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The American Society of Overseas Research (Â鶹ֱ²¥) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to initiate, encourage, and support research into, and public understanding of, the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world, from the earliest times. Â鶹ֱ²¥ is apolitical and has no religious affiliation.

We were founded in 1900 by twenty-one institutions—including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia. Over a century later, Â鶹ֱ²¥ has approximately 53 consortium institutions, including universities, seminaries, museums, foundations, and libraries. In addition, we have more than 2,200 individual members and more than 40,000 Friends.

We remain true to our original mission – initiating, encouraging, and supporting research into the cultures of the Near East from the earliest times, and helping the public to understand the findings of that research, as outlined in our strategic plan. Â鶹ֱ²¥ fosters original research, archaeological excavations, and explorations; encourages scholarship in the Near East’s basic languages, cultural histories, and traditions; builds support for Near Eastern studies; and advocates high academic standards. Â鶹ֱ²¥ also offers educational opportunities in Near Eastern history and archaeology to students from all over the world, and through outreach activities to the public.

Â鶹ֱ²¥ communicates news of the latest research findings in our publications, through lectures at the Annual Meeting, and our independent overseas institutes in and  facilitate research in the field by students and scholars. Â鶹ֱ²¥â€™s book series and journals, such as Near Eastern Archaeology and the Bulletin of Â鶹ֱ²¥, are intended for both a lay audience and specialist archaeologists, historians, and biblical scholars. Â鶹ֱ²¥â€™s Annual Meeting brings together scholars from around the world to present their latest findings and discuss their research. Fellowship programs are available from our overseas institutes to provide funds for work at these institutes as well as for Mesopotamian studies and student travel to the Annual Meeting.