The Department of Egyptology and Assyriology builds on the strengths of Brown’s former Departments of Egyptology and History of Mathematics to explore the histories, languages, cultures and sciences of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and their neighbors. These regions, sometimes known collectively as the Ancient Near East, have a long history stretching back to the formation of the first complex societies and the invention of writing. Faculty in the department teach undergraduate and graduate courses in Egyptology, Assyriology and the history of ancient science.