Ephraim Avigdor Speiser
Encyclopedia
Ephraim Avigdor Speiser was a Polish
-born American Assyriologist. He discovered the ancient site of Tepe Gawra
in 1927 and supervised its excavation between 1931 and 1938.
, Galicia, (then in Austrian Poland, now Ukraine) and went to school in Lwow. In 1920, at the age of 18, he emigrated to the United States, eventually becoming a US citizen in 1926.
He studied at the University of Pennsylvania
receiving his M.A. in 1923, then his Ph.D. from Dropsie College in Philadelphia in 1924.
From 1924 to 1926 he was Harrison Research Fellow in Semitics at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1926, Speiser won a Guggenheim Fellowship
to study remains of the ancient Mitanni
and Hurrians
in northern Mesopotamia
. While there in 1927 he discovered the Tepe Gawra
(or "Great Mound"), one of the world's earliest cradles of civilization.
In 1928 the was appointed assistant professor of Semitics at the University of Pennsylvania, and full professor in 1931.
He was field director of the Joint Excavation of the ASOR
and the University Museum, 1930–1932, 1936–1937, undertaking excavations in Tepe Gawra
and Tell Billa. He also translated the Hurrian legal texts found at Nuzi
.
During World War II
, Speiser was chief of the Office of Strategic Services
' Near East Section of the Research and Analysis Branch in Washington.
He translated and wrote extensive commentary for the volume on Genesis in the Anchor Bible Series
and was one of the editors of the Torah
in the New Jewish Publication Society of America Version
of the Old Testament
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born American Assyriologist. He discovered the ancient site of Tepe Gawra
Tepe Gawra
Tepe Gawra is an ancient Mesopotamian settlement in northwest Iraq, near the ancient site of Nineveh, 2 miles from Khorsabad and 15 miles northeast of the modern city of Mosul. It is locatedin modern Ninawa Governorate, Iraq.-History:...
in 1927 and supervised its excavation between 1931 and 1938.
Pre-war career
He was born in SkalatSkalat
Skalat is a small city in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. It is located in the Pidvolochysk Raion , at around .-External links:* - Transcripts of eyewitness testimonies...
, Galicia, (then in Austrian Poland, now Ukraine) and went to school in Lwow. In 1920, at the age of 18, he emigrated to the United States, eventually becoming a US citizen in 1926.
He studied at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
receiving his M.A. in 1923, then his Ph.D. from Dropsie College in Philadelphia in 1924.
From 1924 to 1926 he was Harrison Research Fellow in Semitics at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1926, Speiser won a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
to study remains of the ancient Mitanni
Mitanni
Mitanni or Hanigalbat was a loosely organized Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria and south-east Anatolia from ca. 1500 BC–1300 BC...
and Hurrians
Hurrians
The Hurrians were a people of the Ancient Near East who lived in Northern Mesopotamia and adjacent regions during the Bronze Age.The largest and most influential Hurrian nation was the kingdom of Mitanni. The population of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia to a large part consisted of Hurrians, and...
in northern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
. While there in 1927 he discovered the Tepe Gawra
Tepe Gawra
Tepe Gawra is an ancient Mesopotamian settlement in northwest Iraq, near the ancient site of Nineveh, 2 miles from Khorsabad and 15 miles northeast of the modern city of Mosul. It is locatedin modern Ninawa Governorate, Iraq.-History:...
(or "Great Mound"), one of the world's earliest cradles of civilization.
In 1928 the was appointed assistant professor of Semitics at the University of Pennsylvania, and full professor in 1931.
He was field director of the Joint Excavation of the ASOR
American Schools of Oriental Research
The American Schools of Oriental Research, founded in 1900, supports and encourages the study of the peoples and cultures of the Near East, from the earliest times to the present. It is apolitical and has no religious affiliation...
and the University Museum, 1930–1932, 1936–1937, undertaking excavations in Tepe Gawra
Tepe Gawra
Tepe Gawra is an ancient Mesopotamian settlement in northwest Iraq, near the ancient site of Nineveh, 2 miles from Khorsabad and 15 miles northeast of the modern city of Mosul. It is locatedin modern Ninawa Governorate, Iraq.-History:...
and Tell Billa. He also translated the Hurrian legal texts found at Nuzi
Nuzi
Nuzi was an ancient Mesopotamian city southwest of Kirkuk in modern Al Ta'amim Governorate of Iraq, located near the Tigris river...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Speiser was chief of the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
' Near East Section of the Research and Analysis Branch in Washington.
Post-war
After the war he returned to the University of Pennsylvania, where he was Chairman of the Department of Oriental Studies from 1947 until his death in 1965. He was also appointed Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literatures there in 1954He translated and wrote extensive commentary for the volume on Genesis in the Anchor Bible Series
Anchor Bible Series
The Anchor Bible project, consisting of a Commentary Series, Bible Dictionary, and Reference Library, is a scholarly and commercial co-venture begun in 1956, when individual volumes in the commentary series began production...
and was one of the editors of the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
in the New Jewish Publication Society of America Version
New Jewish Publication Society of America Version
The JPS TANAKH, published in 1985, is a modern Jewish translation of Hebrew Scripture into English.This translation emerged from the collaborative efforts of an interdenominational team of Jewish scholars and rabbis working together over a thirty-year period...
of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
.