Matthew T Rutz

Matthew T. Rutz is an Associate Professor and Chair of Egyptology and Assyriology at Brown University. His research focuses on Assyriology, specializing in Akkadian and Sumerian texts from the second millennium BCE, Late Bronze Age Syria, and ancient Mesopotamian intellectual history. He holds a PhD in Cuneiform Studies from the University of Pennsylvania (2008) and has been affiliated with institutions like the University of Pennsylvania Museum and the British Museum.

His notable works include Bodies of Knowledge in Ancient Mesopotamia (2013) and co-editing Archaeologies of Text (2014). Awards include the Richard B. Salomon Faculty Research Award and fellowships from the Kolb Foundation and Penn Museum. He teaches courses on Akkadian language, Mesopotamian history, and ancient religious texts, and is active in professional societies like the American Oriental Society.

Rutz’s research integrates textual analysis with archaeological context, emphasizing the materiality of cuneiform tablets and their role in ancient knowledge systems. His work bridges Assyriology with archaeology, ethics of textual preservation, and interdisciplinary studies of ancient Near Eastern cultures.