)
Ptolemaic Cosmogonical Inscriptions and Cultic Transformation in the Temple of Djeser-set
2:15 PM Jasnow (Johns Hopkins University) and Christina Di Cerbo (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago)
Recent Documentation of Medinet Habu Graffiti by the Epigraphic Survey
3 PM Coffee break
3:15 PM Sabine Albersmeier (Walters Art Gallery)
Ptolemaic Statues of Priestesses from Thebes
4 PM Ian Moyer (Pomona College)
Finding the “Middle Ground”: Cultures of Greek and Egyptian Elites in the Ptolemaic Thebaid
4:45 PM Closing remarks: Betsy Bryan (Johns Hopkins University)

August 17, 2006

New Oriental Institute Archaeological Research Project
At the site of Zincirli (ancient Sam’al) in southeast Turkey

The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago is starting a new long-term excavation project at the site of Zincirli (ancient Sam’al) in southeast Turkey. The excavations will be directed on behalf of the Oriental Institute by Dr. David Schloen. The first season of fieldwork will take place in August-September 2006.

The Zincirli project is the most recent expression of an eighty-year-long tradition of archaeological research cooperation between the Oriental Institute and the government of Turkey.

Zincirli is a 40-hectare Bronze and Iron Age urban center located immediately to the east of the Amanus mountain range in Gaziantep province of southeast Turkey. Early excavations were conducted at the site by the German Oriental Society from 1888 to 1902. There have been no archaeological excavations at Zincirli for more than a century.

Ceramics found by the early excavators reveal a long sequence of occupation in the Bronze Age. After the collapse of the Hittite Empire, Zincirli flourished as the center of an Iron Age city-state ruled by Luwian and Aramaean kings. It was later incorporated into the Assyrian Empire and ultimately destroyed and abandoned in the seventh century B.C.

Zincirli is notable for its enormous double fortification wall with three gates and 100 bastions enclosing the as-yet-unexcavated lower town. The German excavations on the citadel recovered large numbers of relief-carved orthostats, along with inscriptions in Aramaic, Phoenician, Luwian, and Akkadian. These are on exhibit in Berlin and Istanbul.

The new Oriental Institute excavations at Zincirli will allow us to investigate key research problems such as: a) the Late Bronze-Iron Age transition, b) the ethno-linguistic dynamics of Neo-Hittite city-states in this border region between Anatolia and Syria, and c) Assyrian imperial administration. The ease of access to seventh-century B.C. deposits immediately beneath the surface due to the circumstances of the site’s destruction and abandonment provides a rare opportunity to make broad horizontal exposures of an Iron Age urban center.

The data generated by the planned long-term excavations at Zincirli can make significant contributions to our understanding of the social, political, and economic organization of this pivotal region in the Bronze and Iron Ages.

The Oriental Institute now sponsors two major excavations in Turkey: the Zincirli Expedition and the Joint METU- (Middle East Technical University)-Chicago excavations at Kerkenes Dag.


August 16, 2006

Oriental Institute Job Posting

Security and Visitor Services Supervisor

The Oriental Institute
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

The University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute is an internationally recognized research center and museum for studying the archaeological and textual record of the ancient Near East. A primary unit within the Institute is its public museum which serves 60,000 visitors each year. The Security and Visitor Services Supervisor is responsible for the security and visitor experience of the Oriental Institute facility and its museum galleries. Candidates are expected to have experience in security, visitor services or a combination of the two. We seek a highly motivated individual who is skilled in the management of guard staffing, can interact with a diverse group of clients, is able to balance the security needs of the Institute while allowing for positive visitor experiences for the public and who can introduce innovative approaches to security and guest services.

To apply for this position, please apply online at the University of Chicago’s job posting website at http://jobs.uchicago.edu.

Applications must be received by September 15, 2006.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer.

May 31, 2006

Oriental Institute Retirement Announcement

Thomas Holland, Managing Editor

Oriental Institute Publications Office

Please join me in congratulating Tom Holland on his outstanding, 22-year career at the Oriental Institute. Tom announced his retirement this past week and has chosen December 31st, 2006 as his last official day on the second floor.

Tom has been a member of the Oriental Institute since 1984, holding positions as Senior Editor and Research Associate. He brought with him a wealth of experience from distinguished institutions such as Cambridge and Oxford Universities as well as the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem where he was Acting Director. He has excavated at key sites in the mid-east such as Petra, Jordan, Tell Brak, Syria and Umm Dabaghiyah, Iraq. He skillfully edited and managed Oriental Institute publications throughout his years at the Institute and will be witnessing the upcoming release of his own publication, Volume II - Tell es-Sweyhat: Archaeology of the Bronze Age, Hellenistic and Roman Remains from an Ancient Town on the Euphrates River, due this fall. A number of events are planned for the beginning of December, including a series of slide show presentations from Tom’s personal slide collection featuring views of the Nile during the 1960’s and photos from Syria and Jordan with many interesting photos of distinguished individuals in the field, from Seton Lloyd to Kathleen Kenyon.

I hope you will join in thanking Tom for his dedication and professionalism throughout his time at the Institute and wish him well as he pursues future endeavors in retirement.


May 18 , 2006

The Oriental Institute Publications Office announcesa new print publication:

OIP 132. The Egyptian Coffin Texts, Volume 8. Middle Kingdom Copies of Pyramid Texts. James P. Allen.

Order information for this print publication is available here.


April 17, 2006

As part of its ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS ON-LINE, the Oriental Institute Publications Office announces a new electronic publications:

Margins of Writing, Origins of Cultures. Seth L. Sanders, editor. With contributions by Seth L. Sanders, John Kelly, Gonzalo Rubio, Jacco Dieleman, Jerrold Cooper, Christopher Woods, Annick Payne, William Schniedewind, Michael Silverstein-, Piotr Michalowski, Paul-Alain Beaulieu, Theo van den Hout, Paul Zimansky, Sheldon Pollock, and Peter Machinist.


March 31, 2006

Two Special Exhibits at the Oriental Institute

Opening May 23, 2006


March 31, 2006

Symposium on Ancient Nubia

Ancient Nubia: Glory and Grandeur Along the Nile
Saturday, May 6, 2006
9:30am – 5pm
Breasted Hall, Oriental Institute

Presented by the Oriental Institute and the Graham School of General Studies of the University of Chicago . Co-sponsored by the Chicago Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America


March 17, 2006

Oriental Institute Job Posting

Demotic Dictionary Research Associate

The Oriental Institute
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Demotic Dictionary Project (CDD) of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago is searching for a scholar to assist with the completion of this dictionary project. The successful candidate must have a Ph.D., extensive background in Demotic (as well as knowledge of other stages of Egyptian; knowledge of Greek or Aramaic useful), an interest in lexicography, and a commitment to precision and respect for details; wide bibliographic knowledge would also be useful. Duties will include proofreading, checking, and editing draft manuscript of the CDD, preparation of scans and facsimiles of lexical items included in the manuscript, and informed addition of material and references to the manuscript. This person will also supervise student employees and volunteers working on the CDD. The initial appointment, as Research Associate, will be for one year, beginning July 1, 2006. The job may be renewable annually for up to a maximum of five (5) years.

Applications should include CV, names of 2-3 referees, and a statement of qualifications and experience. Apply online at uchicago.edu or send via e-mail to Janet H. Johnson: j-johnson@uchicago.edu.

For consideration, applications must be received by May 1, 2006.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.


March 13, 2006

As part of its ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS ON-LINE, the Oriental Institute Publications Office announces a new electronic publications:

The Hittite Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Volume S, Fascicle 2, sa- to saptamenzu. Edited by Hans G. Güterbock, Harry A. Hoffner, and Theo P. J. van den Hout


March 9, 2006

The Oriental Institute’s Modelling Ancient Settlement Systems (MASS) project has added recent Conference Papers and News Items to their website.


March 9, 2006

As part of its ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS ON-LINE, the Oriental Institute Publications Office announces a new electronic publications:

OIP 131. The Amuq Valley Regional Projects, Volume 1 – Surveys in the Plain of Antioch and Orontes Delta, Turkey, 1995-2002. Kutlu Aslihan Yener, with chapters by Stephen Batiuk, Aaron A. Burke, Jesse J. Casana, Amy Rebecca Gansell,Timothy P. Harrison, Hatice Pamir, Laurence Pavlish, Tony J. Wilkinson, and Kutlu Aslihan Yener, with contribution by Robert K. Ritner.

OIMP 24. Lost Nubia: A Centennial Exhibit of Photographs from the 1905-1907 Egyptian Expedition of the University of Chicago. John A. Larson

These documents are in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) file.


March 9, 2006

The Oriental Institute’s Modelling Ancient Settlement Systems (MASS) project has added recent Conference Papers and News Items to their website.


March 6, 2006

Oriental Institute Job Posting

Post Doctoral Fellow

The Oriental Institute
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago invites applications for the Oriental Institute Post-Doctoral Fellowship program for the 2006-2007 academic year. This is a twelve month, non-renewable fellowship. The Post-Doctoral Fellow will organize and conduct a one-to-two day conference at the Oriental Institute on key comparatively-oriented theoretical or methodological issues in the field of ancient studies (archaeological, text-based, and/or art historical avenues of research). We encourage cross disciplinary proposals that deal with the ancient Near East (including Egypt) or that compare the Near East with other cultural areas. The conference will take place in mid-February 2007. After the conference, the Fellow will assemble and edit the proceedings for publication by the Oriental Institute. The Fellow is also encouraged to pursue his or her own research while in residence and to interact with the Oriental Institute community. Salary for this position is $40,000 plus benefits.

Qualifications: Ph.D. in a discipline relating to ancient studies must be complete at the time of application. Applicants should send:

  1. 5-page proposal outlining nature and structure of the conference (including names and paper topics of five to eight key participants who have agreed to make presentations, should the conference be funded)
  2. curriculum vitae
  3. 3 letters of reference (these may be sent under separate cover).

Electronic submissions are welcome.

Deadline for completed applications is April 30, 2006. Start date is September 1, 2006.

Please send applications to: Oriental Institute Post-Doctoral Fellowship, attn.
Olivia Boyd, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, 1155 East 58th St., Chicago, IL 60637. e-mail: oeboyd@uchicago.edu


February 22, 2006

The Oriental Institute Publications Office announces four new print publications:

OIMP 24. Lost Nubia: A Centennial Exhibit of Photographs from the 1905-1907 Egyptian Expedition of the University of Chicago. John A. Larson.

OIP 126. Taxes, Taxpayers, And Tax Receipts In Early Ptolemaic Thebes – Demotic and Greek Ostraca from the Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago. Brian P. Muhs.

OIP 131. The Amuq Valley Regional Projects, Volume 1 – Surveys in the Plain of Antioch and Orontes Delta, Turkey, 1995-2002. Kutlu Aslihan Yener with chapters by Stephen Batiuk, Aaron A. Burke, Jesse J. Casana, Amy Rebecca Gansell, Timothy P. Harrison, Hatice Pamir, Laurence Pavlish, Tony J. Wilkinson, and Kutlu Aslihan Yener, with contribution by Robert K. Ritner.

The Hittite Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CHD), Volume S, fascicle 2.

Order information for these print publications is available here.


February 20, 2006

Symposium: PERFORMING DEATH: SOCIAL ANALYSES OF FUNERARY TRADITIONS IN THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN