Benjamin Foster

Benjamin Foster is the William M. Laffan Professor of Assyriology at Yale University, specializing in Akkadian literature, Mesopotamian history, and cuneiform studies. He holds a PhD from Yale University (1975) and has authored over 100 works including seminal texts like Before the Muses (1993), The Epic of Gilgamesh (2001), and Civilizations of Ancient Iraq (2009).

• Research focuses on Sumerian/Akkadian literature, third millennium BCE social history, and cuneiform epigraphy
• Recipient of the Felicia A. Horton Book Award (2009)
• Edited over 40 cuneiform texts from institutions like Istanbul Archaeological Museum and Yale Babylonian Collection

Teaching encompasses all periods of Mesopotamian history and language instruction. His recent work examines Yale's 300-year engagement with Near Eastern studies in From New Haven to Nineveh (2023). Active in preserving cultural heritage through publications like Iraq Beyond the Headlines (2005).