Our history
Studies on the Ancient Near East at the University of Warsaw began after World War I. In 1921 the Seminar of Semitic Languages was opened at the Catholic Theological Faculty; it offered courses in Akkadian and Sumerian taught by Rev. Józef Bromski who held the chair. After 1927 Prof. Moses Schorr held open lectures on Ancient Near Eastern history and culture. In the Faculty of the Humanities Dr. Stefan Przeworski lectured on the archaeology of the Ancient Near East. In 1937 the Assyriological Seminar in the Oriental Institute was established. After World War II, in 1947, it was turned into the Seminar of Ancient Near Eastern Philology. The department was again renamed in 1950 (the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Philology) and in 1968 (the Center for Ancient Near Eastern Philology), when it became part of the Department of the Ancient Near East, Egyptology and Hebrew. After another administrative restructuring that took place in 1990 it received the name of the Department of Assyriology and Hittitology. The present name has stood since the beginning of 2009.
Studies in the Ancient Near East before the opening of the Oriental Institute:
- Józef Bromski
- Stefan Przeworski
- Mojżesz Schorr
Studies on Ancient Near East in the Oriental Institute/Faculty of Oriental Studies:
- Jan Braun
- Rudolf Ranoszek
- Krystyna Łyczkowska
- Maciej Popko
- (Krystyna Szarzyńska)
- Olga Drewnowska-Rymarz
- Piotr Taracha
- Magdalena Kapełuś
- Małgorzata Sandowicz
Where to find us:
University of Warsaw - Faculty of Oriental Studies
Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warsaw
Porektorski Building
tel.: +4822 55-20-439
fax: +4822 826-36-83
