Friday, June 28, 2013

Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Volume 65 (2013): Special Issue

 Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Volume 65 (2013)

From the Editor, Piotr Michalowski
In 1947 Albrecht Goetze, in the company of Thorkild Jacobsen and Abraham Sachs founded the Journal of Cuneiform Studies “with the firm conviction that the progress of knowledge is primarily the reflection of numerous detailed studies,” aided by “a generous grant from the American Schools of Oriental Research on behalf of the Baghdad School.” Originally composed on a manual typewriter in the Yale Babylonian Collection (see photo below) and possibly retyped by a professional, the journal was edited by Goetze until his death on August 15, 1971. Erle Leichty took his place, working with a new editorial board consisting of Hans G. Güterbock and Jerrold S. Cooper, as well as Maria deJ. Ellis (added to the masthead in 1974). For almost two decades, Leichty, aided by the scholarly and technical skills of Ellis, worked hard to maintain the high intellectual standards set by his predecessor, but also faced unprecedented technical and organizational problems and on more than one occasion saved the Journal from extinction.

In 1991 the present editor was appointed, together with a new editorial committee consisting of Gary Beckman, Elisabeth Carter, Piotr Steinkeller, and Matthew W. Stolper; in 2012 Geoffrey Emberling took over Carter’s duties and Niek Veldhuis as well as Eckart Frahm came on board. Eventually Billie Jean Collins took on the duties of Managing Editor and it is fair to say that without her scholarly and technical expertise the Journal may not have survived.


In current custom, Assyriologists who reach the age of sixty-five usually receive an anniversary volume, and so this sixty-fifth volume serves as a tribute to all these wonderful scholars who have given of their time and expertise to assure the highest standards of the Journal. I am particularly indebted to those who have served with me since 1991. This volume honors Albrecht Goetze and Erle Leichty, the two great editors who produced the Journal of Cuneiform Studies for four and a half decades.
[JCS 56, p. 2]  
Table of Contents
[Linked to the version online at JSTOR]