Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures facts for kids
East Meets West tympanum, designed in 1931 by sculptor Ulric Ellerhusen
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| Established | 1919 |
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| Location | University of Chicago 1155 E 58th Street Chicago, Illinois |
| Type | Archaeology; languages |
The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa (ISAC) is a special research center and archaeology museum at the University of Chicago. It used to be called the Oriental Institute. It was started in 1919 by a professor named James Henry Breasted. He studied ancient Egypt and history. John D. Rockefeller Jr. gave money to help start it.
ISAC studies old civilizations in the Near East, which includes places like Egypt and Iraq. They have a special place in Luxor, Egypt, called Chicago House. The institute also shows off a huge collection of ancient items. These items come from their digs and discoveries. Experts say ISAC's collection of items from the Near East is one of the best in the world.
Contents
History of ISAC
In the early 1900s, James Henry Breasted was busy. He was building up the university's Haskell Oriental Museum. He also did field work and taught classes. But he had a big dream. He wanted to create a research center. This center would be like a lab. It would study how civilization began and grew. He wanted to trace Western civilization back to its roots in the ancient Middle East.
After World War I ended, Breasted saw a chance. He wanted to use his influence to get access to old dig sites. He wrote to John D. Rockefeller Jr. and suggested starting the Oriental Institute. Rockefeller agreed to give $50,000 over five years. He also promised another $50,000 to the University of Chicago. The university added more support. So, in May 1919, the Oriental Institute officially began.
The institute is in a unique building. It mixes Art-Deco and Gothic architecture styles. It was finished in 1930. The building has a special carving above its entrance. It's called East Meets West. The sculptor, Ulric Ellerhusen, designed it. It shows important figures from both the East and the West.
In the 1990s, a center called the 'Center for Ancient Middle Eastern Landscapes' was started at the institute. It uses landscape archaeology to study the Middle East. This means looking at old maps, aerial photos, and satellite images. They use this information to understand ancient places.
Why the Name Changed
In recent years, some people felt the word "Oriental" was not the best choice. It sometimes made people think of East Asia, not West Asia and North Africa. Also, the word had started to have a negative meaning in English.
So, in March 2023, the University of Chicago decided to change the name. The institute's new name is the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa. It's often called ISAC for short. The new logo for ISAC has a lotus flower. This flower is found in ancient art from Assyria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. It's also a decoration on the ISAC building itself.
Research and Collections
The ISAC Museum has many amazing items. They come from digs in places like Egypt, Israel, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. Some famous pieces include the Megiddo Ivories. There are also treasures from Persepolis, which was an old Persian capital. You can also see a huge 40-ton Lamassu. This is a winged bull with a human head. It came from the palace of Sargon II. There is also a giant statue of King Tutankhamun. The museum is free to visit, but donations are welcome.
ISAC is a very active place for research. The upper floors of the building have a library and classrooms. Professors also have their offices there. The gift shop, called the Suq, sells books for university classes. ISAC scholars have done many digs in the Fertile Crescent. This is a crescent-shaped area in the Middle East. It is where human civilization first began. James Henry Breasted, the founder, even came up with the name "Fertile Crescent."
In 2011, ISAC scholars finished a huge project. They published the 21-volume Chicago Assyrian Dictionary. This dictionary is a very important book for understanding ancient cultures. It took many years to complete. Other similar dictionaries are also being made. These include the Chicago Hittite Dictionary and the Chicago Demotic Dictionary.
Chicago House
ISAC also oversees the work of Chicago House. This facility is in Luxor, Egypt. It was started in 1924. Its main job is to document and research historical sites in Luxor. They also help to preserve these ancient places.
Persian Tablets Lawsuit
In 2006, a legal case involved a valuable collection of ancient Persian tablets. These tablets were held by the museum. The tablets were loaned to the University of Chicago in 1937 for study. They were found by Chicago archaeologists in Iran in 1933. The tablets legally belong to the National Museum of Iran.
These Achaemenid clay tablets are from Persepolis. They are about 2,500 years old. They show details of daily life. For example, they list the daily food given to workers in the empire. The tablets are small, about half the size of a playing card. They are written in a language called Elamite. Only a few experts in the world can read it.
Experts say these tablets are very important. They give us a chance to hear about the Persian Empire from the Persians themselves. Most of what we know about ancient Persia comes from Greek writers like Herodotus. The Oriental Institute had been returning these tablets to Iran in small groups over the years. A legal case tried to stop this and take the tablets. However, in 2018, the United States Supreme Court decided that the tablets could not be taken from the institute. This meant they could continue to be returned to Iran.
Directors
List of directors:
- 1919–1935: James Henry Breasted; first director
- 1936–1946: John A. Wilson
- 1950–1960: Carl Hermann Kraeling
- 1962–1968: Robert McCormick Adams Jr.
- 1968–1972: George R. Hughes
- 1972–1981: John A. Brinkman
- 1981–1983: Robert McCormick Adams Jr. (second time)
- 1983–1989: Janet H. Johnson
- 1989–1997: William Marvin Sumner
- 1997–2002: Gene B. Gragg
- 2002–2017: Gil Stein
- 2017–2021: Christopher Woods
- 2021–2023: Theo Van Den Hout (Interim Director)
- 2023–Present: Timothy P. Harrison
See also
In Spanish: Instituto Oriental de Chicago para niños
- Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 54
- Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 69
- Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 72
- Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 75
Gallery
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Reconstructed headstone from Persepolis
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Prehistoric objects
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Standard weight of the Achaemenid period
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Golden winged lion
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Engraving of a lion on a wall from Persepolis
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A colossal statue of Tutankhamun from ancient Egypt
