Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, PAS
Name: Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, PAS
Address: ul. Nowy Świat 72, apt. 327, 00-330 Warsaw, Poland
Website: www.iksiopan.pl
Description:
The Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures PAS researches ancient and modern civilizations associated with non-European cultural and religious traditions. The Institute was established on 1st September 2010 as a result of merging two scientific institutions – the Research Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology PAS and the Centre for Studies on Non-European Countries PAS. There are five Departments at the Institute: Department of Ancient Egyptian and Near East Cultures, Department of Classical Mediterranean Cultures, Department of Islamic Civilization, Department of Modern Cultures of Asia and Africa as well as Department of Nubiology. The scientific staff consisting of more than 60 people represents various disciplines – archaeology, history, art studies, religious studies and culture studies, which determines the broad range of research. In terms of geography, the interdisciplinary studies involve Mediterranean and broadly understood Oriental cultures, while in terms of subject matter – the heritage of the Mediterranean culture as shared legacy of extraordinary significance for united Europe, studies on Asian and African cultures from the Antiquity to modern times, research on historical and modern Islam as well as globalization processes in the context of inter-cultural dialogue and confrontation.
The Institute has run the Anthropos Doctoral School of the Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences in cooperation with eight other institutions since 2019. The School offers a versatile training programme.
Disciplines: archaeology, history, religious studies, culture studies, ethnography, cultural anthropology, oriental studies
Fields of activity:
Archaeological excavations – employees of the Institute participate in field work not only at sites assigned to the institution, but also take part in more than ten international projects, e.g. in Egypt, Sudan, on Cyprus, in the United Arab Emirates.
Theoretical studies – the Institute employs more than 60 researchers who study a wide range of issues, from the Antiquity to modern times, from the Mediterranean area to the Far East. The research includes many disciplines, e.g. archaeology, sociology, linguistics, ethnography.
Publishing activity – the Institute publishes monographs and regularly issues journals: Acta Asiatica Varsoviensia, Études et Travaux, Hemispheres. Studies on Cultures and Societies; the Institute is a co-publisher of the journal Ägypten und Levante.
Library – the book collection is widely known and appreciated by researchers from the whole country. The total number of nearly 40 thousand volumes (books and journals) includes collections of books on archaeology and Oriental studies.
Latest achievements:
The Institute keeps developing and its employees gain new experience and achieve new goals. In terms of its structure, the Institute has expanded in 2020 by establishing the Division of Silk Road Cultures. Its employees study linguistics, religion and archaeology – the cultural heritage of regions connected by the famous Silk Road. The research is not limited to Asia, but includes, e.g., the ancient trade route connecting India, Arabia and East Africa.
Recently the employees of the Institute have won a few significant grants, with total funds reaching nearly 5 million PLN. These grants represent a wide range of subjects: Egyptian Old Kingdom solar temples, ancient trade centre in Asyut in Egypt, and modern issues, such as the conflict in Yemen. According to the latest statistics of the National Science Centre regarding grant-sourcing activity and success rates, IMOC’s success rate reached 43%, which put the Institution on the eighth place.
Research facilities:
Library/ Research Centre in Sudan (Banganarti-Selib)/ Laboratory for Pottery Analyses
Contact person:
Dr. Jadwiga Iwaszczuk
Deputy Director of the Institute
jiwaszczuk@iksio.pan.pl
(+48) 880 451 604
