Founded in 1883, the Department of Near Eastern Studies of the Johns Hopkins University was the first in the United States to offer a Ph.D. The Department now offers programs of study leading to the Ph.D. in five areas: Northwest Semitic Languages and Literatures (including Biblical Studies), Egyptology, Assyriology, Ancient Law, and Near Eastern Archaeology. Our approach is to study ancient Near Eastern civilizations with modern tools of analysis (literary, legal, anthropological, etc.), using the ancient written records and physical evidence as our data. The study of language and script forms a major part of our program, with an emphasis on gaining ability to access sources in the original. The archaeology program also has a substantial language requirement. Written records and physical evidence can only be understood in context, which includes their cultural and historical background and their relationship with the surrounding cultures. Our programs of study emphasize an integrated approach to the civilizations of the region. They consist of a major area of concentration, a minor from another area (usually a language), and a series of history seminars covering all three principal sub-regions: Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria-Palestine Interdisciplinary efforts are a prominent feature of academic life at Johns Hopkins. The Department's faculty members frequently collaborate in joint teaching and research ventures among themselves and with faculty from other disciplines. Students are encouraged to adopt the same spirit of collaboration within the Department and, where relevant, to participate in courses in other departments. | 
