Michael C. A. Macdonald

Michael C. A. Macdonald is a Research Associate at the Khalili Research Centre, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford. He is also an Honorary Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. His work centers on the languages, scripts, and inscriptions of ancient Syria, Jordan, and Arabia, with a particular focus on pre-Islamic epigraphy and nomadic cultures.

Research Interests: Macdonald's research spans a wide range of disciplines including epigraphy, linguistics, archaeology, and social history. His primary areas of expertise include:

• Ancient North Arabian scripts (e.g., Safaitic, Nabataean, Dadanitic, Hismaic)
• Literacy and the use of writing in pre-Islamic Arabia
• Rock art and iconography of ancient Arabia
• History of nomadic tribes in the Syro-Arabian desert
• Domestication and use of camels and equids in antiquity

He has led or co-directed several major epigraphic and archaeological projects, including the Online Corpus of the Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia (OCIANA) and the Badia Epigraphic Survey in Jordan. These initiatives involve extensive fieldwork, digital archiving, and collaborative international research.

Scientific Recognition: Among his accolades, Macdonald has been elected Fellow of the British Academy, one of the highest honors in the humanities and social sciences in the UK.

Advising and Collaboration: While no specific PhD students are named, Macdonald collaborates closely with scholars such as Professor Ahmad Al-Jallad and has co-directed projects with researchers from Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Jordan. His work has been supported by major grants, including from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

Labs and Teams: Macdonald is the founder and co-academic director of OCIANA, now based at Ohio State University. He also leads the UK section of the Saudi-British-German Epigraphy and Landscape in the Hinterland of Taymāʾ project.