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Scholars Examine Assyrian Reliefs

Symposium celebrates 150th anniversary of their arrival

Dartmouth's Assyrian reliefs will be the subject of a two-day symposium on November 3 and 4, sponsored by the Fannie and Alan Leslie Center for the Humanities and organized by the Hood Museum of Art and faculty members in the departments of art history, Jewish studies, and religion. The symposium, "From Discovery to Dartmouth: The Assyrian Reliefs at the Hood Museum of Art, 1856-2006," celebrates the 150th anniversary of their arrival in Hanover. To be held in the Loew Auditorium, the event is free and open to the public.

Presidential Scholar Ben Cox '07 is studying the Assyrian reliefs, which are the focus of a November symposium. (Photo by Joseph Mehling '69)

Ada Cohen, chair of the Department of Art History and one of the symposium's organizers, says that because of its size, focus, and interdisciplinary nature, the event provides an opportunity for dialogue that is not possible at large, national conferences. "This event gives scholars a chance to have a pointed conversation about the reliefs from different perspectives," says Cohen. "It's rare for specialists to meet on a topic that is so focused on one type of monument, and this promises to make it a more productive meeting." Cohen notes that the event also offers the opportunity to introduce scholars of Near East culture to the Hood and to Dartmouth's scholarly community.

This year's anniversary provides a timely opportunity to learn more about the reliefs, says Brian Kennedy, director of the Hood. "Approximately 3,000 years old, these reliefs have been cared for by Dartmouth for the past 150 years," he says. "We are confident that this conference will help us to learn more about their ancient history and their relevance to our world today."

Jonathan Crewe, director of the Leslie Center and Willard Professor of English and Comparative Literature, says the event has particular relevance in the area of art history. "The origin and context of these Assyrian reliefs are of considerable interest to academic art and cultural historians, as is the history of their acquisition and display by the College," he says. The event may be of interest to the general public as well as academic art historians, adds Steven Kangas, lecturer of art history and Jewish studies and a co-organizer of the symposium. "We designed it to address, among other things, where the reliefs came from, how they got here, and what they meant to their creators," he says. "We also hope the event will give us an opportunity to reflect on what these sculptures mean to us today."

The symposium will feature eight presentations from a variety of international experts on Assyrian art. On Friday, November 3, the keynote address, "The Early Exploration of Assyria," will be delivered by Julian E. Reade, a member of the British Museum's Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities and author of Assyrian Sculpture, one of the most widely read books on the subject. Saturday's presentations include "Banquets, Baubles, and Bronzes: Material Comforts in the Neo-Assyrian Palaces," by Allison Karmel Thomason, author of Luxury and Legitimation: Royal Collecting In Ancient Mesopotamia and a professor of historical studies from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville; and "Francis Brown, the First American Assyriologist: The Dartmouth Years," presented by Kamyar Abdi, assistant professor of anthropology at Dartmouth.

The morning sessions on Saturday will be moderated by Kangas, and the afternoon sessions will be moderated by Susan Ackerman '80, Preston H. Kelsey Professor in Religion.

By STEVEN J. SMITH

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