Institute of Archaeology and the Ancient Near East
Subject: Assyriology and Sumerology.
Advisor: Prof. Wayne Horowitz.
Abstract: My doctoral research centers on Sumerian and Old Akkadian inscriptions of the 3rd millennium BCE. With a particular emphasis on Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia dating back to the Early Dynastic (2900–2350 BCE) and Sargonic periods (2350–2100 BCE), I study the records of King Lugalzagesi and Sargon the Great. During the 2022-23 academic cycle, I have acted as project manager for the joint initiative between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) and Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) on the Vase Inscriptions of Lugalzagesi (VIL), ca. 2350 BCE. Considered to be the oldest royal statement on religious and political ideology, the VIL sheds light on humanity’s first-ever insights into empire, empirical sovereignty and territory, royal propaganda, and national-identity building.
In a joint effort between HUJI, SISU, and the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), we have successfully deciphered and analyzed the fragmented records of Lugalzagesi, putting together 120 different fragmentary cuneiform pieces to form a composite text. Under the guidance of Professor Wayne Horowitz (HUJI) and Professor Wang Xianhua (SISU), we developed a unique method for encoding (i.e., critical apparatus) the preservation status of each cuneiform sign. I am currently developing the collated dataset into a comprehensive doctoral dissertation. My full consideration of the Vase Inscriptions of Lugalzagesi challenges preconceptions of 3rd millennium BCE Mesopotamia and the “Great” Sargonic empire. Pioneering this manuscript has implications that reach far beyond the scope of the Ancient Near East, contributing to our modern understanding of imperial and authoritarian modes of governance.