Sarah Malena, assistant professor of history, has received the Society of Biblical Literature’s 2020 Regional Scholar Award. Malena was awarded for her paper entitled, “A House for Pharaoh’s Daughter: Diplomatic Marriage and Solomon’s Legacy,” which she presented at the 2019 Mid-Atlantic regional meeting. Her recognition as the Mid-Atlantic recipient of this honor last year made her eligible for this society-wide award.
Malena continues her research into relations between ancient Israel and Egypt during the early Iron Age (circa 1100-900 BCE). Last November, she presented at the annual meetings for the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Schools of Oriental Research. In these presentations, she discussed changes in cultural acceptance of foreign brides in relation to political change in the ancient Near East. As the 2020 Regional Scholar, she will present the next stage of this work at the Society of Biblical Literature’s annual meeting later this year.