Researching the Archives: A Shared Past for the Future. The GRISSO Project

The Group for Interdisciplinary Research of the History of Eastern Studies (GRISSO) was founded in 2013 by Silvia Alaura, as a permanent initiative at the Istituto di Studi sul Mediterraneo Antico (ISMA), CNR, Rome, in collaboration with the Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Antichità dell'Università di Roma "La Sapienza", as well as with other Italian and foreign universities and research centers. GRISSO focuses on the history of archaeological, philological and historical studies of the ancient Near East, and their reception in contemporary and modern society. One of the most important aspects of GRISSO's work is the study and evaluation of unpublished archive materials. One of GRISSO's distinguishing characteristics is its interdisciplinary approach: its members represent various disciplines such as archaeology, philology, ancient and modern history, the history of ideas, philosophy, anthropology and archival science.