Guest Lectures (MagEIA-Evening)

In the SCIAS guest lectures, the visiting professors and their hosts of the university introduce themselves and their research areas in the lecture hall of the Welz house to fellow guests, hosts and an interested audience of the university and the city in short 20-minute keynote lectures. Afterwards, all the participants have the opportunity to discuss and learn more about the respective projects and research areas to promote international and interdisciplinary exchange, dialogue and cooperation.

Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Gaby Abou Samra (Lebanese University, Libanon): Magical literature: bowls and amulets
• Dr. Jon Beltz (Junior Fellow MagEIA, JMU): Swearing at Demons: Research on Mesopotamian Oath Magic
• Prof. Dr. Dan Levene (University of Southampton, UK): Illness and Healing - An Ethiopian view

Prof. Dr. Gaby Abou Samra is Professor of Epigraphy and Semitic Studies at the Lebanese University, Beirut. His research focuses on the iconographic and textual analysis of magic bowls in Aramaic, Syriac and Mandaean. Particular attention is paid to morphology and syntax in order to enable philological analyses and comparisons with other Semitic texts (e.g. Bible, Talmud, rabbinic literature).

Dr. Jon Beltz holds a doctorate in Assyriology from the University of Yale. His research focuses on the religion and literature of ancient Mesopotamia, and in particular the nature of deities and demons and exorcistic magical texts. His dissertation, Namtar: Deity, Demon, Agent of Fate, examines the roles and nature of a Mesopotamian chthonic figure, Namtar, a sort of grim reaper in Mesopotamian mythology.

Prof. Dr. Dan Levene is a specialist in healing traditions in the Semitic language speaking world, specifically relating to the Christian and Jewish cultures. His expertise in Hebrew, Aramaic dialects, Syriac and Geez has meant that he has been able to focus much of his publication on the production of historical texts that deal with well-being. In more recent years Levene has been working in Ethiopia (where he spent part of his childhood) investigating both historical texts and living traditions.

The presentation and the following discussion are open to the public and will be held in English. All interested parties are welcome!

For more information, please consult the official invitation. Registration is requested.

Contact: SCIAS Office, scias-office@uni-wuerzburg.de