Research Center for Aramean Studies

Building of the Semitic Studies division of the Department of Languages and Cultures of the Near East

A new research unit at Heidelberg University – the Research Center for Aramean Studies – will focus not only on the Semitic language Aramaic but also on the literature, art, history, sociology and migration of Arameans, with special consideration of the recent experience of diaspora.
The Research Center, located at the Semitic Studies division of the Department of Languages and Cultures of the Near East, is devoted to studying and preserving the history, language and culture of the Arameans, who nowadays often live scattered in diaspora, including in Germany.

Aramaic, with its different linguistic levels and dialects, has been extant for approx. 3,000 years, making it the oldest recorded Semitic language, says Prof. Dr Michael Waltisberg, director of the new research unit. “In pre-Islamic times, about 2,000 years ago, it was the lingua franca of the Middle East. Its most famous speaker was undoubtedly Jesus Christ,” the researcher, who represents Semitic Linguistics at the Department of Languages and Cultures of the Near East at Heidelberg University, adds. Modern Arameans originated in a territory spread over several Middle Eastern countries – the south east of present-day Turkey as well as Syria, Iraq, Iran and Lebanon. According to Prof. Waltisberg, Aramaic as an everyday language is threatened with extinction through wars and persecution, and also due to displacement and exile.

“With our work we want to establish Aramean Studies more strongly as a research field. At the same time, our concern is to contribute to a better understanding of the religious diversity in the Middle East, in both academia and in society, and to strengthen the integration of Arameans in Germany,” says Prof. Waltisberg. Besides research projects, the research unit organises courses and coordinates cooperation with researchers in Germany and abroad. The new unit with a scientific advisory board, composed of three members, and two academic staff is sponsored by NISIBIN – Foundation for Aramean Studies, which is headquartered in Heidelberg.