The Chairs of NELC

Wolf Leslau, 1959-1965

(Specialization: Semitics)

Professor Wolf Leslau was founding Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from 1959-65. He was chairman again from 1975-1978 (Center for Near Eastern Studies). Leslau was also a UCLA professor of Hebrew and Semetic Linguistics, and was an expert on Ethiopian languages and cultures. He specialized in the Semetic language group, where he recorded the spoken word and the determined the structure and grammar of the language (LA Times). Among his many honors included the International Haile Selassie Award for Ethiopian Studies in 1965, given by Selassie in recognition of Leslau’s many years of study and the Lidzbarski Gold Medal Award from the International Oriental Societies in 1996 (LA Times).  Professor Wold Leslau passed away on November 18, 2006. He is survived by his daughters Elaine and Sylvia, and grandchildren.

Stewart, Jocelyn Y. “Wolf Leslau, 100; UCLA professor sought out and recorded Ethiopian languages.” Los Angeles Times. N.p., 23 Nov. 2006. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/nov/23/local/me-leslau23 

“Wolf Leslau and Stanford J. Shaw.” UCLA the G.E. von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies. N.p.,
15 July 2007. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. http://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/people/article.asp?parentid=73949

Andras Tietze, 1965-1972

(Specialization: Turkish)

Professor Andras Tietze was chairman of the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures department from 1965-1972. He was also a UCLA professor of Turkish and Persian. Professor Tietze is a world-renowned Turcologist, and is one of the founders of Turkic studies in the United States. He is best known for his contributions to Turkish lexicography, his work on Turkish riddles and Turkish Karagöz (Blackeye) plays, his editions and translations of Ottoman works, and his founding and editorship of an annual bibliography covering all aspects of Turkish and Ottoman life. Professor Tietze received many awards for his contributions to the field, including four Festschriften in his honor. In his final years, Professor Tietze worked on a historical and etymological dictionary the Turkish language of Turkey (Tarihi ve Etimolojik Türkiye Türkçesi Lugati, vol. 1, Istanbul and Vienna, 2002). However, he only lived to see the publication of the first volume of the projected seven-volume work. Professor Tietze passed away in Vienna on December 22, 2003. He is survived by his wife, the former Süheyla Uyar, and four children, Phyllis, Denise, Noor and Ben.

Jaeckel, Ralph. “Andreas Tietze- Remembered by a Former Student.” UCLA the G.E. von Grunebaum

Center for Near Eastern Studies. N.p., 19 June 2004. Web. 19 Sept. 2013. http://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/news/article.asp?parentid=12112.

Amin Banani, 1972-1975

(Specialization: Persian)

Professor Amin Banani was chairman of the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department from 1972-75. He was not only a UCLA professor of Persian and history, but also the founder of the Iranian Studies program at UCLA. In 1989, he helped launch the western world’s first bachelor of arst program in Iranian Studies. Professor Banani also served on the Board of Directors of the Middle East Studies Association of North America and on the Executive Council of the Society for Iranian Studies, and was the president of the American Association of Iranian Studies. He is the author of “The Modernization of Iran” (1961) and editor and contributing author of “The Epic of Kings” (1967), “Islam and Its Cultural Divergence” (1971), “Iran Faces the Seventies” (1971) and “Individualism and Conformity in Classical Islam,” among numerous other publications. Professor Banani passed away on July 28, 2013. He is survived by his wife Sheila Wolcott, daughters Susanne and Laila, and two grandchildren.

Lee, Cynthia. “In Memoriam: Amin Banani, founder of the Iranian Studies Program at UCLA.” UCLAToday.

N.p., 30 July 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/fbb-post.aspx?id=5605.

Wolf Leslau, 1975-1978

(Specialization: Semitics)

Professor Wolf Leslau was founding Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from 1959-65. He was chairman again from 1975-1978 (Center for Near Eastern Studies). Leslau was also a UCLA professor of Hebrew and Semetic Linguistics, and was an expert on Ethiopian languages and cultures. He specialized in the Semetic language group, where he recorded the spoken word and the determined the structure and grammar of the language (LA Times). Among his many honors included the International Haile Selassie Award for Ethiopian Studies in 1965, given by Selassie in recognition of Leslau’s many years of study and the Lidzbarski Gold Medal Award from the International Oriental Societies in 1996 (LA Times).  Professor Wold Leslau passed away on November 18, 2006. He is survived by his daughters Elaine and Sylvia, and grandchildren.

Stewart, Jocelyn Y. “Wolf Leslau, 100; UCLA professor sought out and recorded Ethiopian languages.” Los Angeles Times. N.p., 23 Nov. 2006. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/nov/23/local/me-leslau23 

“Wolf Leslau and Stanford J. Shaw.” UCLA the G.E. von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies. N.p.,
15 July 2007. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. http://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/people/article.asp?parentid=73949

Andras Bodrogligeti, 1978-1981

(Specialization: Turkish)

Professor Andras Bodrogligeti was chairman of the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department from 1978-81. He was a UCLA Professor Emeritus of Turkic and Iranian Languages and Literatures. Professor Bodrogligeti specialized in Turkish and was the author of “A Grammar of Chagatay” (2001), “Modern Literary Uzbek” (2002), “An Academic Refernce Grammar of Modern Literary Uzbek” (2003), among numerous other publications. Professor Bodrogligeti’s research focused on the Central Asian Turkish classical literature and cultural history of the Turks. An awardee of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1985 in the field of Linguistics, he served for thirty years as a beloved professor of Turkic Studies before founding the John D. Soper Central Asian Language Institute, also at UCLA.  This followed a professorship at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest and service as a translator for the Hungarian Foreign Ministry and Hungarian army. Author of a collection of linguistic books including an English translation of Sayf-i Sarayi’s “Gulistan Bi’t Turki” as well as language manuals for Uzbek, Tajik and Chagatay, he was fluent in 39 languages and dialects.

Herbert Davidson, 1981-1987

(Specialization: Jewish Philosophy)

Professor Herbert Davidson was chairman of the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department from 1981-1987. He is currently a UCLA Professor Emeritus of Hebrew, and specializes in Jewish Philosophy He is the author of several books, including “Moses Maimonides: the Man and His Works” (2010), “Proofs for Eternity, Creation, and the Existence of God in Medieval Islamic and Jewish Philosophy” (1987) and “Alfarabi, Avicenna, and Averroes, on Intellect (1992).

Antonio Loprieno, 1987-2000

(Specialization: Egyptology)

Professor Antonio Loprieno was chairman of the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department from 1987-2000. He was also a UCLA professor of Egyptology. Furthermore, he was a guest professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris, and the University of Heidelberg. Professor Loprieno is a member of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen, the German Institute of Archaeology, and various other national and international academic associations. Professor Loprieno is currently a professor of Egyptology at the University of Basel. His current research focuses on Near Eastern languages and Egyptian cultural history and religion. Prior to his appointment as Rector of the University of Basel, he served as Dean of Studies of the University’s Faculty of Humanities, as President of the Planning Committee, and as President of the Library Committee. He heads the Conference of Swiss University Rectors (CRUS).

“Rector Prof. Dr. Antonio Loprieno.” Universitat Basel. N.p., May 2011. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. http://www.unibas.ch/index.cfm?uuid=628FBA0DBBA6E09A35ACD2D934EAB201&o_lang_id=2.

William Schniedewind, 2000-2007

(Specialization: Hebrew Bible)

Professor William Schniedewind was chairman of the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department from 2000-2007 and 2010-2016. He is also a UCLA professor of Biblical Studies and Northwest Semitic Languages. Professor Schniedewind serves on the steering committees for both the Center for the Study of Religions and the Center for Jewish Studies at UCL. He is also a network editor for the Dead Sea Scrolls & Second Temple Judaism section of Religious Studies Review, and serves on the editorial board for the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research and Tel Aviv. He is the author of “A Primer on Ugaritic: Language, Culture, and Literature” (with Joel Hunt) (2007), and “How the Bible Became a Book: The Textualization of Ancient Israel” (2004), among numerous other publications. Professor Schniedewind is listed in the 2007 Distinguished Lecturer Series Speaker Biographies in the Dead Sea Scroll exhibition at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Elizabeth Carter, 2007-2010

(Specialization: Archaeology)

Professor Elizabeth Carter was chairman of the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department from 2007-2010. She is also a UCLA professor of Near Eastern Archaeology and Musa Sabi Term Chair in Iranian Studies at UCLA. She is author of “Excavations in the Ville Royale at Susa: The Third Millennium B.C. Occupation” (1980), and “Elam: Surveys of Political History and Archaeology” (with Matthew W. Stolper) (1984), among other publications. Professor Carter’s current research is focused on the survey of Lagash (al-Hiba), Iraq; the publication of the Middle Elamite building from Tall-I Malyan; and her work in south-central Turkey.

William Schniedewind, 2010-2016

(Specialization: Hebrew Bible)

Professor William Schniedewind was chairman of the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department from 2000-2007 and 2010-2016. He is also a UCLA professor of Biblical Studies and Northwest Semitic Languages. Professor Schniedewind serves on the steering committees for both the Center for the Study of Religions and the Center for Jewish Studies at UCL. He is also a network editor for the Dead Sea Scrolls & Second Temple Judaism section of Religious Studies Review, and serves on the editorial board for the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research and Tel Aviv. He is the author of “A Primer on Ugaritic: Language, Culture, and Literature” (with Joel Hunt) (2007), and “How the Bible Became a Book: The Textualization of Ancient Israel” (2004), among numerous other publications. Professor Schniedewind is listed in the 2007 Distinguished Lecturer Series Speaker Biographies in the Dead Sea Scroll exhibition at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Kara Cooney, 2016-Present

(Specialization: Egyptology)

Professor Kara Cooney is the present Chair of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department. Kathlyn (Kara) Cooney is a professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA. Specializing in craft production, coffin studies, and economies in the ancient world, Cooney received her PhD in Egyptology from Johns Hopkins University. In 2005, she was co-curator of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Cooney produced a comparative archaeology television series, entitled Out of Egypt, which aired in 2009 on the Discovery Channel and is available online via Netflix and Amazon.

The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt, Cooney’s first trade book, was released in 2014 and benefits from her expert perspective on Egypt’s ancient history to craft an illuminating biography of its least well-known female king. As material culture specialist who spent years at various excavations in Egypt, Cooney draws from the latest field research to fill in the gaps in the historical record of Hatshepsut.

Cooney’s current research in coffin reuse, primarily focusing on the 19^th and 21st Dynasties, is ongoing. Her research investigates the socioeconomic and political turmoil that have plagued the period, ultimately affecting funerary and burial practices in ancient Egypt. This project has taken her around the world over the span of five to six years to study and document nearly 300 coffins in collections, including those in Cairo, London, Paris, Berlin, and Vatican City.