Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten

01/06/2026

Gisteren vond de NINO/EOL-voorjaarslezing plaats. Dit jaar sprak Ben van den Bercken (conservator archeologische collectie Egypte en Soedan bij het Allard Pierson) over de collectie van F. W. von Bissing, en hoe die collectie verworven is en verspreid is geraakt.

21/05/2026

NEW PUBLICATION – The Kingdom of Kizzuwatna: Recent Developments in Research. Proceedings of the Third NINO Postdoctoral Research Fellow Annual Conference, Leiden, 23rd-25th March 2023 (PIHANS 137). Edited by Andrea Trameri.

Twelve contributions on a wide array of topics related to the kingdom of Kizzuwatna, a local polity in southern Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600–1200 BCE). The aim of the volume is to offer an updated view of the kingdom of Kizzuwatna, reflecting recent research developments, discoveries, and interpretations from a range of scholarly perspectives.

X, 214 pp. ISBN 978-90-429-5514-1.

Available in print (€ 100.70 incl. VAT) or in open access (free download) from Peeters Publishers!
https://www.nino-leiden.nl/publication/the-kingdom-of-kizzuwatna-recent-developments-in-research

13/05/2026

TMA CALL FOR PAPERS – Tijdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeologie accepteert nu nieuwe bijdragen voor de 75e en 76e edities! Stuur je voorstel in voor 24 mei a.s.

Tijdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeologie - TMA is een Nederlands tijdschrift (verschijnt twee keer per jaar) over actueel archeologisch onderzoek naar Mediterrane archeologie en geschiedenis, met een focus op Nederlandse en Vlaamse onderzoekers en universiteiten. Bekijk de bijgevoegde call for papers voor meer details.

Artikelen in TMA zijn Nederlandstalig, hebben een omvang van 1500 tot 3000 woorden, en komen uit de vakgebieden archeologie, geschiedenis en kunstgeschiedenis. Richtlijnen: https://tijdschrift.mediterrane-archeologie.nl/voor-auteurs

Wil je een artikel indienen? Stuur voor 24 mei 2026 een voorlopige titel, abstract van ca. 250 woorden en korte auteursomschrijving naar [email protected]

13/05/2026

PHD POSITION IN UTRECHT – The Protestant Theological University (PThU; Utrecht, the Netherlands) has a vacancy for a PhD candidate for the project “God(s) and Morality in the Ancient Near East including the Hebrew Bible” (1 fte, 4 years, or 0,8 fte, 5 years). Apply until 31 May 2026:

https://www.pthu.nl/over-pthu/vacatures/phd-candidate-moral-compass-centre-gods-and-morality-in-the-an/

09/05/2026

BABYLON, MIRROR OF THE HELLENISTIC NEAR EAST – Babylonian Chronographic Texts from the Hellenistic Period: A critical edition of the so-called Babylonian Chronicles and historical sections of the Babylonian Astronomical Diaries was published in May 2025 by Bert van der Spek, Irving Finkel, Reinhard Pirngruber, and Kathryn Stevens.

On 5 June 2026, a symposium on the new publication will be organised at the VU. Six experts will discuss the subject of Babylon as a mirror of political, social and religious developments in the Near East during the Hellenistic period, taking into account local changes in Babylonia itself since the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Practical information
• date: Friday 5 June 2026
• venue: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, main building, Agora 3
• time: 9:45-18:15
• language: English
• admission: free – registration required

More information and registration: https://vu.nl/en/events/2026/babylon-mirror-of-the-hellenistic-near-east

The symposium is organised by Shiyanthi Thavapalan, Shana Zaia, Bert van der Spek, and Bas ter Haar Romeny, in collaboration with the Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO) and the LUCE Fund of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

06/05/2026

04/05/2026

CLAY IN COMMON – The international workshop “Clay in Common” on 21-22 May 2026 at the Faculty of Archaeology - Universiteit Leiden will bring together specialists in Arabian ceramic studies to reflect on the current state of the field and develop collaborative strategies.

Pottery was a major technological innovation in early human societies, enabling durable storage, cooking, and transport, while also supporting the development of specialised skills. In West Asia, its emergence is closely linked to sedentary life and increasing social complexity. However, the study of early pottery in southeast Arabia (the Oman Peninsula) remains relatively underdeveloped. Although detailed studies exist for individual sites, they are often isolated and fail to provide a broader, comparative understanding of pottery production and use across the region. This fragmentation restricts insights into wider socioeconomic transformations, including trade, cultural exchange, and technological transmission.

To address these issues, the international workshop “Clay in Common” is organised 21-22 May 2026 by Jennifer Swerida (Leiden University) and Mathilde Jean (Paris Nanterre University, UMR 8068 TEMPS) in Leiden, with the support of the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.

More information: https://clayincommon.sciencesconf.org

03/05/2026

ACHAEMENID PERSIAN EMPIRE AND WORLD HISTORY – Relations between the Persians and the Greeks have long constituted a central subject of scholarly inquiry, from the works of Herodotus to contemporary studies of antiquity. For much of this period, the discourse was dominated by a predominantly Greek perspective. The emergence of the New Achaemenid History introduced an alternative interpretative framework, shifting attention toward Persian viewpoints and sources. As a result, however, Persian–Greek interactions remain a focal point of academic debate, albeit now examined through a more diversified lens.

This edition of the Sancisi-Weerdenburg Lecture will be given by Prof. Dr. Miguel John Versluys, professor of Classical & Mediterranean Archaeology at Leiden University’s Faculty of Archaeology.

The Sancisi-Weerdenburg Lecture 2026 will be held as a hybrid event. Please join us!
• date: Monday 8 June 2026
• venue: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden or online via livestream
• time: doors open at 16.30 hrs; lecture 17.00 hrs, drinks afterwards from 18.00 hrs, doors close at 19.30 hrs
• main language: English
• admission: free – registration required

More information and registration: www.rmo.nl/uw-bezoek/activiteiten/sancisi-weerdenburg-lezing-2026

This bi-annual lecture, a recurring event in memory of Prof. Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg (1944–2000), is organised by the Netherlands Institute for the Near East in cooperation with Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and members of the Sancisi family.

02/05/2026

FUNDING DEADLINE APPROACHING – Coming up on the 15th of May 2026 are the application deadlines for the following NINO grants:

- Conference Subsidy
- Incoming and Outgoing Mobility Grants
- Visiting Research Fellowship

Applications for the NINO Outreach Allowance can be submitted throughout the year.

For more information and applications, see https://www.nino-leiden.nl/funding.