ISAW NEWSLETTER 7 Fall 2012

INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD New York University FROM THE DIRECTOR

Five years is a major milestone in the life of a young institution, and we duly celebrated at the end of the spring semester (see page 7). This fall we have two additional major steps in the development of ISAW, more substantive than chronological, to celebrate. One is the comple- tion of the recruitment of our faculty, with the appointments of Robert Hoyland (who arrived at the beginning of September) and Daniel Potts (who will join us on January 1, see page 4). Between them they both stretch our chronological dimensions and solidify our position in the middle of the vast geographical domain we try to cover. The other milestone is the completion of the comprehensive examinations of our first cohort of doctoral students, who matriculated in the fall of 2009 and now begin work on their dissertation prospectuses.

The approach of the latter milestone prompted some thinking. Our faculty, students, and ad- visory committee spent a good deal of time during the last academic year taking stock of our doctoral program. How were things going? Should we be making changes? Although the third year of a degree program might seem in some respects a rather early moment for such reflec- tions, it has to be remembered that when the structure of the program was invented it was largely my creation in collaboration with the advisory committee; hardly any of the faculty had yet been appointed, let alone had any chance to work with the program. So I thought it was time to talk about it. Somewhat to my surprise, most people didn’t want significant changes; the students were particularly vocal in liking the program and the balance of freedom and INSIDE direction it gives them. For the faculty, a major question was how to make sure that all ISAW students emerge with some sense of the broad intellectual terrain that the Institute represents, not just with their own selections from the menu, no matter how diverse that selection. The ISAW Community News students thought that was a fine idea in principle, but they were wary of the potential for mis- New Faculty/Incoming Graduate Students 4 sion creep, with time-consuming new requirements. Research Scholars 5 What we have done is to create a biweekly colloquium, at which faculty and other members Staff News/Alumni Updates 6 of the community, including some of our Senior Fellows, will present to the second-year stu- dents (with only light advance reading required) some aspect of their research area. It may, 5th Anniversary Celebration 7 of course, turn out that the faculty learn the most from the opportunity to hear what their col- Research & Teaching leagues are up to (see page 8 for a faculty research report), but that side benefit will also be most acceptable. Faculty/Scholar Research 8 Libraries 10 Digital Programs 11 Exhibitions Roger S. Bagnall Current Exhibition 12 Leon Levy Director Exhibition Lecture Series 13 Lectures and Conferences 14

Photo Credits This page: ISAW’s 5th anniversary celebration. See pg. 7. Cover: Kneeling Winged Monster. Xiangtangshan: Northern Group, North Cave, below perimeter wall niches, 550- 559 CE. Limestone Relief, 86.4 x 68.6 x 25.4 cm. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust (35-276). Photo: Jamison Miller. Part of ISAW’s Echoes of the Past exhibit. See pg. 12.

2 ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 ISAW COMMUNITY NEWS Visiting Research Scholars, 2012-13 Victor Alonso Emily Hammer New Faculty Professor, Universidad de La Coruña Ph.D., Harvard University Daniel T. Potts the transition from pre-history to the Bronze Age Ph.D., Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Research Interest: Near Eastern Archaeology Professor of Ancient Near Eastern in Mesopotamia and Iran, especially the 3rd mil- Research Interest: Ancient Greek History George Hatke Archaeology and History lennium BCE. Jan Bremmer Ph.D., Princeton University Dr. Potts has led and participated in numerous Professor Emeritus, University of Groningen Research Interest: Arabia and Horn of Africa The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World is excavation projects in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Ph.D., Free University, Amsterdam pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Dan- and the United Arab Emirates. He is the found- Research Interest: Classical Religion, Social History Sarah Laursen iel T. Potts as Professor of Ancient Near Eastern ing editor-in-chief of the journal Arabian Archae- Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania Archaeology and History, effective January 2013. ology & Epigraphy, a corresponding member of Tosha Dupras Research Interest: Chinese Art History Dr. Potts comes to us from the the German Archaeological Insti- Associate Professor, Univ. of Central Florida University of Sydney, where he tute and a fellow of the Austra- Ph.D., McMaster University Richard Payne was Edwin Cuthbert Hall Chair lian Academy of the Humanities. Research Interest: Anthropology, Bioarchaeology Assistant Professor, Mount Holyoke College of Middle Eastern Archaeology He is the author of the books In Research Fellow, Cambridge University for over twenty years. Dr. Potts the Land of the Emirates: The Dorota Dzierzbicka Ph.D., Princeton University received his Ph.D. in anthro- Archaeology and History of the Archaeologist, NYU Excavations at Amheida Research Interest: Iran in Late Antiquity pology from Harvard Univer- UAE (2012), Mesopotamia, Iran Ph.D., University of Warsaw sity in 1980 and then taught at and Arabia from the Seleucids Research Interest: Greco-Roman Egypt Marja Vierros the Freie Universität Berlin and to the Sasanians (2010), Meso- Postdoctoral Researcher, Academy of Finland the University of Copenhagen, potamian Civilization: The mate- Michael Frachetti Ph.D., University of Helsinki where he completed his Habili- rial foundations (1997), and The Associate Professor, Washington Univ., St. Louis Research Interest: Papyrology, , tation in 1991. Archaeology of Elam (1999), Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania and Linguistics among others, and has authored Research Interest: Bronze Age Eurasian Although his research interests and edited a vast number of other Archaeology and Anthropology Li Zhang are wide-ranging, the majority of books, volumes, chapters, and Ph.D., Peking University his scholarly work has focused articles. Most recently he was the Hallie Franks Research Interest: Eurasian Interactions in the on the cultural developments Dr. Potts editor of the forthcoming Oxford Assistant Professor, Gallatin School of Chinese Bronze Age in Iran, Mesopotamia and the Handbook of Ancient Iran (2013). Individualized Study (NYU) Arabian Peninsula, as well as relations between Ph.D., Harvard University these regions and their neighbors. Chronologi- Dr. Potts will begin offering seminars in the Spring Research Interest: Classical Art History and cally his span is far-reaching–– from the Neolithic 2013 semester. Please join us in welcoming him Archaeology to late antiquity–– but his main focus has been on into the ISAW community.

Incoming Graduate Students Maria Americo further her study not only of ancient science and Apart from music performance and ritual, Sam is Yan Zhang Maria earned her B.A. in Latin from Hunter Col- mathematics, but also of medieval preservation also interested in related topics such as orality, Yan Zhang received her B.A. in archaeology lege of the City University of New York in 2012. of classical texts and of the effect of the classical textual transmission, and Sumerian literature. from Peking University, China in 2009, and re- Her research on the Mechanism at heritage on medieval Islamic thought. She also ceived her M.A. in archaeology from the same the Summer Program at the American School of hopes to gain training in Latin, Greek, and Arabic Jonathan Valk university in 2012. She is interested in archaeol- Classical Studies at solidified her interest paleography. Jonathan Valk holds a First Class B.A. in Orien- ogy and zooarchaeology in the ancient world. In in ancient science, particularly astronomy and tal studies from the University of Oxford and an her Master’s thesis and other projects, she fo- mechanics. As a student of Arabic, she developed Sam Mirelman MA in Middle Eastern studies from the University cuses mainly on the use of animals after Paleo- an interest in the cultural and intellectual links be- After a career in the field of music and musicology, of Chicago. At ISAW, Jonathan intends to inves- lithic and early Neolithic societies in China, when tween the Greco-Roman world and the medieval Sam studied Assyriology at the School of Oriental tigate processes of identity formation in the An- more complex societies appeared. At ISAW, she Islamic world, especially in the realms of science and African Studies (London) and Ludwig-Maxi- cient Near East in general and the Neo-Assyrian will further study the anthropology, archaeology and philosophy. Her undergraduate theses fo- milians Universität (Munich). Sam is particularly Empire in particular. He is especially interested in and zooarchaeology of the complex societies cused, respectively, on the progression of the sci- interested in the area of music and musicians in the relationship between the self-definition of the of East Asia. Additionally, she hopes to spread ence of alchemy from the classical period to the the ancient Near East. At ISAW, Sam will expand Neo-Assyrian state and the self-perception of the knowledge of Chinese culture and Chinese ar- medieval Islamic period and an analytical over- his research focus to encompass not only musi- people it ruled. By studying questions of social chaeology to promote international and intercul- view of literary descriptions of the astrolabe and cal thought and activity, but also all aspects of belonging and identity in the Ancient Near East, tural research and education. similar astronomical devices from approximately performance and ritual in the ancient Near East. Jonathan hopes to bring about an improved un- 50 BCE to 1400 CE. At ISAW, Maria intends to derstanding of identity in the ancient world. 4 ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 5 Staff News

In December 2011, Abby Lepold joined ISAW where his studies concentrated on art history and Left: Prof. Alexander Jones, as the new Registrar for the Exhibitions Depart- Italian. Prior to this appointment, he was Director Shelby White, and Prof. Glen ment. She holds a B.A. in anthropology from the at a Chelsea gallery where he focused on building Bowersock (Advisory Board) University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. in museum relations. He also served as Assistant enjoy dinner. anthropology and museum training from George Curator at the New Britain Museum of American Below: NYU President John Washington University. Before starting at ISAW, Art, where he curated numerous historical and Sexton addresses the ISAW she most recently worked as a project manager contemporary exhibitions as well as contributed community and guests. at an international fine art transportation company to and edited the accompanying catalogues. and as a registrar at the Museum of the City of New York. The ISAW Library is also pleased to announce the appointment of a new cataloger, Junli Diao. This past spring, Alexander Noelle also joined Further details about his research specialties and the Exhibitions Department as Managing Edi- the skills of our entire staff of catalogers may be ISAW 5th Anniversary Celebration tor. Alexander is an alumnus of Vassar College, found on page 10. Roger Bagnall Leon Levy Director and Professor of Ancient History Updates from ISAW Scholar Alumni On May 22, the ISAW community celebrated the no less distinctive have been Shelby’s generos- Jonathan Ben-Dov, VRS 2010-11, is pleased to at the East-West Center of the University of Ha- completion of the fifth year of the Institute’s life. A ity with time, energy, and thought. To know that announce the opening of The Haifa Center for Re- waii at Manoa July 30-August 10, 2012. festive crowd of about eighty gathered for a lively your every idea and initiative will be examined by search on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Newly formed, and wide-ranging lecture by Senior Fellow Holly a smart, knowledgeable, and utterly committed this center concentrates the research being per- Xiaoli Ouyang, VRS 2009-10, has received a Pittman, drinks in the garden (the threatened rain colleague is a kind of peer review beyond price. formed on the scrolls in Haifa and other locations faculty position in the history department at Fu- held off), and a dinner in the Oak Library. Presi- Shelby’s insistence on quality in every aspect of in Israel. It will host an annual conference and dan University, Shanghai, and her book manu- dent John Sexton and Provost David McLaughlin ISAW’s life has been vital to its essence. publish a journal in Hebrew entitled Megillot. The script The Monetary Role of Silver and its Admin- were present along with other university leaders Center will also sponsor other occasional ses- istration in Mesopotamia during the Ur III Period to celebrate with us the accomplishments of the I noted also that we have a number of members sions and oversee various research projects in (c.2112-2004 BCE): A Case Study of the Umma past five years and the many people who have of the ISAW staff who have been with us from the field at the University of Haifa. The Center’s Province has been accepted for publication by the made those possible. the start, our first Five-Year Club: website is: http://megillot.haifa.ac.il/index.php/en/ Biblioteca del Próximo Oriente Antiguo (BPOA) Mike Kojasevic, who has been series in Madrid. In my remarks at various points serving our magnificent building Muriel Debié, VRS 2009-10, started a new po- in the evening I did not try to enu- even before it was ISAW; Dawn sition as Professor of Eastern Christianity at the Christine Proust, VRS 2010, is now Director of merate all of these people, but I Gross, Sara Roemer, and Jes- École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris in Sep- Research, Laboratory SPHERE, at CNRS and could hardly avoid the most im- sica Shapiro, who were putting tember. University Paris Diderot. portant contributions. In introduc- our library in place from the start; ing Holly, I recalled the decisive Jennifer Chi, with whom Shelby Damian Fernandez, VRS 2009-10, will be a Sol- Giovanni Ruffini, VRS 2007-08, has been pro- importance that the search com- and I were traveling in quest of msen Fellow at the Institute for the Research in moted to Associate Professor at Fairfield Univer- mittee for director had in making our first exhibition even before I the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin- sity in Connecticut and has recently published me see the exciting potential of moved into my temporary office. Madison for 2012-13. Medieval Nubia: A Social and Economic History ISAW, and the role that she and Tiffany Wall joined us shortly af- through Oxford University Press. other members of the committee ter, during the first semester; Lidewijde de Jong, VRS 2010-11, began a new have had in our life as they turned without her, our finances would position as University Lecturer in Roman Archae- Mantha Zarmakoupi, VRS 2009-10, has been first into a faculty search com- surely not have remained on an ology at the University of Groningen this past July. selected as a scholar at the Getty Research In- mittee and later into an advisory even keel and our spending un- stitute at the Getty Villa for the fall 2012 semester committee. The intellectual and moral energy that der budget. Thanks to all of them for exceptional Jinyu Liu, VRS 2007-08, received a Humanities and a fellow of the Center for Hellenic Studies of they have brought to our common enterprise has service through our startup phase. Foundation Grant from Peking University in 2011- Harvard University for the spring 2013 semester. been of decisive value. 12 where she spent her sabbatical as a visiting She has also received a Thyssen Grant with Rein- We are still a young institution, but already we professor at the Center for Western Classics and hard Foertsch (University of Cologne) in order to Shelby White was part of that search committee have a great deal to cherish, and we recognize lectured widely. She will take another year of leave make the virtual reality model of the Villa of Papyri as well, but her role as ISAW’s founder is of course that we are extraordinarily privileged to be part to be a visiting scholar at Columbia University for that she created broadly available over a website much vaster and more profound. As I remarked, of this enterprise. It will be our responsibility to 2012-13 which is made possible by an Andrew interface. The website will provide interactive ac- it takes no perspicacity or originality to observe be good stewards of the gifts that Shelby’s vision W. Mellon Foundation New Directions Fellowship cess to the model in Google Earth in real-time, that the gifts of the Leon Levy Foundation creating and generosity, the inspired leadership of our uni- and a Faculty Fellowship (2011-14) from DePauw provide information on the reconstruction of the and sustaining ISAW are of a generosity unique in versity officers, and the commitment of our found- University. She was also selected to participate in Villa, as well as presenting high-quality images, the study of antiquity in this country or any other, ing generation have given us. the Mellon sponsored Wabash-DePauw program QuickTime panoramas, and videos of the model. and perhaps in humanistic studies generally. But

6 ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 7 the parts of the gearwork relating to the Sun, RESEARCH & TEACHING Moon, and calendars corrected and augmented The Inscriptions of the previous reconstructions by Price and Wright, Alexander Jones and is now accepted as secure in all essentials. Professor of the History of the Exact Sciences in Antiquity Since 2007, I have been collaborating with mem- About 60 BCE, a Greco-Roman commercial ves- ally recycled. saved the “Antikythera bers of the AMRP on transcribing and interpret- sel sank off the small island of Antikythera, be- Mechanism” from this fate, but the action of the ing the inscribed texts of the Mechanism. These tween and the Greek mainland. Its cargo, sea over two millennia was not kind to its deli- inscriptions, which range from single words on which appears to have been taken on board in cate components: by the time it was salvaged the dial scales to long prose texts on the cover Asia Minor and the Aegean islands, included by sponge divers in 1901, the wood had almost plates, were meant to help the ancient viewer to bronze and marble statuary, fine glassware, wine entirely vanished, and most of the bronze was understand what the information displayed on the or other commodities, and—most unusually—an transmuted into brittle corrosion products. When dials meant in terms of astronomy, cosmology, object about the size and shape of a shoe box, the first studies began, it consisted of four frag- and social institutions; for the modern historian with a wooden casing and front and back faces ments accounting for a third or less of the origi- they are the key to making sense of the Mecha- of bronze plate. The plates were covered with di- nal device. Separation of fused components by nism as a production of Hellenistic civilization. sentences and paragraphs. Even with the con- als resembling modern clock faces and with texts conservators, accidental breakage, and a couple Thanks to the CT data, large parts of the inscrip- tribution of modern imaging technology, the work inscribed in tiny Greek letters. Hidden inside the of discoveries in the Museum’s store have raised tions have become visible for the first time, and is challenging, demanding a blend of epigraphy, casing, a complex arrangement of perhaps about the fragment count. Until recently, only the three even the texts on exposed surfaces are seen with astronomy, and the philology of ancient scientific fifty bronze gears connected the pointers of the largest pieces were in the public galleries; the much greater clarity. Where we previously could literature. The new editions will be published over dials to a knob or crank on the side. Museum’s current temporary exhibition on the make out just isolated words and numerals, we the next couple of years under the supervisory Antikythera wreck culminates with a striking dis- now have intelligible (if sometimes incomplete) editorship of Mike Edmunds (Cardiff). This machine, the remains of which are in the play of all 82 known fragments. National Archeological Museum in Athens, was Africans in Arabia Felix: An Understudied Area of Antiquity a planetarium and calendar . Turning That we are able to describe the original appear- George Hatke the knob clockwise represented moving forward ance and workings of the Mechanism with a high Visiting Assistant Professor in time, and the dials of the back face expressed degree of confidence is due to many scholars, this in terms of various calendars and time-cycles notably Derek de Solla Price (working from the Located at the crossroads of the Near East, Af- argument is that warfare between the Aksum and while pointers on a large dial on the front showed 1950s to the 1970s) and Michael T. Wright (since rica, the Indian Ocean, and indirectly the Mediter- Ḥimyar in the sixth century is a product of local- the movements of the Sun, the Moon, and al- the late 1980s). Progressively powerful tech- ranean, the Arabian Peninsula has long been a ized geopolitical tensions specific to the Red Sea most certainly the five planets known in antiquity niques of X-ray imaging have been crucial since trans-continental axis through which trade, peo- region which date back as far as the third century through the zodiac, as well as the Moon’s phases. many components and physical details are em- ples, and ideas have passed. My main field of CE. To be sure, the fact that both Aksum and the Devices like this are occasionally mentioned by bedded inside the larger fragments or concealed research is the history of pre-Islamic South Ara- Roman Empire were Christian polities enabled ancient Greek and Latin authors, but they were behind fused plates or accretion layers. The most bia, a region encompassing modern-day Yemen a certain connectedness on religious grounds, probably very rare. Their design embodied the recent and extensive data gathering, carried out and neighboring areas of Oman and Saudi Ara- though what gave warfare with Ḥimyar special most advanced mechanical technology of the in 2005 by an international team called the An- bia. At the Institute for the Study of the Ancient resonance for sixth-century Aksumites was not time as well as astronomical knowledge derived tikythera Mechanism Research Project (AMRP) World my field of research also includes Ethio- its place in the geopolitical interests of their Ro- from the Greek and Babylonian traditions. in collaboration with the Museum, subjected the pia, with which South Arabia was in close contact man coreligionists, but rather the irredentist be- fragments to microfocus X-ray computed tomog- throughout antiquity, and which has maintained lief that Ḥimyar was Aksum’s by right and that, When ancient bronze objects were no longer raphy (CT) and reflectance transformation imag- ties with the Arabian Peninsula down to the pres- once reconquered by Aksum, it could be sacral- wanted or functional, their material was usu- ing (RTI or PTM). The team’s reconstruction of ent. As a graduate student in the Department of ized through Christianization. Only after the Ak- Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, I wrote my sumites had established, for the first time since dissertation on relations between the Ethiopian the third century, a sphere of influence in South kingdom of Aksum and the South Arabian king- Arabia through the leadership of their dynamic Left: 1905 photograph of Fragment 19 of the Anti- dom of Ḥimyar during the sixth century CE. Since ruler Kālēb (c. 510-540) did the Romans attempt kythera Mechanism, the best preserved specimen coming to ISAW as a visiting assistant professor, to draw the Ethiopians and South Arabians into of the inscriptions available before CT imaging. I have been in the process of turning my disserta- the war with the Sāsānids—an attempt which ul- The text refers to 19-year and 76-year calendar tion into a broader-themed book, Africans in Ara- timately ended in failure. cycles, recently determined to be that of Corinth. bia Felix: Ethiopian Relations with South Arabia during Late Antiquity, which examines relations The Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia remain two Next page: A composite CT image of part of the between Ethiopia and South Arabia from the third of the most understudied regions of the ancient “Back Cover Inscription” on Fragment B. The century CE down to the rise of Islam. world and are excluded in most general histories text describes a system of pointers on the front of antiquity. Yet this is precisely why both regions dial representing the motions of various planets, All too often, the geopolitical tensions between are so fascinating and provide such still largely conclusive evidence that the front face of the the superpowers of Rome and Sāsānid Iran are unexploited opportunities for study. Given all the Mechanism was a planetarium. ©2005 Antiky- regarded as the driving force behind the politics scholarly attention which Christianity, Judaism, thera Mechanism Research Project. of the Red Sea region during Late Antiquity. My and Islam have received, it bears remember- ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 9 ing that all three religions have played a role on Sara Roemer hails from northern California tion of French auction catalogues, and at NYU’s both sides of the Red Sea. That Islam originated and earned a B.A. in design from UCLA. After Bobst Library as an adjunct cataloguer. At the in Arabia goes without saying, though the effort to graduation, she lived and worked in Berkeley for ISAW Library, Sara’s work is comprised primarily properly contextualize the rise of Islam within the a number of years before heading to New York of cataloguing, collection management projects, history of late antique Arabia is only beginning. City to pursue an M.S.L.I.S. at Pratt Institute. Her and the creation of authority records, which more Ethiopia, on the other hand, is one of the world’s coursework at Pratt, which included a practicum specifically includes contributing new records to oldest Christian countries and preserves in Ge‘ez at The Cloisters Library and Archives of The Met- BobCat as well as updating and expanding ex- (Classical Ethiopic) early Judeo-Christian mate- Ge'ez ropolitan Museum of Art, focused on cataloguing isting records’ bibliographic access points in an rial which in some cases no longer survives in the inscription at and art- and museum-library studies. effort to exploit the search capabilities of the on- original languages. In addition, many local Semitic Aksum. line-catalogue environment and meet the needs languages, including some still little known and Before Sara began at ISAW in 2007, she worked of ISAW’s and NYU’s vast community of users Photo: Prof. others in danger of extinction, are spoken in both at The Metropolitan Museum’s Thomas J. Watson and researchers. Finbarr Barry the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. Library as a cataloguer of the library’s vast collec- Flood (NYU) In my own research I draw on primary sources in Ge‘ez, Sabaic, Syriac, and Arabic, together with Digital Programs archaeological reports. I have taught Arabic and Tom Elliott Ge‘ez at Princeton and ancient Near Eastern his- Associate Director for Digital Programs tory at New York University. A shorter study on Ak- sumite relations with Nubia during Late Antiquity, The digital programs team hosted the “Linked LAWDI participants also learned how to use free Aksum and Nubia: Warfare, Commerce, and Po- Ancient World Data Institute” (LAWDI) at ISAW software developed by ISAW: the Ancient World litical Fictions in Ancient Northeast Africa, will be from May 31 to June 2, 2012. Funded by a grant Linked Data JavaScript (Awld.js) library. This published soon by ISAW under NYU Press. from the National Endowment for the Humanities, code is easily installed on an existing website and LAWDI brought together an international group adds pop-up summaries and maps for links to of invited scholars who create digital resources stable, external web resources about the ancient for the study of the ancient world. The institute’s world. Currently, the software handles 16 types Libraries main theme was how to make each resource of resources including art objects, coins, texts, Charles E. Jones most useful to others in the field and to the gen- translations, archaeological datasets, persons, ISAW Head Librarian eral public. Participants learned to apply a techni- places, bibliographic works, and animal species. cal methodology known as “Linked Open Data” The software is best seen in action and you can The ISAW Library is fortunate to have a skilled attention on cataloging Chinese language materi- (LOD), which was developed by Tim Berners Lee learn more about it at http://isawnyu.github.com/ and energetic team of librarians focused on cata- als and assisting in the development of the East and other members of the World-Wide Web Con- awld-js/ . loging collections and available to assist the ISAW Asian component of ISAW’s collections. sortium. community with their research needs. Another LAWDI session will take place in late Jessica Shapiro is a native of Hopewell, New The three days of presentations and friendly dis- Spring 2013, with the announcement to be widely Junli Diao is the newest member of the ISAW Jersey. She graduated from Rutgers College with cussion led to several agreements to cooperate circulated. Library team, arriving this September. He gradu- a B.A. in English. After five years editing in corpo- further. In particular, ISAW’s Pleiades project–– ated with a B.A. from Henan University in China rate publishing she changed course to pursue her an online gazetteer of ancient geography–– in 1998, and completed his studies in Canada M.S.L.I.S. at Long Island University, with a focus emerged as a focal point for linking together the at Queen’s University (M.Ed., 2004) and McGill on rare books and special collections. During her contents of other websites that deal with antiq- University (M.L.I.S., 2006). Junli has almost five time at LIU she attended Rare Book School at the uity. With help from the UK-based Pelagios Proj- years experience in cataloging and metadata University of Virginia. ect, participants learned how to use the LOD ap- services. His first position was as librarian at a proach to create data for sharing standardized campus of The College of the North Atlantic, New- Jessica has worked as an adjunct librarian both in geographic information so that other projects can foundland and Labrador; he later worked as a reference at Brooklyn College and in cataloging create cross-site links automatically. As a result, contract Metadata Cataloger at Education Library at NYU, and as a cataloger for a private collector. over 20 different web-based projects are now of University of Toronto, a Chinese Manuscripts She has been a full-time cataloger at ISAW for collaborating with us in this way. Discussions at and Rare Books Cataloging Librarian for National nearly five years, beginning her work here even LAWDI were instrumental in adding the British Endowment of Humanities Project of Cataloging, before shelves were installed in the library. More Museum, Brown University’s Inscriptions of Isra- Preserving, and Digitizing Chinese Rare Books recently, she has become involved in the develop- el/Palestine, the UK Portable Antiquities Scheme, and Manuscripts, The New York Public Library, ment of the Ancient World Digital Library and has and the University of Pennsylvania’s Open Richly and a part-time Chinese Rare Books Consultant created metadata for both digitized and born-digi- Annotated Cuneiform Corpus to this collaborative for Library and Archives, Royal Ontario Museum, tal resources for that project. In addition to helping network. You can now find links to Pelagios part- Toronto. He comes to ISAW from his most recent catalog ISAW’s growing collection of books and ner sites on many of the individual geographic Pelagios "hackathon" at LAWDI appointment as Cataloging and Metadata Ser- serials, Jessica also trains the library’s student resource pages in Pleiades (http://pleiades.stoa. vices Librarian at the Green Library, Florida In- employees, assists with circulation and course re- org) and you can browse all the link data at http:// Photo: Dan Pett ternational University. Junli will focus much of his serves, and hunts down wayward books. pelagios.dme.ait.ac.at/api/datasets . (Via Creative Commons license)

10 ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 11 EXHIBITIONS Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples nearly one hundred sculptures from the Xiang- tangshan complex that are now in Japan, Tai- of Xiangtangshan wan, Europe, Canada, and the United States. Peter D. De Staebler, Assistant Curator September 11, 2012 - January 6, 2013 The Digital Cave

The ISAW installation of Echoes of the Past Carved into the side of a mountain, the Bud- temple building. In 555, Wenxuan intervened in unites sculptures from Xiangtangshan with a dhist cave temples at Xiangtangshan are the the competition between Buddhism and Dao- full-scale, digital, 3-D reconstruction of the in- crowning cultural achievement of the short-lived ism, citing limited government resources as the terior of the impressive South Cave, the latest Northern Qi dynasty, which ruled over most of reason for providing state patronage to only one of the three cave temples of the northern group northeastern China from 550 to 577 CE. The religion. He organized a debate at which the su- and one that contains inscriptions dated to 568– name Xiangtangshan translates as “Mountain periority of each religion was argued; Buddhism 572 CE. The Digital Cave is an enveloping me- of Echoing Halls,” and refers to two groups of prevailed, and an era of temple and pagoda dia installation that layers high-resolution color rock-cut shrines in He- building that glorified the photographs and 3-D laser scans of original bei province. The em- empire and inspired Bud- sculptures removed from the site onto digitized perors and courtiers dhist converts began. scans of the inner walls and ceiling of a single who commissioned Echoes of the Past Lecture Series cave temple in its current state of preservation. the temples were non- The Sculptures This immersive installation allows viewers to ex- Chinese, of mixed September 27 perience the site and see sculptures that have ethnicities from north The sculptures from Xiang- Revisiting the Great North Cave at been removed from the cave restored within of the Great Wall, and tangshan are extraordi- Xiangtangshan, Cultural and Religious Interactions their original setting. practiced Buddhism, a narily accomplished. Their Katherine R. Tsiang, University of Chicago religion favored by this refinement and careful at- Many sources were used to construct the Digital elite. In their entirety, tention to detail is seen in Cave, including black-and-white photographs October 25 these cave temples facial expressions, hand from the 1920s, new color photography, and Chinese Buddhist Sculpture in the West: housed an awe-in- gestures, and adornment. new 3-D laser scans of both the cave temple in- Charles Lang Freer and the Xiangtangshan Cave spiring world below These statues are among terior and its dispersed sculptures. The surface Chapels ground and reflect a the finest embodiments of of each 3-D model was overlaid with 2-D color long tradition, begun in the essence of Chinese Keith Wilson, The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery photographs in a process called texture-map- India, of situating holy Buddhist sculpture as we and the Freer Gallery of Art ping, which allows models of the cave interior as places within the earth now know it, and are semi- it exists today to be united with untextured 3-D itself. nal to our understanding of November 15 models of sculpture long since removed from the history of Chinese Bud- Xiangtangshan: Northern Qi Architecture the site. The new technologies employed in the The Northern Qi dy- dhist style and iconography. and Decoration Digital Cave made it possible to pinpoint the nasty ruled northeast- They span a wide range in original locations of sculpture fragments now Nancy S. Steinhardt, University of Pennsylvania ern China during a composition and scale, and dispersed in private and museum collections politically turbulent but their subjects include mon- around the world and provide an extraordinary All lectures begin at 6 p.m. in the Lecture Hall. culturally rich era of sters, pratyekabuddhas, means to view them again in their original loca- Additional details may be found on our website: civil war and political instability known as the bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. tions. Echoes of the Past offers an exceptional isaw.nyu.edu/exhibitions/echoes Southern and Northern Dynasties period (420– opportunity to view the dispersed sculptures 589 CE). During the preceding centuries China The artistic excellence of individual sculptures assembled together—in galleries both real and Photo Credits Above: Head of a Bodhisattva Attendant of Maitreya, had seen a number of invasions by northern from Xiangtangshan has long been recog- virtual. tribes; the Northern Qi dynasty was founded by nized. Their original context in the caves was Xiangtangshan: Northern Group of Caves, North Cave, Gao Huan, and a series of his sons and grand- lost, however, when the objects were removed south face altar of central pillar, 550-559 CE. Lime- Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples stone high relief with traces of pigment, 33 1/16 x 14 x sons ruled until conquered by the Northern and sold on the international art market in the of Xiangtangshan is organized by the Smart 16 15/16 in. (84 x 35.5 x 43 cm). University of Penn- Zhou. early twentieth century, and their importance as Museum of Art, University of Chicago and the sylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, a group was overlooked for generations. Re- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institu- Purchased from C.T. Loo, with funds from James B. The Xiangtangshan caves are located not far search conducted by the Xiangtangshan Caves tion. Major funding is provided by the National Ford, 1918 (C353). from the Northern Qi capital at Ye along the Project, an international collaboration based at Endowment for the Humanities, the Leon Levy road to Jincheng, the seat of the Gao family, a the University of Chicago, has now brilliantly Foundation, the Smart Family Foundation, and Opposite: Seated Buddha route much traveled by members of the court. reassembled many of the missing pieces. By Xiangtangshan: Northern Group, attributed to North the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Founda- Cave, perimeter wall niches, 550-559 CE. Limestone Three of the Northern Qi emperors patronized combining cutting-edge 3-D imaging technol- tion. the caves, and Emperor Wenxuan (r. 550–559 ogy with traditional scholarly research, the proj- freestanding sculpture with traces of pigment and lac- quer, 95 x 75 x 33.2 cm. Victoria and Albert Museum, CE) is especially remembered for his lavish ect has successfully identified and catalogued Presented Through the National Art Collections Fund by a Body of Donors (A4 -1924). 12 ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 Photo: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 13 LECTURES & CONFERENCES ISAW Public Lecture Series Fall 2012

The Reception of Antiquity: China and Europe September 28 time Recent Fieldwork at Gordion, Royal City of Midas Exploring a Ninth Century Sinai Palimpsest C. Brian Rose, University of Pennsylvania Father Justin, St. Catherine’s Monastary, Sinai Antiquity has its prolonged life through memories modes of cultural production? What is the role of (AIA Lecture, 6:30 p.m.) October 29 and imaginations that were shaped by textual and antiquity in the modern era? This conference, or- September 13 visual remains. Antiquarianism, which became ganized by Associate Professor Lillian Tseng, is Grooming and Adornment in Ancient China an intellectual trend in China during the 11th cen- intended to break down chronological, geographi- The Urban Landscape of the Early Christians: and Neighboring Cultures tury and in Europe during the 14th century, has cal, and disciplinary boundaries, bringing together New Magnetometry and Georadar Surveys in the Sheri Lullo, Union College captured much scholarly attention. Not limited a group of exciting scholars who otherwise may Harbor District of Roman Imperial Ephesos October 30 to antiquarianism, this conference will explore not exchange ideas on the same platform. Christine Thomas, UC Santa Barbara more broadly the reception of antiquity in Chinese (co-sponsor: The American Turkish Society) Did the Ancient Mysteries Influence and European contexts. It will investigate ques- This event is free and open to the public. Seat- September 19 Early Christianity? tions such as what is antiquity? How did collec- ing is limited; RSVP is required to [email protected]. Jan Bremmer, Visiting Research Scholar tions shape the notions of antiquity, or vice versa? For more information, visit files.nyu.edu/lyt4/pub- New Questions about Old Gold: In Search of the November 6 How did the fascination with antiquity trigger new lic/antiquity_index.htm. First Chinese Goldsmiths Sarah Laursen, Visiting Assistant Professor Recent Fieldwork in the Upper Zerafshan Valley October 2 Pavel B. Lurye, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg The Sixth Annual Leon Levy Lecture Scythians in Tbilisi: November 7 Gods, Humans, and Rulers: Religion and Empire in Early China Recent Excavations at Treligorebi Mikheil Abramishvili, Ilia State University Landscape and Urban Planning in the Second Michael Puett and Georgia National Museum Millennium BC Qatna Professor of Chinese History, Harvard University October 4 Daniele Morandi Bonacossi, Italian Excavation November 1, 6 p.m. Team at Qatna Cities in Steppes - Turks, Uyghurs and Mongols in November 20 In early China, religion and empire were intimately The Ambivalence of Creation: Debates Concern- the Orkhon Valley inter-related. This talk will attempt to shed light on ing Innovation and Artifice in Early China and To Jan Bemmann, University of Bonn Signs of Inflation some of the complexities of religious practice in Become a God: Cosmology, Sacrifice, and Self- October 9 Gilles Bransbourg, ISAW Research Associate/ early China and to explore how the development Divinization in Early China, as well as the co- American Numismatic Society of empire both relied upon and challenged those author, with Adam Seligman, Robert Weller, and Archaeology and City Planning in the Phrygian November 27 practices. Dr. Puett will also draw comparisons Bennett Simon, of Ritual and its Consequences: City at Kerkenes Dağ, Turkey with developments in the rest of Eurasia during An Essay on the Limits of Sincerity. Scott Branting, Oriental Inst. Univ. of Chicago Nemea and the Pan-Hellenic Sanctuary of Zeus the imperial period. October 11 Kim Shelton, UC Berkeley (AIA Lecture, 6:30 p.m.) About the Speaker: Michael Puett is the Walter This event is free and open to the public. Seat- Traveling, in Theory: Movement as Metaphor November 29 C. Klein Professor of Chinese History in the De- ing is limited; RSVP required to [email protected] in the Ancient Greek Symposium partment of East Asian Languages and Civiliza- or 212-992-7800. Please note admission to the Hallie Franks, Visiting Research Scholar Supplying Wine for the Army in Early Roman Egypt tions and chair of the Committee on the Study of lecture hall will not be permitted once the lecture October 23 Dorota Dzierzbicka, Visiting Research Scholar Religion at Harvard University. He is the author of begins. December 4

All lectures are held in the 2nd floor lecture hall, and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. South Caucasus Colloquium Admission to lectures closes 10 minutes after scheduled start time. December 15 For additional information and conference schedules, visit our website: Organized by ISAW Research Associate Karen one-time activities that will further the study and isaw.nyu.edu/events Rubinson, this colloquium will bring together lo- knowledge of the region through the synergy of cal scholars with widely varied interests in the an- the group. This initial meeting is by invitation only. cient South Caucasus to consider on-going and

January 22 January 24 February 5 February 19 Save the Date VRS lecture ARCE Lecture Marja Vierros, Michael Frachetti, 14 ISAW Newsletter 7, Fall 2012 Visiting Scholar Visiting Scholar INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD New York University

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ABOUT ISAW The creation of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) at New York University had its roots in the passion of Shelby White and Leon Levy for the art and history of the ancient world, which led them to envision an institute that would encourage the study of the economic, religious, political, and cultural connections among ancient civilizations across geographic, chronological, and disciplinary boundaries.

The Institute, established in 2006, is an independent center for scholarly research and graduate education.