Theo van den Hout Presents the Tenth Annual Leon Levy Lecture

On Thursday, November 3rd, Theo van den Hout, Arthur and Joann Rasmussen Professor of Hittite and Anatolian Languages at the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, will present the Tenth Annual Leon Levy Lecture. In his lecture A People Without a Name or, Who Were the Hittites?, Dr. van den Hout will explore ideas of Hittite identity. "Whereas the civilizations of the Assyrians and Babylonians in Mesopotamia and that of Egypt never faded from memory, knowledge of the Hittites was almost fully erased after the collapse of their kingdom around 1200 BC. In the now one-hundred-year-old resurrection of Hittite culture and society that followed the decipherment of the Hittite language in 1915, they were largely cast in the image of Mesopotamian civilization, especially where Hittite sources remain less eloquent or even silent. But is this always justified? Are we at liberty to assume entire text genres and social systems just because others had them? What would Hittite society look like without them? This lecture will address these questions and explore some of the definitions of the term 'Hittite.'"

The Annual Leon Levy Lecture is held in honor of Leon Levy and his passion for expanding knowledge, the power of ideas, and a just and equitable society. This broad humanism also defined his philanthropy. During his early life, Leon Levy’s close relationship to his father, the economic analyst Jerome Levy, was a major influence on his career and his values. As Leon remembered, “Dad did not view economics as a way to make money but as a way to improve society.” This was a fundamental belief Leon shared. Leon spent his professional life on Wall Street, starting as a research analyst right out of the U.S. Army, and within three years he was the youngest partner of Oppenheimer & Co. From the beginning of his career he was a generous patron of the arts and benefactor of a wide range of causes and institutions; philanthropy was not something he turned to once he made money. Leon was guided by his boundless curiosity, optimism, and desire to enable individuals to reach their full potential. “I give funds with few strings attached. I believe that liberal arts education is both important and imperiled, the study of arts, ideas, history, and politics prepares students to enjoy life as well as contribute to society.”

The Leon Levy Lecture Series is supported by the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation and the Leon Levy Foundation.

Photo courtesy of The University of Chicago.