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Melissa Eppihimer's research focuses on the art and archaeology of early Mesopotamia, specifically of the late third and early second millenia B.C.E. Her main area of study is the art of the Akkadian dynasty and its impact on post-Akkadian rulers, monuments, and imagery. To assess the visual manifestations of historical consciousness she evaluates changes and continuities in Mesopotamian art. Another of her research interests is the collecting and interpreting of ancient Near Eastern art in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Here, she examines how Persia, Babylon, and Assyria were categorized, understood, and visualized by antiquarians and collectors. Her teaching incorporates these areas of study alongside the art, architecture, and archaeology of the Near East from antiquity to the modern era, and the role of museums and cultural heritage in the modern Middle East.