Gorgias Press
Founded in 2001 Gorgias Press is an independent academic publisher of books and journals related to history, languages, and religious studies, with specific areas of expertise in the Ancient Near East, Arabic and Islamic Studies, Archaeology, Biblical Studies, Classics, Early Christianity, Jewish Studies, Linguistics, and Syriac.

Gorgias [GOR-gee-us] Press was originally created by George and Christine Kiraz as a specialty press that could keep up with their research interests. With a background in computational linguistics, George Kiraz envisioned combining cutting-edge technology with humanities research. The new company would be completely online, with no physical storefront, and it would use automation and digital printing technology rather than traditional print runs. With these tools, the press could afford to publish rare and understudied topics that were previously considered unprofitable, and Gorgias soon became known for its pioneering work in language and linguistics, religion, and especially Syriac and Eastern Christianity.
Gorgias’ philosophy of “Publishing for the Sake of Knowledge” rather than profit, attracted a number of new authors, and the press’ areas of interest rapidly began to expand. Today, Gorgias Press publishes 50-60 new titles a year, including monographs, edited volumes, translations, and more, and Gorgias books can be found in academic collections all over the world.
Mesopotamian Myths and Epics Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 56
ISBN: 9781607241102
Pub Date: 17 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Analecta Gorgiana
Description:
Originally the fifth in a series of five lectures delivered at Harvard University, this extract is an early attempt to tackle a formidable subject: the religion of ancient Iraq, or Mesopotamia. In this last essay of the set, Rogers focus on the mythic tradition of Mesopotamia, discussing the myths of Adapa, Ishtar’s descent to the netherworld, and the Gilgamesh epic, especially concentrating on the deluge account. Engaging and informative, Rogers’ narrative is accessible to the specialist and general reader alike.
Mesopotamian Cosmologies Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 57
ISBN: 9781607241089
Pub Date: 17 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Analecta Gorgiana
Description:
Originally the third in a series of five lectures delivered at Harvard University, this extract is an early attempt to tackle a formidable subject: the religion of ancient Iraq, or Mesopotamia. In this essay Rogers considers the great cosmologies of ancient Mesopotamia. In an easy narrative style, he recounts the discovery of the Enuma Elish and providing a brief summary of its contents.
History of the Za’faraan Monastery Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 95
ISBN: 9781593336394
Pub Date: 17 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Publications of the Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church
Description:
The History of the Za’faran Monastery is for the first time offered in English translation to the readers. It was written in 1917 by Patriarch Ignatius Aphram Barsoum (d. 1957) when he was still a monk at the monastery.
Century Dictionary (Vol 1) Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 900
ISBN: 9781593333775
Pub Date: 16 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Kiraz Historical Dictionaries Archive
Description:
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopaedia, edited by William Dwight Whitney and Benjamin E. Smith, comprises twelve volumes, including over 500,000 defined terms, and two volumes of concise encyclopedic entries. The Century Dictionary contains full, accurate, and clear definitions, and its many supporting quotations are chosen to illustrate, where helpful, the typical uses of a word or its specific sense.
Introduction to The Rites of Eastern Christendom Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 65
ISBN: 9781607240709
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Analecta Gorgiana
Description:
In his classic introduction to Eastern Orthodox liturgies, King examines the liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches. In this volume the introductory material to his work is presented. The various Oriental Churches are described in this introduction.
Jews in Iraq after the Muslim Conquest Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 30
ISBN: 9781593336011
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Analecta Gorgiana
Description:
As the oldest organized religion in Sassanian Iraq, Judaism serves as a kind of model for other religious organizations in the region. After considering the growth of Judaism in Iraq during the Sassanian period, Morony notes the connections between the Jewish and Aramaean populations as well as the intermixed ethnic communities in which Jews played a part. Social, administrative, and religious issues are all considered.
Letters from a Distant Shore Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 108
ISBN: 9781593337834
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Gorgias Ottoman Travelers
Description:
In 1849, within days of her marriage to missionary printer Edward Breath, Sarah Ann Breath joined her husband to begin a four month journey to Oroomiah (modern Urumia), Persia. Her narrative, written in a highly descriptive flowing prose, describes the journey by sea, steamer and caravan to a Nestorian community. Breath’s journal pays careful attention to the Nestorian, Assyrian, and Kurdish communities she encountered.
Maasir I Alamgiri of Muhammad Saqi Musta'idd Khan Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 632
ISBN: 9781593339159
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Description:
Written in the original Persian, this account of the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzib-Alamgir (reigned 1658-1707) is a standard resource for the this final great ruler of the empire. The chronicles of the emperors of this period in India are in general a blend of biography and history, but in the case of Aurangzib, the emperor is portrayed in terms of unstinting praise. Comprising both official sources, such as court circulars and letters, and personal recollections, the work was initiated by Mirza Muhammad Kazim, put aside until after the Emperor’s death, and completed in 1710 by Saqi Must`ad Khan.
The Armenian Rite Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 130
ISBN: 9781607240983
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Analecta Gorgiana
Description:
In his classic introduction to Armenian Orthodox liturgies, King examines the liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches. In this volume the Ethiopic rite is considered. The rite is described and given a context in the setting of its native church.
Persische Studien Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 214
ISBN: 9781593339609
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Kiraz Historical Grammars Archive
Description:
The astute observations of linguist Paul de Lagarde on Persian manuscript in Europe predating 1700 make an essential catalogue for anyone interested in the state of the field in the late 19th century. Citing each manuscript, Lagarde provides an annotated catalogue of 61 pieces that include descriptions from the initial publication of each text as well as his own observations. His study gives a sense of importance of each piece considered, demonstrating their relationships with other known documents.
Psychology of Prophecy Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 160
ISBN: 9781593337438
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Description:
Kaplan’s inaugural study of the psychological basis of prophecy is a landmark in the history of prophetic exploration. Setting the standard for future studies of the prophets, this remarkable book covers the various conceptions of prophets and their attendant phenomena of premonition, revelation, dreams, visions, ecstasy, and inspiration.
Register zu den genealogischen Tabellen der Arabischen Stämme und Familien Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 492
ISBN: 9781593339401
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Kiraz Historical Dictionaries Archive
Description:
In an historic attempt to map out the major tribes and families of the Arabic world, Wüstenfeld prepared this work based on three major types of documents. Taken together these sources provide a wealth of information on family names. Wüstenfeld has organized the entries for his register alphabetically, providing a starting point for current day researchers on the Arabic past.
Grammatik der Altbaktrischen Sprache Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 418
ISBN: 9781593339272
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Kiraz Historical Grammars Archive
Description:
A crucial stopping-point on the road to the early understanding of the Avestan language, Spiegel’s work was an early European attempt to comprehend this ancient and complex language. One of the two oldest languages of Iran, Avestan is probably best known as the language of the Zoroastrian Avesta. This historic grammar of the language has an extensive introduction to the writing system, the phonetics of the language and the rules of how the sounds are pronounced.
The Byzantine Rite Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 258
ISBN: 9781607240990
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Analecta Gorgiana
Description:
In his classic introduction to Byzantine Orthodox liturgies, King examines the liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches. In this volume the Byzantine rite is considered. The rite is described and given a context in the setting of its native church.
The Chaldean Rite Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 169
ISBN: 9781607241010
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Analecta Gorgiana
Description:
In his classic introduction to Byzantine Orthodox liturgies, King examines the liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches. In this volume the Chaldean rite is considered. The rite is described and given a context in the setting of its native church.
The Coptic Rite Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 164
ISBN: 9781607240969
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2009
Imprint: Gorgias Press
Series: Analecta Gorgiana
Description:
In his classic introduction to Eastern Orthodox liturgies, King examines the liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches. In this volume the Coptic rite is considered. The rite is described and given a context in the setting of its native church.