Albert Ten Eyck Olmstead (May 24 1880 – June 15 1945) was an American historian and archaeologist who specialized in the ancient Near East, particularly the history of Assyria and Babylon. He earned his doctorate in Near Eastern studies from Harvard University in 1906 and subsequently held academic positions at the University of Chicago and Princeton University, where he served as professor of history.
Olmstead authored several influential scholarly works that helped shape early 20th‑century Assyriology in the United States. Notable publications include History of Assyria (1923), Ancient Mesopotamia: The Old Babylonian Period (1927), and The Babylonians (1945). His research emphasized the political, economic, and cultural development of Mesopotamian civilizations, and his textbooks were widely used in university curricula.
In addition to his teaching and writing, Olmstead participated in archaeological fieldwork in the Near East and contributed articles to academic journals such as the Journal of Near Eastern Studies. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was a member of the American Oriental Society.
Olmstead’s scholarship remains a reference point for historians of ancient Mesopotamia, and his publications continue to be cited in contemporary research on Assyrian and Babylonian history.