Dr. Tero Alstola, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, discusses his work on ancient Near Eastern cultures and the social history of Babylonia in the first millennium BCE. He talks about his research on ancient immigrants, network approaches to historical data sets, and the use of computer-aided study of the Akkadian language. The conversation delves into his involvement in the 69th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale and his interest in the ancient world, starting with ancient Egypt.

Dr. Alstola's research: https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/tero-alstola Information on RAI: http://helsinki.fi/rencontre More information on migration and immigrants: The Ancient Near East Today has blog posts on migration: https://www.asor.org/anetoday How Bad Was the Babylonian Exile? https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/how-bad-was-the-babylonian-exile/

00:00:30 - Introduction to Dr. Teodoro Alstola
00:01:43 - Dr. Alstola's Background and Interest in Ancient Studies
00:03:22 - Dr. Alstola's Specialization and Research Focus
00:04:01 - Origins of Dr. Alstola's Interest in Migration
00:05:34 - Sources for Studying Ancient Migration
00:06:56 - Comparing Ancient and Modern Migration
00:09:19 - Legal Aspects of Ancient Migration
00:10:54 - Perceptions of Immigrants in the Ancient Near East
00:14:26 - Digital Humanities and Computer-Aided Research
00:22:19 - AI in Academic Research
00:24:31 - The 69th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale
00:30:47 - Assyrian Deportation Policy
00:33:28 - Artifacts Documenting Ancient Migration
00:35:04 - Cultural Assimilation of Migrants