A symposium in honor of David I. Owen, the Bernard and Jane Schapiro Professor of Ancient Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, is slated for Friday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the A.D. White House. The event, "Power and Knowledge in Ancient Iraq," will feature Owen's former students, friends and colleagues.

Topics at the symposium will include "Ubartum: The Earliest Recorded Female Physician," "Nothing so Swift as Calumny: Slander and Justification at the Mari Court," "When Animals Talk" and "You Are Now Informed: Ugaritic Text RS 94.2406 and the Power of Writing at the End of the Bronze Age."

After 36 years at Cornell, Owen will begin a phased retirement next year. A reception to celebrate his 70th birthday will be held Oct. 28, 7 to 9:30 p.m., also at the A.D. White House. "Anyone who wants to celebrate David's contribution to the college and university is welcome," says Kim Haines-Eitzen, chair of the Department of Near Eastern Studies.

The events are sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Studies, Program of Jewish Studies, Society for the Humanities, Archaeology Program, Religious Studies Program, and deans of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Linda Glaser is a staff writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.