Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Lidewij van de Peut!

Persuading the Divine: On the Composition of Hittite Prayer

Lidewij van de Peut, the topic of your dissertation is “Persuading the Divine: On the Composition of Hittite Prayer”. What did you hope to find out?

Lidewij van de Peut: How Hittite prayers were composed, how they were structured, and how this relates to the purpose of the text: to make sure the addressed deities willl aid the supplicant.

You were a doctoral student in BerGSAS and you have successfully completed the program “Ancient Languages and Texts”. In addition, you were a member of the Topoi Research group C-1 “Deixis and Frames of Reference: Strategies of Perspectivation in Language, Text, and Image”. In your experience, what are the benefits of a structured PhD program?

Lidewij van de Peut: It is nice to exchange thoughts and ideas with other PhD students from various disciplines.

What do you take away from your time as a doctoral student?

Lidewij van de Peut: Never give up!

What advise would you give to students who are about to begin their PhD program?

Lidewij van de Peut: Enjoy this time to the fullest and try not to stress too much.

During the “Berliner Antike im Griechischen Hof – Personen und Objekte” event on the 5th of December, you and other recent PhD graduates will receive your certificate. What do you plan to do next?

Lidewij van de Peut: Currently I am working on a Neo Babylonian prosopography in the Persia and Babylonia project at Leiden University. After that I hope to get funding form my own research project in Hittitology.