The Department of Middle Eastern Studies is the home of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, a peer-reviewed journal that is devoted to the study of the civilizations of the Near East from prehistory to the end of the Ottoman period in 1922. JNES embraces a uniquely broad scope of time, place, and topic, including contributions from scholars of international reputation on topics in Assyriology, Egyptology, Hittitology, Hebrew Bible, and allied ancient studies, as well as a second area of emphasis in early, medieval, and early-modern Islamic studies. The disciplinary range of the journal runs from history and language to religion and literature to archaeology and art history.
A Leading Journal in the Field
The Journal of Near Eastern Studies was founded in 1884, with an original emphasis on Old Testament studies. The journal was renamed twice over the course of the following century, with each name change reflecting the growth and expansion of the fields covered by the publication. Originally titled Hebraica, the journal in 1895 became the American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures; the present title came about in 1942.
JNES is published twice yearly. The journal evaluates manuscripts through a double-blind peer review process. Every issue includes new scholarly work as well as a book review section, which provides a critical overview of new publications by emerging and established scholars.
MES students benefit from the institutional association with a top-tier journal in their field, and graduate students gain insight into the world of publications, particularly on those occasions when students are invited to help with editorial or clerical work.
Editorial Board
The editorial board is made up primarily of MES faculty, currently including the following:
Editor
James Osborne
Managing Editor
Seth Richardson
Book Review Editor (Ancient)
James Osborne
Book Review Editor (Modern)
Fred Donner