New books by OI persons: The Libyan Anarchy: Inscriptions from Egypt's Third Intermediate Period

The Libyan Anarchy: Inscriptions from Egypt's Third Intermediate Period by Robert K. Ritner
Robert K Ritner
ISBN	1589831748
Status	Forthcoming
Price:	$59.95
Binding	Paperback
Publication Date	September, 2009

Ursula Wolff Schneider, 1906-1977

Ursula Wolff Schneider, 1906-1977

Ursula Schneider was the Photographer of the Oriental Institute from 1942 until her retirement in 1973. She was killed in a car accident on August 4, 1977. She collaborated with Erich Schmidt in the publication of the final reports on Persepolis:

• OIP 68. Persepolis I: Structures, Reliefs, Inscriptions. Erich F. Schmidt with contribution by F. R. Matson. 1953.
• OIP 69. Persepolis II: Contents of the Treasury and Other Discoveries. Erich F. Schmidt with contributions by Sydney P. Noe et al., Frederick R. Matson, Lawrence J. Howell, and Louisa Bellinger. 1957
• OIP 70. Persepolis III: The Royal Tombs and Other Monuments. E. F. Schmidt. 1970.

She wrote the introduction to, and selected the photographs for:

• Persepolis and Ancient Iran. 1976.

She was an accomplished photographer, with a long and interesting career. The Oriental Institute Museum organized an exhibition of her work in 1978.

The Ursula Wolff Schneider collection is curated at the Milne Special Collections Department of the University of New Hampshire Library.

The Ursula Wolff Schneider collection consists of more than 7,000 negatives as well as hundreds of prints and proof sheets. The materials span the dates 1923 to 1976, and a substantial portion of it focuses on her early work in Germany (1928-1937). Subjects represented in the collection include: her work as a photo-journalist for German newspapers (1930s), studies of Greek art and architecture (1930s & 1960s), travels in Greece (1930s, 1966 & 1976), Guatemala (October 1961), Italy (1930 & 1936), Mexico (1946), the United States (1940s-1960s), and Yemen (1930-31) as well as her commercial portrait work in Germany and the United States.

This essentially photographic collection is further supplemented by manuscript materials that document Schneider’s life and work. The collection also contains scrapbooks, clippings from publications within which Schneider’s work appeared, exhibit catalogs, and biographical information.

The Miln Special Collections has an interesting biography.

BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR OF JAMES HENRY BREASTED, 1865-1935

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS

VOLUME XVIII—FIFTH MEMOIR

BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR OF JAMES HENRY BREASTED, 1865-1935
BY JOHN A. WILSON

The Oriental Institute in Facebook

[Originally posted 16 July 2008. Updated 22 September 2009 (Research Archives and Mummy Meresamun added]

There are several OI related facebook groups. There first of these appears to be an officially sanctioned presence, with a focus on the museum. Each of the others is user-generated. You may have to sign up for facebook to see these pages, I'm not sure. If you're not already there, it's high time you tried it, so set up your profile and join the groups that interest you!

Oriental Institute- University of Chicago

Research Archives of the Oriental Institute

Hamoukar Survivors

Zincirli Excavation 2008

Mummy Meresamun

We dig the Oriental Institute

I Live In the OI Research archives

Your Tax Dollars at Work

The National Endowment for the Humanities recently deployed a new Funded Projects Query Form which allows access to information about projects funded by NEH since 1980. A check NEH funding for Oriental Institute faculty and projects gives us the following:

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PW-50118-08
Project Director: Matthew W. Stolper (Chicago, IL 60637)
Persepolis Fortification Archive
Cataloging and digitizing administrative documents dating from 500 B.C. from Persepolis, the chief imperial residence of the Achaemenid kings in the homeland of the ancient Persian Empire.
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Humanities Collections and Reference Resources
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $350,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) HD-50482-08
Project Director: Nadine Moeller (Chicago, IL 60637)
Digital Documentation of a Provincial Town in Ancient Egypt
The development of new digital image capturing techniques enabling researchers to process data from archaeological excavations more accurately and efficiently at the site of Tell Edfu, one of the last well-preserved ancient cities in Egypt.
Project field: Archaeology
Program: Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants
Division: Miscellaneous Humanities Projects
Total awarded: $50,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RZ-50902-08
Project Director: McGuire Gibson (Chicago, IL 60637)
Nippur Monograph
The preparation for publication of six volumes documenting and interpreting the excavations at the Mesopotamian sites of Nippur and Abu Salabikh in Iraq. (36 months)
Project field: Archaeology
Program: Collaborative Research
Division: Research Programs
Total awarded: $200,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PC-50084-07
Project Director: Clemens D. Reichel (No address information)
Diyala Virtual Archive
The creation of a virtual archive of archaeological data on ancient Mesopotamia, focusing on sites in the Diyala Region of northeast Iraq (3200-1800 BCE), which incorporates a relational, expandable database to be mounted on an existing Web site at the Oriental Institute.
Project field: Archival Management and Conservation
Program: Grants to Preserve & Create Access to Humanities Collections
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $331,484

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) EE-50435-07
Project Director: Gil J. Stein (Chicago, IL 60637)
Teaching the Middle East: A Resource for High School Educators
The development of academically excellent, free, online materials on the history and culture of the Middle East for high school teachers to use in their classrooms.
Project field: Education
Program: Teaching and Learning Resources and Curriculum Development
Division: Education Programs
Total awarded: $200,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PI-50025-06
Project Director: Gil J. Stein (Chicago, IL 60637)
Accelerated Archaeological Conservation Training (ACCT)
The creation of a pilot project for a two-phase accelerated archaeological conservation education and training program for Iraqi nationals that would include a four-month preparatory phase and six-month intensive training program for four Iraqi nationals.
Project field: Archival Management and Conservation
Program: Iraqi Cultural Heritage Initiative
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $100,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PA-51300-05
Project Director: Theo P.J. Van den Hout (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Hittite Dictionary [CHD]
Preparation of the "Chicago Hittite Dictionary," a comprehensive historical dictionary of the earliest written Indo-European language that is based on all known cuneiform texts dating from 1650 to 1180 B.C.
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Preservation/Access Projects
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $280,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PI-50008-04
Project Director: Clemens D. Reichel (No address information)
Diyala Project
The creation of a publicly accessible virtual archive of archaeological data on ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) that incorporates a relational, expandable database that would be mounted on an existing Web site at the Oriental Institute. The initial component focuses on four major sites in the Diyala Region northeast of Baghdad.
Project field: Archaeology
Program: Iraqi Cultural Heritage Initiative
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $100,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PA-50152-03
Project Director: Theo P.J. Van den Hout (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Hittite Dictionary [CHD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Preservation/Access Projects
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $178,674

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PA-23532-00
Project Director: Martha T. Roth (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Preservation/Access Projects
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $420,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PA-23021-97
Project Director: Martha T. Roth (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Preservation/Access Projects
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $467,980

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PA-23020-97
Project Director: Harry A. Hoffner Jr. (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Hittite Dictionary [CHD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Preservation/Access Projects
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $250,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-21744-95
Project Director: Marion Roth (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $250,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-21743-95
Project Director: Harry A. Hoffner Jr. (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Hittite Dictionary [CHD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $245,000

Walter T. Farber (Chicago, IL 60637) FA-33231-95
University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637)
Ancient Mesopotamian Rituals and Incantations: The Lamastu Series
Project field: Ancient Literature
Program: Fellowships for University Teachers
Division: Research Programs
Total awarded: $30,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) PH-20685-94
Project Director: William M. Sumner (Chicago, IL 60637)
Installation of Climate Control for the Preservation of Near Eastern Artifact Collection
Project field: Near Eastern History
Program: National Heritage Preservation Projects
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $985,832

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-21349-92
Project Director: Erica Reiner (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $348,546

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-21424-92
Project Director: Harry A. Hoffner Jr. (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Hittite Dictionary [CHD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $326,140

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RO-22101-90
Project Director: Douglas L. Esse (Chicago, IL 60637)
Archaeological Investigations of Village Life: Tell Yaqush, Israel
Project field: Archaeology
Program: Basic Research
Division: Research Programs
Total awarded: $44,727

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-21164-90
Project Director: Erica Reiner (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $280,012

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-21152-90
Project Director: Harry A. Hoffner Jr. (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Hittite Dictionary [CHD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $295,722

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) FS-21849-88
Project Director: John A. Brinkman (Chicago, IL 60637)
The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires, 745-539 B.C.: Their Political and Cultural History
Project field: Ancient History
Program: Seminars for College Teachers
Division: Education Programs
Total awarded: $69,493

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-20951-88
Project Director: Erica Reiner (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $295,351

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-20978-88
Project Director: Harry A. Hoffner Jr. (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Hittite Dictionary [CHD]
Project field: Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $273,441

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) FS-21849-88
Project Director: John A. Brinkman (Chicago, IL 60637)
The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires, 745-539 B.C.: Their Political and Cultural History
Project field: Ancient History
Program: Seminars for College Teachers
Division: Education Programs
Total awarded: $69,493

Matthew W. Stolper (Chicago, IL 60637) FA-27081-87
University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637)
The Kasr Archive and Achaemenid Babylonia
Project field: Ancient History
Program: Fellowships for University Teachers
Division: Research Programs
Total awarded: $27,500

Matthew W. Stolper (Chicago, IL 60637) FT-26809-85
University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637)
Reconstructing an Achaemenid Babylonian Archive
Project field: Ancient History
Program: Summer Stipends
Division: Research Programs
Total awarded: $3,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-20612-85
Project Director: Harry A. Hoffner Jr. (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Hittite Dictionary [CHD]
Project field: Ancient Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $313,036
Funding details
Original grant (1985) $266,000
Supplement (1987) $47,036

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-20609-85
Project Director: Erica Reiner (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD]
Project field: Near Eastern Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $349,538

Martha T. Roth (Chicago, IL 60637) FT-25982-84
University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637)
Marriage Agreements and Matrimonial Property in the Neo- andLate-Babylonian Periods
Project field: Near Eastern Languages
Program: Summer Stipends
Division: Research Programs
Total awarded: $3,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-20346-83
Project Director: Erica Reiner (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD]
Project field: Near Eastern Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $340,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RO-20355-82
Project Director: Bruce B. Williams (Chicago, IL 60637)
Nubian Publication Project
Project field: Archaeology
Program: Basic Research
Division: Research Programs
Total awarded: $45,000

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-20209-82
Project Director: Harry A. Hoffner Jr. (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Hittite Dictionary [CHD]
Project field: Asian Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $365,689

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-*2152-81
Project Director: Janet H. Johnson (Chicago, IL 60637-0000)
Demotic Dictionary Project [DED]
Project field: Near Eastern Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $169,575

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) FS-*0083-81
Project Director: John A. Brinkman (Chicago, IL 60637-1569)
The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires, 745-539 B.C.: Political & Cultural History
Project field: History
Program: Seminars for College Teachers
Division: Education Programs
Total awarded: $56,042

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637) RT-*1962-80
Project Director: Erica Reiner (Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD]
Project field: Languages
Program: Reference Materials - Tools
Division: Preservation and Access
Total awarded: $518,898

Yielding a grand total of $8,516,173 support for individuals and projects at the Oriental Institute from the National Endowment for the Humanities during the past twenty nine years.

Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies 19/1 (2005) dedicated to Robert D. Biggs

Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies 19/1 (2005) includes a number of articles by or about Robert D. Biggs:

Foreword
Editorial Board

My Career in Assyriology and Near Eastern Archaeology *
Robert D. Biggs

Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health in Ancient Mesopotamia
Robert D. Biggs

Recent Advances in the Study of Assyrian and Babylonian Medicine
Robert D. Biggs

The Theft and Destruction of Iraq’s Ancient Past
Robert D. Biggs

Bob Biggs―An Appreciation
Paula von Bechtolsheim

*This article first appeared in here the Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies 19/1 (2005): 5–27. Another version, including a few minor corrections, appears in print on pages xi - xxxiii of Studies Presented to Robert D. Biggs, June 4, 2004: From the Workshop of the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary, Volume 2, Martha T. Roth, Walter Farber, Matthew W. Stolper and Paula von Bechtolsheim, eds., and is also available here.

Review of a Review of The Human Adventure

In An Insult to Archaeologists and Stamp Collectors Everywhere,

the folks at Archaeopop remember that a "rather dour individual wrote a review for the New York Times of James Henry Breasted's "The Human Adventure" - a short documentary about the excavation and research activities of the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute." Go ahead, click over there and read, it's nice.

And as they point out, you can register (if you're among the few who haven't already done so) and read the actual review of the film which had three showings at Carnegie Hall.

The Oriental Institute back in Nubia

The Oriental Institute’s return to archaeological fieldwork in Nubia in 2006 and 2007 is detailed on the Nubian Expedition pages.

The Oriental Institute has had a long history of research in ancient Nubia. Oriental Institute Founder, James Henry Breasted traveled to southern Egypt and northern Sudan in 1905-07, to document ancient Egyptian and Nubian monuments. A selection of the Breasted Expedition photographs was exhibited in the Oriental Institute Museum in 2006. In addition to this early work by our founder, between 1960 and 1968 the Oriental Institute participated in the international archaeological campaign organized by UNESCO in the areas threatened by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Nine volumes of final reports have been published. The Robert F. Picken Family Nubia Gallery, which opened in 2006, displays some of the approximately 15,000 objects brought back to the Oriental Institute as a result of the work in the 1960s.

The return of the Oriental Institute to Nubia began in 2006 with a preliminary reconnaissance trip to evaluate the possibility of participating in an archaeological salvage project in Sudan. The Merowe Dam Project at the 4th Cataract of the Nile, upon its completion in 2008, flooded an area of approximately 100 miles in the Nile Valley. Between January and March 2007, the Oriental Institute joined internation teams in the 4th Cataract region in archaeological investigation of the area, an area that had, prior to the salvage project, received virtually no attention.

And see also the full suite of publications on Nubia from the OI, and the The 1905–1907 Breasted Expeditions to Egypt and The Sudan (1055 Photographs).