Melanie Gross
Guest Researcher
- Name
- Dr. M.M. Gross
- Telephone
- +31 71 527 2727
- m.m.gross@hum.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0001-8165-9488
My research focuses on the socio-economic history of 1st millennium BCE Mesopotamia. It is based on the cuneiform archival documentation dating to the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian and Persian periods. On the one hand, I am looking into state structures and the composition and role of their key institutions palace and temple. On the other, I am investigating the conduct of life and professional activities of well-off urban citizens. I study these issues also from a comparative historical perspective.
Research
My research focuses on the socio-economic history of 1st millennium BCE Mesopotamia. It is based on the cuneiform archival documentation dating to the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian and Persian periods. On the one hand, I am looking into state structures and the composition and role of their key institutions palace and temple. On the other, I am investigating the conduct of life and professional activities of well-off urban citizens. I study these issues also from a comparative historical perspective.
CV
Education:
2014: Dr.phil. in Assyriology, Vienna University
2009: Mag.phil. in Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology, Innsbruck University
Employment:
2017-2021: Post-doctoral researcher in the project "Persia and Babylonia: Creating a New Context for Understanding the Emergence of the First World Empire," headed by C. Waerzeggers, Leiden University
2015-2017: Post-doctoral fellow, staff of the project "The Neo-Babylonian Cuneiform Corpus (NaBuCCo)," headed by K. Abraham, KU Leuven
2015: University assistant, Oriental Institute, Vienna University
2009-2015: Doctoral/Post-doctoral researcher in the project "Royal Institutional Households in First Millennium B.C. Mesopotamia," headed by H.D. Baker, sub-project of the National Research Network (NFN) "Imperium and Officium," headed by M. Jursa, Vienna University
Teaching activities and supervision
2020/21 "The Ancient Near Eastern Royal Court in Diachronic Perspective," Seminar, Institute for Area Studies, Leiden University
2020 "Legal texts in 1st millennium BCE Assyria and Babylonia," Seminar, Institute for Area Studies, Leiden University
2018/19 "Royal Inscriptions from the Assyrian to the Persian Empire," Seminar, Institute for Area Studies, Leiden University
2018 "Tempel und Palast – Institutionelle Haushalte in Mesopotamien im ersten Jahrtausend v. Chr.," Altorientalisches Institut, University Leipzig, with J. Hackl
2015 "Akkadische Lektüre I oder II: Altbabylonische Erzählungen (Gilgameš, Anzû, Etana)," Oriental Institute, Vienna University
Grants and awards
07–08/2016: Visiting Research Fellow at the Martin Buber Society of Fellows in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2016: Approved LMU Research Fellowship, Neo-Assyrian Legal and Administrative Documents. Typology, Contents and Archives, K. Radner, Historisches Seminar, LMU Munich
Guest Researcher
- Faculty of Humanities
- Leiden Institute for Area Studies
- SMES Assyriologie
- Waerzeggers C. & Gross M. (Eds.) (2024), Personal Names in Cuneiform Texts from Babylonia (c. 750–100 BCE): An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Waerzeggers C. & Gross M.M. (2022), Prosobab (data file). [dataset].
- Gross M.M. (21 April 2020), The revival of the Sippar tablets in the Böhl Collection and the stories they tell. [blog entry].
- Gross M.M. (2020) Review of [Neo-Assyrian Sources in Context. Thematic Studies of Texts, History, and Culture] by [S. Yamada]. Review of: Yamada S. (2018), Neo-Assyrian Sources in Context. Thematic Studies of Texts, History, and Culture: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project. Bibliotheca Orientalis 77(1-2).
- Gross M.M. (2020), ‘The total of the crown prince’s revenues’: record-keeping in the Neo-Assyrian palaces. In: Jördens A. & Yiftach U. (Eds.), Accounts and Bookkeeping in the Ancient World. Legal Documents in Ancient Societies no. 8. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. 36-50.
- Gross M.M. (2020), At the Heart of an Empire: The Royal Household in the Neo-Assyrian Period. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta no. 292. Leuven: Peeters.
- Gross M.M. & Kertai D. (2019), Becoming Empire: Neo-Assyrian palaces and the creation of courtly culture, Journal of Ancient History 7(1): 1–31.
- Gross M.M. (2019), Der königliche Hof in neuassyrischer Zeit. Wicke D. (Ed.), Der Palast im antiken und islamischen Orient. 9. Internationales Colloquium der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 30. März – 1. April 2016, Frankfurt am Main. . Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. 61–71.
- Gross M.M. (2018), Craftsmen in the Neo-Assyrian Empire. In: Garcia-Ventura A. (Ed.), What’s in a Name? Terminology related to the Work Force and Job Categories in the Ancient Near East. Alter Orient und Altes Testament: Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments. Münster: Ugarit. 369–395.
- Gross M.M., Seire M. & Waerzeggers C. (2018), Prosobab – Prosopography of Babylonia (c. 620–330) – an online database. 64th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale “The Intellectual Heritage of the Ancient Near East”, Innsbruck. 16 July 2018 - 20 July 2018. [conference poster].
- Gross M.M. (5 December 2018), “‘Archives in Context’ – An outreach initiative of the Persia & Babylonia project. [blog entry].
- Gross M.M. (9 January 2018), Across the Ocean – A trip to the USA in the service of Assyriology. Persia and Babylonia. [blog entry].
- Ermidoro S. & Gross M.M. (2016), The NaBuCCo Database. Intersectionality in Digital Humanities, Leuven. 15 September 2016 - 17 September 2016. [conference poster].
- Gross M.M. (2016), c. 1,000 entries in the Online Text Catalogue of NaBuCCo. [other].
- Gross M.M. (2015), Review of: Dreyer B. & Mittag P.F., Lokale Eliten und hellenistische Könige. Zwischen Kooperation und Konfrontation. Archiv für Orientforschung 53: 478–479.
- Gross M.M. (2015), Review of: Lanfranchi G.B., Bonacossi D.M., Pappi C. & Ponchia S., Leggo! Studies Presented to Frederick Mario Fales on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday. Bibliotheca Orientalis 53: 480–481.
- Gross M.M., Jursa M. & Pirngruber R. (2015), Produzione e commercio nella Mesopotamia dell’Età imperiale, Rivista di Storia Economica 31(1): 121–145.
- Gross M.M. (2015), Food and drink for the palace: the management of foodstuffs in Neo-Assyrian times and beyond, State Archives of Assyria Bulletin 21: 21–45.
- Baker H.D. & Gross M.M. (2015), Doing the king’s work: perceptions of service in the Assyrian royal correspondence. Procházka S., Reinfandt L. & Tost S. (Eds.), Official Epistolography and the Language(s) of Power. Proceedings of the First International Conference of the Research Network Imperium & Officium. Comparative Studies in Ancient Bureaucracy and Officialdom, University of Vienna, 10–12 November 2010. no. 8. Vienna 73–90.
- Gross M.M. (2015), Innovation and tradition in the sphere of Neo-Assyrian officialdom. Archi A. (Ed.), Tradition and Innovation in the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of the 57th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Rome, 4–8 July 2011. . Winona Lake 251–266.
- Gross M.M. (2015), Editions of two Neo-Assyrian legal documents published as copies by George (2010), Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires 2015/79: .
- Gross M.M. (2015), Review of: MacGregor S.L., Beyond Hearth and Home. Women in the Public Sphere in Neo-Assyrian Society. Archiv für Orientforschung 53: 282–285.
- Gross M.M. & Luukko M. (2014), Corrections to SAA 6 and SAA 14. [other].
- Baker H.D. & Gross M.M., Neo-Assyrian Bibliography. [web article].
- Gross M.M. (2014), Ḫarrān als kulturelles Zentrum in der altorientalischen Geschichte und sein Weiterleben. In: Müller-Funk L., Procházka S., Selz G. & Telič A. (Eds.), Kulturelle Schnittstelle. Mesopotamien, Anatolien, Kurdistan. Geschichte. Sprachen. Gegenwart. Vienna 139–154.
- Gross M.M. (2014), The Structure and Organisation of the Neo-Assyrian Royal Household (Dissertatie. Oriental Institute, Vienna University). Supervisor(s) and Co-supervisor(s): Jursa M., Baker H.D.
- Gross M.M. (2014), Review of: Gaspa S. (2012), Alimenti e pratiche alimentari in Assiria: le materie alimentari nel culto ufficiale dell’Assiria del primo millennio A.C.. Bibliotheca Orientalis 71(3–4): 484–487.
- Gross M.M. & Pirngruber R. (2014), On courtiers in the Neo-Assyrian Empire: ša-rēši and mazzāz pāni, Altorientalische Forschungen 41(2): 161–175.
- Gross M.M. (2013), The Structure and Organisation of the Neo-Assyrian Royal Household. 7th Melammu Symposium, Obergurgl. 4 November 2013 - 8 November 2013. [conference poster].
- Gross M.M. & Hackl J. (2013), Bitten und Danken in Briefen. Zur Deutung der Wendung ana appi šūṣû, Altorientalische Forschungen 40: 55–67.
- Gross M.M. (2012), Keilschrifttexte im Kunsthistorischen Museum Wien, Teil II.: Eine neuassyrische Inventarliste aus der Bibliothek des Assurbanipal, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes (102): 33–41.
- Gross M.M. (2011), 44 entries. In: Baker H.D. (Ed.), The Prosopography of the Neo-Assyrian Empire 3/II. Helsinki.