oi.uchicago.edu The OrienTal insTiTuTe 2013–2014 annual repOrT oi.uchicago.edu © 2014 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Published 2014. Printed in the United States of America. The Oriental Institute, Chicago ISBN: 978-1-61491-025-1 Editor: Gil J. Stein Production facilitated by Editorial Assistants Muhammad Bah and Jalissa Barnslater-Hauck Cover illustration: Modern cylinder seal impression showing a presentation scene with the goddesses Ninishkun and Inana/Ishtar from cylinder seal OIM A27903. Stone. Akkadian period, ca. 2330–2150 bc. Purchased in New York, 1947. 4.2 × 2.5 cm The pages that divide the sections of this year’s report feature various cylinder and stamp seals and sealings from different places and periods. Printed by King Printing Company, Inc., Winfield, Illinois, U.S.A. Overleaf: Modern cylinder seal impression showing a presentation scene with the goddesses Ninishkun and Inana/Ishtar; and (above) black stone cylinder seal with modern impression. Akkadian period, ca. 2330–2150 bc. Purchased in New York, 1947. 4.2 × 2.5 cm. OIM A27903. D. 000133. Photos by Anna Ressman oi.uchicago.edu contents contents inTrOducTiOn introduction. Gil J. Stein ........................................................ 5 research Project rePorts Achemenet. Jack Green and Matthew W. Stolper ............................................... 9 Ambroyi Village. Frina Babayan, Kathryn Franklin, and Tasha Vorderstrasse ....................... 12 Çadır Höyük. Gregory McMahon ........................................................... 22 Center for Ancient Middle Eastern Landscapes (CAMEL). Scott Branting ..................... 27 Chicago Demotic Dictionary (CDD). François Gaudard and Janet H. Johnson . 33 Chicago Hittite and Electronic Hittite Dictionary (CHD and eCHD). Theo van den Hout ....... 35 Eastern Badia. Yorke Rowan.............................................................. 37 Epigraphic Survey. W. Raymond Johnson ................................................... 50 Giza Plateau Mapping Project. Mark Lehner............................................... 67 Jericho Mafjar Project. Donald Whitcomb ................................................. 80 Jericho Mafjar: Hisham’s palace Site and Museum Project. Jack Green ...................... 85 Kerkenes Dağ Project. Scott Branting ..................................................... 88 Marj Rabba. Yorke M. Rowan and Morag M. Kersel ............................................. 91 Mummy Label Database (MLD). François Gaudard ........................................... 99 The Neubauer Expedition to Zincirli. David Schloen ....................................... 101 Nippur and Beyond. McGuire Gibson ...................................................... 107 Oriental Institute-National Museum of Afghanistan Partnership. Gil J. Stein.............. 110 Oriental Institute Nubian Expedition (OINE). Bruce B. Williams and Lisa Heidorn ............... 119 Persepolis Fortification Archive Project. Matthew W. Stolper............................... 128 Surezha. Gil J. Stein and Abbas Alizadeh . 138 Tell Yaqush. Yorke M. Rowan ............................................................. 152 Writing in Early Mesopotamia. Christopher Woods and Massimo Maiocchi ....................... 154 individual research .............................................................. 161 research suPPort Computer Laboratory. Paul D. Ruffin ..................................................... 187 Integrated Database Project. Foy Scalf .................................................. 189 OCHRE Data Service. Miller C. Prosser...................................................... 196 Publications Office. Thomas G. Urban..................................................... 197 Research Archives. Foy Scalf ............................................................ 200 Tablet Collection. Andrew Dix........................................................... 209 MuseuM museum. Jack Green....................................................................... 213 special exhibits. Emily Teeter........................................................... 220 publicity. Emily Teeter ................................................................... 226 registration. Helen McDonald and Susan Allison ............................................. 227 archives. John A. Larson.................................................................. 233 conservation. Laura D’Alessandro ........................................................ 234 prep shop. Erik Lindahl .................................................................. 238 photography. Anna R. Ressman .......................................................... 239 suq. Denise Browning....................................................................... 241 the2013–2014 oriental ANNUAL institute REPORT 2013–2014 annual report 3 oi.uchicago.edu contents public educaTiOn public education and outreach. Catherine Kenyon.................................. 245 Family and Youth Programs. Moriah Grooms-Garcia ........................................ 249 K–12 Teacher Programs. Carol Ng-He ..................................................... 252 volunteer program. Terry Friedman .................................................. 255 develOpMenT and MeMbership development. Tracy Tajbl .............................................................. 265 visiting committee.................................................................. 266 membership. Amy Weber ................................................................ 267 social media. Amy Weber .............................................................. 270 special events. Brittany F. Mullins ...................................................... 271 honor roll of donors and members ........................................... 275 faculTy and sTaff Of The OrienTal insTiTuTe ............................. 291 infOrMaTiOn ........................................................................... 300 4 THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE oi.uchicago.edu introduction introduction Gil J. stein I am honored to present you with the Oriental Institute’s Annual Report for 2013–2014. This has been a year of unparalleled turbulence and upheaval across the Middle East, affecting Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and Egypt — almost every country in which we conduct our research. The armed conflicts and civil strife across the region have taken a horrific toll on the people of these countries. The impact on the irreplaceable cultural heritage of these areas has also been devastating. As a result, our work is changing. The political situation makes it much more difficult to do our traditional research. We must face these challenges by recognizing the increas- ing importance of cultural heritage protection as a central part of the Oriental Institute’s mission, and indeed we have begun to do so. At the same time, the closure of countries and the looting of sites demonstrate, as nothing else can, the importance of our museum as a safe haven for the material remains from the cradle of civilization, and the vastly increased importance of our scientifically excavated museum collections as a research resource that can continue despite the disruptions in the Middle East. When one considers these factors, this Annual Report is a truly impressive accomplish- ment. At 300 pages, this is the longest Annual Report that the Oriental Institute has ever published. The length is not due to verbosity (the articles are the same length as always), but rather is a tribute to the scope and energy of the Oriental Institute’s talented researchers, who have initiated new projects and made great strides in our existing excavations, textual projects, educational activities, and museum work. As you will see in these pages, the work of discovery continues to have a major impact in the exploration of ancient Near Eastern civilizations and the communication of this knowledge to the scholarly and general public. ———————————————————— 2013–2014 ANNUAL REPORT 5 oi.uchicago.edu oi.uchicago.edu ReseaRch oi.uchicago.edu Overleaf: Modern cylinder seal impression showing the god Shamash, identified by the rays of light emanating from his shoulders, journeying in a fantastic boat; and (above) Shell cylinder seal (with modern impression). Akkadian period, ca. 2330–2150 bc. Iraq, Tell Asmar, Houses IVa. Excavated by the Oriental Institute, 1932. 3.7 × 2.1 cm. OIM A11396. D. 000082. Photos by Anna Ressman oi.uchicago.edu Achemenet Project PRoject RePoRts Achemenet Project jack Green and matthew W. Stolper The Achemenet Project at the Oriental Institute began in April 2014, and although it will take just a year to carry out, its results will have effects for years to come, as the first quarter’s work already shows. The aim of the project is to provide an online catalog of more than 2,600 objects of the Achaemenid period (ca. 550–330 bc) in the Oriental Institute Museum’s holdings, and to provide high-quality photographs of up to 300 selected objects, including seals and sealings, coins, architectural fragments, jewelry, stone vessels, and other objects of daily life, for the Achemenet website. Some of the key objects are well known, such as sculptural fragments, inscriptions, and architectural elements from Persepolis (fig. 1) and the iconic Persian roundel thought to be from Hamadan, Iran (fig. 2), but others, particularly objects that have not been displayed or that are only published as entries in lists, have been obscure and until now all