Paolo Matthiae

Paolo Matthiae (born 1940) is an Italian archaeologist.

Paolo Matthiae
Born	1940 (age 83–84) Rome, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Alma mater	Sapienza University of Rome
Occupation	Archaeologist
Known for	Discovery of Ebla
Awards	Order of Civil Merit (Excellent class) (2023)

He is a professor of History of Art of the Ancient Near East in the University of Rome La Sapienza; he has been Director of the Ebla Expedition since 1963—in fact, its discoverer—and has published many articles and books about Ebla and about the History of Art of Mesopotamia and Syria in general. In 1972 and 1973, Matthiae co-directed the excavation of Tell Fray in the Euphrates Valley that was to be flooded by Lake Assad, the reservoir of the Tabqa Dam which was being constructed at that time. He is a member of institutions as the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Rome), the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Deutsches Archaeologisches Institut, and is doctor Honoris Causa of the Autonomous University of Madrid.

Books

• Ebla: An Empire Rediscovered
• Ebla: La città rivelata, collection «Universale Electa/Gallimard●Storia e civiltà» (nº 56), Electa/Gallimard, 1995
• Aux origines de la Syrie : Ebla retrouvée, collection « Découvertes Gallimard / Archéologie » (nº 276), Éditions Gallimard, 1996

Honours

National honours

• Syria:
  • Order of Civil Merit (Excellent class) (2023)