The Archiv für Orientforschung publishes essays and reviews in the field of ancient Oriental philology. The languages covered include Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Hurrian, Elamite, and others. The topics span religious, legal, economic, and social history of the Ancient Near East and Egypt, as well as Near Eastern archaeology and art history. The research focus is on Mesopotamia and its neighboring regions (Northern Syria, Anatolia, Elam), where cuneiform script was used during specific periods. Additionally, more distant areas such as Egypt are also considered. The covered time period ranges from the 4th to the 1st millennium BCE. In the review section, the emphasis is on monographs, while collections and festschriften are briefly discussed.

We publish regularly, although without a fixed pattern. Contributions can be written in German, English, French, and Italian.

Since Volume 25 (1974-1977), the Archiv für Orientforschung has included a section titled “Register Assyriologie” in almost every volume. This section provides a bibliography of newly published Assyriological literature, along with an index categorized by topics, Akkadian and Sumerian words, and specific text references. The compiled collection of scholarly literature can be searched for publications here:

The older indices until volume 54 can be partially searched here (mind that they are in German):

The journal was originally founded by Ernst Weidner and continued by Hans Hirsch. The editorial board is now in the hands of Hermann Hunger, Michael Jursa, Gebhard J. Selz, and Michaela Weszeli.