Center for Research on Ancient Civilizations (CRAC UW)

The aim of the activities of the Center for Research on Ancient Civilizations of the University of Warsaw (CRAC UW) is to initiate, integrate, and support interdisciplinary research on ancient civilizations conducted at the University of Warsaw, and to strengthen the international position of the University of Warsaw as one of the leading centers for research on antiquity.

CRAC UW seeks to fully utilize the research potential of the University of Warsaw’s community of scholars working on antiquity—including historians, classical philologists, archaeologists, orientalists, and scholars of ancient law and philosophy—by creating a lasting, open, and collaborative platform for academic cooperation.

The activities of CRAC UW are aligned with the mission of the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Warsaw (IBZ UW) as a university-wide hub for advanced research supporting large-scale, highly innovative interdisciplinary research projects of international significance. They also contribute to maintaining and further developing the outcomes of the Excellence Initiative – Research University Program (IDUB).

Tasks of CRAC UW

The core tasks of CRAC UW include:

• Integrating the community of scholars researching antiquity at the University of Warsaw, who are employed across different organizational units of the university, by creating frameworks for cross-faculty and cross-institute collaboration.

• Strengthening the research potential of UW scholars working on antiquity, in particular through:

  • improving the quality and visibility of ongoing research,

  • enhancing the international communication and dissemination of research results,

  • supporting publication and grant activities,

  • strengthening research infrastructure.

• Initiating and supporting interdisciplinary research projects, including projects carried out in international collaboration, concerning the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean basin, the Near East, and other regions of the ancient world.

• Increasing the international recognition of the University of Warsaw as a center for research on ancient civilizations and enhancing the attractiveness of the university for international researchers, doctoral candidates, and students.

• Supporting the development of early-career researchers, particularly doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers, through mentoring systems, research stays, and mechanisms of peer evaluation and support.

• Disseminating research results through the organization of seminars, workshops, conferences, summer schools, as well as publishing and public outreach activities.

 

Centre Coordinator:

Prof. dr. hab. Robert Wiśniewski, University of Warsaw Faculty of History

r.wisniewski@uw.edu.pl

 

More information about the Center’s activities can be found at: https://crac.uw.edu.pl/