Augusta talks about the new excavations at Nippur. What are the goals of the new work, and how does she manage the long history of excavations at the site? What are the long term plans for the site? She reveals the first results, including news about the city walls, a huge Neo-Babylonian villa, and a Parthian cemetery. She reflects on how the archaeological situation has changed since she was a student. And she discusses plans for sharing the results of the work. 3:13 why Nippur? 5:26 project go...
Jun 14, 2025•46 min•Ep. 77
Tina explains what animal teeth and bones can tell us about life in ancient Iraq. What did people eat? And what did those animals eat? How were flocks and herds managed? What does this tell us about status and economy? We learn what new strands of evidence are provided by scientific analyses. 3:12 about zooarchaeology 4:17 state of play 7:33 cow teeth and society 10:35 why the difference between texts and zooarchaeology? 14:43 feeding cattle 19:02 animal movement and management 26:13 how to get ...
May 14, 2025•45 min•Ep. 76
Moudhy talks about the different kinds of outreach work she has done. How does she excite interest in material that is very unfamiliar for most people? What works well? She discusses the different audiences and formats, the various approaches and possibilities. 2:18 why Mesopotamia? 4:45 attracting interest 8:11 overcoming the unfamiliar 11:19 reliable history versus pseudo-history 13:10 radio and podcasts 17:06 scale and detail 19:47 different audiences 22:03 images 23:52 what didn't work 25:55...
Mar 30, 2025•38 min•Ep. 75
The Mosul region is the focus of renewed activity by local and foreign teams. Archaeology there inevitably works differently now. Michael and John talk about the Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program, including conservation and reconstruction work, excavation, and capacity building. 2:34Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program 3:39 Nimrud and Nineveh 8:29why those sites? Who sets the goals? 12:56exhibition and online resources 13:47conservation and reconstruction 18:08long term commitment 20:06the dig ...
Feb 21, 2025•58 min•Ep. 74
Zoltán and Erika introduce us to their exhibition about gods and demons. This exhibition, and the extensive catalogue that accompanies it, are major landmarks in Hungarian assyriology. What is it about, how did it become a reality, and what impact will it have? 2:40 the exhibition 8:11 key objects 10:47 why this topic, and why now? 12:56 reaction 15:15 preparing an exhibition 21:19 about the displays 23:19 significance for Hungary 24:52 the museum's own collection 27:45 favourite object https://...
Jan 24, 2025•33 min•Ep. 73
Christopher discusses new ideas around the murder of King Sennacherib. Who really killed him and why? Was it a coup? Where was Esarhaddon and why wasn't he in Nineveh? [Much of this first section of the episode was published as part of Episode 71. 8:03-10:30 is not found there. And everything from 25:19 is also new] Next he addresses the question of how the kings of this dynasty ran their empire. What does social network analysis reveal about how they coped with information flow? Who was influen...
Dec 23, 2024•56 min•Ep. 72
This is a special episode presenting the prize-winning research of three early career scholars: William McGrath, Alessia Pilloni, and Christopher Jones. What prizes did they win, and what was their research about? We hear about the latest news from Isin II period history, astrology in the Late Babylonian period, and a military coup in the Neo-Assyrian period. 1:24 William McGrath 2:10 dissertation 6:08 key conclusions 9:10 publication plans 10:48 what's next? 13:45 Alessia Pilloni 14:27 horoscop...
Nov 21, 2024•54 min•Ep. 71
This episode was recorded live at the Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale conference held in Helsinki in July 2024. Simo Parpola reflects on his long and momentous career. He explains how he became an assyriologist, and how he came to focus on the Assyrians. A key collaboration led to one of the most significant projects in assyriological history. What was it like to study large groups of tablets in the days before bulk digitisation? How did they identify so many joins remotely? Simo then di...
Oct 11, 2024•29 min•Ep. 70
Carolyne introduces us to the study of ancient plant remains, especially carpology--the study of seeds, fruits, and flowers. In her case study she takes us to the site of Logardan in the Kurdish region, and explains what she could learn from the remains found in kilns. We discuss the role and uses of dung. 2:02 archaeobotany 4:08 how to train 5:09 site of Logardan 6:37 role of archaeobotany 9:47 comparison with results from other fields 12:30 main results from Logardan 14:00 why use dung? 18:28 ...
Sep 11, 2024•33 min•Ep. 69
Witold discusses the labour market under Hammurabi of Babylon. What kind of work could you get, and what would you be paid in exchange? Who would be looking for employment, who would take them on, and who held the balance of power? 1:45 how we know about getting a job 2:54 who are the job seekers? 3:48 how common was it? 4:58 what jobs are there beyond harvest time? 6:17 what kind of people are working? 8:19 how good were conditions? 11:12 different jobs for men and women? 13:03 do workers repla...
Aug 02, 2024•39 min•Ep. 68
Amy discusses the multi-sensory presence of the queens of Assyria. What was queenly dress and what meaning did each part of it convey? How does the evidence from art compare to what we learn from archaeology? Can we identify personal choice? She also talks about what it's like to wear queenly clothes, and what experimental archaeology can tell us. 2:45 sources for textiles 5:13 experimental archaeology 6:37 tombs of the queens 8:35 art versus archaeology 9:50 queenly dress 14:28 symbolism 17:03 ...
Jun 05, 2024•42 min•Ep. 67
Rune, Seraina, and Gustav discuss their recently completed project on geomapping cuneiform. Where were inscriptions found and where are they now? How many tablets are there? What counts as a tablet anyway? They reveal the challenges of integrating datasets, and explore the potential opened up by knowing where inscriptions really come from. 4:18 GLoW project 7:44 data collection 10:51 how many tablets are there? 13:50 provenance problems 17:06 why 'where' matters 20:50 what distribution tells us ...
May 10, 2024•42 min•Ep. 66
Omar discusses the importance of studying gender as part of assyriology. What are the big themes now, and how did we get here? He focuses on two areas of special interest: masculinity, and eunuchism. What can we expect from the conference on gender studies (GeMANE) hosted in Malta this April? And what is the context of assyriology in Malta? 0:37 Introducing Ellie 2:56 the importance of studying gender 5:39 current trends 8:59 gender beyond only women 11:54 masculinities 16:21 eunuchs 23:58 organ...
Apr 03, 2024•36 min•Ep. 65
The site of Ur is easily one of the most important in Iraq. In this interview, originally recorded in late 2021, we hear from the person responsible for managing that site. Ali talks about Ur's significance, and its role in local life. What are the plans for the development of this key site? 4:18 introducing Lina 7:02 importance of Ur 7:34 what tourists can see 8:39 information for visitors 9:12 what Ur means to Iraqis 10:15 excavations 11:04 site conservation 11:49 future of tourism 12:19 cultu...
Mar 06, 2024•29 min•Ep. 64
Enrique introduces us to a major new resource in digital assyriology: The electronic Babylonian Library. What does it offer and what are its aims? He discusses the issues facing the field and the potential of digital tools, including AI, to help solve them. To what extent can Babylonian literature be reconstructed now, and what we can do with it? 2:08 what is the eBL? 4:59 how much Babylonian literature do we have? 6:16 the non-literary fragments 10:27 why launch now? 11:50 what's the reaction /...
Feb 03, 2024•32 min•Ep. 63
At the Rencontre in Leiden this summer, the IAA awarded its annual prizes celebrating the excellence of early career scholars. There were prizes for the best dissertation, best first article, and a research subsidy. I tracked down the prize winners to ask them about their work. 2:17 Clélia Paladre 2:57 thesis on Iranian glyptic 4:38 the Proto-Elamite phenomenon 6:14 working at the Louvre 7:31 Tomoki Kitazumi 8:29 translating in the Hittite empire 11:45 interpreters in the ancient Near East 13:56...
Dec 19, 2023•31 min•Ep. 62
Shigeo shares the results of fieldwork at a site that was once a key city on the edges of the Assyrian empire. How do we know which city it was? He describes the key finds, and interprets their significance. What can we learn from a necklet? 2:22 Yasin Tepe 4:54 goals 6:38 identification as Dur-Ashur 9:12 results 12:44 who lived there? 13:44 inscribed necklet of a slave 18:49 future work 23:20 Tsukuba Shigeo's Academia Shigeo's ResearchGate Music by Ruba Hillawi Website: http://wedgepod.org YouT...
Nov 17, 2023•28 min•Ep. 61
Susanne pulls back the curtain on how exhibitions are made. She explains how the topic was chosen, and how that vision is translated into reality. How long does it take, how many people are involved, and just what needs to be done? 2:17 about Back to School 3:27 goals 5:37 what's on show? 7:16 star pieces 10:10 recreating an ancient school 11:05 how to display tablets 17:06 why school and why now? 19:10 return to Nippur and the Nippur Tablet Project 23:51 audience testing 25:50 how long it takes...
Oct 13, 2023•46 min•Ep. 60
Louise discusses Ishtar, one of the most enigmatic and fascinating deities of the ancient Middle East. What characteristics were assigned to her, and what stories were told about her? What happened when Ishtar met Gilgamesh? Louise also discusses the reception of Ishtar and Gilgamesh. What do people find interesting about them now? She explains how being based in Australia influences her research. 1:56 how many Ishtars are there? 3:20 male or female? 5:11 Ishtar in myths 7:38 Ishtar as the arche...
Sep 07, 2023•30 min•Ep. 59
This special episode is a follow-up on the big annual conference. I offer some thoughts on what happened, and on how things might be in the future. As part of this, I catch up with three colleagues who have appeared as guests. Two were among the very first guests, who kindly helped me start the podcast. It was a leap in the dark for all of us. Since then, there have been a lot of changes for Gina and Jana. The third is a more recent guest, but someone who will shape our experience at next year's...
Aug 10, 2023•36 min•Ep. 58
The organising team of RAI 68 Leiden introduce us to what we can expect from the conference. Why did they pick inequality as a topic? And how do they address inequality in the conference design? What role does live-streaming play in a modern Rencontre? 2:03 about RAI 68 Leiden 2:52 what's different? 3:33 childcare support 4:23 why "inequality" as the topic? 5:41 live-streaming papers 9:37 scheduling papers fairly 12:41 building networks 16:39 recognising contributions 17:35 Leiden's RAI traditio...
Jul 15, 2023•23 min•Ep. 57
Nicholas explains about imprisonment in ancient Iraq. Were there prisons? Who would be confined, how long for, and why? What would someone do in prison? And whose interest did confinement serve? 2:08 confinement in ancient Iraq 5:11 were there prisons? 7:45 why would you be confined? 8:53 for whose benefit? 10:01 the religious dimension 14:11 sources 15:29 life in confinement 18:15 labour in confinement 19:58 could you tell if someone was imprisoned? 21:17 jail terms 23:54 the longer historical ...
Jun 29, 2023•31 min•Ep. 56
Agnès discusses the history of the field, and why that matters now. Cast collections were an important part of Spain's early interest in ancient Iraq. How did these collections form? Who was interested? What were they interested in? And why? The history of the field has also impacted how we interpret objects, and how we read ancient texts. What lessons does that teach us? 3:16 why study the history of the field? 5:47 what is a cast? 7:39 casts in 19th/20th century 9:38 cast collections in Spain ...
May 29, 2023•35 min•Ep. 55
Eckart has just published a new history of Assyria. What sources can we draw on? How reliable are they? He talks about Assyria's remarkable royal women and how they were remembered. What did the Assyrians achieve and what is their legacy? 3:39 how have we heard of the Assyrians? 6:42 biblical and classical texts as sources 9:36 what do we need to know about Assyria? 12:44 Assyrian royal women 18:33 were the Assyrians really 'cruel'? 23:44 empathy for the Assyrians 25:31 their greatest achievemen...
Apr 26, 2023•47 min•Ep. 54
Parsa explains how decision-making took place in ancient Iraq. When you asked the assembly of gods for a yes/no answer to help you solve a difficult problem, how would they agree on what to reply? Why would these answers be time limited? And how would they make their answer visible in the entrails of the sacrificial sheep? 2:35 what is extispicy? 6:25 who used it? 11:17 how long was a divine answer valid? 15:15 consensus decision making 19:28 were all gods equal in voting? 23:07 did gods each vo...
Mar 30, 2023•39 min•Ep. 53
Birgül explains about her work using microscopic plant remains to understand life in ancient western Asia. What are phytoliths and how do we find them? How can such microscopic evidence tell us about building use, for example? And where do they sit in the archaeological toolkit? 3:12 what are phytoliths? 5:14 sampling method 8:02 dung 11:43 limitations of phytoliths 14:07 from the micro-scale to the big picture 16:59 combination with other methods 20:59 training 26:27 Birgül's projects Birgül's ...
Mar 01, 2023•39 min•Ep. 52
Ali reflects on his long career. How did he become an assyriologist? What are his achievements, and what is his legacy to the next generation? How was his academic career shaped by the twists and turns of political events? 1:56 from school to university 7:14 student life at Mosul 11:12 military service 12:39 research assistant 15:48 time in the UK 25:21 military service again 28:07 opening a department 33:40 promotion 37:55 the ISIL years 42:30 after ISIL, heritage 46:16 retirement Music by Ruba...
Feb 02, 2023•54 min•Ep. 51
Dr Basima talks about her new research on a Late Babylonian economic archive from Shatir. She explains about her teaching, and incorporating tablet handling sessions at the Iraq Museum. 2:03 an Achaemenid archive 7:15 confiscated tablets 9:53 locating ancient Shatir 11:39 publication plans 15:00 teaching at Baghdad University 21:06 how did Basima become interested? 23:51 thoughts about the future Music by Ruba Hillawi Website: http://wedgepod.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlA...
Dec 21, 2022•29 min•Ep. 50
150 years ago, a young George Smith made headlines around the world. He had pieced together an Akkadian version of the Flood story found on fragments of clay tablets. Who was Smith, and why did his discovery have such a dramatic impact? What happened to him next? And what is his legacy? We're joined by guests Sophus Helle, Gareth Brereton, Strahil Panayotov, and Enrique Jimenez. 2:46Smith finds a marvel 10:24who was Smith? 14:26the fateful 3rd expedition 17:26the mysterious Mr Mathewson 20:58Car...
Nov 09, 2022•50 min•Ep. 49
150 years ago, a young George Smith made headlines around the world. He had pieced together an Akkadian version of the Flood story found on fragments of clay tablets. Who was Smith, and why did his discovery have such a dramatic impact? What happened to him next? And what is his legacy? We're joined by guests Sophus Helle, Gareth Brereton, Strahil Panayotov, Enrique Jimenez, Cornelia Wunsch, Mark Weeden, and Pippa Steele. 3:23Smith finds a marvel 13:46who was Smith? 17:06Smith's 1st and 2nd expe...
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 49
