The Ancient Egypt and Near East Department includes chairs and research in Egyptology, Assyriology and West Semitic Studies (the latter including Biblical Studies).
The Mesopotamian Civilization chair held by Prof. Dominique Charpin focuses on the publication and exploitation of archival documents, particularly from the Paleo-Babylonian period.
Paleo-Babylonian archives are exploited via the following projects and databases :
- Archibab : this project aims to exploit Babylonian archives from the first half of the second millennium BC(http://www.archibab.fr).
- PCEHM : this project, funded by the ANR for forty-eight months, began on October1 2022. It focuses on " Powerand written culture in Upper Mesopotamia in the 18th century BC ".
- The royal archives of Mari : the aim of this long-term project is to publish and exploit the very rich cuneiform archives discovered in the palace of Mari by André Parrot, dating from the first half of the second millennium. Georges Dossin, then Maurice Birot, and now Jean-Marie Durand and Dominique Charpin are in charge. Nearly ten thousand texts have been published to date.
- Fieldwork at Larsa : the professor and A. Jacquet are taking part in the archaeological mission to Larsa (Iraq), which resumed in 2019 under the direction of R. Vallet. Two highlights are the discovery of Prime Minister Etellum's residence (circa 1900 BC) and the study of the canal network in and around the city (part of an ACD-funded project).
The Hebrew Bible and its Contexts chair held by Prof. Thomas Römer aims to research the origin and formation of the Hebrew Bible from a historical, sociological and literary perspective. The aim is to provide a better understanding of the various socio-historical contexts from the end of the second millennium BC to Roman times, the periods during which the first traditions of the Bible came into being, and during which they were written down and canonized.
Research and teaching projects focus on the contribution of archaeology to research into the composition of the Hebrew Bible, particularly the Pentateuch, and the texts of the late Persian and Hellenistic periods.
The chairs of Mesopotamian Civilization and The Hebrew Bible and its Contexts organize their research within the framework of UMR 7192 " Proche-Orient - Caucase: langues, archéologie, cultures ". Within this framework, research in Assyriology is complemented by excavations, historical geography and the Neo-Assyrian world.
Studies on West-Semitic civilizations include epigraphic, archaeological and historical research on the Levant, notably Phoenicia, Ugarit, Qumran, Aramaic, Edomite and Moabite civilizations. Publications and analyses of inscriptions and other material data, as well as historical surveys, aim to enrich our knowledge of this pivotal region between Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations.
The Civilization of Pharaonic Egypt chair held by Prof. Laurent Coulon aims to examine different aspects of this civilization, using an Egyptological approach based on archaeology and philology, drawing on first-hand sources , as well as anthropological questions. The chair is also associated with the archaeological work carried out by the Sanctuaires osiriens de Karnakteam (Ifao, Cfeetk, Inrap, AOROC, Orient & Méditerranée), which is excavating and studying a tomb of Osiris and several chapels dedicated to different forms of Osiris. Particular attention is also paid to the tools provided by digital humanities ; a database devoted to late-period Egyptian statuary is currently under development. Finally, the Chair aims to promote historiographical work on the discipline, notably through the study of major figures in Egyptology (G. Legrain, P. Lacau, E. Drioton, etc.), the critical edition of Champollion's works and the exploitation of archive collections held at the Collège de France.
