Fellowship received in 2020
Current affiliation: Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
Academic achievements, social engagement initiatives:
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
• since March 2022: Recognized researcher (R2), Faculty of History, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski (Republic of Bulgaria)
ACADEMIC EDUCATION AND DEGREES
• 24th January 2022: Doctor in the research area of Humanities (PhD). PhD thesis – “Authority and Ideology in the Early Neo-Assyrian Empire (934–745 B.C.)”
• 1st February 2019 – 24th January 2022: PhD candidate in Ancient History, Department of Ancient History, Thracian Studies and Mediaeval History, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski (Republic of Bulgaria).
• October 2016 – February 2018: MA programme “Archaeology”, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. MA thesis – “Near Eastern Influence in Hellas during 9th–6th c. B.C.”
• October 2016 – June 2017: MA programme “Antiquity and Middle Ages”, major in Ancient History, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. MA thesis – “Relations and Interactions of Assyria with Urartu and Neo-Hittite Kingdoms during the Reigns of Ashurnasirpal II and Shalmaneser III (883–824 B.C.)”
• October 2012 – July 2016: BA programme “Archaeology”, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
FELLOWSHIP AND GRANTS
• February 2022: The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, Institute of Assyriology (Federal Republic of Germany). Research Laboratory, Masterclass: Cuneiform Epigraphy
• June 2021: Support grant for Sylff fellows, funded by The Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (Sylff) Programme
• March 2021: The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Institute of Ancient Studies, Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (Federal Republic of Germany). Research based on the PhD thesis, funded by The Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund Programme
• August – September 2020: The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Institute of Ancient Studies, Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, within the “Erasmus+” traineeship programme.
• September 2017 – February 2018: University of Warsaw, Institute of Archaeology, Departments of “Archaeology of Ancient Near East” and “Classical Archaeology” (Republic of Poland), within the “Erasmus+” programme. Preparation of e-Learning materials in the field of Ancient Near East for students and participation in The Martin von Wagner Museum’s initiatives.
• April–July 2020: Technische Hochschule Nürnberg, Institut für Sprachen und Interkulturelle Kompetenz, VHB e-Learning Deutschkurse
• October 2019 – July 2020: The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Institute of Ancient Studies, Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, within the “Erasmus+” programme
• September 2019 – September 2020: The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Zentrum für Sprachen, Deutschkurse
• September 2017 – February 2018: University of Warsaw, Institute of Archaeology, Departments of “Archaeology of Ancient Near East” and “Classical Archaeology” (Republic of
Poland), within the “Erasmus+” programme
• September 2015 – January 2016: Trakya University, Departments of “Protohistory and Archaeology of Ancient Near East” and “Classical Archaeology” (Republic of Turkey), within the “Erasmus +” programme
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Z. Tarhan’s research interests are primarily focused on the following topics: cuneiform studies; Akkadian; Sumerian; Mesopotamian ritual, cultic and divination texts; Neo-Assyrian Empire; Assyrian royal ideology; ancient Semitic languages and cultures; Urartian; as well as relations and interactions in the Ancient Near East. She is additionally interested in archaeology and glyptics of the Ancient Near East; Near Eastern influence in Hellas during the Geometric and Archaic periods, contacts between Ancient Thrace and the Ancient Near East, contacts in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Although Zozan Tarhan had faced the fact that in Bulgaria there is no university program, institution or library dedicated to Assyriology or Ancient Near Eastern Studies even before becoming a student at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and as a person with professional interests in the Ancient Near East, she considered it not so naive and absolutely possible to become an Assyriologist, being a graduate of Sofia University; she believed, she could contribute to some certain topics, part of this scholarship, and step by step to bring it to Bulgaria. Aware that Assyriology is a scholarship having an international interest with study and research centers that are not in Bulgaria, the desire for exchanging an academic knowledge and dialogue prevailed. Thereafter, during her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral studies, Z. Tarhan carried out several specializations in universities abroad – in the field of philology (Ancient Near Eastern Studies / Assyriology) and archaeology (Archaeology of the Ancient Near East and Classical Archaeology).
Zozan Tarhan received her PhD degree from the Department of Ancient History, Thracian Studies and Mediaeval History of the Faculty of History at the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski with a dissertation entitled “Authority and Ideology in the Early Neo-Assyrian Empire (934–745 B.C.)”. Soon after the defense, the monograph on the topic of her dissertation was published, which appears to be the first extensive Assyriological study in Bulgarian, which focuses on the historical and cultural development of Ancient Assyria. In February 2022 she took part in a masterclass entitled “Cuneiform Epigraphy” held at the Institute of Assyriology, Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg. Since March 2022 she has been working at the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.
Z. Tarhan is building not only her professional path, but she is also working for the realization of her childhood dream, which gradually became a mission – the development of Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Bulgaria.
https://uni-sofia.academia.edu/ZozanTarhan
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Zozan-Tarhan
tarhan.zozan@gmail.com
