This event is co-sponsored by the UBC Diamond Chair in Jewish Law and Ethics.

Join us on April 1, 2–3:30 pm, for a free public lecture and Q&A with Dr. Shawn Zelig Aster. This lecture discusses a significant recent archaeological find from Jerusalem. Specifically, a cuneiform (Akkadian language) fragment was found in late 2025 that yields important information about the Assyrian presence in Jerusalem during the time of the Judean monarchy, and specifically, about the relationship between the Judean and Assyrian royal courts. Shawn is an expert in the interaction between Judah and Assyria in the Neo-Assyrian period.

Location: Regent College (Room 100)

Parking: Regent College no longer has its own parking lot. Paid parking options are available nearby with metered parking on Western Parkway, among other locations, and covered pay parking at the Thunderbird Parkade. See parking.ubc.ca for more info.

About the Speaker

Dr. Shawn Zelig Aster is Associate Professor in the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. He's the author of The Unbeatable Light: Melammu and its Biblical Parallels and Reflections of Empire in Isaiah 1-39: Responses to Assyrian Ideology.