Welcome from the President
I am pleased to welcome you to the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) website. ASOR has a long and proud history as the leading society in North America dedicated to the study and public understanding of the peoples and cultures of the Near and Middle East. ASOR was established in 1900 with the specific aim to “to initiate, encourage and support research into, and public understanding of, the peoples and cultures of the Near East from the earliest times.”
While the ways in which ASOR has achieved this mission have changed over the years, consistent throughout has been an unwavering dedication to (1) fostering original research through archaeological excavation, exploration and the study of the languages and cultures of the Near East, (2) the advancement of Near Eastern studies as an academic discipline and an educational enterprise, (3) maintaining high academic standards in interdisciplinary research and training, (4) supporting the dissemination of research and knowledge, and (5) professional representation and outreach to the general public.
Central to these priorities has been ASOR’s commitment to serve as a knowledge-based organization, or learned society, with a constituency that has a shared interest and deep commitment to the study and public understanding of the cultures and history of the Near and Middle East. In this era of digital communication, the internet has become a fundamental resource for both scholar and public alike. We hope, therefore, that you will find our website to be a useful source of information about our organization and its many programs, but also a reliable and trusted reference tool to help you navigate the proliferating flow of digital information about this ancient, yet timeless, and vitally important part of our world.
Timothy P. Harrison
President