Hervé Reculeau

Hervé Reculeau serves as Associate Professor of Assyriology in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 2015. Currently on leave during the 2024-2025 academic year, his office resides in the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC). His academic career spans institutions across France, Germany, and Russia prior to joining UChicago.

Reculeau's educational foundation includes a B.A. and M.A. in ancient history from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, advanced degrees in Assyriology from the École Pratique des Hautes Études (M.Phil. and Ph.D., 2006), and training at the École Normale Supérieure in Fontenay/Saint-Cloud.

His research focuses on environmental and social histories of second-millennium BCE Syria and Mesopotamia, examining human-environment interactions through irrigation systems, agricultural techniques, rural-urban dynamics, and spatial conceptions. As an epigrapher, he edits cuneiform tablets from Mari (Syria) and Aššur (Iraq), bridging historical, archaeological, and environmental perspectives.

His publications reveal consistent thematic threads: irrigation agriculture at Mari, Middle Assyrian administrative practices, and climate-agriculture-society relationships in Assyria, demonstrating interdisciplinary rigor in reconstructing ancient Near Eastern lifeways.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Prix Saintour (2013) from the French Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres for his environmental history of Assyria

Reculeau teaches Cuneiform Epigraphy, Ancient Near Eastern History, and Mari Letters within UChicago's Near Eastern Studies curriculum. While his cuneiform editorial work implies active research collaboration, the provided text contains no details about graduate student advising or specific research grants.