AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH

A consortium of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and non-sectarian institutions and individuals, founded 1900 to promote the study and to extend the knowledge of Biblical literature, and of the history, geography, archaeology, and ancient and modern languages and literatures of Palestine, Mesopotamia, and other Near Eastern regions. It fulfills its purpose by undertaking original research, explorations, and excavations in the Near East. These projects may be carried out by the ASOR alone, in cooperation with other institutions, or jointly. The organization also provides opportunities for qualified students to pursue research at its three overseas research centers in Jerusalem (Israel), Amman (Jordan) and Nicosia (Cyprus).

Since its inception in 1900, membership in ASOR has grown to number 140 universities, colleges, seminaries and museums in North American, and some 1,500 individuals by the end of 2000. It disseminates important findings in its journals and publications—the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, the Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Near Eastern Archaeology, the Annual and several monograph series. Research by the Jerusalem School has yielded much new knowledge concerning the early history of the alphabet and of Jewish, Islamic and early Christian archaeology. Representatives of the Jerusalem School have been outstanding in the research and exploration connected with the dead sea scrolls.

Bibliography: p. j. king, "American Archaeological Heritage in the Near East," American Schools of Oriental Research Bulletin 217 (1975) 55–65. p. j. king, "Diamond Jubilee, American Schools of Oriental Research," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 37 (1975) 370–372. k. j. o'connell, "ASOR Prepares for the Third Millennium," American Schools of Oriental Research Newsletter 45 (spr. 1995) 2–5.

[r. g. vincent/eds.]