Following her DHC Lecture (17th November 2026, 18:15 at Seminarzentrum Raum L 115, Otto-von-Simson-Str. 26), Prof. Marian H. Feldman joins us for an informal Q&A and roundtable discussion tailored for BerGSAS doctoral students.

Taking inspiration from her research and her recent book, Remembering and Forgetting in Ancient Mesopotamia: Ziggurats, Royal Sculpture, and the Shaping of the Akkadian Legacy During the Ur III Period (University of Chicago Press, 2026), we will have the chance to discuss, among other themes, how ancient societies actively shape their past through the preservation or erasure of material culture, and how monumental architecture and visual traditions condition human experience and legitimize authority.

Join us for an open exchange on space, power, and practices of memory in Mesopotamia and the ancient world! All PhD students across Ancient Studies are warmly welcome.