FAS faculty members are invited to submit proposals for funding to support their research projects related to Ancient History, such as: attending training programs and workshops; participating in exhibitions and performances; conducting archival or field research; disseminating scholarly and pedagogical products; meeting with collaborators.
Eligibility: FAS faculty members
Budget: Up to $5,000
Application materials: Apply
online. Please upload in a single PDF file: 1. Proposal including abstract (no more than 200 words), description of the proposed activity and expected outcomes (no more than 1000 words), budget and budget narrative (indicating the anticipated use of the requested funds and all funds sought or secured from other sources), and timeline.
Application deadline:
October 30; March 15
Contact: [email protected]
2025-26
- Analysis of the Early Bronze Age Flint Artefacts from Tell Fadous-Kfarabida (Excavation Seasons 2004-2016)
Hermann Genz, Department of History and Archaeology
The excavations, conducted by the applicant at Tell Fadous-Kfarabida between 2004 and 2016, have revealed numerous insights into the organization and functioning of early urban sites of the 3rd millennium BC along the Lebanese Coast. The final publication, planned to appear in a series of three monographs, is well advanced. Of the various groups of material retrieved, only the flint implements have not been studied yet. In this proposal I ask for funds to bring Dr. Florine Marchand for a 2-week study season to AUB to process the flint material from Tell Fadous-Kfarabida and prepare it for publication.
- Niha Valley - Community Archaeological Information Board
Paul Graham Newson, Department of History and Archaeology
This project seeks to obtain funding for two information display boards to be set up at each of the amazing Roman-period temples in the Niha valley, off the main Bekaa valley in Lebanon. This fulfils the terms of an archaeological research project, as well as furthering local community links by AUB in this important region of cultural heritage.
- The archaeobotany of ancient Egyptian agriculture and climate change
Claire Malleson, Department of History and Archaeology
I am currently in the process of completing the manuscript for a monograph entitled Egyptian Archaeobotany: a Perspective on Ancient Agriculture along the Nile (18,000-332BCE) for submission to Oxford University Press. The focus of the book is a study of the archaeobotanical evidence that can inform us about ways in which ancient Egyptian farmers were affected by, and responded to, political and environmental changes along the Nile from the Neolithic until the Ptolemaic period (6100-332BCE). I am applying to this fund for financial assistance to attend two major conferences in Europe in July 2025, at which I will be presenting aspects of my research for this book. Obtaining feedback from my peers and leading specialists in the field from a variety of disciplines before completion of the manuscript will be of immeasurable value to my work.
2024-25
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Apocalyptic Silence: Voice in the Mamluk Literary Archive
Maha Abdelmegeed, Department of Arabic and NEL
This project places musical and literary forms in conversation. Drawing on theorization of voice across musicology, linguistics, and literary theory, this reads literary works from the Mamluk period (13th–15th centuries) outside the dominant periodization schemas and obsessions with diglossia or middle Arabic. Instead in turning to this often-marginalized period, this study listens to noise; it gives ear to the cacophony of voices that characterizes these works. In the process, it also proposes a language through which we can understand literary practice
I am currently in the phase of curating the primary sources I will be thinking along with in this project. For this application, I am proposing an archival visit to the British Library and Cambridge University Library where I am tracing a number of anonymous manuscripts describing crafts folks, often in a comedic register. These works have not been closely analyzed, but references to them can be found in scholarly analyses of the history of drama in Arabic, surveys of Mamluk literature, and thematic studies of the representation of crafts in literary production in Arabic. These works are important for one chapter in particular which is about the “Laughing Voice” where I try to think of these literary practices against ongoing contemporary discussion of tragedy as a political and aesthetic form. Of all the chapters in this project, this is one that I think is perfectly suited for a piece of public scholarship on patterning voices between music and literature which I plan to write in late summer 2025.
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Making the Fantastical Historical (Research Travel to Examine Manuscripts)
Enass Khansa, Department of Arabic and NEL
In this project, I look at an anonymous manuscript titled A Book With the Story of Ziyād Son of ‘Āmir al-Kinānī and the Wonders and Marvels He Experienced in the Palace of Spirals and the Lake of Wonder currently being held at the library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain. The project proposes that Arabic post-classical literature beyond the canon constitutes a particularly fertile site for interrogating the relationship of hermeneutics and history. More specifically, I am interested in how the literary program of this book partakes in a larger debate about hermeneutics, and further, in what ways an attitude which favors exploratory interpretive exercises, which I identify in this book, can lend itself to reconstructing the historical and cultural context — that may be used for dating the manuscript/book and for enriching the debate on Arabic literature through contributions from a period that has been, until very recently, partially or completely neglected.
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Revisiting the Battle of the Hydaspes (326 BC): Uncovering Forgotten Narratives
Tariq Mehmood Ali, Department of English
Alexander III of Macedon, or Alexander 'the Great,' has been portrayed as the invincible leader who defeated empires and kingdoms in his conquest of the world. However, did he face a major defeat hidden from history? One such battle occurred in 326 BC on the banks of what is now called the River Jhelum—the Battle of the Hydaspes. Without defeating King Porus of Paurava (present-day Punjab), Alexander could not advance into India. It is undisputed that King Porus was not overthrown; Alexander's campaign in India came to an end, and his favorite horse was killed. He also sustained an injury from an arrow to the chest, and his body has never been found.
By examining both archives and consulting with local collaborators, experts, storytellers, and artists who have preserved their own mythical narratives of the events of 326 BC, I aim to uncover a new 'truth' of what may have occurred. I will present my findings as a scholarly paper and develop it into a piece of historical fiction.
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Thamarat al Funun: A Monthly Colloquium in Middle Eastern Studies
Varak Ketsamanian, Department of History and Archaeology
Tarek Abou Hussein, Department of History and Archaeology
Through the joint efforts of the Departments of History and Archaeology, the Arabic and Near Eastern Languages, as well as CAMES, this initiative seeks to create a monthly venue for early-career scholars and graduate students to present works in progress and solicit critical academic feedback. The colloquium, called Thamarat al Funun, would provide a platform for AUB members as well as for researchers affiliated with various centers/institutions in/around Beirut to present various topics relevant to Middle Eastern Studies broadly defined. Through interdisciplinary dialogues, such activities aim to foster a sense of an academic community and lays the groundwork for collaborative engagements.
The Terracotta Oil Lamps of Beirut
I am writing to request funding to partially cover my travel expenses to an international conference organized by the American Schools for Overseas Research (ASOR) for its annual meeting in Boston from November 20—23, 2024. I will be presenting the results of a three-year project related to the processing and publication of the archaeological finds collected from the excavations of central Beirut conducted in the aftermath of the Lebanese civil war. My paper has been accepted in the ‘Archaeology of Lebanon’ session to be held on November 23. My colleagues from the department, Drs. Hélène Sader and Hermann Genz, will also be participating in the same session. The goal of my lecture is not merely to present the material, but more importantly to raise awareness of the importance of archaeological work being conducted in Lebanon, despite the current political and economic crises. It is of the outmost importance to show the international community that Lebanese archeologists are continuing their work to preserve the nation’s cultural heritage from loss. The impact of my lecture is to disseminate the outcome of the project to a global audience. ASOR’s annual meeting is considered to be one of the biggest archaeological and cultural heritage gatherings. It is attended by hundreds of scholars and professionals, and therefore provides a perfect opportunity to meet and engage with potential collaborators. Additionally, the convention is the perfect venue to promote our Department of History and Archaeology and the American University of Beirut.