Submission deadline: 8 May 2026
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
SUMMER SCHOOL OF ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
Sofia, 24–28 August 2026
Department of Arabic and Semitic Studies at the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
Academic supervisor and lecturer: Dr. Zozan Tarhan
The Department of Arabic and Semitic Studies at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski will be hosting the Summer School of Ancient Near Eastern Studies from 24 to 28 August 2026 in Sofia. The programme is organised in cooperation with the University of Innsbruck and the Regional History Museum – Sofia. The academic supervisor and a lecturer of the Summer School is Dr. Zozan Tarhan (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski). Guest lecturers of the programme are Priv-Doz. Dr. Sebastian Fink (University of Innsbruck), Assist. Prof. Dr. Strahil Panayotov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) + TBA.
The Summer School offers basic knowledge in the field of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, a scholarly field that is also known as Assyriology. Participants will receive an introduction to the basics of the Akkadian and Sumerian languages, knowledge of how to work with cuneiform texts, and an introduction to the history, culture, and religion of ancient Mesopotamia.
The programme comprises the following intensive courses:
- Introduction to Ancient Near Eastern Studies (S. Fink, Z. Tarhan)
- Introduction to Akkadian (Z. Tarhan)
- Introduction to Sumerian (S. Fink)
- Akkadian Literary Texts (Z. Tarhan)
- Sumerian Proverbs (S. Fink)
- Akkadian Medical Texts (S. Panayotov)
- Assyrian Royal Inscriptions (Z. Tarhan)
- Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia (S. Fink, Z. Tarhan)
- Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (Z. Tarhan)
The language of instruction is English. There are no required fees. Materials will be provided for free. However, participants should cover their own expenses.
Application documents:
- CV
- Letter of motivation (up to 500 words)
The application documents should be submitted to the following email addresses:
Zozan.Tarhan@uni-sofia.bg.
Submission deadline: 8 May 2026. Applicants will be notified by 11 May 2026.
Venue: Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and Regional Museum of History Sofia
Sebastian Fink (University of Innsbruck) is an Assyriologist focusing on Sumerian texts and one of the leading specialists of Emesal. He has studied various aspects of Mesopotamian history and culture, as well as the intellectual history of the Ancient Near East.
Strahil Panayotov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) is an Assyriologist working on various kinds of Akkadian texts. His research interests are focused on cuneiform medical texts and the history of medicine.
Zozan Tarhan (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski) is an Assyriologist with experience in philological work on cuneiform texts, mainly in Akkadian. Her research interests are primarily focused on the Neo-Assyrian Empire and Mesopotamian scholarship.
