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Dr. Andreas Fuchs is an außerplanmäßiger Professor (Extraordinary Professor) at the Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies within the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Tübingen, Germany. He has held this position since 2004, following his habilitation in Cultural Sciences at the University of Tübingen in 2004. His academic career includes previous positions as a scientific assistant at the University of Tübingen (1999-2004) and at Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (1994-1998). His educational background includes: Studies in Assyriology, Arabic, and Ethnology at Georg-August-University Göttingen (starting 1980) PhD in 1993 Habilitation at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Tübingen (2004) Professor Fuchs specializes in the Neo-Assyrian Period of Ancient Near Eastern history, with research focusing on royal inscriptions and letters, cultural history, historical topography, and military history of Ancient Western Asia. His work bridges philological analysis with historical and archaeological approaches to understand the political, military, and cultural dynamics of the Assyrian Empire. His expertise extends to the broader context of the Ancient Near East, including neighboring regions such as Anatolia, Iran, and Mesopotamia. His scholarly publications demonstrate consistent focus on military history, royal inscriptions, and political dynamics across the Neo-Assyrian period. Recent works examine communications systems in the Iron Age, the Medes and Mannea kingdoms, and the historical accuracy of Assyrian royal chronology. His research shows particular interest in how military organization, resource management, and communication systems contributed to imperial stability. He is an active member of the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft (German Oriental Society) and participates in several major research projects, including the publication of texts from archaeological excavations at Tell Halaf (Syria) and Sirkeli-Höyök (Turkey), as well as contributing to the Collaborative Research Center "Resources" with his project on "Resource acquisition and empire building." Professor Fuchs is currently working on a comprehensive monograph on the Neo-Assyrian Empire and other scholarly works examining Assyrian dynasties and royal inscriptions.

• Ancient Near Eastern Studies
• Assyriology
• Neo-Assyrian Period
• +3 more

Christian Hess was a Lecturer and Undergraduate/Graduate Advisor in the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, and a Senior Fellow at Koç University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED). His work focused on Assyriology, the Ancient Near East, and Akkadian language studies. He contributed to interdisciplinary projects like the Broadening Horizons conference series and co-led excavations at Tell Satu Qala (ancient Idu). Hess specialized in toponymy, linguistic analysis of cuneiform texts, and the intersection of material culture with historical narratives. Key research areas: Mittelassyrische texts, Mesopotamian linguistic landscapes, and Iron Age sociopolitical structures Co-authored major toponymic studies (e.g., Toponyme der mittelassyrischen Texte ) Edited volumes on interdisciplinary ancient studies and language history His publications span archaeological reports (e.g., Satu Qala excavations), linguistic analyses of Akkadian dialects, and studies of ancient literary forms. Hess’s work emphasized connecting textual and material evidence to reconstruct historical geographies and cultural practices.

• Assyriology
• Ancient Near East
• Akkadian Language
• +5 more

Dr. Anna-Simona Barbara Üzel serves as a Scientific Associate at the Institute of Semitic Studies within the Department of History and Cultural Studies at Free University of Berlin. She holds the position of BA representative and teaches courses on Religions of the Near East and Languages and Cultures of the Near East across multiple semesters, including specialized instruction in Classical Syriac and Neo-Aramaic-Turoyo. Her research focuses on Syriac linguistic traditions and historical documentation of Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire, particularly examining 19th-20th century conflicts through Syriac mimro (liturgical poems). Her scholarly work reveals consistent engagement with historical trauma, linguistic preservation, and religious identity within Mesopotamian Christian communities. Analysis of her publications shows a clear trajectory examining Ottoman-era violence against Christian minorities through primary Syriac sources, with particular attention to massacres of 1895-96 and 19th century Kurdish-Ottoman conflicts. Her work bridges historical linguistics, religious studies, and Middle Eastern history with methodological precision in textual analysis. As BA representative, she provides academic guidance to bachelor's students while maintaining active research participation in multiple departmental projects including those concerning East Syrian historiography, Jewish Arabic dialects of Mesopotamia, and the documentation of endangered linguistic traditions across the Iranian-Mesopotamian region.

• Semitic Studies
• Syriac Linguistics
• Near Eastern History
• +4 more

Tania Notarius is a faculty member in Hebrew Linguistics at the University of the Free State. Her research focuses on Northwest Semitic languages, particularly Ugaritic and Biblical Hebrew, with expertise in historical linguistics, syntax, and semantics. She has published extensively on topics such as passive voice constructions, stative verbs, and diachronic language development. Education: Ph.D. in Linguistics (2007) with a study on verbal tense semantics in Biblical poetic texts. Research Interests: Northwest Semitic languages (Ugaritic, Canaanite, Aramaic), diachronic syntax, language contact, and ancient inscriptions. Notable contributions include co-editing Brill's special issues on Biblical Hebrew Linguistics and analyzing Iron Age alphabetic inscriptions from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath. Publications span peer-reviewed articles in journals like Journal of Semitic Studies and ZAW , as well as book chapters on ancient texts and linguistic theory. She actively participates in academic conferences, including presentations on Aramaic ostraca from Idumea and theoretical linguistics approaches to Biblical Hebrew. Affiliations: Involved with the Polis Institute of Languages and Humanities in Jerusalem, focusing on Coptic studies and ancient language pedagogy. Engaged in teaching Hebrew language methodologies and curriculum development for university-level instruction.

• Northwest Semitic Languages
• Ugaritic Language
• Hebrew Linguistics
• +6 more

Katharina Schmidt is a Junior Professor for Biblical Archaeology at the University of Münster's Old Testament Seminar. Her research spans the archaeology of the Late Bronze and Iron Ages in the Southern Levant and Mesopotamia, with a focus on iconography, visual culture, and glass technology. Education: PhD from Ludwig Maximilian University (2016), Magister Artium in Near Eastern Archaeology (2012). Research: Specializes in glass archaeometry, Late Bronze/Iron Age craftsmanship, and cultural heritage in Jordan and Iraq. Projects: Leads the DFG-funded 'Mountain-top sites in Edom' and contributes to the Cluster of Excellence 'Religion and Politics'. Previously directed the EU-funded 'Support to Livelihoods through Cultural Heritage' in Jordan and Iraq. Teaching: Offers seminars on Southern Levant archaeology, Iron Age Jordan, and Ammonite kingdoms. Collaborates with institutions like the Jordan National Museum and the German Protestant Institute for Archaeology of the Holy Land.

• Near Eastern Archaeology
• Southern Levant Archaeology
• Iron Age
• +6 more

Zsombor J. Földi is an Academic Councillor at the Institute of Assyriology and Hittitology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), serving as Deputy to Prof. Enrique Jiménez. His work focuses on data management for the Electronic Babylonian Library (eBL) platform, which curates over 25,000 cuneiform tablets. He holds a Post-Doc from Universität Leipzig and is an alumnus of Eötvös Loránd University (Assyriology and Hebrew). His research bridges Assyriology with digital humanities, material science, and prosopography. Key projects include Quantitative mineral analysis of Mesopotamian cylinder seals using Raman spectroscopy Fragment identification and reassembly in the eBL Fragmentarium Prosopographical studies of Old Babylonian documents from Larsa and Sippar His publications span Sumerian hymns (e.g., Enūma eliš comparisons), wisdom texts ( Counsels of Wisdom ), and glyptic studies. Recent works highlight algorithmic string alignment for cuneiform and the legal implications of seal loss in Mesopotamia. He contributes to open-source cuneiform datasets and APIs, advancing NLP applications in ancient text analysis.

• Assyriology
• Mesopotamian History
• Cuneiform Studies
• +5 more

Professor Ariel M. Bagg is an accomplished Assyriologist at the Ruprecht Karls-Universität Heidelberg, holding the title of außerplanmäßiger Professor (apl. Prof.) since 2017. He is affiliated with the Seminar für Sprachen und Kulturen des Vorderen Orients (Seminar for Languages and Cultures of the Ancient Near East), specializing in Assyriology. His academic journey is uniquely interdisciplinary, having first trained as a civil engineer before transitioning to Ancient Near Eastern studies. Bagg's research focuses on the historical geography of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, particularly through his multi-volume work on Neo-Assyrian place and water body names (RGTC 7/1-3). His engineering background profoundly informs his studies of ancient water management systems, irrigation technologies, and hydraulic engineering in Mesopotamia. He co-directs the Eleppu-Project on ships and shipbuilding in the Ancient Near East with Dr. Grégory Chambon of the Université de Bretagne Occidentale. His scholarly output spans monographs, numerous journal articles, and significant contributions to reference works like the Reallexikon der Assyriologie. His recent publications demonstrate increasing focus on the intersection of Assyrian imperial policy, historical geography, and technological history, with articles appearing in major reference works and specialized journals. His unique perspective bridges engineering knowledge with philological and archaeological analysis, offering fresh insights into ancient Near Eastern civilizations. Bagg maintains a longstanding affiliation with the Centre François Viète in France as a Chercheur associé since 2010, reflecting his international scholarly engagement. His career path through multiple German universities (Tübingen, Berlin, Leipzig, and now Heidelberg) demonstrates his standing within the German academic system for Assyriological studies. His advising and collaborative work appears extensive, though specific current students aren't listed in the available information. His research group likely focuses on Neo-Assyrian historical geography, ancient technology, and water management systems, drawing on both textual and archaeological evidence. Professor Bagg's laboratory work centers around the Eleppu-Project, which investigates ancient Mesopotamian watercraft and shipbuilding techniques, combining textual analysis with archaeological evidence to reconstruct maritime technologies of the ancient Near East.

• Assyriology
• Ancient Near Eastern Technology History
• Historical Geography of the Ancient Near East
• +5 more