16-20 July 2012 | Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale in Leiden

The theme of this Rencontre is "Private and State" and it deals with the non-institutional and institutional sectors of Ancient Near Eastern societies, more in particular Mesopotamia and its neighbors.

Since 1950 a yearly congress especially organized for assyriologists from all over the world is organized. Its name is Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale,  because the first of these congresses was organized in Paris. However, the name is still used and the Rencontre is normally abbreviated as RAI. Of course, nowadays there is also an English translation of the congress name. The assyriological department of Leiden University has been quite active in organizing these congresses from the very beginning. Already in 1952 Prof. dr. F.M.Th. de Liagre Böhl invited his colleagues to Leiden (see the photo) and since then the congress has returned to our university every ten years. In 2012 it will be the seventh time that the Leiden department organizes the Rencontre and ca. 225 participants are expected.

The theme of this Rencontre is Private and State and it deals with the non-institutional and institutional sectors of Ancient Near Eastern societies, more in particular Mesopotamia and its neighbors. The department in Leiden has had this theme is one of its main research projects since the early fifties. Our data concern both archaeological and textual evidence and at times fruitful combinations of the two are possible. We will also look at the diachronical development of this complex relationship.

Most lectures will be dedicated to the main theme, but free lectures are allowed as well. Workshops on specialized subjects will be organized and poster presentations will be given. Several receptions, one of them in the Antiquities Museum, will be offered to the participants.

The program starts on Monday, July 16, at 10 o'clock and will be over by Friday noon.

Website Rencontre 2012

The First Rencontre held in Leiden, June 28 - July 4, 1952