Morris Jastrow

Born in Warsaw on August 13, 1861, he moved with his family to the United States as a child and grew up in Philadelphia. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania and went on to become one of the American scholars most closely associated with Assyriology and the study of ancient Near Eastern religion.

Jastrow taught at the University of Pennsylvania and also served as librarian of its library. His work focused on the languages, history, and beliefs of Mesopotamia and the wider ancient Near East, and he wrote a number of books that introduced these subjects to general readers as well as specialists.

He died on June 22, 1921. Remembered for helping early American audiences engage with Babylonian, Assyrian, and biblical-era cultures in a broader historical setting, he left behind a body of work that reflects both deep learning and a strong desire to make scholarship accessible.