An international event in Turin dedicated to the theme of food in the ancient Near East.
An important event on Assyriology in Italy
Categories: Archaeology and Heritage
The 67th edition of ‘Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale’, focused on Assyriology and Ancient Near Eastern studies, took place this year, from 12 to 16 July, organized by the University of Turin. Many scholars from various Italian archaeological missions funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation participated.
The Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale is an international conference held once a year in a different city around the world. It has only been hosted in Italy twice, in Venice and Rome. The conference brings together scholars of archaeology, history and philology of the Ancient Near East and represents an important opportunity for scientific interaction between researchers with different expertise.
The University of Turin and remote event organization
The University of Turin, which has long been active in archaeological research in the Middle East, has in recent years expanded its staff to include lecturers in Hittitology, Assyriology and the History of the Ancient Near East. The proposal submitted by the University of Turin to the International Association for Assyriology in 2018 was well received and the ‘Rencontre’ was scheduled for 2021.
The conference was held remotely in a completely innovative and very functional way. Recordings of the lectures will remain available to conference participants until mid-September, allowing them to listen to them again. The proceedings will be published in open access and in a peer-reviewed publication.
The conference was attended by 290 participants and 120 papers were presented. The participants of the conference come from different countries all over the world, such as Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Great Britain, Sweden, Finland, South Africa, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, USA and others. Speakers included many of the Italian archaeologists who are working on excavations and surveys in Middle Eastern countries.
The theme of the latest edition: Food in the Near East
Lectures and workshops were presented on every possible aspect of food production and consumption, based on archaeological and textual evidence and from different perspectives, from material culture to economic, social, ideological and gender dimensions.
The ‘Rencontre’ is supported by the Department of Historical Studies of the University of Turin in collaboration with the Turin Archaeological Research Centre for the Middle East and Asia and the Egyptian Museum Foundation of Turin and under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The Organizing Committee is chaired by Professor Stefano de Martino, Professor of Hittitology at the University of Turin, and composed of Professors Elena Devecchi, Carlo Lippolis, Maurizio Viano and Vito Messina, as well as the Director of the Egyptian Museum, Christian Greco.
