Disruption in the Ancient Near East is the topic of the 3rd Graduate Symposium in Ancient Near Eastern Studies (GSANES) which, this year, will take place as a zoom webinar.
Originally a medical term referring to the tearing asunder of bodily tissue, disruption has come to refer to radical transformations in society and the uncertainty that sets in as a result. But disruptions do not have to be inherently negative experiences: as old systems fall into disarray, new, innovative systems may emerge in their place.
Indeed, innovations can be causes of disruptions themselves. As such, we invite students to use diverse methodological and theoretical approaches to engage with disruption in the ancient Near East.
Case studies and more general perspectives are both welcome. In addition, we urge our presenters and attendees to discuss the implications of ancient disruption for modern society, and carefully consider the utility and meaning of studying the ancient world in an age of disruption.
To that end, five students will present their research on extraordinarily diverse topics, each engaging with different perspectives on disruption. Francesca Rochberg (University of California, Berkeley) will deliver the keynote address on Friday evening.
How to attend
The event will not have a conference fee, but registration is still required. Please RSVP at [email protected] or [email protected]
Organizers
Zachary Rubin, Brown University ([email protected])
Evelyne Koubková, Yale University ([email protected])
Andrew Deloucas, Harvard University ([email protected]).
PROGRAM (All times EST)
Friday, February 19
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Keynote address by Francesca Rochberg (University of
California, Berkeley)
Discontinuities in World Order: From the Beginning to the End of Antiquity
Saturday, February 20
11:30am – 12:00pm: Pavla Rosenstein (Yale University)
Tizpatum: Princess, Petitioner, Prisoner
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm: Christine Mikeska (University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill)
A Karum and A Capital: Investigating animal economy at MBA and LBA Hattuša
12:30pm – 1:30pm: Lunch Break
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm: Ana Belen Rumi Gutierrez (Universidad Complutense de
Madrid)
Royal Images of the Early Ptolemies in Egypt: the Acceptance of a
Foreign Dynasty in the Pharaonic Tradition through Archaeological
Evidence
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Arvin Maghsoudlou, (Southern Methodist University)
Did the Muslim Conquest End Antiquity? An Art Historical Approach to
the Ancient-Islamic Divide in the Iranian World
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Tea and Coffee Break
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Eric Aupperle (Harvard University)
When the Dead Devour the Living: On Akkadian Death Omens, Necromancy,
and Babylonian “Eschatology”
3:30pm – 4:30pm: Plenary Discussion
5:00pm – 6:00pm: Informal Reception