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NINEVEH Academic Chair

UNIVERSITY OF SALAMANCA

The University of Salamanca, which was founded in 1218, has been creating over the years Extraordinary Academic Chairs (Domingo de Soto, Venezuela, Martín Granizo, Larramendi, Sicilia, Chile, Argentina etc.) that assume a relevant role in the transmission of a specific knowledge concerning an important figure or a culture.

On the other hand, it has also been an important objective of the University and the city of Salamanca – with its local and provincial institutions – to offer their spaces in order to welcome other cultures and spread their knowledge among the university community and the social environment.

History of USAL

Why at the university of SALAMANCA?

The Oldest university in the Hispanic world and also one of the oldest  in the western world. Currently it has more than 30.000 students from over 50 different nationalities.

The claim to create the Nineveh Academic Chair within the institutional framework of the University of Salamanca is justified for several reasons.

Salamanca has been one of the first Spanish-speaking universities that since 1311 has been cultivating Semitic knowledge and promoting the spirit of openness towards other cultures and languages. And since the fourteenth century, it has been one of the institutions that has fostered the three-lingual spirit that has endured to today.

The Hebrew and Aramaic studies, at the University of Salamanca have been expanding their field of action and today it has become a reference at European level due to the solid base offered by its official degree. The Nineveh Academic Chair is another step in this commitment to Hebrew and Aramaic studies that aims to expand the field of learning. Assyrian culture is the great unknown in the Western world despite the enormous contribution it has made to humanity in the past.

800

Years

Activity

The university’s rich history and commitment to education
contribute to its enduring global reputation.

NINEVEH Academic Chair

The title that has been given to it, is not accidental: the cradle of civilization, since the Assyrians have contributed to Science, Art, Humanities more than anyone else. Its language, its laws (Hammurabi code), its ancient academies, of Babylon, Pumbedita, Nuhadra, Edessa, Nisibis have served as inspiration for many training centers that today are the oldest universities in Europe (Bologna, Paris, Oxford and Salamanca). Cassiodorus himself reports that the statutes of the Nisibis served as inspiration for the creation of the University of Bologna and, incidentally, for the “Studii Salamantini”. The literary production of these academic centers had an enormous impact on the vision and formation of the ancient Western world.

Through research projects, congresses, seminars, debates and meetings with scholars, magistrates, journalists, artists, the aim will be to promoting the knowledge of Assyria in its various social-cultural and linguistic aspects. These activities will respond to a planning that will involve the various cultural, social and political institutions and associations present in Assyria and will focus on current or historical issues.
Regarding the historical theme, it will work on key moments in Assyrian history in its various periods, starting from ancient times to the present day. Particular attention will be paid to the late and modern periods to provide a coherent historical outline as the history of the Assyrians has not always been transmitted as it deserves.

Our Work Area

Culture

Study of everything that can serve to deepen the knowledge of Assyrian people, in order to improve those topics that do not reflect the true and rich legacy of this great nation, today erased from the geo-political map.

Art

The Assyrian artistic heritage is huge but it is little known in the western world. The Nineveh Chair will bring the Assyrian artistic heritage closer to the Western world through exhibitions of artistic collections from pre and post-Christian times.
The study and development of Assyrian music will be implemented within the projects of the Nineveh Chair. For this purpose we have a group of excellent Assyrian scholars. This group will investigate on the Assyrian musical legacy.

Language and Literature

The Assyrians were bilingual since the 9th century B.C. They used Assyrian, the lingua franca of the empire and then Aramaic due to the expansive policy they used in ancient times. It is a phenomenon little explored and less studied. In the late Middle Ages (from 2nd to the 14th century) it had its golden age, with a literary production broader than the Hebrew, Greek, Latin. Despite this, it is little known in the western world.
In this sense, the Nineveh Chair will try to work on the most relevant writers of the Assyrian people known in the west. One of the most relevant tasks of the Nineveh Chair will be the translation of ancient texts into English, French, German and Spanish to make this world and this great culture known to the modern society.

Investigation

The Nineveh Chair will promote joint research programs, primarily with university researchers worldwide, as did the Assyrian research center in Helsinki, which today is a world reference on ancient textual documentation.
Salamanca, with the Nineveh Chair, will try to become a world reference in its commitment to modern Assyrian studies. This will serve above all for the correction of the misleading information upon Assyrians transmitted over the last two centuries. This will helped to clarify the historical-linguistic reality of the Assyrian people. The investment of funds will have as priority this first phase of research work.
It will promote research focused on Assyrian language, history, and culture to create a critical mass that has so far not been systematically developed in the Western world.

Get to Know the activities of NINEVEH chair!

We are trying to introduce the rich Assyrian culture and civilization.

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NINEVEH Academic Chair

pl. de Anaya
37008, Salamanca, ESPAIN

T: +34 677 53 50 12
T: +34 658 17 96 71
E: staff@catedranineveh.com

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