The International Association for Assyriology awards prizes to early career scholars annually. The for 2025 awards went to:
Best PhD dissertation in the field of Assyriology and Mesopotamian Archaeology: Adeline Reynaud, for “Les diagrammes mathématiques paléo-babyloniens : catalogue, propriétés matérielles, rôles dans les raisonnements”
Best article in Assyriology and Mesopotamian Archaeology:
Laureate: Jon Beltz, for “Everyday Magic? Four Sumerian zi…pa₃ Incantations on Amulets,” in Journal of Cuneiform Studies 77: 97-121.
Runner-up: Andrew Pottorf, for “un-il₂ (“Menials”) as a Serflike Social Stratum during the Ur III Period,” Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History 12/1: 83-113.
Jon and Andrew join us to talk about their prize-winning research.
2:00 What is a zipa incantation?
2:54 amulets and tablets
3:55 practical magic
5:27 main argument
6:29 structures
8:13 place in research
9:10 what’s next
11:42 status groups in Ur III
15:52 state of research
20:52 the “people”
22:30 how to become UN.IL2
26:59 social security?
28:50 place in research
30:43 what’s next
Music by Ruba Hillawi
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