ICREA Academia Award Winner 2022

Department of History and Archaeology, University of Barcelona

Montalegre 6-8 E-08001 Barcelona, Spain

Tel. + 34 93 403 75 47.

Email: mrdarivam@ub.edu

EDUCATION

1990-1993: Studies in Geography and History, Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).

1993-1994: Studies of Ancient History, Autonome University of Madrid (Spain).

1994-1995: Studies in Assyriology, University of Ghent (Belgium), Erasmus-ECTS Programme.

1995-1997: PhD studies, Autonome University of Madrid (Spain), with doctoral fellowships.

1997-1999: PhD studies at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), Erasmus-PIC Programme.

1999-2001: PhD studies at the Julius-Maximilians University Würzburg (Germany), Fellowship of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD).

2002: PhD in Ancient Near Eastern Studies (Assyriology). Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg, Germany (2002). Supervisors: Gernot Wilhelm (Würzburg) and Michael Jursa (University of Vienna). Qualification: opus eximium et summa cum laude.

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

2000: Research Assistant in Ancient Near Eastern Studies (Assistentin BAT II a). Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, University Julius-Maximilians of Würzburg, Germany.

2003-2007: Ramón y Cajal Researcher. Department of Prehistory, Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Barcelona.

2007-2019: Associate Tenured Professor of Prehistory. Department of History and Archaeology, University of Barcelona.

2019- : Full Professor of Prehistory (Protohistory of the Ancient Near East). Department of History and Archaeology, University of Barcelona.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

Very good: English, German, Italian, Spanish and Catalan.

Good: French and Dutch.

Knowledge of ancient Languages: Akkadian, Sumerian, Hittite, Hurrian, Urartean, Latin.

RESEARCH

Research lines

Political and social history of Babylonia in the First Millennium BCE; Late Babylonian temple texts; Late Babylonian literary texts; Cuneiform Palaeography; Urban Religion; Mesopotamian Religion; Neo-Babylonian royal inscriptions; Archaeology of the Ancient Near East; Historiography of the Ancient Near East.

Member of the Archaeology Research Group GRACPE 2021 SGR 00232.

Research visibility

Researcher ID (Web of science): H-2609-2014 (Publons)

ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7861-6196

Academia.edu: http://ub.academia.edu/wwwubedu (Rocío Da Riva)

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rocio_Da_Riva

Humanities Commons: https://hcommons.org/members/dariva/

Direction of Archaeological Surveys and Excavations

2005-2010: Sites of Nahr el-Kalb, Brisa, Shir as-Sanam and Wadi as-Saba in Lebanon.

2015-: Site of Sela in Jordan.

Social, economic and cultural development of research

• Researcher with experience working with epigraphic material in various museums in Europe (British Museum London, Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin, Ashmolean Museum Oxford, Musée du Louvre Paris), in the United States (Yale Babylonian Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York, Harvard Semitic Museum, Oriental Institute Museum Chicago) and in the Middle East (Istanbul Archaeological Museum, Istanbul).
• Researcher with numerous visits and research activities with a duration of less than three months in universities and institutions in Europe, North America and the Middle East: British Museum (London, UK); Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, UK); National Archives (Kew, UK); Vorderasiatisches Museum and Altorientalisches Institut Freie Universität (Berlin, Germany); Frobenius Institut, Johan Von Goethe-Universität (Frankfurt aM, Germany); Julius-Maximilians Universität (Würzburg, Germany); Ludwig-Maximilians Universität (München, Germany); Eberhard Karls Universität (Tübingen, Germany); Ca Foscari University (Venice); University of Pennsylvania Museum (Philadelphia, USA); Oriental Institute, University of Chicago (United States); Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Toronto Istanbul Archaeological Museum (Turkey); Museum of Beirut, Directorate General of Antiquities, American University of Beirut National Academy of Sciences , Armenian State University, and Yerevan State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovyan, Yerevan ; Chuo University, Tokyo (Japan); Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel); Yarmouk-University Irbid (Jordan),
• Organizer of more than 10 international conferences and workshops, participation in more than 70 international conferences and workshops. Participation in more than 70 invited lectures, seminars and guest seminars, and more than 15 public lectures (science popularization).

ACTIVITIES AS VISITING RESEARCHER AND VISTING PROFESSOR (selection)

1994-1995: Institut voor Talen en Culturen van het Nabije Oosten en Noord-Afrika. University of Gent (Belgium).

1998– : Research activities at the Vorderasiatisches Museum (Berlin); Musée du Louvre (Paris); Yale Babylonian Collection (New Haven); Istanbul Archaeological Museum (Istanbul), etc.

1998: Near Eastern Department. British Museum, London (United Kingdom).

1999: School of Humanities. University of Western Australia, Nedlands (Australia).

1999-2002: Lehrstuhl für Altorientalistik. Universität Julius-Maximilians Würzburg (Germany).

2008-2009: Visiting Researcher (01.10.2008-31.01.2009), José Castillejo Mobility Research Grant, Spanish Ministry of Education at the Institut für Orientalistik, University of Vienna.

2012: Visiting Researcher (01.06.12-31.08.12), José Castillejo Mobility Research Grant, Spanish Ministry of Education at the Institut für Orientalistik, University of Vienna.

2016: Visiting Researcher (01.07.16-30.09.16) Salvador Madariaga Mobility Research Grant, Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport at the Institut für Altertumswissenschaften, Lehrstuhl für Altorientalistik. Philosophische Fakultät, Universität Julius-Maximilians Würzburg.

2021: Fellow of the Fellowship-Programm der Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Kolleg-Forschungsgruppe 2615 “Rethinking Oriental Despotism”, Freie Universität Berlin (Oct.-Nov. 2021).

2022: Visiting Professor at the Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, may 2022.

2022: Fellow of the Fellowship-Programm der Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Kolleg-Forschungsgruppe 2615 “Rethinking Oriental Despotism”, Freie Universität Berlin (Jun.-Jul. 2022).

2021: Professeur Invité. École d’Histoire de la Sorbonne, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Nov.-Dec. 2022).

AWARDS

ICREA Academia Prize for Excellence in Research 2008 (2009-2013). Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies.

ICREA Academia Prize for Excellence in Research 2014 (2015-2019). Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies.

ICREA Academia Prize for Excellence in Research 2022 (2023-2027). Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies.

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

Principal Investigator of the Research Project: The Divine Love Lyrics: Religious Rituals and Erotic Poetry in 1st Millennium BCE Babylonia. (PID2019-104191GB-I00). Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.

MEMBERSHIP OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

1999– : Member of the Deutsche Orient Gesellschaft (DOG).

2001–: Member of the Alumni Association of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg.

2012– : Member of the International Association of Assyriology (IAA).

2015-: Senior Board Member of the Melammu Project (by invitation).

2019– : Member of the Deutscher Verband für Archäologie (DVA).

2020-: Alumni Ambassador of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (by invitation).

2020-: Member of the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR).

COMMISSIONS OF TRUST (selection)

2014–: Faculty Member at the Advanced Course Literature and Culture in the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece, Rome, and the Near East Venice International University and Ca Foscari University, Venice.

2015– : Referee for the National Evaluation and Foresight Agency (ANEP), area of Philology.

2016– : Member of the OIMEA Advisory Committee, Official Inscriptions of the Middle East in Antiquity (http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7/abouttheproject/index.html)

2016– : Member of the RINBE Editorial Board, Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Empire https://www.en.ag.geschichte.uni-muenchen.de/chairs/chair_radner/research_radner/rinbe/index.html

2018-2022: Member of the Advisory Board of Classica et Orientalia (Harrassowitz Verlag)

2021- : Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Tel Aviv Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University (Maney Publishing, Taylor and Francis).

2022–: Board member of the Dan David Prize, Dan David Foundation (Israel).

TEACHING

2000-2001: University of Würzburg, Department of Oriental Studies (Germany).

2003-2004: University of Barcelona, Department of Semitic Studies (Spain).

2004– : University of Barcelona, Department of Prehistory, Ancient History and Archaeology/Department of History and Archaeology (Spain).

2015-2019: Venice International University (Italy), Advanced seminars.

2017-2018: Yarmouk University-Irbid (Jordan), Program: Erasmus+ KA107 Mobility Grant, 5.10.17-12.10.17.

2018-2019: Yarmouk University-Irbid (Jordan), Program: Erasmus+ KA107 Mobility Grant, 25.10.18-01.11.18.

2019-2019: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (Germany), Program: Erasmus+ 103 Mobility Grant, 13-17.05.2019.

2022: École d’Histoire de la Sorbonne, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France), Professeur Invité, 28.11.2022-18.12. 2022.

PUBLICATIONS (selection)

1. Monographs (single authored)

[1]       2002, Der Ebabbar-Tempel von Sippar in frühneubabylonischer Zeit (640-580 v.Chr.). Alter Orient und Altes Testament, 291. Münster, Ugarit Verlag.

[2]       2008, The Neo-Babylonian Royal Inscriptions: An Introduction. Guides for the Mesopotamian Textual Records (GMTR), 4. Münster, Ugarit Verlag.

[3]       2012, The Twin Inscriptions of Nebuchadnezzar at Brisa (Wadi esh-Sharbin, Lebanon): a Historical and Philological Study. Archiv für Orientforschung Bhft. 32. Horn, Berger & Söhne.

[4]       2013, The inscriptions of Nabopolassar, Amēl-Marduk and Neriglissar, Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Records, 3. Berlin-Boston, Walter De Gruyter.

[5]       2017, Arqueólogos, etnólogos y espías: La misión de Leo Frobenius en Arabia y Eritrea (1914-1915). Bellaterra Arqueología. Barcelona, Bellaterra.

[6]       2022, Babilonia. Una introducción a su historia más reciente (900-539 a.c.). Bellaterra Arqueología. Barcelona, Bellaterra.

2. Edited volumes

[1]       2015, R. Da Riva and J. Vidal, Descubriendo el Antiguo Oriente: estudiosos de Mesopotamia y Egipto a finales del s. XIX y principios del s. XX. Bellaterra Arqueología. Barcelona, Bellaterra. 

[2]       2019, R. Da Riva, M. Lang and S. Fink, Literary Change in Mesopotamia and Beyond and Routes and Travelers between East and West. Melammu Workshops and Monographs 2. Münster: Zaphon Verlag.

[3]       2022, R. Da Riva, A. Arroyo and C. Debourse, Ceremonies, feasts and festivities in Ancient Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean World: Performance and Participation. Proceedings of the 11th Melammu Workshop. Münster: Zaphon Verlag.

3. Articles in peer and editor reviewed, international and indexed journals (single-authored unless indicated; selection of the last 5 years)

[1]       2019, “The angry Ištar of Eturkalamma: BM 32482+ and the Conservation of Cultic Traditions in the late Babylonian Period”, Iraq 81: 87-105.

[2]       2020, “The Nabonidus Inscription in Sela (Jordan): Epigraphic Study and Historical Meaning”, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie 110/2: 176-195.

[3]       2021, R. Da Riva, J. Santos and M. Madrid, “The Mortars from rock-cut hydraulic structures of as-Sila (Sela) in Southern Jordan: Mineralogical characterization and Radiocarbon dating”, Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 21/3: 37-63. http://maajournal.com/Issues/2021/Vol21-2/3_Da%20Riva_et_al_21(2).pdf

[4]       2022, R. Da Riva, R. Marsal, M. Madrid, E. Miguel, J. Marín, E. Allué and M. Lozano, “The site of Sela: archaeological campaign 2016”. Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 60.

[5]       2022, “BM 40757: Marduk’s arrival to the Akītu temple on the 8th of Nisan”, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie 112: 107-123.

[6]       2022, “The Merdītu-Offerings: Animal Sacrifice in First-Millennium Babylonian Religious Contexts”, Near Eastern Archaeology 85/4: 280-287.

[7]       2023, R. Da Riva and J. Novotny, “A Cylinder of Nebuchadnezzar II from Uruk in the Cindy and David Sofer Collection displayed in the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem”, Israel Oriental Studies 22: 3-29.

4. Book Chapters (single-authored; selection last 5 years)

[1]       2020, “Jealousy in Akkadian Love Literature: Zarpanītu in the Divine Love Lyrics ”, pp. 306-334, S. Hsu and J. Llop Raduà (eds.), The Expression of Emotions in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. CHANE 116, Brill: Leiden.

[2]       2020, “Celebraciones salvajes y rituales sexuales en la antigua Mesopotamia. Las Líricas Amorosas Divinas, los celos y el deseo femenino en la sociedad patriarcal babilonia del I milenio a.C.”, pp. 29-46, M. Fargas (ed.), Alternativas. Mujeres, género e historia. Edicions Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona

[3]       2023, “Adobes para la “Puerta de los Dioses”, la construcción de estructuras defensivas en Babilonia a mediados del I milenio a.C.”, pp. 27-39, O. Rodríguez Gutiérrez and A. Jiménez Viera (eds.), Adobes & Cía. Estudios multidisciplinares sobre la construcción en tierra desde la prehistoria hasta nuestros días, Editorial Universidad de Sevilla.

5. Book Chapters from publications in congress proceedings and in collective works (peer-reviewed; single-authored unless indicated; selection last 5 years)

[1]       2019 R. Da Riva and S. Fink, “Introduction,” pp. 107-111 in R. Da Riva, M. Lang and S. Fink (eds.). Literary Change in Mesopotamia and Beyond and Routes and Travelers between East and West. Melammu Workshops and Monographs 2. Münster: Zaphon Verlag.

[2]       2020, “Introduction Panel 3: War and Ritual,” pp. 219-228 in Droß-Krüpe, K., Fink, S., Rollinger, R., Ruffing, K. (eds.), Societies at War. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.

[3]       2020, R. Da Riva and S. Ponchia, “Arbail(-)lāmur! (2)On people from and to Arbela. The Assyrian community in Babylonia during the Neo-Babylonian Period: the case of Mannu-akī-Arbaʾil,” pp. 181-184 in F. Alpi, Z. Bradosty, J. Giraud, J. MacGinnis and R. Mattila (eds.), Arbela Antiqua. Actes du colloque international d’Erbil (7-10 avril 2014) tenu sous la présidence de Zidan Bradosty: Arbèles antique – Histoire d’Erbil pré-islamique. Bibliothèque Archéologique Et Historique, 218 Beyrouth: Presses de l'Ifpo.

[4]       2021, “Music and Ritual in Ancient Mesopotamia. The evidence from the Late Babylonian Temple Festivals,” pp. 105-125 in R. Eichmann and D. Shehata (eds.), Studien zur Musikarchäologie XII, Music Beyond Cultural Borders Vorträge zum Workshop „Music Beyond Cultural Borders“ im Rahmen des 33. Deutschen Orientalistentags an der Friedrich-Schiller-Universität in Jena, 19. – 20. September 2017/ Papers from the Workshop “Music Beyond Cultural Borders” held at the 33rd Deutscher Orientalistentag at the Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, 19 – 20 September, 2017, Orient-Archäologie 43: 105-125.

[5]       2022, “Urban Religion in I Millennium BCE Babylonia: Official cult and the public space”, pp. 763-789 in C. Bonnet et al, (eds.), Naming and mapping the Gods in the Ancient Mediterranean. Spaces, mobilities, imaginaries. Walter De Gruyter. DOI: 10.1515/9783110798432-040

6. Articles in Festschriften (liber amicorum), peer-reviewed; single-authored (last 5 years)

[1]       2019, “The King of the Rock Revisited: the site of as-Sila (Tafila, Jordan) and the inscription of Nabonidus of Babylon,” pp. 161-174, P. S. Avetisyan, R. Dan and Y. H. Grekyan (eds.), Over the Mountains and Far Away. Studies in Ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology presented to Mirjo Salvini on the Occasion of His 80th Birthday, Oxford, Archaeopress.

[2]       2021, “Els textos rituals dels temples en època babilònica tardana (s. iv-i aC)” pp. 195-207, A. Alberni, L. Cifuentes, J. Sananach, A. Soler (eds.), «Qui fruit ne sap collir»: homenatge a la prof. Lola Badia en el seu 70è aniversari, 2 vols. Barcelona, Edicions UB & Editorial Barcino.

[3]       2021, “In and around the Court of Bēl and the Cultic Topography of the Esagil according to Late Babylonian Ritual Texts” pp. 179-220, Gabbay, U. and Gordin, Sh. (eds.), Individuals and Institutions in the Ancient Near East: A Tribute to Ran Zadok. Boston/Berlin, De Gruyter. 

[4]       2023, “On goats, mountains and the elusive Babylonian royal seal”, pp. xx-xx, B. Sass and L. Battini (eds.), Mortals, deities and divine symbols. Rethinking ancient imagery from the Levant to Mesopotamia Studies offered to Tallay Ornan, Series Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeopress.

7. On-line publications (single-authored unless indicated; last consulted in January 2023)

- “New Discoveries at Sela, the Mountain Stronghold of Edom”, The Ancient Near East Today  http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2019/03/New-Discoveries-at-Sela 

-2019, “What sort of rituals really went on inside Late Babylonian temples?”, The Ancient Near East Today http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2019/07/What-Rituals-Inside-Late-Babylonian-Temples

- 2022 [16/09/2022], “Sela: un asentamiento de la Edad del Hierro en Edom” https://www.despertaferro-ediciones.com/2022/sela-un-asentamiento-de-la-edad-del-hierro-en-edom/

SCIENCE POPULARIZATION (selection, pages retrieved in January 2023):

Interviews And Mentions In The Media

07.11.2009. Newspaper "The Independent", "Robert Fisk's World: The German Lawrence of Arabia had much to live up to - and failed"  http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/fisk/robert-fisks-world-the-german-lawrence-of-arabia-had-much-to-live-up-to-ndash-and-failed-1816593.html

27.10.2011. News from the University of Barcelona "El who's who del Imperi babilònic"  http://www.ub.edu/web/ub/ca/menu_eines/noticies/2011/10/090.html 

13.08.2018. Las rocambolescas andanzas del arqueólogo espía. Una investigadora española desvela los secretos de Frobenius https://www.agenciasinc.es/Reportajes/Las-rocambolescas-andanzas-del-arqueologo-espia 

14.10.18. Estudio de la inscripción cuneiforme del rey Nabónido de Babilonia (s. VI a.C.) en Sela (Jordania) http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/AMMAN/es/Noticias/Paginas/Articulos/20181015_Not01.aspx

29.11.2018. Una profesora de la UB lidera estudio de yacimiento arqueológico en Jordania  https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20181129/453232551398/una-profesora-de-la-ub-lidera-estudio-de-yacimiento-arqueologico-en-jordania.html 

13.12.2018. Arqueólogos y escaladores de élite usan complejas técnicas de rapel para documentar una inscripción en Sela, la pequeña Petra https://fundacionpalarq.com/arqueologos-y-escaladores-de-elite-usan-complejas-tecnicas-de-rapel-para-documentar-una-inscripcion-en-sela-la-pequena-petra/ 

02.01.2019. Archaeologists explore history of mysterious mountain stronghold ‘Sela’ in southwest Jordan http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/archaeologists-explore-history-mysterious-mountain-stronghold-%E2%80%98sela%E2%80%99-southwest-jordan

02.01.2019. Arqueología y escalada extrema para estudiar un yacimiento https://elpais.com/ccaa/2019/01/01/catalunya/1546374933_558472.html 

03.01.2019. Jordan Diggers Explore 'Sela' Civilization https://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/jordan-diggers-explore-sela-civilization-1233716 

22.07.2019. In the Spotlight: Rocio Da Riva and the Neo-Babylonian rock inscriptions https://iaassyriology.com/in-the-spotlight-rocio-da-riva-and-the-neo-babylonian-rock-inscriptions/ 

2020. Climbing King Nabonidus in the Mountains of Edom: An Interview with Rocío Da Riva, Damqatum The CEHAO Newsletter No. 16. (www.uca.edu.ar/cehao-en) http://wadmin.uca.edu.ar/public/ckeditor/Facultad%20de%20Ciencias%20Sociales/PDF/damqatum/Damqatum-The-CEHAO-newsletter-N16-2020.pdf

06.01.2020. Sela rock inscription captivates Spanish scholar http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/sela-rock-inscription-captivates-spanish-scholar