Annual Report of the OIC 54-55

7/28/2019 Annual Report of the OIC 54-55

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THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTET H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F C H I C A G O

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THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTEResearch insti tutes are means for the concentration of

effort in fields of special importance, particularly on the frontiersof know ledg e. In the f ie ld of his tory and of the hum an e let ters theyare anything but numerous. The exis tence of an Oriental Inst i tuteat an American university expresses the conviction that the ancient civil izations of the Near East are worthy of intensive studyand that to discover , explore, record, and interpret them requiresthe services of many different specialists working together in closeco-opera t ion .

The work of the Oriental Inst i tute at the Universi ty ofChicago is important for two reasons. The first is the need of ourow n count ry and o f the W estern wor ld genera llyto unders tandthe founda tions of our civil ization, bu il t as i t is ult im ately u po n thehigh cultures of the ancient Near East . The second is the need ofthe con tem porary Or ien t to unders tand tha t we of the W est a reinterested not only in the markets and the raw mater ials i t provides but also in the cultural heri tage common to i ts peoples andto us.

In the thirty-five years of i ts history the Oriental Institute has, in spite of war and depression, become one of the outstanding research agencies in the field of Near Eastern studies,largely because of the eminent scholars that consti tute i ts movingforce. Their competence ranges f rom remote prehis tory to modernIslam, covers al l the many languages, l i teratures, and cultures thatexisted in the Near East over a period of several thousand years,and includes also the technical skills necessary for field work in thegeographic and ethnic areas in question.

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O n horseback and camel-back, in car, jee p, and airplane, Institute staff members have explored the N ear East, locating sources of strategic information or monuments most immediately in need o f salvage. In teams o f field worke rs, with hund redsof laborers locally recruited, they have excavated in E gypt, Palestine, Syria, Tu rkey, Iraq, and Iran, bringing ho m e full accounts oftheir findings and some share of the precious objects and writtenrecords brought to light by their efforts. Meanwhile, other staffmembers, working continuously at the home base, have madeavailable and interpreted the materials collected and provided thetools for the understanding of the written records. All the workproceeds in closest co-operation with scholars of other institutionsand other lands for the enrichment of the learning of all.

W ha t has been accomplished is truly remarkable. Manyphases in the history of man's rise from savagery to civilization inthe Nile Valley and in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin have been illumined. Important historical and cultural monumentspalaces,temples, military installations, literary and historical recordshave been brought to light, studied, drawn, photographed, and

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made accessible in published form. Over 150 large volumes already attest the painstaking work of a generation of scholars, andm or e are continu ally being prep ared. Indeed , so fast was the te m poof the Insti tute 's work, part icularly during the first twenty years ofits history, that the printer is still catching up with the spade.

Although the Insti tute 's purpose, as originally setforth by i ts founder, James Henry Breasted, has been well served,the work is still only in its earlier stages, and the full range of theprogram as or iginal ly conceived has not yet been developed.Most of the ancient cultures of the Near East are st i l l only imperfectly k no w n; others are l it tle m or e than nam es; and yet o thersqui te unknown today wi l l cer ta inly come to l ight . In the f ie ldof writ ten records i t has proved so great a task to read and publishthe texts that their relevance for the study of social , economic,religious, political, and literary history has still to be given fulla t tent ion. Problems of the intermingl ing of cul tures in the Orienthave scarcely been broached, and the whole question of the transmission of Near Eastern civil ization to the West has scarcely beenexplored .

In the meant ime new perspect ives have opened upupon the dis tant past , and new methods have been developed forthe appraisal of its relevance to the present. In the effort to keeppace with such changes, the Insti tute has been re-examining i tsprocedures and clarifying i ts long- and short-range objectives.Fundamental ly , i t s purposeto help descr ibe the r ise of humancivilization in the Orien t rem ains constan t . B ut a conscious effortwil l be made during the next decade to re-create the r ise and thel i fe of the urban community as the means and the measure ofm an's cul tural gr ow th an d exper ience. W it h this effor t the research in the f ield and at home will be ever more closely coordinated under the supervis ion of an Inst i tute Research Counci l

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RESEARCH ENTERPRISESIN C H A R G E : Th e Institute R esearch C ouncilB A C K G R O U N D F O R C I V I L I Z A T I O N

STAFF: R obert J. Braid woo d, Professor of Old World Prehistory (on jointappointment with the Department of An thropology), Field Director.

Linda S. Braidwood, Associate.

T ha t t he N ea r E ast w as the " cr adl e of c i vi l izat i on" as w eknow i t has l ong been an axi om of schol ar l y and popul ar t hought .But the process by which civil ization came into being is st i l l am at t er of di sput e. To pr ovi de t he evi dence t hat w oul d cl ar i f y t hepicture is one of the current purposes of the Oriental Insti tute 'sr esear ch pr ogr am .

The r esear ch under t aken by t he Inst i t ut e t o dat e i ndi cates that the background for civil ization is to be found in thet r ansi t i on f r om f ood- gat her i ng t o f ood- pr oduct i on i n m an' s ear l yhistory. While primitive man st i l l l ived in caves he spent most ofhis t ime hunting animals and scratching for roots, to supply hisdai ly needs. E vent ual l y, ho w eve r , he l earned t hat cer t ain gr ainscoul d be sow n and r eaped and t hat cer t ai n ani m al s coul d be dom est i cat ed and m ai nt ai ned i n t he r ol l i ng hi l l count r y bel ow hi sm ou nt ai n r et reat s . H ence he ven t ur ed i n sm al l bands t o set tl e i nthese ope n spaces, to till the soil an d to p asture flocks. H er e,t hr ough t he m ast er y of t he t echni ques of pl anned agr i cul t ur e andanimal husbandry, he obtained the leisure necessary to fashionto o ls , utensils, and shelters and to develop the social , rel igious, political, an d artistic aspects of life. T h u s he laid the fou nd atio ns forcivil ization. The transit ion that marked his entrance into a newtype of existence took place for the first time in history in the hill

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country adjacent to the upper Tigr is-Euphrates Val ley in the perio d betw een 6000 and 4000 B.C.

Since the end o f W o rl d W a r I I the Ins ti tute has sent o utthree expeditions to explore the later cave and earliest village sitesof the Near East and thus l i teral ly to "dig up" the evidence of thistransit ion. The first , in 1948, concentrated on an early agriculturalsi te, Matarrah, in the plains of northern Iraq, and explored the region for traces of still earlier occupation. The second, in 1950-51,

The hilltop site ofjarmo

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excava ted parts of tw o earl ier vi l lage si tes, Ja rm o and K arimShahir , and cleared a series of cave shelters. The third expedit ion,in 19 54-55 , broa den ed the scope of the inq uiry t o i ts fullest ex ten t .I t explored an ent i re watershed t r ibutary to the upper Tigr is . I tlocated more caves and the earliest village sites ever found in theregion and cont inue d the excavat ion of the vi llage of Ja rm o. I ta imed to determine the ecology of the t ransi t ion by s tudying the

Prehistoric Cave ofPalegaw ra

geological history, the cl imate, and the native plant and animal resources of the region. Thus i t has sought to determine the natureand the circumstances of a revolution paralleled only by the industr ial revolution of recent centuries and, l ike i t , technological incharacter .

The second and third of the Insti tute expedit ions weresupported and staffed in part by the American Schools of OrientalResearch, while the third has had the benefi t also of grants fromfoundations and individuals. For the third expedit ion the Insti tute

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secured the services of scientists in many fields, including the natu-ral sciences. Besides our own people, i ts operating staff included:

Dr. Hans Helbaek, Botanist, National Museum, Copenhagen, Den-mark.Dr. Bruce Howe, Prehistoric Archaeologist, Peabody Museum, Har-vard University.Dr. Frederick Matson, Professor of Archaeology, Pennsylvania StateUniversity.Dr. Charles Reed, Assistant Professor of Zoology, University ofIllinois.Dr. Herbert Wright , Professor of Geology, University of Minnesota.

Reports on the work done to date have appeared in the Journal ofNear Eastern Studies, in the Bulletin of the American Schools of Ori-ental Research, in the publ icat ion o f the C on do n Lectures del iveredby Dr. Braidwood at the Univers i ty of Oregon in 1952 (under thetitle The Near E ast and the Foundations for Civilization), and in theScientific Am erican, and will be found in news periodicals such asTime. Definit ive publications will follow as the work reachescomple t ion .

T H E U R B A N C O M M U N I T Y A N D A N C I E N T C I V I L I Z A T I O NThe appearance of the great c i t ies marks the beginning

of a new phase in the cultural l i fe of the ancient Near East . In-deed, Near Eastern civil ization can be described as the sum totalof the l ife of i ts urban centers, whether they are seen collectivelyor singly and in the case of some of them successively as agenciesof empire in the hands of powerful rulers . Three problems posethemselves here . T h e f irs t is to unders tan d w ha t par t icular co m -binat ion of c i rcumstances brought the f i rs t large urban communi-ties into existence. The second is to understand the effect that theintimate association of great masses of people in the urban centershad upon the character and development of ancient c ivi l izat ion.

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Excavation of the Scribal Quarters at Nippur

Th e third is to distinguish from one another the different patternsof urban life that developed in different geographical and politicalcontexts and to describe the facets of the social, political, econom ic, religious, and cultural life of the ancient cities. Up on va rious aspects of these problem s the research of the Institute, at h om eand in the field, will be concentrated ever more sharply in thecom ing years. A t the present time a number o f fact-finding operations are being staged.

Towns and cities excavated by the Institute in Palestine, Syria, and southern Iraq during earlier years provide a greatdeal of information relevant to the study of the urban community. This information will be brought to bear upon the program , and new enterprises will be undertaken at h om e and abroadto round out the program as time goes on.

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i . A SURVEY OF THE URB AN DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHE RNIRAQSTAFF: Robert M . A dams, Jr . , Research Assistant, Field Director.

Vaughn Crawford, Annual Professor, Baghdad School, AmericanSchools of Oriental Research, Epigrapher.T he pu rpose of this survey is to record, ma inly by

surface exploration, the urban si tes in the region where theearliest high civilization and the earliest city states in the entireOrient f lourished (3500-2000 B.C.); to determine the physiographic and ecological condi t ions favorable to thei r developmentand to trace their history and g radua l disappearance. T he surveyis be ing under taken jo in t ly w i th the A mer ican S chools of Or ien ta lResearch and w ill hav e Professor T ho rki ld Jacob sen as i ts seniorho m e adviser . T he survey wi l l begin in Octo ber , 1956.

2. SURVEY OF THE IRON AGE SETTLEMENTS ON THE PHOENICIAN COASTSTAFF: Gustavus F . S wift, Jr., Research Assistant, and others.

T he purpose o f this survey is to determ ine, mainly bysurface exploration, the pattern of urban development associatedw ith the great com m ercia l enterpr ise of the Phoenician c it ies . T hew o rk should i llustrate a facet of urba nizatio n in the Iron A ge an din a specia l type of context . I t m ay lead to excavat ion wh ere m or eevidence is needed.

3. EXCAVATIONS AT TOLMETASTAFF: Carl H. Kraeling, Field Director.

Charles F. Nims, Photographer and Epigrapher.G. H. Wright, Architect, British School, AthensLucet ta M ow ry, Archaeologist,Wellesley College.Lo cated on the coast of Libya, T ol m eta offers a typical

example of an urban community es tabl ished as an overseascolony by the Greek kings of Egypt . Later , in Roman t imes, i t

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became a member of a league of f ive Libyan cit ies. Since i t wasabandoned at the t ime of the Islamic conquest , i ts remains showvividly the last phases in the life and decline of the intrusive Greekand Roman ci t ies of the Orient , thei r organizat ion, cul ture, anddefense.

THE EPIGRAPHIC EXPEDITIONSTAFF: Geor ge R . Hughes , Associate Professor of Egyptology, Field Director.

Char l e s F . N i m s , Research Associate [Assistant Professor), Epigrapherand Photographer.

D o u g l a s A . C h a m p i o n , Artist.Alexander F lorofF , Artist.Begun in 1924, the Epigraphic Expedi t ion to Egypt is

the oldest of the Institute's field enterprises. It was initiated to helprelieve a situation distressing in two particulars. The first was thatso many of the grea t monuments of Pharaonic Egypt had neverbeen accurately drawn, rendered, and reproduced in pr int forscholarly study. The second was that the vast body of inscriptionswith which the walls of the structures are covered was deteriorating visibly from year to year, after so many centuries of exposure,a great part without having ever been copied systematically andwith full at tention to accuracy of detail .

T he w or k o f cop ying and record ing the reliefs and hieroglyphic inscriptions on the ancient Egyptian buildings is prosecuted f rom the Inst i tute ' s Egypt ian headquarters at Luxor , Chicago Ho use . H ere are pro vid ed facil it ies for the main tenan ce of thestaff, an excellent l ibrary, phot og rap hic laboratories, and draft ingrooms for the technical aspects of the copying procedure. To in-

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Hughes, Nims, and ChampionV at wo rk at Medinet Habu

sure the accuracy of the published result , the copies of the hiero-glyphic texts m ade by ar t is ts on the basis of enlarge d ph oto gra ph sare checked and corrected in succession by two scholars thor-oughly famil iar not only with the ancient Egypt ian language butalso with the subject matter of the reliefs on the walls. Only aftersuch checking and correction are the art ists ' copies regarded asadequate for incorporat ion in the plates prepared for publ icat ion.

The Insti tute holds concessions to copy the inscriptionson tw o o f the great Th eban temples in the area of m od ern Lu xor .It has already discharged most of its responsibil i t ies in the KarnakTe m ple . Cu r rent ly w or k is focused on the M or tu ary Te m ple o f

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Ramses III across the Ni le a t Medinet Habu. Four large volumesrecording the Ramessid texts have been published, a f if th is at th eprinter 's , and others are in preparation. In 1956 the staff of theexpedit ion will be enlarged in the expectation of f inishing by1961 the first and only complete architectural and epigraphicrecord ever made of a major Egypt ian t emple . New types ofenterprises are planned for the succeeding years.

THE ASSYRIAN DICTIONARYSTAFF: A. Leo Oppenheim, Professor of Assyriology, Editor in Charge.

Ignace ] . Gelb, Professor of Assyriology, Editor.Thorkild Jacobsen, Professor of Social Institutions (on joint appoint-ment with the Department of Oriental Languages and Literatures),Editor.Benno Landsberger, Professor Emeritus of Assyriology, Editor.Richard T. Hallock, Research Associate, Editorial Secretary.Erica Reiner, Research Associate.Michael B. Rowton, Research Associate.

Within two years of the t ime of i t s foundat ion, theOriental Ins t i tute began work on what i t knew would be a longand difficult undertaking, the writ ing of the f irst comprehensiveAssyrian Dictionary ever undertaken by and for scholars. Eversince the last half of the nineteenth century, clay tablets inscribedwith cuneiform texts had been brought to l ight in Mesopotamiaand adjacent parts of the N ea r East in hu ge qu anti t ies. B ut the on lytools available for their interp retat io n w ere small dict ionaries co m -piled by individual scholars from a l imited body of material . "It

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was ev iden t ," wro te Dr . Breas ted himself, " tha t t he wo rk o f asingle scholar, such as ha d pro du ce d the A ssyrian dictionaries ofthe past , must be expanded and carr ied on by a permanent centralstaff." Hence, what the Or ien ta l Ins t i tu te under took to do was toproduce a dict ionary that would provide access to the vocabularyof the great body of the material and to the several d ialects of theAkk adian language, so that the des ignat ion "A ssyr ian D ict io na ry"is m aintaine d on ly for t radi t ion 's sake. T he ran ge of cune iformstudies expanded great ly while the Dict ionary was in progress; i tranges no w f rom the Ol d A kkadian tex ts o f the la te th i rd m i l len-nium to those of the Late Babylonian period dat ing from the f i rstcentury of our era, and comprises dialects spoken in areas outsideof Babylonia and Assyria proper, such as Susa, the region to theeast of the Tigris , Ma ri , Syria, and A sia Min or. D ue considerat ionis being given to the Sum erian backg rou nd, to the inform ationcontained in Hit t i te and Old Persian cuneiform texts , to the use offoreign words within the Akkadian vocabulary, as well as to thespread of Akkadian and Sumer ian words in to o ther languages .

T he pub licat ion of the Dict ion ary w il l ope n a vast rangeof cu l tu ra l h is to ry known h i ther to on ly in p ropor t ion to the com-petence of individual scholars the wo rld over . A dict ionary projectof th is same type, carr ied on for more than half a century underthe ed i to rsh ip of Professors Adol f Erman and Herman Grapow ofBerl in , has done for the Egyptian language what the Inst i tu te hasset out to do for the Semit ic records of Mesopotamia.

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Since the project began, the staff has compiled a w or dcatalogue of over two million cards. More are being added asnew texts are published, but the major work of assembling thematerial has been brou gh t to an end, and the staff is no w engagedin writing the articles that deal w ith the meanings o f the individualwords. The first volume, the letter H, has been published. Addi-tional volumes are in preparation and should be available inpublished form at not more than yearly intervals. Each will bewelcomed as a milestone along the path of Assyriological studieswherever they are cultivated.

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ENTERPRISES NEARING COM PLETIONO n a series of enterprises at ho m e and abro ad the pre pa r

atory and field work has been concluded, and only the publicationof the results is inco m plete . In the case of several larger un de rtak ings begun in the i93o's, the task of publishing the record has beenrendered particularly difficult because of the death of so many ofthe par t ic ipants , because of the interrupt ion provided by WorldW a r II , and because of the scope of the un der takin gs themse lves.Individual Insti tute staff members, often working single-handed,have devoted themselves faithfully to the preparation of the publicat ions and wil l wi thin a few years ' t ime have brought the enterpr ises to complet ion.

1. TH E IRA N IA N EX PED ITIO N SIN CHARGE: Erich F. Schmidt, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Field Director.The major operat ion of the Oriental Inst i tute in Iran

covering the years 1931-39 was the excavation of Persepolis, thedynast ic capital of the Achaem enids. In 1934 the Un iversi ty M u seum of Phi ladelphia and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston becam e jo in t sponsors w ith th e Orie nta l Insti tute of this project ,which included also excavations in the environs of Persepolis,namely, a t Naqsh-i -Rustam, Is takhr , and Tal l - i -Bakun, cover ingperiods from prehistoric to Islamic t imes. Available publicationsinc lude A. Langsdor ff s and D . E. M cC ow n's Tall-i-Bakun A>G . G . C a m e ro n 's Treasury Tablets, Schmidt ' s Treasury of Persepolisand th e first vo lum e of his definit ive rep ort : Persepolis. The secondPersepolis volume is in press, and the third is nearing completion.The Persepolis Fortif ication Tablets are being prepared for publicat ion by R. T. Hal lock and R . A . B o w m a n .

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Rock-cut tombs of Achaemenid Kings at Naqsh-i-Rustam

In 193 8 the O riental Inst itute sponsored joi nt l y wi th theIranian Inst i tute and the Universi ty Museum an exploratory expedi t ion into the mountains of Luristan. The resul ts of this highlysuccessful enterprise, which culminated in the discovery of thesanctuary of Surkh Dum, are being prepared for publicat ion bySchmid t .

2. THE IRAQ EXPEDITION: DIYALA RIVER BASININ CHARGE: P i n h a s D e l o u g a z , Associate Professor of Archaeology, Field Director.

In order to trace the beginnings of Sumerian civilizat ion in the central po rt io n of the M esop otam ian basin, the Inst i tuteduring the years 1930-37 conducted a series of excavations in theval ley of the Diyala River , an eastern t r ibutar y o f the Tig ris . H erefour im por tan t s ites w ere excavated, nam ely, Khafajah.Tel l Asm ar,Tell Agrab, and Ishchali . For the presentation of the results of thisim po rtan t und ertak ing a series of 11 volum es was planned, ofwhich 7 have already appeared. The others are in preparat ion.

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3 . THE S YRIAN EXP EDITIONIN CHARGE: Robert J . Braidwood, Professor of Old World Prehistory, assisted byLinda S. Braidwood, Associate, and G ustavus F. Swift, Jr.

To establish the relat ions between the Hitt i te Empire inAsia Minor and the indigenous cultures of Syria-Palest ine, theInsti tute excavated six ancient mounds near Antioch (now inTurkey) dur ing the years 1932-38 . Evidence of prehis tor ic l i fe .a tthree of these s ites C hatal Hi iyi ik , Te l l Juda idah, and Te l lT a cyinatled Braidwood to survey al l the mounds in the Plainof Ant ioch and to excava te Te l l D haha b and Te l l K urdu . T he sur vey has been publ ished. The f i rs t volume of excavat ion repor tsis n o w at the pr inter ' s , and othe r volum es are in prep arat ion .4 . T H E N I P P U R E X P E D I T I O N

IN CHARGE: Richard C . Haines, Field Director an d Field Architect.Thorkild Jacobsen, Professor of Social Institutions.Since 1945 five campaigns have been conducted at

Nippur , re l igious center of ancient Mesopotamia . The three f i rs tw ere s taffed and f inanced join t ly w i th the Un ivers i ty M use um ofPhiladelphia; the fourth and fif th, with the American Schools ofOriental Research. The clearance of most of the two great shrinesflanking the temple tower, the quarters of the temple scribes, anda suburb wi l l br ing the w or k to a natural term inat ion . Finalrepo rts on th e w o rk of the f irst three seasons, prep ared b y D on aldE . M cC ow n , a r e be ing pub li shed th roug h t he Un i ve r s it y M useum .T h e pub lication of th e large yield of Sum erian l i terary texts w il ltake many years to complete . Part icipating in the f if th campaign,in add it ion to the abo ve, w ere Professor Albr ech t G oetze (YaleUni ve r s i ty ) , Dr . Vau ghn C rawfo rd , and Dona l d Hansen .5. T H E C O F F I N T E X T S P R O J E C T

IN CHARGE: Adriaan de Buck, Professor, University of Leiden .T he nam e "C offin T ex ts" is given by Egy ptologis ts to

a body of mor tuary l i t e ra ture commonly wr i t t en in ink on the

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inner surfaces of Egyptian coffins dating from the centuries immediately before and after 2000 B.C. After many years spent in thecollection of the material, publication began in 1935. Five volumeshave already appeared, and several more are planned. All arefrom the hand of Professor de Buck.6. "BOOK OF THE DEAD" PROJECT

IN CHARGE: T . G eorge Allen, Editorial Secretary Emeritus.Known from many manuscripts and in different recen

sions, the Book of the Dead is one of the im portant sources for theunderstanding of the Egyptian ideas about the afterlife. TheOriental I nstitute possesses two manuscripts of the text which willbe published in facsimile and translation, with critical notes andcomparative materials. The work is now nearing completion.7. EXCAVATION AT KHIRBAT KERAK

Pinhas Delougaz, Associate Professor of Archaeology,made some clearances on the northern lobe of a mound on theSea of G alilee in 1951-52, seeking evidence of Hellenistic influence in Palestine. He found a Christian church of A.D. 528 witha fine mosaic inscription. The report upon the work is in preparation.

Khirbat Kerak

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ENTERPRISES TERMINATED O R COM PLETED

ARCHAEOLOGYSoundings at Tell Fakhariyah, by C . W . M cEw anThe mound of Alishar Hiiyiik in Turkey, excavated by

E. Schmidt and H. H. von der OstenThe mound of Megiddo in Palestine, excavated by C. S.

Fisher, P. L. O. Guy, and G. LoudThe palace of Sargon II at Khorsabad in Iraq, excavated byG. Loud, H. Frankfort, and C. B. Altman

Th e aqueduct of Sennacherib near Khorsabad in Iraq, excavated by T. Jacobsen and S. Lloyd

The temple and palaces at Medinet Habu in Egypt, excavated by U. Holscher

Evidence of prehistoric man in the Nile Valley and theRed Sea littoral, a survey by K . S. Sandford and W . J.ArkellFlights over archaeological sites of Iran, a survey by E.Schmidt

First soundings at Dura-Europos in Syria, reported byJ. H. BreastedEPIGRAPHY

T he painted relief sculptures in the mas tab a of M ererukaat Sakkarah, Egypt, by P. Duell

Survey of Hittite hieroglyphic monuments in Turkey, byI.J. Gelb

Ancient records of Assyria and Babylonia, edited by D. D.Luckenbill

Sumerian texts found at N ipp ur in 1900, edited by E.Chiera and D. D. Luckenbill

Biblical texts and scholia, edited by W . W . W orre ll, M .Sprengling, and W . C . Graham

Two collections of cylinder seals, by H. H. von der OstenAn Egyptian surgical papy rus, edited by J. H . Breasted

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T H E O R I E N T A L I N S T I T U T E M U S E U MSTAFF: Pinhas Delougaz, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Curator.

Watson Boyes, Secretary of the Museum and Keeper of Records.Jessie Abbott, Reference Secretary in charge of Photographic Services.Ursula Schneider, Museum Photographer.Robert H. Hanson, Museum Preparator.Anton Timoszewski, Assistant Preparator.W . Mo rden and R. Melillo, Guards.

To achieve i ts purposes, the Oriental Insti tute needs tocommunicate the resul ts of i t s work to others . One of the ways i tdoes this is to exhibit in i ts Museum objects and works of artrepresenting the successive civil izations of the ancient Near East .The exhibi ts include a nucleus presented to the Universi ty ofChicago in 1896 by Mrs . Carol ine F . Haske l l in memory of herhusband and or iginal ly housed in Haskel l Hal l . The f ie ld expedit ions of the Inst i tute eventual ly provided so much important newmater ial that a ne w bui lding, the gi ft of Jo hn D . Rockefel ler , Jr . ,was constructed in 1930, providing five museum galleries, a lecture hall, two floors of offices, a library, and extensive laboratories.By that t ime some of the spectacular f inds of the Khorsabad expedit ion had been shipped to Chicago, so that the great Assyrianwinged man-bull (see Frontispiece) could be set on i ts own foundation and the other relief sculptures mounted on the walls of thegal ler ies . The colossal s ta tue of King Tutankamon, unear thedduring the excavat ion of the temple at Medinet Habu, was restored and installed in the Egyptian Hall . The Persian expedit ionclaimed a separate gallery for i ts objects, even though i ts workhad only s tar ted. The Persepol is bul l ' s head was not mounteduntil ten years later.

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Other important items in theMuseum are the decorative ivories found inthe treasury of a ruler of Megiddo in Palestine; the votive statues and figurines, ofgypsum and of copper, found in the ruins ofSumerian temples at Tell Asmar and Khafa-jah; the models from Egyptian tombs,which symbolize the extent of the servicesneeded to provide adequately for the deadin the afterlife; the cylinder seals that dem onstrate so well the development of the glypticart of Mesopotamia; figurines from Syria,the oldest cast copper known from thatreg ion ; the articles of daily life from ancientEgypt; gold treasures of Syro-Hittite,Achaemenian, and Hellenistic times; andthe Dead Sea Scrolls ja r .

Since the Museum acquires mostof its objects from the Institute's excavations, its cavernous receiving room s, laboratories, and storage vaults play an importantpart in its operation. Here the finds of theexpeditions are organized for study, treated,classified, prepared for publication, andeventually stored for further reference. Certain classes of objects lending themselves toexhibition are mounted for Museum display. Other objects are assembled for purposes of instruction. Students, staff members, and visiting scholars use the studymaterial w ith the permission of the C urator.

To handle the many-sided work

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of the M useum, a large staff is needed. In addition to the Cu rator,who has general supervision over the exhibits, loans, and exchanges, the Museum has a Secretary with a staff of clerical andsecretarial assistants, two preparators, and a photographer. Volunteer helpers from the Chicago community assist in the processing and repair of individual objects, and student researchassistants work under the direction of professors upon classification and interpretation of materials from the field.

The collections of the Institute also provide an instrument without parallel in the Midwest for service to education atthe precollege level. It is a part of the Institute's long-range planning to extend its services to the schools of Chicago, its suburbs,and the outlying communities by making its holdings availablein connection with social studies and student course work inhistory, art, religion, and civics. To this end the Institute is addingto its staff a docent, who will be its special representative in itsoutreach to the high-school teachers and their students. Guidedtours of the Museum will be provided for groups of students fromoutside institutions.

Th e Museum is open to the public daily, except M on day, free of charge, from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., and has anaverage annual visitor attendance of over thirty thousand. Aprinted plan of the Museum, showing the organization of itshalls and exhibits, is available at the desk in the lobby . P ho to graphs of important objects on display, postcards, copies ofMuseum objects, and literature bearing up on the Institute and theMuseum are available in the Museum offices.

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I N S T R U C T I O N A N D I N D I V I D U A L R E S E A R C HStaff members of the Oriental Inst i tute serve the Uni-

versity of Chic ag o also as teachers in the educ ation of the scholarsof the future. The educational work of the Insti tute staff is admin-is tered chief ly through the Department of Oriental Languages andLiteratures, und er i ts ow n c hairm an, as a par t of the D ivision o f theHumanities. A full list of the instructors and of the courses offeredappears in the Announcements publ ished by the Universi ty at reg-ular intervals. Copies of these can be obtained by writ ing to theAdmiss ions Counse lor , Box X, Univers i ty of Chicago, Chicago37, Illinois.

Instruction and research alike require adequate l ibraryand reading room facil i t ies. These are maintained as an integralpart of the University's l ibrary system in the Insti tute building andare un de r the supervision of Miss Jo ha nn e Vind enas, Insti tute Li-brar ian. The Inst i tute l ibrary, compris ing some 30,000 volumes,contains the largest part of the University's holdings in the NearEastern field and is among the best in the country in Assyriology,Egyptology, and or iental archaeology.

From the beginning the Oriental Inst i tute has encour-aged the members of i ts staff to undertake also research of theirown choosing, to enr ich the var iety of i t s contr ibut ion to knowl-edge. This reflects i tself in a steady stream of monographs, ar-t icles in learned periodicals, and book reviews published by themat home and abroad. Naturally i t is impossible to describe fullythis aspect of the work being done at the Insti tute, but the follow-ing major enterprises of its scholars may be listed by way of illus-t ra t ion:

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N . A B B O T T , p u b l i c a ti o n o f t h e A r a b i c p a p y r i i n t h e O r i e n t a lInst i tute c ol le c t ion.

R . B O W M A N , d e c i p h e r m e n t a n d i n t e r p r e t a ti o n o f A r a m a i cr e c o r d s , i n c l u d i n g a n A r a m a i c t e x t w r i t t e n i n D e m o t i cc ha ra c te rs .

W . F . E D G E R T O N , c o m p i l a t i o n o f a D e m o t i c d i c t i o n a r yfrom the origina l sourc e s , using a lso ma te ria ls pre pa re db y th e l at e W . S p i e g e lb e r g .

G . V O N G R U N E B A U M , studie s in the soc iology a nd c ul turec onsc iousne ss of the Is la mic pe ople s .

H . G U T E R B O C K , c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o a H i t t i t e d i c t i o n a r y i np r e p a r a t i o n a t Y a le U n i v e r s i t y , a n d s t u d ie s i n H i t t i t e a r ta n d m y t h o l o g y .H . K A N T O R , a s t u d y o f p l a n t o r n a m e n t i n a n c i e n t o r i e n t a la r t .

C . H . K R A E L I N G , p r e p a r a t i o n o f t h e fi na l r e p o r t o n t h ep a i n t ed s y n a g o g u e o f D u r a - E u r o p o s f or Y a le U n i v e r s i t y .

B . L A N D S B E R G E R , e d i t i o n o f a s er ie s o f S u m e r o - A k k a d i a nl e x ic a l t e x t s f r o m c u n e i f o r m t a b le t s i n E u r o p e a n a n dA m e r i c a n c o l l ec t io n s .

R . M A R C U S , p r e p a r a t i o n o f t h e G r e e k t e x t a n d a n E n g l i s ht r a n s l a ti o n o f t h e w o r k s o f J o s e p h u s f or t h e L o e b C l as si ca lL i b r a r y , a s w e l l as a G r e e k l e x i c o n o f th e a u t h o r .

A . L . O P P E N H E I M , e d i t io n o f a n A s s yr ia n d r e a m b o o k , w i t hc o m m e n t a r y o n t h e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f d r e a m s i n a n c i e n tl i t e r a t u r e .

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PUBL ICAT IONSIN C H A R G E : Th e R esearch C ouncil

Th e Publications C om m itteeTh e E ditors of the A ssyrian DictionaryE lizabeth B. H auser, Editorial SecretaryA ny institute concerned w ith research will owe m uch

of the value of its efforts to an effective publication program. TheOriental Institute has a remarkable publication record, in spite ofthe problems created by the technical character of so much of itsmaterial and by the unusual demands which the presentation of thematerial makes upon the printer.

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Print ing and publ ishing are normal ly handled for theInst i tute by the Universi ty of Chicago Press . A comprehensivecatalogue of the Insti tute 's publications is now available upon re-quest. It lists all the publications as parts of the following series:

Oriental Institute Publications (80 volumes to date)Oriental Institute Communications (21 volumes to date)Assyriological Studies (16 volumes to date)Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization (29 volumes todate)Oriental Institute Essays (4 volumes to date)Ma terials for the Assyrian Dictionary (3 volumes to date)In addi t ion to these, a number of Special Pu blications

have been issued, several of the m join t ly w i th the Eg yp t Ex plo ra-t ion Society. The University Press also publishes works of a gen-eral nature wri t ten by members of the Inst i tute staff.

T o take advan tage of low er man ufactur ing costs andto provide more direct access to overseas markets, the Insti tute iscurrently having i ts Assyrian Dictionary printed in Europe and isexp er im ent ing in that connect ion w ith indep enden t publ icat ionsimultaneously at home and abroad. Supervis ion of the var iousparts of the publishing program is divided between severalagencies of the Institute each responsible in a separate sphere.

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MEMBERSHIPThe Oriental Inst i tute seeks through i ts membership

program to give the publ ic the opportuni ty of closer contact wi thits f ield enterprises, i ts scholars, and i ts Museum. The membergroup has grown steadily during recent years, part icularly in theGreater Chicago area. To members the Institute offers a series ofadvantages:

i. Newsletters coming in from the field at frequent intervals describing the work, the life, and the adventures ofstaff members in remote and interesting parts of the NearEast.2. Illustrated lectures by staff members and visiting scholarsreporting on the newest archaeological discoveries in theNear East.3. Incidental publications of a semipopular nature mailedfree o f charge as they appear, or provided at discount rate.Many members , whi le t ravel ing abroad, enjoy the op

portunity of visi t ing or staying as guests at our field headquarters,of seeing the work of the expedit ions in process, and of having themonuments of ancient civi l izat ion explained to them by exper ts .At home some members l ike the thought of ass is t ing as volunteerworkers in the laborator ies of the Museum and in the preparat ionof materials for publication. The advice and help of the administrative staff and of the scholars is always available to m em be rs w h ocollect antiquit ies or who are planning tr ips to the Near East .

Memberships are adminis tered on a year-by-year basis ,coinciding with the fiscal year of the University, and may be registered in the na m e of husb and and wife w i th ou t extra charge.Membership contr ibut ions are arranged as fol lows:

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Annu al M em ber $ 10.00 a yearSustaining M em ber $ 50.00 a yearAssociate M em ber $100.00 a yearFunds made available to the Ins t i tute through mem-

bers, whether in payment of dues or as gifts , are held in a specialMembersh ip Income Account by the Univers i ty and a re used a tthe discretion of the Director and with the advice of the Institute 'sVisiting Committee for the benefit of the Institute, its enterprises,and i t s Museum. Members and membersh ip funds have dur ing re -cent years added substantia l ly to the holdings of the Museum bythe purchase of rare and important works of art , and have helpedto finance field expeditions and other enterprises abroad.

As a part of the Univers i ty of Chicago, and one that issupported in part by general Univers i ty income, the Orienta l In-stitute stands to benefit from all contributions made to the welfareof the University as a whole. Those having a special interest in thework of the Ins t i tute , however, are invited to discuss with theUnivers i ty 's representat ives gif t opportunit ies within the Ins t i tutethat will strengthen its specific work as well as help the Universityas a w hole .

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THE STAFF OFTHE ORIENTAL INSTITUTEC A R L H. K R AEL ING , P H . D . , Professor of He l le n i s t i c Or ie n ta l Ar c h a e o lo g y and

D i r ec t o r of the Or ien ta l Ins t i tu te .N A B I A A B B OT T, P H . D . , Professor of Islamic Studies.ROBERT M. A D A M S , P h . D . , R e se a rc h A ss is ta nt ( I n st r u ct o r , D e p a r t m e n t of

A n t h r o p o l o g y ) .R A Y M O N D A. B OW M A N, P H . D . , Associate P rofessor of Or ie n ta l La n g u a g e s .W A T SO N B O YES, P H . D . , Museum Secretary.L I N D A S. B R A I D W O O D , A.M., Associate.ROBERT J. B R A ID W O OD , P H . D . , Professor of Old World Prehistory.ADRIAAN D E B U C K , C o l l a b o r a t in g E d i t o r of th e Co f f in Te x t s P r o je c t .P IN H A S DELO U GA Z , Associate P rofessor ofA r c h a e o l o g y and M u s eu m C u ra to r .W I LL I AM F RA NK L IN ED G E RT ON , P H . D . , Professor of Egyptology.I G N A C E J . G E LB , P H . D . , Professor of Assyriology.G. E. V O N G R U NE B AU M , P H . D . , Professor of Arabic.H A N S G U ST AV G U TE RB O C K , P H . D . , Professor of Hittitology.R I C H A R D C. H A I N E S , Field Architect.RICHARD T. HAL LOC K , P H . D . , Research Associate (Assis tant P rofesso r) .G E O R G E R. H UG H ES , P H . D . , Associate Professor of Egyptology.T H OR K I L D JA C O B SE N, P H . D . , Professor of Social Institutions.H E L E N EJ . K A NT OR , P H . D . , Assistant Professor of Archaeology.R AL P H M A R C U S, P H . D . , Professor of Hellenistic Culture.CHARLES F. N IM S , P H . D . , Research Associate (Assis tant P rofesso r) .A. L E O O P P E NH EIM , P H . D . , Professor of Assyriology.E R IC A R E IN E R, P H . D . , Research Associate.M I C H A EL B O RI S R O W T O N , P H . D . , Research Associate (Instructor).E R I C H F. S C H M I D T, P H . D . , Associate Professor of Archaeology.K E I T H C. SEELE, P H . D . , L.H.D., Professor of Egyptology.G U S T A V U S F. S W I F T, J R . , A.B., Research Assistant.C H A RL E S C. T O R R E Y , Honorary Associate.

J O H N A. W I LS ON , P H . D . , A n d r e w M a c Le i sh D i s t in g u i s h e d Ser v ic e P r o fe s so r ofEgyptology.

T. G E O RG E A LL EN , P H . D . , Editorial Secretary Emeritus.W I LL IA M A. IR W I N, P H . D . , Professor Emeritus of Old Testament.B E N N O LA ND S B ER G ER , P H . D . , Professor Emeritus of Assyriology.A R N O P O EB E L, P H . D . , P r o f e s s o r Eme r i tu s ofAs s y r io lo g y and S u m e r o l o g y .M A R TI N SP R ENG L ING , P H . D . , P r o f e s s o r Eme r i tu s of Se mi t i c La n g u a g e s .M A RG A RE T F. B E L L , Administrative Assistant.E L I ZA B E T H B. H A U S E R, Editorial Secretary.

J O H A N N E V I N D E N A S , Librarian.Administration Office: R o o m 2 3 5 , Or ie n ta l I n st i tu te11 5 5 Eas t F if ty -e igh th S tree t , C h ic ago 37, I l l inois

T e l e p h o n e M i d w a y 3 - 08 0 0, E x t en s i on s 2 6 4 1 , 2 6 4232

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Annual Report of the OIC 54-55

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