The Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw (PCMA UW; ) operates as an independent research institute of the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

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

Near East The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...

and

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. 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 (14 December 1901, in Tarnopol – 1 January 1981, in Warsaw) was a Polish archaeologist and Egyptologist, Art history, art historian, member of the Polska Akademia Nauk, Polish Academy of Sciences, profe ...

. It is the direct continuator, since 1990, of the

Research Centre in Cairo, Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw The Research Centre in Cairo, Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw, (, ) is the only Polish scientific research institution in Africa and the Middle East, where it has operated since 1959 in Cairo. The mission of the R ...

, which Michałowski established in 1959. It was the first Polish institution dedicated to archaeological research in the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

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 Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...

academic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the ...

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 ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, and

). Over time, it evolved into a fully

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

journal with an extended subject area. The territorial scope covers the broadly understood

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and North Africa region, including the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. The chronological range covers periods from

prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins 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

Press (except volumes X and XI), presenting the results of archaeological research in

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

. 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

. 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 page

Centrum Archeologii Śródziemnomorskiej on Facebook

"Poles on the Nile" conference

11th International Conference of Nubian Studies
{{Authority control University of Warsaw Archaeological research institutes History of the Mediterranean