Ancient Cities DataBase 542 places
A website for collecting general information about cities and towns that were founded before 400 AD
Daniel DeGroff
University of Uppsala
The Department of Linguistics and Philology is a part of the Faculty of Languages, and therefore within the Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences. It is responsible for research and education in African and Asian languages and cultures, the European classical languages, as well as linguistics and computational linguistics.
Egypt Exploration Society 175 places
The Egypt Exploration Society funds and supports archaeological fieldwork and research in Egypt. The Society is the UK's oldest independent funding body in the field of Egyptology, and continues to carry out ground-breaking research in Egypt at sites including Kom el-Daba, Quesna and Tell Basta and the ancient capitals of Memphis and Thebes.
Delta Survey 2 places
A resource for the archaeology of the Nile Delta.
Pennsylvania State University
Department of Anthropology 115 places
Dean R. Snow
Professor of Anthropology. Dr. Snow is an archaeologist who specializes in ethnohistoric and demographic problems. In recent years his work has led him into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approaches to these issues. He has conducted research in Mexico and in the northeastern region of North America, where his work on the Iroquois is particularly well known. His current research includes cyberinfrastructure and the development of large GIS databases designed to explore large-scale population movements over time and space. He is also currently researching the sexual dimorphism of human handprints and hand stencils in the Upper Paleolithic caves of France and Spain.
Pleiades 103 places
Pleiades gives scholars, students, and enthusiasts worldwide the ability to use, create, and share historical geographic information about the ancient world in digital form. At present, Pleiades has extensive coverage for the Greek and Roman world, and is expanding culturally, spatially, and temporally.
Apollonius (Google Earth contributor)
University of Sheffield 75 places
A web-orientated archaeological mapping and research project, founded by the late Prof. Andrew Sherratt.
ArchAtlas 3 places
Department of Archaeology
Ancient-Greece.org
This is a collection of images, thoughts, and resources about Ancient Greece. This site does not aspire to be a definitive and finite publication on the subject. Instead it exists in constant flux and evolves through time.
Thomas Sakoulas 62 places
Professor and Chair of the Art Department at the State University of New York, at Oneonta.
Theban Mapping Project 52 places
The Theban Mapping Project (TMP) is concentrated on the Valley of the Kings. Modern surveying techniques were used to measure its tombs. From the data collected, the TMP is preparing 3-D computer models of the tombs. For the TMP staff, sharing their work with the interested public is just as important as what they do in the field. This has been done through a series of publications and this growing website.
Wikipedia 26 places
Wikipedia is a multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopedia project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation and based on an openly editable model. The name "Wikipedia" is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning "quick") and encyclopedia. Wikipedia's articles provide links designed to guide the user to related pages with additional information. Wikipedia is written collaboratively by largely anonymous Internet volunteers who write without pay. Anyone with Internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles, except in limited cases where editing is restricted to prevent disruption or vandalism. Users can contribute anonymously, under a pseudonym, or, if they choose to, with their real identity.
CEMML 20 places
The Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) at Colorado State University is a team of environmental professionals experienced in the conservation and sustainable management of natural and cultural resources on Department of Defense lands. CEMML provides technical services to support the military's national defense mission.
Archaeological Sites of the Aegean Minoans 17 places
The Aegean Minoan 3D GIS Project was initiated in 2007 to produce a three-dimensional full-color mapping of the archaeological sites of the Minoans in the Aegean Sea area using Google Earth. It is intended to be a definitive geographical reference available to everyone. While this is an ongoing project and we are always looking to improve it, thanks to the many contributing scholars and volunteers it is by far the most comprehensive and accurate mapping of its kind.
Danny The Digger 9 places
Danny Herman
An Israeli archaeologist, MBA, lecturer and licensed tour guide.
Inca Trail 8 places
This website gives you all the information needed to do the Inca Trail, a trek open to everybody connecting the city of Cusco to the famous citadel of Machu Picchu. We are the first and the only virtual Agency proposing a reliable, fast and secure system to reserve your Trek on-line.
MyReadingMapped 8 places
This site is an extensive compendium of documentaries, in the form of interactive Google Maps on Historic and Scientific Events. In a sense it is a library of maps that allow you to do much more than just watch and read. You get to digitally experience the event by finding and zooming in on the locations you read about in the related eBooks. You get to follow the explorer from location marker to location marker on almost a day-by-day basis. You get to see up close the actual ancient ruins, forts, and pyramids. Many of the maps have Google Earth KML files that enable you to digitally walk the map in 3D and experience the exploration for yourself.
Seuthopolis National Initiative 8 places
Seuthopolis, the city of the Thracian king Seuthes III, and the capital of the ancient state of Odrissia was discovered and explored from 1948 to 1954 during the construction of the Koprinca dam. Unfortunately, after the dam was filled with water the first and the best preserved Thracian city in modern Bulgaria remained on the bottom of the artificial lake. This mistake, from the times of historical and national nihilism, can be corrected today and Seuthopolis can be returned into the treasure house of world cultural heritage.
Commonly Sourced 6 places
Sources for the placemark are so sufficiently numerous that none is pointed out in particular. The location of the site is commonly known and accepted as accurate.
Encyclopædia Iranica 6 places
The Encyclopædia Iranica is dedicated to the study of Iranian civilization in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The academic reference work will eventually cover all aspects of Iranian history and culture as well as all Iranian languages and literature, facilitating the whole range of Iranian studies research from archeology to political sciences.
The Megalithic Portal 6 places
A web community with input from thousands of photographers, archaeologists, locals and website visitors.
Andy Burnham
Livius.org 4 places
A website on ancient history written and maintained since 1996 by the Dutch historian Jona Lendering.
Yale Egyptological Institute in Egypt 4 places
Egyptology at Yale University, a discipline within the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, provides instruction in the philology and cultures of ancient Egypt and Nubia. Egyptology courses at Yale present the history and archaeology of ancient Egypt and her neighboring regions from the earliest predynastic through the Coptic period, and students receive instruction in all phases of the Egyptian language, from the texts of the Proto-dynastic period through the literature of Coptic Egypt. Lectures, seminars, and reading courses cover topics such as art history, administration and society, burial practices, ceramic technology, military history, and others.
CAIS - Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies 3 places
The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS) is an independent non-profit educational program, with no affiliation to any political or religious group, dedicated to the research, protection, and preservation of the pre-Islamic Iranian civilization.
Indiana University-Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington attracts students from around the globe who want the ideal college experience—great traditions, a gorgeous campus, international culture, Big Ten sports, and an active academic climate. Founded in 1820, IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of Indiana University’s eight campuses statewide. Innovation, creativity, and academic freedom are hallmarks of IU Bloomington and its world-class contributions in research and the arts.
Latin American Studies 3 places
The course objective is an introduction and overview of Latino issues. Through readings and discussions of text books, this course provides an overview of the historical heritages of major Latino groups in the United States: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latin American peoples. Through readings, presentations, class discussion, videos, and other activities, we will examine contemporary issues affecting Latinos, including immigration, language, education, politics, employment, and economic mobility.
Monuments of the Hittites 3 places
An experimental site prepared by Tayfun Bilgin, the aim of which is to build a website with references to all major Hittite monuments.
Arqueologia Digital 2 places
Austrian Archaeological Institute 2 places
Tell el-Daba can be identified now certainty with Avaris, capital of the Hyksos and with the southern part of Pi-Ramesse, the Delta residence of Ramesses II and his successors.
Manfred Bietak
Professor emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Vienna and Director of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Cairo 1973-2009. He is currently Chairman of the Vienna Institute of Archaeological Science at the University of Vienna and Chairman of the Commission for Egypt and the Levant at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. In 1997 and 2006, he was Visiting Professor at the Collège de France; in 2004, he was Martha Whitcomb Visiting Professor at Harvard.
Digital Egypt for Universities 2 places
A learning and teaching resource for higher education. The site is aimed to assist teaching across all disciplines, and was created in 2000-2003.
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München 1 place
Welcome to Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München - the University in the heart of Munich. LMU is recognized as one of Europe's premier academic and research institutions. Since our founding in 1472, LMU has attracted inspired scholars and talented students from all over the world, keeping the University at the nexus of ideas that challenge and change our complex world.
Institute of Egyptology and Coptology 1 place
Welcome to the Institute for Egyptology and Coptic Studies. Our department deals with the legacies of ancient Egypt, one of the oldest civilizations in human history. Unlike other cultural studies, Egyptology covers all areas of the examined culture from: writing (hieroglyphs and italics) and language, archeology, art, history, religion, society and more. The ancient Egyptian civilization extending over a period of about 4000 years and lives in the form of Coptic Christianity to this day.
Institute of Near Eastern Studies
Near Eastern archeology (including archeology and cultural history of the Near East, Ancient Near Eastern archeology and Near Eastern archeology called) examines the cultures of the ancient Near East, beginning with the settling of the people in the 10th Millennium BCE and ending with the Islamization of the region (in the 7th century CE).
Payaso 2 places
Visitor who contributed via forum
Roman Britain Org 2 places
University of Michigan/University of Minnesota 1 place
Excavation of Kedesh.
Archaeology and the Cities in Asia Ainor in Late Antiquity 1 place
The city was the fundamental social institution of Greek and Roman culture. More than the sack of Rome, the abandonment of provincial towns throughout the Mediterranean world in Late Antiquity (300 C.E. - 700 C.E.) marks the beginning of the Middle Ages. This symposium examines archaeological evidence for this last phase of urban life in western Asia Minor, one of the Roman empire’s most prosperous regions. Co-sponsored by the German Archaeological Institute, it brings together an international group of scholars working on topics ranging from the urban development of Constantinople to the depopulation of the countryside in early Byzantine times.
University of Tübingen 2 places
Excavation of Emar.
Vici.org 2 places
Archaeological atlas of classical antiquity. It is a community-driven archaeological map, inspired by and modelled after Wikipedia.
Aerial Digital Archaeological & Preservation Research Group 1 place
In the world of archaeology, exploration, discoveries and surveys always preceed the excavation, analysis and preservation work. Our mission is to explore remote areas and identify new archaeological sites by leveraging aerial and digital tools. By documenting potential sites, we raise public awareness and support scientists and local authorities in their respective missions to ensure the protection and preservation of the global archaeological heritage. To achieve our goals, the actions led by the Aerial Digital Archaeology & Preservation (ADAP) research group consist in: - Exploring remote areas, - Discovering new archaeological sites, - Monitoring protected sites, - Training professionnal archaeologists and institutions to the use of aerial and digital archeology, - Assisting professionnal archaeologists and institutions with data analysis.
Amarna Royal Tombs Project 1 place
The Amarna Royal Tombs Project (ARTP) was set up by Nicholas Reeves in 1998. An expedition of Durham University Oriental Museum, for administrative purposes the project was in 2000 affiliated to the newly established, not-for-profit Valley of the Kings Foundation through which it would be run until 2002. ARTP was able to complete four extremely productive seasons of work - winter 1998, winter 1999, winter 2000 and spring 2002. These four short periods of controlled stratigraphic excavation in the Valley of the Kings would transform our understanding of the site`s sub-surface topography, with a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey undertaken in 2000 in addition pointing decisively towards the existence of several important new features.
Ancient World Mapping Center 1 place
Interdisciplinary research center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Center promotes cartography, historical geography, and geographic information science as essential disciplines within the field of ancient studies through innovative and collaborative research, teaching, and community outreach activities.
Archeolog.pl 1 place
Archeolog.pl Educational website devoted to the world of archeology Polish and Polish archeology, underwater archeology, archeology aviation, non-invasive archeology, experimental archeology, archaeological photography, fotoarcheo, photos in archeology, archaeological discoveries, archeology studies, archeology direction, Egyptology, Rome, the Middle Ages, prehistory, anthropology, chronology, archive, excavations, powierzchniówki, monuments, history, atrefakty Archaeological Supervision, Complex Archaeological Services, Archaeologist Archaeology Warsaw, Krakow Archaeology, Archaeology Torun, Poznan Archaeology, Archaeology gdansk, Archaeology wroclaw Archeolog.pl, Fotoarcheo.pl forumarcheologiczne com
Artiranmor 1 place
Visitor who contributed via feedback form
Ausgrabung in Horom 1994-1998 1 place
Biainili-Urartu 1 place
This website is devoted to archaeological and historical research in the area of the ancient near-eastern kingdom of "Biainili", better known by the Assyrian name "Urartu". This is the area of Eastern Turkey, North-Western Iran, Armenia and parts of Azerbaijan. The intention is to inform about recent developments in the area. The contributions of this website are often written in German, sometimes in English. But it is planned to publish them more and more in English for better understanding and distribution.
Bilkent University 1 place
The Department of Archaeology offers both an undergraduate (BA) and graduate (MA) degree. Its programs focus on the ancient and medieval civilizations of Turkey, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Near East, with an interest in how the material remains contribute to knowledge. Its approach is comprehensive and interdisciplinary, drawing on such fields as art and architectural history, cultural and physical anthropology, history, and geology, chemistry, and other natural sciences. Because its classes are small, students enjoy a warm sense of community with fellow students and teachers - an excellent environment for learning the subjects taught and also skills of analysis and presentation that will be useful for whatever career comes afterward.
Bilzingsleben - World Culture Monument 1 place
Local association for the popularization of scientific research of the cultural and landscape history of Thuringia and the Bilzingsleben site. The Website is in German.
British School at Rome 1 place
The BSR's history dates from 1901, when it was founded as a school for research in archaeology and Italian studies.
Domuztepe 1 place
Since 2008, Domuztepe has been a joint project between the University of Manchester and the British Museum. Between 1995 and 2006, it was a joint project between the University of Manchester and University of California, Los Angeles. Domuztepe is sponsored by the British Institute at Ankara as one of their strategic research initiatives and we collaborate closely with a range of institutions, including the Middle East Technical University in Ankara.
Dr Yonathan Mizrachi 1 place
Gilgal Refaim excavations
Egypte Eternelle 1 place
Mon intérêt pour l'Égypte ancienne remonte à 1975 lors de mon séjour au Caire. Durant trois ans j’ai pu visiter et revisiter la plupart des sites de l’Egypte antique sans la foule des touristes, sans horaires à respecter, en prenant le temps qu'il faut pour m'imprégner et comprendre ce fabuleux héritage que nous à laissé cette brillante civilisation . Ce site se veut didactique, attrayant, mariant souvent l’image. au texte.
Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World 1 place
The EHW is an original electronic project aiming at collecting, recording, documenting, presenting and promoting the historical data that testify to the presence of Hellenic culture throughout time and space. EHW includes entries that concern geographical-cultural areas lying beyond the borders of the Hellenic nation-state.
Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of Thrace 1 place
The Burial Tumulus of Mikri Doxipara-Zoni
At the beginning of the 2nd century AD, four members of a rich landowning family, (who died over a period of time), were cremated and buried at the same location, close to the road which led from Hadrianopolis to Philippoupolis. At this site a large tumulus was gradually constructed to keep the memory of the dead alive through the centuries.
Forteresses d'Orient 1 place
French website with comprehensive information about castles and fortresses in the former Crusader states.
Grand Valley State University
Hirbemerdon Tepe Archaeological Project 1 place
Hacinebi Archaeological Excavations 1 place
The 6000 year old site of Hacinebi, in the Euphrates river valley of southeast Turkey is the focus of an ongoing research by an international team of archaeologists, art historians, and materials scientists. Six field seasons of excavation at this site (1992-1997) and two seasons of artifact analysis at the Sanliurfa Provincial Museum (1998-1999) have been investigating the earliest known colonial network - established by the first urbanized state societies of Mesopotamia during the Uruk period, ca. 3700-3100 BC. Excavations at Hacinebi have recovered evidence for the establishment of an Uruk trading colony in the midst of this pre-existing Anatolian settlement. The Hacinebi project seeks to understand the Local Late Chalcolithic societies of southeast Anatolia and the ways in which they changed during this early period of culture contact with Mesopotamia.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1 place
Excavation of Tel Beth-Shean
Hobomaps 1 place
International Association for the Promotion and Research of Archaeology 1 place
The International Association for the Promotion and Research of Archaeology (AIPRA) is a French organization that was founded by professional archaeologists of all disciplines (anthropology, applied topography, geology, computer graphics, palaeography, etc) who have solid on-site experience in preventive archaeology in France as well as abroad. The objective of this association is to salvage archaeological sites abroad, to study them as well as emphasize their importance. In addition to our scientific aims the association takes upon itself to assure the training of students, as well as increasing the public’s awareness of its heritage and its cultural identity. Furthermore the association communicates its archaeological results to the scientific community, to the media and to the public.
KV-63 Excavation 1 place
Dr. Otto Schaden
Labraunda 1 place
Labraunda is the home of the Sanctuary of Zeus Labraundos in southwestern Turkey. This area was known in ancient times as Karia (or Caria), and the Sanctuary of Zeus Labraundos, with the double axe as his symbol, was a national sanctuary for the ancient Karians. The origin of the cult of the god of the double axe goes back to the worship of Tarhunt, the Hittite god of Heaven.
Lund University
The university tackles complex problems and global challenges and works to ensure that knowledge and innovations benefit society. They provide education and research in engineering, science, law, social sciences, economics and management, medicine, humanities, theology, fine art, music and drama.
Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire 1 place
Nehemia Gordon 1 place
Google Earth community member
Ogle Earth 1 place
Notes on the political, social and scientific impact of networked digital maps and geospatial imagery.
Tarraconensis 1 place
Tell Halaf Excavation Project 1 place
Tell Halaf is one of the most well known sites in the Near East. As an important site, it is eponymous for a part of the Pottery Neolithic period (Halaf period, ca. 6000-5300 BCE). After the Chalcolithic age, the place was obviously abandoned and not resettled before the early 1st millennium BCE under the name Guzana, it was first the location of the capital of an Aramaean principality, later the residence of an Assyrian governor.
The Modern Antiquarian 1 place
Welcome to The Modern Antiquarian website, based on Julian Cope's epic guidebook of the same name and his equally epic exploration of Europe, Since launching in March 2000, the site has grown to be a massive resource for news, information, images, folklore & weblinks on the ancient sites across the UK, Ireland and Europe, thanks to the remarkable efforts of all those who contribute.
University of Diyarbakir 1 place
Excavation of Körtiktepe.
University of Edinburgh 1 place
Jerablus Tahtani Project
The Jerablus Tahtani Project, North Syria, is an interdisciplinary research programme designed to investigate four key themes: the precocious expansion of the Uruk civilisation in the 4th millennium BC, secondary state formation in Early Bronze Age Syria, environmental and political reasons for widespread urban recession in the late 3rd millennium BC in the Near East, and the early history of archaeologically inaccessible Carchemish.
University of Gent
Pessinous Excavations Project 1 place
Wolfram Ludwig 1 place
Visitor who contributed via feedback form
Zarzora Expedition 1 place
Expeditions organizers in Egypt.
Archaeology & Excavations & Job offers & Academic positions & Conferences & Call for papers all over the world
Digital Egypt for Universities
A learning and teaching resource for higher education aimed to assist teaching across all disciplines.
History Workshop of Robert Bedrosian
Institute for Digital Archaeology
The Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA) is a joint venture between Harvard University, the University of Oxford and Dubai Future Foundation that promotes the development and use of digital imaging and 3D printing techniques in archaeology, epigraphy, art history and museum conservation. Digital archaeology represents the natural evolution of classical archaeology, permitting researchers to look at ancient objects in a whole new way, to uncover hidden inscriptions, invisible paint lines, the faintest palimpsests. . . and to share these discoveries with the world. Beyond that, as the Million Image Database demonstrates, it can put these crucially important repositories of our cultural identity and shared history forever beyond the reach of those who would destroy them.
Institute for the Visualization of History
James Q. Jacobs
Anthropologist, Archaeologist, and Academic Instructor
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
The Museum is one of the foremost museums in the world, with rich holdings comprising artworks from seven millennia - from Ancient Egypt to the late 18th century. The collections of Renaissance and Baroque art are of particular importance.
MAVORS
The MAVORS-Foundation for Ancient Military History is a registered non-political and non-religious foundation set-up according to §§ 80 ff of the Swiss Code of Civil Law. It is an independently funded, not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering and promoting all aspects of scientific research in the field of Ancient Military History as well as to supporting scholars working in this field. In order to achieve these goals it runs and supervises the MAVORS-Institute.
Minoan Crete
This website is for anyone with an interest in Minoan civilisation -- tourists, students, archaeologists professional and amateur. Teachers and students of archaeology may be particularly interested in some of the photos, videos and reports of lesser known sites which may not be easily obtainable in their own countries. Archaeologists, teachers and students are welcome to freely use the contents of this site within their educational institutions.
North American Archaeology Explorer
Collection of placemarks in the Americas
Olkas
The aim of the “Olkas” project is the promotion of the medieval city –ports of the Black Sea and the cultural heritage preserved in them, in order to contribute to the development of the cultural tourism of the area. This development tents to highlight the cultural, tourist and economic relations in the region, through the medieval monuments preserved. The monuments, movable and immovable, reflect the historical, social, economic and cultural conditions in which culture has been developed. They are also the living witnesses which testify the contacts between these regions. Through the sea routes have been succeed the communication between coastal cities of Black Sea and Aegean with the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. These roads, which have been circulated by merchants, soldiers, artists, travelers, pilgrims etc, became a direct way for the transmission of goods, products, ideas, values and artistic trends which have greatly influenced the cultural heritage. The highlight of this communication and association of the cities is the aim of the project "Olkas."
Pelagios
The project's aim is to help introduce Linked Open Data goodness into online resources that refer to places in the historic past.
Supreme Council of Antiquities
The principal mission of the Ministry of State for Antiquities, previously known as the Supreme Council of Antiquities, is to protect and promote the cultural heritage of Egypt, both independently and in cooperation with national and international organizations. To achieve its goals, it formulates and implements all policies concerned with antiquities; issues guidelines and permits for the excavation, restoration, conservation, documentation, and study of sites and monuments; and manages a country-wide system of antiquities museums. In addition, it oversees the publication of journals and books on archaeology and cultural heritage, and finances its own archaeological excavation, documentation, and conservation projects. The SCA is responsible for the protection of the rich legacy of all of Egypt’s eras, from prehistory through the Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, and Islamic periods and into the modern age.
thehegab
Google Earth community member
Tour Egypt
Tour Egypt aims to offer the ultimate Egyptian adventure and intimate knowledge about the country. We offer this unique experience in two ways, the first one is by organizing a tour and coming to Egypt for a visit, whether alone or in a group, and living it firsthand. The second way to experience Egypt is from the comfort of your own home: online.
Tufts University
Tufts University, located on three Massachusetts campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville, and Grafton, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university's schools is widely encouraged.
Perseus Digital Library
University of California
For almost 150 years, UC has expanded the horizons of what we know about ourselves and our world. Our campuses are routinely ranked among the best in the world, but our reach extends beyond campus borders.
California Digital Library
The CDL was founded by the University of California in 1997 to take advantage of emerging technologies that were transforming the way digital information was being published and accessed. Since then, in collaboration with the UC libraries and other partners, we assembled one of the world’s largest digital research libraries and changed the ways that faculty, students, and researchers discover and access information.
eScholarship 1 place
eScholarship provides Open-Access scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide.
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365. It is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and one of the largest in Central Europe. The University of Vienna celebrates its 650th anniversary in 2015. Currently, about 92,000 students are enrolled at the University of Vienna.
Cultural History of the Western Himalaya
The NFN “The Cultural History of the Western Himalaya from the 8th Century” concentrates on the westernmost zone of the region: Northern and Eastern Afghanistan, Northern India, Northern Pakistan, Northwest Nepal, and West and Southwest Tibet, including the neighbouring regions in Central Asia. This project follows in part the path traced by the successful Austrian Science Fund (FWF) financed Forschungsschwerpunkt (FSP) of a similar name (2001-2006), bringing to fruition the many years of experience and assembled scholarly resources as well as long-standing international partnerships resulting from earlier FWF projects. It continues research in the areas of major innovation already defined in the FSP as, for instance, the definition of an independent western Tibetan canonical tradition; Tibetan literature as preserved (usually in unique forms) in wall texts; the independent Indo-Tibetan artistic tradition – for which the historical and cultural contexts can be defined on the basis of the newly discovered evidence from manuscripts colophons, wall and stone inscriptions among other sources. At the same time, the NFN expands its horizontal and transdisciplinary character, especially by means of new sub-projects, that have emerged out of the existing research interests of the FSP projects: Numismatics (crucial for the cultural history of pre-Islamic Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, and Northwest India), and Philosophy with emphasis on the Kashmiri intellectual tradition of the 10th-12th centuries, Sanskrit manuscripts’ research and codicology. The purpose of this expanded scientific network is to document, archive, and interpret within a unitary project a great mass of previously unknown primary documents: e.g., manuscripts, coins, inscriptions, and art objects that are daily discovered, mainly in Afghanistan and at a lesser degree in nearby regions.