Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World

Sören Stark: Excavating the City of Bukhara
Fri May 8, 2026
4:00 pm
Royce Hall 306 & Livestream Zoom

https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/events/soeren-stark-excavating-the-city-of-bukhara/

In today's episode, Dr. Deirdre Klokow, an assistant professor of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin, joins Lexie to discuss Seleucid coin iconography, who used coins alongside fiscal crisis and devaluation, the limits of evidence for women’s economic activity, her research on Laodike, and her forthcoming book, The Seleucids and Their Land.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../legacies-of.../id1709974627

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fVSPFaXZVjI3NBKQnrP0Q

Misunderstanding in Ancient Interstate Relations

The Arsacid Princes of the Roman Empire

Jake Nabel (Pennsylvania State University)

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time

Royce Hall 306 and Via Zoom

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/ZFb7yBFBeEs2VfMt6

Zoom: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/92060104969

In today's episode, Dr. Jenn Finn, an ancient historian and chair of the Department of Classics at Loyola University, joins Lexie to discuss her research focus on Alexander the Great's military strategies and the cultural exchanges between Greeks and Persians, explore the complexities of learning ancient languages like Akkadian and Sumerian and reflections on the challenges of studying Persian history through limited source material, and offers insights into the representation of Persian history in media, emphasizing the need for a more nuanced and balanced portrayal.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../legacies-of.../id1709974627

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fVSPFaXZVjI3NBKQnrP0Q

Ancient Iran and Central Asia

Interactions and Shifting Identities

Professor Frantz Grenet (Collège de France)

A Series of Four Lectures in March 2026 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time

Royce Hall 314 and via Zoom

Watch on Zoom: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/97782495503

Wednesday, March 4, 4:00 pm PST

“A World between Worlds: Geography, History, and 
Identity of the Early Kušāns 
(First Century CE)”

Friday, March 6, 4:00 pm PST

“Kušān Rulers: In Search of an Imperial Narrative 
(Second to Fourth Centuries CE)”

Monday, March 9, 4:00 pm PDT

“Eastern Iranian Contributions to the Construction of the Šāhnāme: Kušāno-Sasanians, Sīstānīs, and Sogdians 
(Fourth to Eighth Centuries CE)”

Wednesday, March 11, 4:00 pm PDT

“Philhellenism among the Hunnic Elites 
(Fifth to Eighth Centuries CE)”

In today's episode, Dr. Konrad Schmid, a professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism at the University of Zurich, joins Lexie to discuss the historical and cultural context of the Hebrew Bible, its formation, the polytheistic to monotheistic transition, and its interactions with ancient Near Eastern empires including Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, and the impact of Persian governance and tolerance on Hebrew thought and texts.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../legacies-of.../id1709974627

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fVSPFaXZVjI3NBKQnrP0Q

“Elephantine Goes Global: Island of the Millennia” by Verena Lepper

Wednesday, February 25, 2026
4:00pm
Royce Hall 306

Alternate Live Stream on Zoom: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/94774888079

RSVP Link: https://forms.gle/uhWcmWsk8DDH1Rdv9

We are pleased to share with you the recorded lecture of Antigoni Zournatzi, delivered at UCLA as part of the Pourdavoud and Yarshater Lecture Series on December 3, 2025.

https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/media/videos/greek-persian-encounters-c-550-c-330-bce-looking-beyond-stereotypes/

Pourdavoud Lecture Series with Antigoni Zournatzi Video Available Email from Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World Video Library Announcement: Pourdavoud Lecture Series with Antigoni Zournatzi Dear Friends of the Pourdavoud Institute for the Study

We are pleased to share with you the recorded lecture of Gunvor Lindström, delivered at UCLA as part of the Pourdavoud Lecture Series on May 21, 2025.

https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/media/videos/the-denavar-satyrs-as-time-travelers-from-ancient-persia-to-greece-rome-and-20th-century-collections/

Pourdavoud Lecture Series with Gunvor Lindström Video Available Email from Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World Video Library Announcement: Pourdavoud Lecture Series with Gunvor Lindström Dear Friends of the Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of

We are pleased to share with you the recorded lecture of Wu Xin, delivered at UCLA as part of the Pourdavoud Lecture Series on May 14, 2025.

https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/media/videos/imperial-foundations-of-the-silk-road-persian-roads-and-han-walls/

Pourdavoud Lecture Series with Wu Xin Video Available Email from Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World Video Library Announcement: Pourdavoud Lecture Series with Wu Xin Dear Friends of the Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Irani

In today's episode, Dr. Simone Oppen, a professor of Classical & Near Eastern Religions and Cultures at the University of Minnesota, joins Lexie to chat about how her high school Italian course blossomed into a passion for ancient Greece, Latin, and Greek, her current work on Persian respect for Greek sacred spaces during Xerxes’ reign, exploring how this respect is depicted in ancient Greek texts and supported by comparative archaeological evidence, and various aspects of ancient history, including Persia's handling of conquered religious sites.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../legacies-of.../id1709974627

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fVSPFaXZVjI3NBKQnrP0Q