Dreaming in the Ancient World (Video)

Julia Chatterjee, C'17, draws comparisons between two historical texts to shed light on the interpretation of dreams in ancient societies.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Filmed by Alex Schein and Brooke Sietinsons

Edited by Brooke Sietinsons

Undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences reinforce the idea that students at any level can tackle complex issues with a fresh perspective. Recently, students at Penn's annual Family Weekend were given the opportunity to participate in the College's Undergraduate Research Poster Presentation, where they presented on the topics they are most passionate about.

In her presentation, “Dreaming in the Ancient World,” Julia Chatterjee, C'17, a student in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and South Asia Studies, examines a fourth century CE text written by an Indo-Greek king, in which one chapter deals with dreams, as well as texts authored by Mesopotamian scribes that compiled a large corpus of dream omens, to shed light on the interpretation of dreams in ancient societies.