Legacies of Ancient Persia

Dr. Ali Mousavi, a Pourdavoud Research Scholar and adjunct professor of Iranian Archaeology at UCLA, joins Lexie for a special minisode to talk about a unique archaeological site from the Archaeological Gazetteer of Iran database! Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu! Learn more about Dr. Mousavi: https://pour...

This week we are joined by 5 Iranian Studies Graduate students: Emma Petersen, Charlotte Howley, James Scherrer, Ethan Friedland, and Hong Yu Chen. In this episode, they sat down with guest host Dr. Marissa Stevens to discuss their research and the state of the field. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like what you hear, please give our show a 5-star rating, and review us on Apple or Spot...

Dr. Jonathan Winnerman, an Egyptologist, and Academic Administrator in Ancient Studies at UCLA, joins Lexie to discuss exploring aspects of sacred kingship in New Kingdom Egypt, the importance of studying Hibis Temple to understand Persian-Egyptian kingship, and his work with UCLA’s Global Antiquity initiative and how it can provide a forum for the study of antiquity in a wider global context. We...

Dr. Touraj Daryaee, a professor of Iranian studies and director of the Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture at the University of California, Irvine, joins Lexie to discuss the big Sasanian Empire question that drew him into the field of Iranian Studies, who the Sasanians were and what we can thank them for, a look into the Sasanian economy and famous battles, and the resourc...

Dr. Lara Fabian, a professor of Iranian archaeology at UCLA, joins Lexie to discuss how she came to archaeology from a solid career outside of academia, the unique linguistic challenges when studying Iran and the Caucasus, tackling problems of Iron Age chronology, and understanding the true definition of the study of archaeology. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like what you hear, pleas...

Dr. Julian Degen, a research fellow and academic teacher at Trier University, joins Lexie to discuss assessing Alexander of Macedon as a statesman rather than just as a conqueror, Alexander’s treatment of Greek mercenaries fighting for Darius, and the reconstructed Roman merchant boat project at Trier University. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like what you hear, please give our show a...

Dr. Robert Rollinger, a professor of ancient history and ancient Near Eastern studies at the University of Innsbruck, joins Lexie to discuss deconstructing Eurocentrism as a crucial component of understanding ancient cross-cultural interactions, what made an empire and empire in antiquity, and exploring the state of both Achaemenid and ancient studies in general today. We hope you enjoy this episo...

Dr. Marissa Stevens, the Assistant Director of the Pourdavoud Institute and an Egyptologist, joins Lexie to discuss how she developed an interest in cross-cultural interactions via her work with 21st Dynasty Egyptian funerary papyri, her hopes for expanding Egypt-Persia projects and working at the Pourdavoud Institute, and about the types of future outreach initiatives the Pourdavoud could produce...

Dr. Christelle Fischer-Bovet, a professor of Classics, History, and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Southern California, joins Lexie to discuss whether the lack of instruction past the death of Alexander of Macedon hinders efforts to study the history of the aftermath his death created, a short introduction to the uses and movement of papyri in the Mediterranean, and the relationship b...

Dr. Henry Colburn, a research associate of the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan and an adjunct faculty member at several institutions, joins Lexie to discuss finding a way to study the Persians in Egypt while coming from a Classics background, how to identify and spot a Persian in Egypt, and assessing problems in studying Parthian art especially due to the lack of remaini...

Leyla Johnson, a Lebanese American video game developer specializing in historical strategy games and CEO of Mohawk Games, joins Lexie to discuss growing up in Lebanon with a love for history, learning all about Cyrus the Great and conducting historical research for her video game “Old World”, and working with a composer to achieve an ancient sounding and culturally appropriate game soundtrack. We...

Dr. Ali Mousavi, a Pourdavoud Research Scholar and adjunct professor of Iranian Archaeology at UCLA, joins Lexie to discuss his experience growing up in Iran with an archaeologist father and how it shaped his career, creating the Archaeological Gazetteer of Iran for the Pourdavoud Institute, his experience working for UNESCO, and about the possibilities for digitally rendering ancient sites like t...

Dr. John W.I. Lee, a professor of Ancient History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, joins Lexie to discuss why the Persian Wars weren’t his entry point into Achaemenid studies, how having a PhD student from Iran both enhances and challenges him as an educator, the personal and family relationships between Greece and Persia, and his freedom to design courses at a smaller institution....

Dr. Kathleen Lynch, a professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Cincinnati, joins Lexie to discuss how she got into studying ancient Athenian pottery in Persian Anatolia, why the Persians didn’t want ceramics but still adopted Greek artistic motifs, and how we can use technology in media/gaming to recreate accurate ancient Persian art. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like...

Trevor Culley, creator and host of the History of Persia podcast, joins Lexie to discuss why he started a podcast on Persian history, what the writing process is like for a scripted history podcast, the reception to his show from diasporic Persian communities, and what parts of Persian history he’d like to see someone else take on going forward. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like what...

Dr. Jake Nabel, a professor of Classics at Pennsylvania State University, joins Lexie to discuss and provide a short introduction to the Parthian empire and who we should know, the unique challenges to studying the Parthians (since most texts are from the Greeks and Romans), and why the Parthians are often left out of modern media and how we can start to change that. We hope you enjoy this episode...

Dr. Sara Cole, an antiquities curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum, joins Lexie to discuss her early interest in material culture and museums, her experience being a part of the curating team for the Getty’s Persian art exhibit, and explore the multifaceted accessibility and digital accommodation questions that arise when putting together museum exhibits. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you...

Dr. John Hyland, a professor of Ancient History at Christopher Newport University, joins Lexie to discuss the real relationship between Sparta and Persia, dive into the motivations behind Persia funding the Spartans – who were not a naval power – and look a little at the logistics of war and the issues surrounding the movement of armies and supplies. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like...

Dr. Daniel Potts, a professor of Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology and History at New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW), joins Lexie to discuss the challenges of not being able to travel to Iran for fieldwork, run through a brief recap of the Elamites and Persian prehistory, and talk about his new book on the importance of kinship in ancient Iran, particularly du...

Prof. Rahim Shayegan, Director of the Pourdavoud Institute, provides an introduction to the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where & why) of Ancient Persia. For those unfamiliar with the geography, chronology, notable figures, and accomplishments of the ancient Persians, this will be a starting point that we hope will help guide you as you begin your journey listening to our podcast. This episode is co-hos...