Eric Cline

Eric Cline
Name	Eric Cline
Birth date	1960
Birth place	Washington, D.C., United States
Occupation	Archaeologist; historian; author; professor
Alma mater	Yale University; University of Pennsylvania
Employer	The George Washington University
Known for	Bronze Age studies; Late Bronze Age collapse; public archaeology

Eric Cline Eric Cline is an American archaeologist, historian, and classical scholar specializing in the Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean and Near East. He is noted for interdisciplinary work bridging archaeology, ancient history, and palaeoenvironmental studies, and for public-facing books synthesizing complex research for wide audiences. Cline has held prominent academic positions, directed excavations, and contributed to media projects involving PBS, BBC, and National Geographic.

Early life and education

Cline was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in the United States. He earned a Bachelor of Arts at Yale University and completed his Ph.D. in Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania under supervision that involved scholars linked to the University of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His doctoral work engaged material from sites associated with Mycenae, Troy, Hattusa, Ugarit, and other key Bronze Age centers. Influences included scholarship from figures at Harvard University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Tel Aviv University, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Academic career and teaching

Cline joined the faculty at The George Washington University, where he served in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and later in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology. He taught courses on Ancient Greece, Ancient Near East, Archaeological Methodology, Bronze Age history, and material culture, engaging students from programs affiliated with Smithsonian Institution, American Schools of Oriental Research, and international universities. Cline has supervised graduate work tied to collaborations with University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, British Museum, Israel Antiquities Authority, German Archaeological Institute, and Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale.

Archaeological fieldwork and excavations

Cline has directed and co-directed excavations and surveys at sites across the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean. His fieldwork includes seasons at Tel Megiddo, Tell el-Dab'a (Avaris), Tell Abu al-Kharaz, Troy (Hisarlik), Tarsus, and multiple sites in Cyprus and Jordan. Projects often involved interdisciplinary teams from Brown University, University College London, University of Toronto, Australian National University, and regional institutions such as Ankara University and Ain Shams University. Excavations incorporated specialists in ceramics, zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, geoarchaeology, and radiocarbon dating developed in partnership with Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Center for Applied Isotope Studies, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Research and publications

Cline's research focuses on the Late Bronze Age, the Late Bronze Age collapse, intercultural networks linking Mycenaeans, Hittites, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Canaanites, and the role of climate and migration in social change. He authored monographs and edited volumes published by academic presses associated with Princeton University Press, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, and Johns Hopkins University Press. Major works analyze evidence from sites like Ugarit, Byblos, Akko (Acre), Megiddo, and Hattusa and draw on inscriptions from Akkadian, Linear B, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ugaritic corpora. Cline has produced synthesis books for general audiences that intersect with topics explored by scholars at Columbia University, Yale University Press authors, Princeton historians, and popularizers connected to Smithsonian Magazine and The New York Times.

Public outreach and media appearances

Cline is active in public archaeology, contributing to documentary programs for PBS Nova, BBC Horizon, History Channel, and National Geographic Channel. He has written for outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, and has participated in panels and radio programs on NPR and BBC Radio 4. Cline frequently lectures at institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The British Museum, and at festivals and forums hosted by TEDx-affiliated events and scholarly organizations like the Archaeological Institute of America and the American Schools of Oriental Research.

Awards and honors

Cline has received awards recognizing both scholarship and public engagement, including prizes from academic societies such as the Society for Classical Studies and the Archaeological Institute of America, fellowships from American Council of Learned Societies and John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation-style institutions, and grants from funding bodies like the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation. His books have been shortlisted for or received honors from literary and academic award committees associated with PEN America, Association of American Publishers, and regional historical societies.

Personal life

Cline resides in Washington, D.C. and maintains professional ties with archaeological teams across the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East, collaborating with scholars at Tel Aviv University, University of Haifa, Ankara University, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and University of Vienna. Outside academia he engages with museum communities, public lectures, and continues field seasons that connect him with local institutions such as the Jordanian Department of Antiquities and the Cyprus Department of Antiquities.

Category:American archaeologists Category:Classical scholars Category:George Washington University faculty