Eleonora CUSSINI

Eleonora CUSSINI is a Contract Lecturer in the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. She holds a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from The Johns Hopkins University and has been teaching Semitic Philology at Ca' Foscari since 1999. She has also taught Aramaic at the University of Warsaw under the Erasmus+ program and conducted research in Japan through the Ca' Foscari Overseas Mobility Grant.

• PhD in Near Eastern Studies, The Johns Hopkins University (1993)
• Bachelor’s in Oriental Languages and Literatures, Ca' Foscari University of Venice (1986)

Her research focuses on Palmyrene epigraphy, Aramaic philology, and the social and religious history of Palmyra. She investigates legal language, paleography, and Jewish identity in antiquity, as well as modern Jewish memory, particularly through the lens of the Villa Emma refugee project. Her work bridges ancient epigraphic analysis with contemporary cultural heritage initiatives.

The most recent publications reflect a strong trend in the study of Palmyrene funerary practices, economic models, linguistic identity, and material culture. Her articles explore themes such as circular economies, multilingualism, everyday writing, and gender roles in Roman Palmyra, often drawing on epigraphic and archaeological evidence. She contributes extensively to international conference proceedings and exhibition catalogs, emphasizing interdisciplinary and collaborative scholarship.

• Fulbright Scholarship (1986–1993)
• Endowment for Biblical Research Grant, ASOR
• Mesopotamian Fellow, ASOR (1993–1994)
• CNR Short-Term Mobility Grant (1998)
• Ca' Foscari Overseas Mobility Grant (2023)

She has advised and participated in research projects on Jewish heritage, including the 'I Giusti tra le Nazioni' initiative in Emilia-Romagna. Her teaching spans Aramaic language and Semitic philology, and she has received institutional support for international academic mobility. She actively presents at global conferences on ancient Near Eastern topics.

She is involved in digital and public-facing research, including contributions to the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project and museum exhibitions on Palmyrene art. Her work with the Museum of Bologna on Righteous Among the Nations highlights her engagement with historical memory and Holocaust studies.