Thorkild Jacobsen

Infobox Scientist
name = Thorkild Jacobsen
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birth_date = birth date|1904|06|07|df=y
birth_place = Copenhagen, Denmark
death_date = death date and age|1993|05|02|1904|06|07|df=y
death_place =
residence = flagicon|USA United States
citizenship =
nationality = flagicon|Denmark Denmark
ethnicity =
field = Assyriology
work_institutions = University of Chicago (1929-1962),
Harvard University (1962-1974)
alma_mater = University of Copenhagen (M.A.)
University of Chicago (PhD, 1929)
doctoral_advisor =
doctoral_students =
known_for = "The Treasures of Darkness"
prizes = Guggenheim Fellowship
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Thorkild Jacobsen (Danish pronunciation: yahkobsen; 7 June 1904 – 2 May 1993) was a renowned historian specializing in Assyriology and Sumerian literature.Jacobsen received an M.A. from the University of Copenhagen and then came to the United States to study at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, where he received his PhD. He became a Field Assyriologist for the Iraq Expedition of the Oriental Institute (1929-1937) and in 1946 became Director of the Oriental Institute. In 1962, Jacobsen became a professor of Assyriology at Harvard University, where he remained until his retirement in 1974. In 1974 he served as a Visiting Professor at UCLA where he helped develop a strong Assyriology program. Beyond being an expert translator, he was a brilliant interpreter whose insights led to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the institutions and normative references of Sumerian and Akkadian culture.

elected Works

*"The Sumerian King List", editor. (1939) Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago; Assyriological Studies, No. 11.
*"Towards the Image of Tammuz and Other Essays in Mesopotamian History and Culture", edited by William L. Moran. Cambridge, 1970.
*"The Treasures of Darkness" (1976)
*"The Harps that Once... Sumerian Poetry in Translation" (1987)

Awards

*Dr. Jacobsen was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Near Eastern Studies in 1968.

External links

* [http://cdli.ucla.edu/wiki/index.php/Jacobsen,_Thorkild Bio at the CDLI wiki]