We are happy to announce that the third Graduate Symposium in Ancient
Near Eastern Studies (GSANES) will take place on February 19-20, 2021
over Zoom. The topic for this year's symposium is "Disruption in the
Ancient Near East."
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 in
extraordinarily diverse topics, each engaging with different
perspectives on disruption. Francesca Rochberg (University of
California, Berkeley) will deliver the keynote address on Friday
evening.
The event will not have a conference fee, but registration is still
required. Please RSVP at gsanes2021@gmail.com or
Zachary_Rubin1@brown.edu.
We look forward to your attendance!
Zachary Rubin, Brown University (zachary_rubin1@brown.edu)
Evelyne Koubková, Yale University (evelyne.koubkova@yale.edu)
Andrew Deloucas, Harvard University (adeloucas@g.harvard.edu).
PROGRAM (All times EST)
Friday February 19
5:30pm – 6:30pm: 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
12:00pm – 12:30pm: 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
1:30pm – 2:00pm: 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
2:00pm – 2:30pm: Arvin Maghsoudlou, (Southern Methodist University)
Did the Muslim Conquest End Antiquity? An Art Historical Approach to
the Ancient-Islamic Divide in the Iranian World
2:30pm – 3:00pm: Tea and Coffee Break
3:00pm – 3:30pm: 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