The Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw (PCMA UW; pl, Centrum Archeologii Śródziemnomorskiej UW im.
Kazimierza Michałowskiego) operates as an independent research institute of the
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields o ...
under the present name since 1990. It is dedicated to organizing, implementing and coordinating archaeological research, both excavations and study projects, as well as conservation, reconstruction and restoration projects, in
northeastern Africa
The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004) ...
, the
Near East and
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
. Projects include sites covering a broad chronological spectrum from the dawn of civilization (prehistoric times) through all the historic periods of the ancient Mediterranean civilizations to Late Antiquity and early Islam. Tasks beside fieldwork include comprehensive documentation of finds, archives management and publication of the results in keeping with international research standards. The PCMA manages the
Research Centre in Cairo and Polish Archaeological Unit in Khartoum.
History
The PCMA draws on the pioneering archaeological work of Polish archaeologist and egyptologist Prof.
Kazimierz Michałowski
Kazimierz Józef Marian Michałowski (born December 14, 1901 in Tarnopol – January 1, 1981 in Warsaw) was a Polish archaeologist and Egyptologist, art historian, member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, professor ordinarius of the Univer ...
. It is the direct continuator, since 1990, of the
, which Michałowski established in 1959. It was the first Polish institution dedicated to archaeological research in the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ...
Valley.
Publications
The PCMA publishes the results of its excavation and restoration projects in an annual journal and a series of monographs.
''Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean''
''Polish Archeology in the Mediterranean'' is an annual
open access academic journal
An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and ...
published by the PCMA since 1990. Since 2007 it has published it jointly with the University of Warsaw Press. Initially, it published the results of work by Polish archaeologists working with PCMA UW expeditions in the Mediterranean region (in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
,
Syria,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
, and
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
). Over time, it evolved into a fully
peer-reviewed journal with an extended subject area. The territorial scope covers the broadly understood
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
and North Africa region, including the
Arabian Peninsula and the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...
. The chronological range covers periods from
prehistory
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
through all historical periods to the Late Islamic period. Since 2013, additional thematic fascicles on specific topics have been published occasionally.
''Studia Palmyreńskie''
''Studia Palmyreńskie'' is book series published by the PCMA, together with the
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields o ...
Press (except volumes X and XI), presenting the results of archaeological research in
Palmyra
Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...
. It has been published since 1966 and was originally a journal, converting to a monograph series in 2014.
The thematic scope of the title, apart from archaeological discoveries, also includes the history of the city, its religions, art and epigraphy.
The journal’s founder and first editor-in-chief was
Kazimierz Michałowski
Kazimierz Józef Marian Michałowski (born December 14, 1901 in Tarnopol – January 1, 1981 in Warsaw) was a Polish archaeologist and Egyptologist, art historian, member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, professor ordinarius of the Univer ...
. Since 1985 it was edited by Michał Gawlikowski. Since its transformation in 2014, the editor of the series is Grzegorz Majcherek.
The journal begun as a publication for young explorers but quickly grew into a proper academic outlet.
In 1974 the journal has been described as "unique" and the only journal with that specific focus.
Other series
*''PAM Monograph Series''
*''PAM Supplement Series''
*''PCMA Excavation Series''
*''PCMA Archaeological Guides''
Conferences
The PCMA UW is a joint organizer of the annual "Poles on the Nile" and "Poles on the Near East" conferences, presenting the results of excavations carried out by Polish teams. The PCMA UW co-organized a number of prominent international conferences, including the "11th International Conference of Nubian Studies" in 2006, the "
8th International Congress of the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East" in 2012, and the "Red Sea 8" in 2017.
References
External links
Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology home pageCentrum Archeologii Śródziemnomorskiej on Facebook"Poles on the Nile" conference11th International Conference of Nubian Studies
{{Authority control
University of Warsaw
Archaeological research institutes