About Search Our Collections

Search Our Collections is the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures' online collections search. It brings together records and digital resources from across ISAC, allowing users to discover and explore museum objects, library materials, archival collections, photographs and other media, maps and satellite imagery from the Center for Ancient Middle Eastern Landscapes (CAMEL), Epigraphic Survey resources, and more through a single website.

Behind Search Our Collections is ISAC's Integrated Database (IDB), a shared collections information system that connects data created and maintained by different units across the Institute. By bringing these records together, the IDB makes it possible to link objects, publications, archives, images, places, and other research resources that might otherwise be discovered separately. The continued development of the IDB and Search Our Collections is supported by the ISAC Data Research Center, which advances the Institute's work in collections data, digital research, and computational methods.

Project History

ISAC began planning for an integrated collections database in 2004. Following several years of assessment and development, records from the Research Archives Library and Museum Collections were brought together beginning in 2010. The project subsequently expanded to incorporate photographic and archival collections, CAMEL maps and geospatial data, Epigraphic Survey resources, and other materials. Search Our Collections continues to grow as ISAC catalogs, digitizes, connects, and improves its collections data.

Connecting and Sharing ISAC Data

The Integrated Database is designed not only to preserve and manage ISAC's collections information, but also to make that information easier to discover, connect, share, and study. Through the Data Research Center, ISAC works with researchers and institutions to support interdisciplinary research, responsible data sharing, and the long-term stewardship of information about the ancient cultures of West Asia and North Africa.

Support the Online Collections Search

Help us fuel discovery with a donation today. The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures would like to thank the following donors for their generous support:

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