In the early 20th century,
James Henry Breasted built up the collection of the university's Haskell Oriental Museum, which he oversaw along with his field work, and teaching duties. He dreamed, however, of establishing a research institute, "a laboratory for the study of the rise and development of civilization," that would trace Western civilization to its roots in the ancient Middle East. As
World War I came toward a close, Breasted sensed an opportunity to use his influence in the new political climate to create opportunities for access to archaeology sites and their study. He wrote to
John D. Rockefeller Jr., and proposed the foundation of what would become the Oriental Institute. Fundamental to the implementation of his plan was a research trip through the Middle East, which Breasted had optimistically suggested was ready to receive scholars again after the disturbances of the war. Breasted received a reply from Rockefeller pledging $50,000 over five years for the Oriental Institute. Rockefeller also assured University of Chicago president Harry Pratt Judson that he would pledge another $50,000 to the cause. The University of Chicago contributed additional support, and in May 1919 the Oriental Institute was founded. The institute is housed in a
Gothic Revival building at the corner of 58th Street and University Avenue, which was designed by the architectural firm
Mayers Murray & Phillip. Starting in 1996, the building was expanded and renovated, a process which took several years. The structure's
Ludowici tile roof was fully replaced and repaired between 2000 and 2001, and the Institute allowed 250 of the 15,000 Ludowici tiles to be inscribed with messages in ancient languages to help raise funds for the effort. Construction was completed in 1930, and the building was dedicated in 1931. German American sculptor
Ulric Ellerhusen designed the tympanum, titled
East Meets West. Figures from the East include a lion,
Zoser,
Hammurabi,
Thutmose III,
Ashurbanipal,
Darius the Great and
Chosroes; the West is portrayed by a bison and
Herodotus,
Alexander the Great,
Julius Caesar, a
crusader, an excavator, and an archeologist. Its role is to investigate the Middle East through
landscape archaeology and the analysis of
spatial data, including images from many decades of Middle Eastern aerial photography, and survey maps, as well as, modern satellite imagery.
2023 renaming In the 2010s, multiple organizations within the United States began reconsidering the use of the word "
Oriental," as some scholars felt the word was alienating and that it had changed in popular meaning. In March 2023, University of Chicago administrators announced they would be changing the name of the Oriental Institute. Interim director Theo van den Hout said, "[The Oriental Institute] name has caused confusion, often contributing to the perception that our work is focused on
East Asia, rather than
West Asia and
North Africa. Additionally, the word "oriental" has developed a pejorative connotation in modern English." In April 2023, the organization's name changed from the "Oriental Institute" to the "Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia and North Africa", abbreviated as ISAC. The institute's new logo features a
lotus flower, which is found in ancient Assyrian, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian art, as well as being a decorative motif on the ISAC building. ==Research and collection==