GW professor under consideration for Pulitzer Prize

One GW professor hasn’t wasted any time uncovering history’s dirty little secrets: He’s started research for a new archaeological text while waiting to hear whether his most recent work will earn him a Pulitzer Prize. 

Eric Cline, a classics and anthropology professor at GW, has penned 16 books, and is beginning a new one with his research on ancient civilizations. His class lectures and books often reinforce each other – that's how he wrote “1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed,” which might be his way to a Pulitzer Prize.

“Sometimes I’ll write something and try it out in a lecture, and it doesn’t quite work in the lecture,” Cline said. “So I fix the lecture and, as a result, I come back and I fix the book.”

“1177 B.C.” made Cline a Pulitzer nominee: His publisher, Princeton University Press, submitted an application for the book about a year ago to be considered for the prize. Winners will be announced next month.

Still, Cline said the award is not what is most important to him – it’s the writing. ...