Welcome to the Digital Semitics Online Library (DSOL)! Originally called the Semitic Studies Online Library (SSOL), this site was founded in November 2023 and is designed as an online archive and repository of information related to ancient Near Eastern studies, especially Semitic languages and epigraphy. I compile here a collection of external links of texts, talks, and videos that interest me as well as feature my own work. Of course, over time some external links will eventually expire, making this website simultaneously a “living” and (partially) “dead” archive of the present as well as the past. More importantly than an online repository of helpful resources, however, this website is ultimately a work in self-reflection on my academic journey as well as an outlet for me to learn more about the digital humanities.
Who am I? My name is Matthew Saunders, and I am a PhD student in Near Eastern Studies at The Johns Hopkins University. I received my BA in History and an MA in Theology from Welch College in Gallatin, TN (near Nashville). My second graduate degree is an MA in Biblical and Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages from the Divinity School at Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL (near Chicago); at TIU, I also completed the coursework requirements for the MA in Old Testament and Semitic Languages (all but thesis). In addition to these degrees, I’ve taken classes at a number of other colleges and universities, including Oxford University (in Anatolian languages and linguistics), Leiden University (in Semitic and Afroasiatic languages and linguistics), Freie Universität Berlin (in German), The Catholic University of America (in Semitic and Egyptian languages and literature), Fuller Theological Seminary (in ancient Near Eastern studies), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (in Old Testament), and Jerusalem University College (in historical geography of Israel). You can find more information about my academic and professional background in my CV here.
On the DSOL site, you can find pages related to ancient Near Eastern (ANE) studies, a Catalogue of Semitic Inscriptions (CSI), and miscellaneous information about me and my lifestyle. I’m particularly interested in the following areas of ancient Near Eastern studies: comparative Semitic linguistics; Aramaic studies; Ugaritic studies; Northwest Semitic epigraphy and paleography; Akkadian dialectology; and digital applications in ANE studies. This site also consists of my personal reflections on the history of scholarship, particularly the greatest scholars of Semitic languages and linguistics who deserve a place in what I call the Magnum Concilium Semiticorum (or Great Council for Semitics) for their impact on the field and my personal academic journey. Additionally, I encourage you to check out the “Important Links & Research Tools,” “Journals & Monographs,” “Media,” and “Other Blogs” pages for quick access to an abundance of external information in the field. Whether its any of the linked materials or my own blog about miscellaneous topics, I hope you find this website to be a helpful resource for connecting with the academic study of the ancient Near East and especially Semitic studies online.
Naturally, this website is a perpetual work in progress, so I encourage you to check back often for updates to DSOL. You can also subscribe to receive email notifications of new posts here. Happy Researching!
