Kevin van Bladel to Give Lecture on the Persian Empire and Persian Language
Professor Kevin van Bladel of Yale University will deliver a lecture entitled “Persian Empire and Persian Language” as part of the USC Distinguished Lecture Series, organized by the Farhang Foundation and USC Dornsife.
The lecture will examine how the expansion of the Persian Empire brought speakers of different languages into contact and how these social and linguistic changes reshaped Persian grammar. Van Bladel, a former faculty member at the University of Southern California and author of Ancient Persian: A Linguistic History, will return to USC for a discussion of the relationship between language and the history of the Persian Empire.
The lecture will take place on October 12, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at USC Michelson Hall, MCB 102. The event will be held both in person and via Zoom. Registration is free.
For registration and further information, visit Farhang.org/Persian.