American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)

The American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to initiate, encourage, and support research into, and public understanding of, the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world, from the earliest times. ASOR is apolitical and has no religious affiliation.

ASOR was founded in 1900 by twenty-one institutions—including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia. Over a century later, ASOR has approximately 53 consortium institutions, including universities, seminaries, museums, foundations, and libraries. In addition, they have more than 2,200 individual members and more than 40,000 Friends.

ASOR fosters original research, archaeological excavations, and explorations; encourages scholarship in the Near East’s basic languages, cultural histories, and traditions; builds support for Near Eastern studies; and advocates high academic standards. ASOR also offers educational opportunities in Near Eastern history and archaeology to students from all over the world, and through outreach activities to the public.

ASOR communicates news of the latest research findings in our publications, through lectures at the Annual Meeting, and independent overseas institutes in Cyprus and Jerusalem facilitate research in the field by students and scholars. ASOR’s book series and journals, such as Near Eastern Archaeology and the Bulletin of ASOR, are intended for both a lay audience and specialist archaeologists, historians, and biblical scholars. ASOR’s Annual Meeting brings together scholars from around the world to present their latest findings and discuss their research. Fellowship programs are available from our overseas institutes to provide funds for work at these institutes as well as for Mesopotamian studies and student travel to the Annual Meeting.

UCLA has an institutional membership hosted through the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology.

The institutional membership benefits include:

Faculty, students, and staff of member institutions will receive the following benefits:

• Voice and vote in member-wide elections (through the institutional representative)
• Print delivery of all ASOR publications for your library, including Near Eastern Archaeology (NEA), Bulletin of ASOR (BASOR), and the Journal of Cuneiform Studies (JCS)
• Discount of 33% or more on ASOR books purchased by your library
• Discounts on Annual Meeting registration for all students and eligibility to present papers for Graduate students affiliated with your institution
• Ability for students who attend institutional member schools to register for the Annual Meeting without an individual ASOR membership
• Eligibility to apply for $2,000 archaeological fieldwork scholarships on ASOR-affiliated projects
• Access to fellowships, grants, and scholarships offered by our affiliated Overseas Research Centers in Jerusalem and Nicosia
• Focus articles on special events, programs, and faculty of member institutions in NEA and News@ASOR
• Ability to advertise job postings at your institutions in News@ASOR
• $250 credit toward a quarter page ad in NEA or BASOR (subject to availability, no cash value)