About
Ph.D. Program: Mesopotamian Studies
Tim studies the cuneiform cultures of ancient Mesopotamia and Anatolia, with special focus on the Hittite civilization of the second millennium BCE. His dissertation undertakes a comprehensive analysis of cults of Ishtar and associated goddesses in the Hittite world. Ishtar, a goddess of violence, sexuality and magic, was originally a Mesopotamian deity who became a prominent figure in Hittite state religion in the final centuries of the Late Bronze Age. The Hittites adopted the cult of Ishtar from the regions of Kizzuwatna (classical Cilicia) and Syria, where it had been heavily influenced by Hurrian culture. In Hittite texts, Ishtar is frequently designated using her Hurrian name, Shawushka. In the land of Hatti, Ishtar was also identified with the local goddess Anzili, and numerous local cultic centers were established throughout Anatolia.
The various hypostases of Ishtar in the Hittite region, as throughout the ancient Middle East, came to be defined by means of geographical and qualitative epithets. The cult of Ishtar in Hatti, which was comprised of diverse Mesopotamian, Syrian, Hurrian, Hattic and Anatolian elements, is thus a perfect example of the complexity and heterogeneity of the extensive Hittite pantheon. This study seeks to elucidate the unity and the multiplicity of the interrelated cults of Ishtar in Hittite Anatolia. This research will thus have significant implications for the differentiation of the varied cultural milieus in Hittite religion, and will contribute to our broader understanding of the history of religion in the ancient Middle East
Research Interests:
- Hittite culture and religion
- Polytheism and magic in the ancient Middle East
- Intercultural transmission of deities and religious practices
- Philology and cuneiform epigraphy
