Paul Zimanksy
Adjunct Professor of Archaeology

Education: PhD 1980, University of Chicago

Research Interests: Near and Middle Eastern archaeology and history.

Professor Zimansky has worked in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey, investigating civilizations of the Bronze and Iron Ages. His research is focused on early imperialism and urbanism, with particular emphasis on the Kingdom of Urartu, which flourished in eastern Turkey and adjacent areas in the First Millennium B.C. He is also a specialist in the archaeology of writing and documentary evidence as artifact. With his wife, Elizabeth Stone, he has co-directed numerous excavations, currently including an American contingent investigating the outer town as part of the Turkish expedition to Ayanis under the overall direction of Dr. Altan A. Çilingiroôlu. Previously he and Stone co-directed the Mashkan-shapir project (Iraq), excavations at Tell Hamida (Iraq), and an American contingent of the Syrian Expedition at Tell ‘Ain Dara (Syria). He is currently a participant in HEAD, a USAID-funded project to assist Iraqi universities.

Representative Publications
The Anatomy of a Mesopotamian City: Survey and Soundings at Mashkan Shapir. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2004 (with Elizabeth C. Stone)

The Iron Age Settlement at ‘Ain Dara, Syria: Survey and Soundings. BAR International Series 786. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports, 1999 (with Elizabeth C. Stone).

Ancient Ararat: A Handbook of Urartian Studies. Anatolian and Caucasian Studies. Delmar, NY: Caravan Books, 1998.

"The Origin of Nuzi Ware: A Contribution from Tell Hamida," in General Studies and Excavations at Nuzi 9/3, edited by David I. Owen. Studies on the Civilization and Culture of Nuzi and the Hurrians, vol. 5. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1995. Pp. 75-83.

Ecology and Empire: The Structure of the Urartian State. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization, no. 41. Chicago: The Oriental Institute Press of the University of Chicago, 1985.