William A. Kinnison Endowed Lecture in History
Speaker: Eric H. Cline, Author and Archaeologist
Title: "1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed"
Monday, March 30, 2020
- 7:30 p.m., Bayley Auditorium, Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center
A Fulbright Scholar and National Geographic Explorer, Cline is an active field archaeologist, award-winning professor, and national speaker. He is currently a professor of classics, history, and anthropology at The George Washington University (GWU) and director of the GWU Capitol Archaeological Institute.
Cline鈥檚 expertise lies in biblical archaeology, the military history of the Mediterranean world from antiquity to present, and the international connections between Greece, Egypt, and the Near East during the Late Bronze Age. He has more than 30 seasons of excavation and survey experience in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Crete, and the United States.
From 1994-2014, Cline worked with the Megiddo Expedition at Megiddo, Israel, an ancient city along an important trade route of the Fertile Crescent. Since 2005, he has co-directed the Kabri Archaeological Project at Tel Kabri, Israel. In addition to unearthing artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages, he and his team discovered the remains of the oldest and largest wine cellar yet known from the ancient Near East.
A prolific writer, Cline is the author, co-author, or editor of 19 books, including the international best-seller 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed, described by the New York Post as 鈥渁 fascinating look at the Late Bronze Age.鈥� Translated into 14 languages, the book was considered for a 2015 Pulitzer Prize and listed among the New York Post鈥檚 Best Books of 2014 and The Federalist鈥檚 Notable Books of 2015.
He has appeared on Nightline, Good Morning America, the BBC, the History Channel, and National Geographic Channel, among others. He regularly presents scholarly and public lectures around the United States and the globe. Recognized for his outstanding teaching, research and advising, Cline, who is a member of the GWU Academy of Distinguished Teachers, is the recipient of the Archaeological Institute of America鈥檚 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Geographic Society.
Cline holds an A.B. in classical archaeology modified by anthropology from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in Near Eastern languages and literatures from Yale University, and a doctorate in ancient history from the University of Pennsylvania. Muhlenberg College awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2015.