Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures
Chicago minds bring the deep past into conversation with the most urgent questions of the present.
Where the ancient world informs what comes next
At the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC), the ancient world is a living archive of human experience. Scholars draw on unparalleled collections, fieldwork, and global partnerships to understand how societies form, adapt, and endure.
By integrating archaeology and philology with data science and artificial intelligence, ISAC is unlocking insights at a new scale, advancing research on issues from climate change to human migration.
As cultural heritage faces growing threats, this work is increasingly urgent. Philanthropic gifts will sustain field research, preserve irreplaceable knowledge, and ensure that the deep past continues to inform the challenges of our present and future.
Priorities
Your giving can support the following areas:
- Archaeological research and fieldwork to enable excavations, site preservation, artifact analysis, and scholarly collaboration across the ancient Middle East, North Africa, and Mediterranean world
- Interdisciplinary research connecting ancient and modern societies to foster collaboration across history, linguistics, climate science, anthropology, religion, and digital humanities in exploring how ancient cultures continue to shape contemporary life
- Language preservation, translation, and textual scholarship to advance the study of ancient languages and texts that deepen understanding of the earliest civilizations and their enduring influence on the modern world
- Graduate student fellowships and emerging-scholar aid to train the next generation of archaeologists, historians, philologists, curators, and cultural heritage leaders
- Museum exhibitions and public engagement programs to bring the ancient world to life through curated displays, educational initiatives, lectures, and community programming for audiences of all ages
- Collections conservation and digital preservation initiatives to protect, digitize, and expand access to one of the world’s most significant collections of artifacts, archives, and research materials related to the ancient Near East
CONTACT
William Cosper
773.702.5062
bcosper@uchicago.edu