KHK Visiting Research Fellow 2009, Visiting Research Scholar 2010-2011, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, New York City, New York, USA

Joan Westenholz was Visiting Research Scholar at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University. She has served as Chief Curator at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem from 1988 to 2008 and as Senior Research Associate on the Assyrian Dictionary Project of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago. In addition she had been Visiting Lecturer at the Universities of Lund, Copenhagen and Uppsala in Scandinavia, Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at Harvard University’s Divinty School.

Her research concentrates on ancient Mesopotamian studies, especially on the subjects of religion and literature. Her special research interests are Mesopotamian theological conceptions, Akkadian heroic traditions and the conceptualization of the female role in Mesopotamian society as well as the construction of masculine and feminine ritual roles in Mesopotamia. During her time in Bochum Joan Westenholz investigated the diffusion of the worship of the Mesopotamian goddess Nanaya along the trade routes between Europe and Asia. (External homepage)

Education:

• Ph.D., Near Eastern Languages and Literatures, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 1971
• B.A., Anthropology & Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 1964

Duration of Fellowship:

July 2009 – June 2010
Project: Diffusion of the Worship of Ancient Mesopotamian Deities along the Trade Routes.