From the EO of MALS, Professor Elizabeth Macaulay

My new book Archaeological Ambassadors: A History of Archaeological Gifts in New York (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) investigates why nations with rich archaeological pasts like Egypt, Greece, and Jordan gave antiquities—often unique, rare, and highly valued monuments—to New York City, the United States, and New York Institutions from 1879 to 1965. Due to the research conducted for this book, I discovered a number of archaeological objects that different countries gifted to the United States, other countries, and international organizations.

Because these gifts are diverse in terms of space and time, this digital humanities project (Archaeological Ambassadors: a digital project exploring the intersections of archaeological objects and cultural diplomacy) aims to create a website, archaeologicalambassadors.org. The website will comprise a digital database, a series of introductory essays (short and designed for the public), a glossary of terms, a resources page, and a bibliography. I have received funding for the first phase—a proof of concept—so that I can apply for external grants to fund subsequent phases.

To create this website prototype, I want to hire a graduate student with strong digital skills. The website will be built in WordPress (using Airtable or Google Sheets to organize the objects and information) so that the site is searchable. I have identified twenty-six archaeological objects that were gifted to the UN and are at the UN’s headquarters in New York City. This small dataset is to be used as a proof of concept.

The student will be paid $42.95 per hour (+ a fringe benefit, based on the current NTA rate). Ideally, the student would start working on this project as soon as the funds are available (1st July to the end of August of 2024) for 100 hours over six to eight weeks).

Interested applicants should have a strong background in WordPress, some coding skills, and experience with digital humanities projects. A background in archaeology, public scholarship, and/or art history would also be beneficial.

If you are interested, please send me a CV and a short cover note explaining your interest in this project to emacaulay@gc.cuny.edu. I will assess applications on a rolling basis.

Elizabeth Macaulay, D.Phil. (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor of Liberal Studies, Classics, Middle Eastern Studies & Digital Humanities

Executive Officer, MA in Liberal Studies

The Graduate Center, The City University of New York

365 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10016

emacaulay@gc.cuny.edu