Swiss Society for Ancient Near Eastern Studies (SGOA = Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Orientalische Altertumswissenschaft)

The Swiss Society for Ancient Near Eastern Studies coordinates and supports the exploration of Ancient Near Eastern cultures (including Ancient Egypt) at Swiss universities. It combines the chairs for Egyptology, Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages, Ancient History and Bible Studies of the Old Testament (including Archaeology of Palestine and Semitic Studies) based in Switzerland in a working community which is not only open to scholars and teachers, but also to students and other people who are interested in the Ancient Near East and the Bible.

Scientific conferences and study trips, which, if applicable, may also be organized in cooperation with museums, are means through which SGOA contributes to spread the knowledge regarding the Ancient Near Eastern origins of our own culture amongst a wider audience.

Three scientific conferences, which have an interdisciplinary scope or serve the presentation of new and newest finds and studies in the individual disciplines, are held annually. A newsletter, which members receive free of charge once a year, provides information on further and other current developments within the field of Ancient Near Eastern studies.

SGOA is co-editor of the internationally renowned scientific series Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis. Members may purchase volumes of this series with a discount of 20%.