Friday, June 10, 2016
8:30am – 3:30pm
Room LJ-119
First Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
10 First St. SE
Washington, DC 20540
Book Display in Room LJ-113
Welcoming Remarks
Session I: The Assyrian Legacy in the Cradle of Civilization
Moderator: Dr Mary-Jane Deeb, Chief of the African and Middle Eastern Division – Library of Congress
Amir Harrak, (University of Toronto) The Neo-Assyrian Winged Bulls and their Origins
Christopher Woods, (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago) Mesopotamian literature in general and possibly on the preservation of the Gilgamesh Epic
Simo Parpola, (University of Helsinki) Assyria after the collapse of the Empire and the impact of Assyrian statecraft, religion and visual arts on the ancient and modern world
Tea and Coffee Break
Session II: The Assyrian Christian Past and Present
Moderator: Dr. Levon Avdoyan, Armenian and Georgian Area Specialist – Library of Congress
Mark Dickens (The King’s University, Edmonton, Alberta) The Church of the East along the Silk Road Network
Jonathan Loopstra (University of Northwestern St Paul) The Church of the East and the Transmission of Ancient Knowledge
Tala Jarjour (University of Notre Dane) Syriac Chant as Cultural Heritage
+ Demonstration of two Syriac liturgical chants
Lunch Break
Session III: Assyrian Culture in the Middle East and in Diaspora
Moderator: Dr. Muhannad Salhi, Arab World Specialist – Library of Congress
Fadi Davood (University of Toronto- Toronto) Of Patriarchates and their place in Assyrian Identity
Alda Benjamen (University of Pennsylvania Museum & Smithsonian Institution) Between Negotiation and Resistance: Baghdadi Assyrian intellectuals (1970s-1980s)
Eden Naby (Independent Scholar, Cambridge, MA): Preservation of Aramaic through Word and Music
To support AUA Americas Initiative please donate at the link below: