VU University Amsterdam

Faculty Member, Arts, Department of Archaeology, Classics and Ancient Near Eastern Studies

Professor of Ancient History / Ancient Mediterranean and West Asiatic Studies

About

Robartus Johannes (Bert) van der Spek is working in the Departments of History and of Archaeology, Classics and Ancient Near Eastern Studies of the Vrije Universiteit (VU University) Amsterdam. The Research Master "Ancient Studies" combines the fields of Ancient History, Archaeology, Classics, Ancient Near East (assyriology, Akkadian first millennium BC). Classes are mostly in English.
http://www.let.vu.nl/en/prospective-students/master-s-programmes/ancient-studies-research/index.asp

Field of Research.
1.  Edition  of Babylonian Chronicles of the Hellenistic Period (BCHP)in cooperation with Irving L. Finkel (British Museum). Twenty documents (some appeared to be historical sections of astronomical diaries) have been published on www.livius.org > Mesopotamia.
http://www.livius.org/babylonia.html

2. Market performance (market efficiency, market integration) in Pre-industrial Societies: the case of Babylonia (c. 400-60 BC) in comparative perspective. The project is funded by the Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research (NWO). Two PhD students (Reinhard Pirngruber and Joost Huijs) and one postdoctoral Researcher (Bas van Leeuwen) are working on it. On 19-21 May 2011 an "Academy Colloquium" was held on this topic, funded by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, where assyriologists, ancient historians, economic historians, econometrists discussed the issue. Point of departure is the data base of prices of raw foodstuffs and wool as contained in the astronomical diaries from Babylon. Statistical analysis of the prices and studies of the volatility of the prices, in combination with similar studies of other places and periods (e.g. Mediaeval England and Iraq, 19th century Ireland and China) give good insight into market performance in Babylonia and over time.
More information on the "Early Economies Hub" (where the provisional papers can be found):
http://www.cgeh.nl/early-economies-hub
and:
http://www.cgeh.nl/sites/default/files/programcolloquium2011.pdf
Publication of the results of this colloquium is envisaged by Oxford University Press and the Journal of the Social and Economic History of the Orient (JESHO).

3. Confrontation between Greek and Mesopotamian Civilizations. The arrival of the Greeks in Babylonia since Alexander the Great brought a lot of changes, but did not turn Babylonian society upside down. Greeks settled in Babylonia and in Babylon they received (possibly together with Hellenized citizens) a special status. They are recorded in Babylonian astronomical diaries and chronicles as pu-li-te-e or pu-li-ta-nu (= politai). Most interesting chronicles in this respect are the "Greek community Chronicle" (BCHP 14) and the "Bagayasha Chronicle" (BCHP 18). A Stoic school was also established at Babylon.
Babylonian scholarship in this period, esp. as regards the people who wrote the chronicles and diaries is also a point of interest. Among them was Berossus.

4. Achaemenid history.Studies of Cyrus and the Cyrus Cylinder. An elaborate study of the policy of Cyrus in the light of ancient Mesopotamian practices will appear soon. I also studied Herodotus in his dealings with Babylonia.

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