Robert R. Cargill
Assistant Professor, Judaism and Chrisitanity
Joint appointment with the Department of Classics
Professor Cargill received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 2008. He joined The University of Iowa faculty in 2011.
Research:
Dr. Cargill's research program focuses on Second Temple Jewish literature and archaeology. He specializes in Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls and other Pseudepigrapha, Aramaic Targums, the Bar Kokhba Rebellion, Judean numismatics, and issues of faith and science. He has also done much research in the Digital Humanities, having authored a 3D, virtual reality reconstruction of the archaeological remains of Qumran, near to where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Dr. Cargill has also done much work in television, appearing as an expert on numerous documentaries and specials, and hosting the National Geographic documentary, Writing the Dead Sea Scrolls. He is a member of the Association for Jewish Studies, Archaeological Institute of America, and American Mensa, and is Chair of the Society of Biblical Literature’s section on Blogging and Online Publication, and of the American Society of Oriental Research Media Relations Committee.
Teaching:
Dr. Cargill has taught the following courses:
- 032:001 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
- 032:145 Mythology or Otherworldly Journeys
- 032: ___ Jerusalem from the Bronze to the Digital Age
Selected Publications (for complete list, please view Dr. Cargill's CV):
- Qumran through (Real) Time: A Virtual Reconstruction of Qumran
and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Gorgias Press, 2009. - “The State of the Archaeological Debate at Qumran,” Currents in Biblical Research 10/1 (2011): 1-18.
- “The Benefit of Blogging for Archaeology,” Bulletin for the Study of Religion 39/3 (2010): 12-16.
- “The Qumran Digital Model: An Argument for Archaeological Reconstruction in Virtual Reality” and “A Response to Magness,” Near Eastern Archaeology 72/1 (2009): 28-47.
- “The Fortress at Qumran: A History of Interpretation,” Bible and Interpretation, May 2009. http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/qumfort.shtm
Awards & Service:
- Fresno City College Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipient and 2011 Commencement Speaker, Selland Arena, Fresno, CA, May 20, 2011.
- Named one of 100 distinguished alumni as part of Fresno City College’s “100 Stars for 100 Years,” celebrating the centennial anniversary of the college (2010).
- Grant from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences for the production of HD reconstructions of Qumran for use in their exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls ($16,000) (2008).
- Research grant from the San Diego Natural History Museum and Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation for dissertation work on the Qumran Visualization Project ($75,000) (2006).
- Seaver Dean’s Scholarship for work on the project: “The History of Israel through Coins” (1998).