Emeritus Faculty

Robert D. Biggs is an Assyriologist whose career has been closely associated with the University of Chicago and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures. After studying at Johns Hopkins University, where he received training in Akkadian, Hebrew, Arabic, Egyptian, Ugaritic, and other ancient Near Eastern languages, Biggs traveled to Iraq in 1962 to study cuneiform tablets in the Iraq Museum. In 1963, he joined the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary as a Research Associate, later becoming Associate Editor and Assistant Professor of Assyriology at the University of Chicago.

Biggs’s scholarship focused on Babylonian literature, divination, medicine, religious texts, and Old Akkadian. He also participated in archaeological expeditions in Iraq, including work connected with Nippur and Abu Salabikh. At Chicago, he taught generations of students and contributed to the collaborative work of the Assyrian Dictionary. After retiring from teaching in 2004, he continued his scholarly service as editor of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies.