Archaeology Magazine Archive

A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America

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Stamp text: "This passport is intended for use only in the following countries and for objects specified, unless amended: England, France, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Babylonia, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor for Archaeological Work...53 years old; long, prominent chin"

As Breasted wrote in his proposal to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., "This whole region [the Middle East] has just been delivered from Turkish misrule, and for the first time in history the birth-lands of religion and civilization lie open to unobstructed study and research. In the entire history of knowledge this is the greatest opportunity that has ever come for the study of man and his career." Breasted proposed to found the Oriental Institute as a research center. He proposed that the Institute's first expedition should purchase objects for study and museum display, make connections with local officials, and identify sites for future excavation.

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