MICAH

Dr. Reinhard G. Lehmann
Academic Director

Research Unit on Ancient Hebrew & Epigraphy
FB 01/ Faculty of Protestant Theology
Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
D-55099 Mainz
Germany

phone: +49-6131-39-23284 (office)
fax: +49 6131 39-22603

For the first time in January 1998, a one-day colloquium with two lectures on Ancient Hebrew took place at the University of Mainz, under the auspices of the 'Forschungsstelle für Althebräische Sprache und Epigraphik'. Invitations had been sent out both at home and abroad. Due to the unexpected interest, the organisers felt prompted to carry out a second colloquium already in autumn of the same year. Subsequently, six Mainzer Hebraistische Kolloquia followed annually.Apart from invited speakers from both Germany and from abroad, even short papers from junior-scholars (i.e. postgraduates, assistant professors) were included in the programme. Thus, they were given the opportunity to present and discuss their projects in a both personal and cooperative atmosphere, which is often not possible at large international congresses with a wider range of topics.

The international popularity and the expansion of the subjects included in the programme to the nearer linguistic environment of Ancient Hebrew (Aramaic, Phoenician, Ugaritic etc.) led to the decision at the 7th MHK in November 2004, to make it a bi-annual two to three day event in co-operation with Dr. Anna Elise Zernecke (University of Mainz) and Dr. Johannes F. Diehl (University of Frankfurt/ Main) under the name of

'Mainz International Colloquium on Ancient Hebrew'.

The 11th Mainz International Colloquium on Ancient Hebrew will take place from November 01 to 03 at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.