Jessie DeGrado

I study the history and religions of the ancient Middle East, with a focus on categories such as gender and empire. I am especially interested in how modern history and politics affect our reconstruction of the past, including the legacy of Orientalism in Assyriology and biblical studies. My current work engages postcolonial theory to explore the relationship between the Neo-Assyrian empire (c. 10th–7th centuries BCE) and its client states, including ancient Israel and Judah. Recent publications include a study on the receiption of Assyrian propaganda in Que, a kingdom in ancient Anatolia (Turkey), and a series of co-authored articles tracing the wanderings of the Mesopotamian baby-snatching demon Lamaštu.