doi: 10.2143/ANES.55.0.3284680 ANES 55 (2018) 9-18 Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Formerly Abr-Nahrain: A Brief History Andrew JAMIESON The death of Antonio (‘Tony’) Sagona on 29 June 2017 deprived the field of Near Eastern archaeology generally, the University of Melbourne in particular, and this journal specifically, of a most distinguished scholar and accomplished editor.1 In 1999, Tony assumed the editorship of Abr-Nahrain, an annual referred journal originally produced under the auspices of the department of Semitic studies at the University of Melbourne and established in 1959 by Professor John Bowman. In his first year as editor, and in a rather bold move, Tony changed the journal’s name to Ancient Near Eastern Studies (ANES), which he felt “better reflected the contemporary identity and future of the journal as a modern and lively forum for scholarly studies on the ancient Near East.”2 Further changes were initiated by Tony during his tenure as ANES editor (see below). As a new editorial team now takes over, it is timely to reflect on the journal’s origins and Tony’s seminal contribution to ANES. The founder and first editor of Abr-Nahrain was John Bowman. Bowman had been appointed professor of the department of Semitic studies at the University of Melbourne in 1959, replacing Maurice Goldman, the department’s inaugural professor (see below).3 Goldman died in 1957, leaving his library and the bulk of his estate to the university for the benefit of the department of Semitic studies.4 Importantly, his generous bequest was instrumental in providing the financial resources required for the establishment and ongoing production of Abr-Nahrain. Maurice Goldman Maurice David Goldman (Fig. 1) was born on 13 January 1898 in Kolo, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire). He was the son of retail merchant and scholar Arie Lejb Goldman, and his wife Golda, née Kozminska. In her biographical account of Goldman, Nina Christesen reports that after graduating from gymnasiums at Gostynin and Lodz, in 1917 Goldman went to study medicine at the University of Warsaw, also joining various language seminars in his free time.5 Christesen goes on to record that Goldman transferred to the University of Berlin in 1920 to read Islamic culture 1 For obituaries on Emeritus Professor Antonio Sagona see Ridley (this volume), Jamieson 2017a and 2017b and Pemberton 2017. 2 Sagona 1999. 3 Sagona 2006, pp. 3–6. 4 Christesen 1996, p. 287. 5 Christesen 1996, pp. 286–287. 10 A. JAMIESON and Oriental languages under Professor Eugen Mittwoch. He completed his D.Phil. in 1925, then lectured in Hebrew, Aramaic, Islamic culture, Arabic and Ethiopic at vari- ous German tertiary institutions. In 1938, after visiting London, Goldman travelled to Australia, arriving in Mel- bourne on 2 January 1939. At the time, his sister was living at Horsham in country Victoria. During World War II he worked as an interpreter in the censor’s office. A brilliant linguist, Goldman was proficient 1. Maurice Goldman in modern Hebrew, Polish and Russian; he had studied French, classical Greek and Latin at school; and he mastered all the Semitic languages. It is estimated he had a “working knowledge of forty languages.”6 He became an Australian citizen in 1944. A personal chair was created for Goldman at the University of Melbourne in 1945, initially supported by a benefaction from businessman Abraham Sicree.7 John Bowman John Bowman (Fig. 2), who replaced Goldman at the University of Melbourne, was also a gifted linguist and a biblical scholar with wide-ranging interests. John was born in Ayr, Scotland, into a devout Presbyterian family who encouraged his studies and early interest in the Bible. Educated at Ayr Academy, he completed the ancient Greek syllabus in one year, winning several medals in Classics, before moving to Glasgow University, where he read ancient languages and biblical studies and was honoured with the Orientalist Prize. He furthered his studies at Balliol College, University of Oxford, and was awarded his doctorate in 1945 for The Phari sees: A Critical Investigation. In 1947 he joined the depart- ment of Semitic studies at Leeds University. In 1959 Bowman was appointed to the chair of Semitic studies at the University of Melbourne.8 2. John Bowman During his tenure, the department offered lectures in 6 Christesen 1996, p. 286. 7 Christesen 1996, p. 287. 8 Sagona 2006, p. 4. ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN STUDIES, FORMERLY ABR-NAHRAIN : A BRIEF HISTORY 11 Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac language and literature, and on related cultures, encompassing the ancient Near East, Judaeo-Christian studies, Islamic studies and the modern Middle East. In addition, Bowman supported research in Akkadian, Ugaritic, Semitic inscriptions, and biblical archaeology and the archaeology of Palestine. Soon after his arrival, Bowman founded two annual periodicals, Abr-Nahrain (now Ancient Near Eastern Studies) and Milla wa-Milla (Australian Bul- letin of Comparative Religion [1961–1979]). These initiatives, as Tony Sagona would later note, provided “researchers in Australia with a forum for publication.”9 In his editorial for volume 1 of Abr-Nahrain (1959–1960), Bowman announced that Abr-Nahrain, of which this is the first number, will appear annually. It is the publication of the Department of Semitic Studies of the University of Melbourne. This Department has a staff of one Professor and seven full-time and two part-time lecturers. Its specialists range over the fields of Biblical and Archaeological Studies, Arabic and Islamic Studies, Hebrew, Samaritan, Aramaic/Syriac and Comparative Religion, the latter including Mahayana Buddhism. The name of the publication may seem enigmatic. It is intended to convey our range and the direction of researchers; Beyond Two Rivers. The rivers mean in their context the Nile and the Euphrates. It is not however with the rivers themselves that we are concerned, but with the regions beyond in Africa and Asia.10 He went on to thank his predecessor, Maurice Goldman, and the department’s generous ben- efactors. He also drew attention to new directions taken under his own stewardship, including a fresh commitment to encouraging postgraduate research, which he in fact called “the justification for [the department’s] existence.”11 With the publication of volume 3 (1961–1962) the Abr-Nahrain editorial team expanded to include E. C. R. MacLaurin (from Sydney) as Associate Editor, and William Culican (from Melbourne) (Fig. 3) as Assistant Editor, alongside Bowman as Editor. This expansion reflected an editorial association that was formed with the department of Semitic studies from the University of Sydney.12 Around the same time, the journal’s supplementary series was launched. The first monograph to appear was L. A. Meyer’s Bibliography of the Samaritans, which Bowman announced in his preface to volume 4 of the journal (1963–1964).13 With the publication of volume 5 (1964– 1965), Arthur Dudley Hallam (Fig. 4), lecturer in Old and New Testament studies, replaced William Culican, lecturer in biblical archaeology, as the Assistant Editor. Volume 6 mentions that the name of the department of Semitic studies at Melbourne had been changed to the department of Middle Eastern studies to better describe the range of studies being undertaken in the department. By Volume 7 (1967–1968), the collaboration with the University of Sydney had come to an end, and the editorial team was all Melbourne-based: J. Bowman, Editor, A. D. Hallam, Associate Editor, and J. A. Thompson (Fig. 5), Assistant Editor. In all, Professor John Bowman oversaw the publication of volumes 1–18 (1959–1979) of Abr- Nahrain. When he retired in 1980 he was replaced by Hebraist Takamitsu Muraoka. 9 Sagona 2006, p. 5. 10 Bowman 1961, p. 1. 11 Bowman 1961, pp. 1–2. On the beginning of ancient world archaeology at the University of Melbourne, see Davey 2014, pp. 21–30. 12 Bowman 1963, p. vii. 13 Bowman 1964, p. viii. 12 A. JAMIESON 3. William Culican 4. Arthur Dudley Hallam 5. J. A. Thompson ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN STUDIES, FORMERLY ABR-NAHRAIN : A BRIEF HISTORY 13 Takamitsu Muraoka Takamitsu Muraoka (Fig. 6) was born 1938 in Hiroshima. After studying general linguistics and biblical languages under Professor M. Sekine at Tokyo Kyoiku Uni- versity, he studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, completing his dissertation Emphasis in Biblical Hebrew with Professor C. Rabin as supervisor, and obtaining his doctorate in 1970. Before coming to the University of Melbourne he taught Semitic 6. Takamitsu Muraoka languages including modern Hebrew at Manchester University (1970–1980). Muraoka was appointed professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Melbourne in 1980. He edited volumes 19–30 (1980–1992) of Abr-Nahrain. In 1989, under Muraoka’s stewardship, the publishing of Abr-Nahrain was transferred from E. J. Brill in Leiden to Peeters Publishers, Leuven. In his editorial for volume 28 (1989) Muraoka expresses his appreciation for financial assistance provided by the Maurice Goldman Trust Fund and is “pleased to announce… that an international team of distinguished scholars, have agreed to serve on the Advisory Board.”14 In addition to his editorial role with Abr-Nahrain, Muraoka was also author of several volumes in the supplement series: Ancient Hebrew Semantics (no. 4), Semantics of Ancient Hebrew (no. 6), A Grammar of Qumran Aramaic (no. 38), and Jacob of Serugh’s “Hexaemeron” (no. 52). His com- prehensive Syntax of Septuagint Greek appeared in 2016. After Muraoka left Melbourne, he took up the Chair of Hebrew, Israelite Antiquities and Ugaritic at Leiden University in the Nether- lands, which he held from 1991 till 2003. To this day, he remains an active and much valued member of the editorial board of Ancient Near Eastern Studies. Guy Bunnens With Muraoka’s departure to Leiden, Guy Bunnens (Fig.