The Department of Ancient Near Eastern Philology at the Institute for the Cultures of the Ancient Near East (IANES) at the University of Tübingen emerged from the Ancient Near Eastern seminar and is one of the most renowned institutions of its kind both in Germany and abroad. The range of courses covers the entire spectrum of ancient Near Eastern Philology, both in terms of language and cultural history. Research focuses on the literature and history of Mesopotamia from the 3rd millennium to the 1st millennium BC.

Ancient Near Eastern Philology deals with the languages and writings of ancient Mesopotamia (modern day: Iraq) and the neighbouring areas of Anatolia, Syria and Iran, which are characterised by highly developed, multicultural societies at the beginning of history. The period covered extends from the first written records around 3000 BC. until the 3rd century AD. The focus is on the Akkadian (Babylonian-Assyrian) as the oldest documented Semitic language and the Sumerian. Both languages (including Hittite, Elamite, Ugaritic) were written in cuneiform, which was the most important writing system in the Middle East for over three millennia.