Background

William R. Sladek was an American scholar and professor who contributed to the humanities. According to Sladek's vita page from his 1974 Ph.D. dissertation, he was born on March 3, 1938, in Chicago, IL.^[1] He passed away unexpectedly on November 6, 1993.^[2] Sladek is well-known for his contributions to cuneiform studies and Sumerian literature. In 1974, Sladek completed his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University, wherein he published an authoritative translation of the Inanna's Descent to the Netherworld afterlife myth.

Life of William R. Sladek

He studied at schools in New York, Illinois, and Maryland, where he focused on ancient languages. Toward the end of his career, Sladek taught in Maryland but lived in Pennsylvania. His full vita page reads thus:

"William R. Sladek was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 3, 1938. He received his B.A. from Maryknoll Seminary. Glen Ellyn, Illinois, in 1960. He then attended Maryknoll Seminary, Maryknoll, N. Y., and received a B.D. in 1964 and a M.Th. in 1965. In the fall of 1965 he entered the Department of Near Eastern Studies, The Johns Hopkins University, and devoted himself to the study of ancient near eastern languages. During this period he also attended classes at the University of Pennsylvania, In 1968 he participated in the joint ASOR-Concordia archaeological excavation of Ta'anach, Jordan, and in 1973 he participated in the Johns Hopkins excavation of Tell-el-Freyy, Syrian Arab Republic. In 1970 he was appointed assistant professor of ancient history at Towson State College, Baltimore, Maryland, where he is still employed. At present he lives on a farm in Crossroads, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Janice, his son, Michael, and his dog, Socrates." ^[3]

Additionally, a past student of his, named Arnold Blumberg, indicated that Dr. Sladek passed away unexpectedly in 1993 (via an introductory passage in a book Blumberg edited). On the acknowledgements page (xiii), Blumberg wrote the following:

"I note with deep sorrow the tragic and premature death of Dr. William Sladek on November 4, 1993." ^[4]

Little else is known about Sladek.

Contributions to Sumerian studies and "Inanna's Descent"

Sladek was the first scholar who provided an almost complete 412 line version of "Inanna's Descent." Mainly, he deciphered the meaning of seven previously untranslated artifacts related to the afterlife myth. His contributions are accepted by the scholarly community as authoritative. On this basis, Sladek is one of the most prominent contributor's toward the Sumerian afterlife myth, alongside Edward Chiera, Samuel N. Kramer, and others.^[5] After publishing his dissertation and earning his PhD, it doesn't seem like Sladek published any more scholarly work related to Inanna's Descent. Instead, Sladek taught at Towson State College in Baltimore, Maryland until his death in 1993. The legacy of William R. Sladek lives on in the fact that he was one of the key contributors towards the full decipherment of "Inanna's Descent to the Netherworld."