International Association for Assyriology awards prizes to early career scholars annually. The for 2025 awards went to: 

Best PhD dissertation in the field of Assyriology and Mesopotamian Archaeology: Adeline Reynaud, for “Les diagrammes mathématiques paléo-babyloniens : catalogue, propriétés matérielles, rôles dans les raisonnements”

Best article in Assyriology and Mesopotamian Archaeology: 

Laureate: Jon Beltz, for “Everyday Magic? Four Sumerian zi…pa₃ Incantations on Amulets,” in Journal of Cuneiform Studies 77: 97-121.

Runner-up: Andrew Pottorf, for “un-il₂ (“Menials”) as a Serflike Social Stratum during the Ur III Period,” Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History 12/1: 83-113. 

Jon and Andrew join us to talk about their prize-winning research. 

2:00 What is a zipa incantation?

2:54 amulets and tablets

3:55 practical magic

5:27 main argument

6:29 structures

8:13 place in research

9:10 what's next

11:42 status groups in Ur III

15:52 state of research

20:52 the "people"

22:30 how to become UN.IL2

26:59 social security?

28:50 place in research

30:43 what's next

Music by Ruba Hillawi

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