Thin End of the Wedge

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....

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...

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 paper...

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...

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...

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...

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 answe...

 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...

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 depar...

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...

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,...

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 fin...

How can 3000 years of history, documented by a mountain of sources, be surveyed clearly in a single book? Amanda tells us all about her new history of the ancient Middle East. Why did she use micro-histories? Who among the people in her book made the biggest impacts on her? 3:36 why micro-histories? 7:46 finding the non-elites 11:38 who did Amanda empathise with? 13:22 who did she feels sorry for?...

Louise introduces us to the fascinating world of Babylonian textiles. How do we know about textiles when almost none survive? What were they made of and what did they look like? Who made them, and who washed them? What would someone's clothing say about them? 2:46 how do we know about textiles? 8:02 what materials were clothes made of? 11:17 how practical was wool as a material to make clothe...

Laerke talks about animals in a new way, taking us beyond thinking about animals as sources of products. What was their agency? And how did they influence human behaviour? 6:10 equids not just horses 9:50 animal agency 12:59 human-horse-dog relations 15:36 animal behaviours 22:31 potential of animal studies Laerke's Academia page Laerke's Twitter Laerke's website Music by Ruba Hilla...

Victor takes a fresh look at tablets as archaeological objects. Where and how are they found, and what does that mean for how we interpret them? Are we reconstructing archives from ancient office bins? 5:28 an archaeological approach to archives 11:01 in situ or rubbish? 15:28 the story of tablets from Tell Sabi Abyad 23:55 the story of tablets from Tell Fekheriye 27:46 history from office bins 35...

Sophie reveals the secrets of the votive statues from Mari. How did people choose to represent themselves, and why did they make those choices? Why are the male statues walking? And what do the markings on some them tell us about the life of the statue? 4:42 votive statues 7:21 Mari votive statues 12:43 what did they look like? 17:45 how do statues work? 22:59 walking statues 33:46 women watching...

Nadia discusses her work on the Iraqi antiquities market of the late 19th and early 20th century. She focuses on two remarkable figures from the trade. Ibrahim Gejou was perhaps the most significant dealer used by European and American collectors. Ferida Antone Shamas is less well-known, but still a fascinating character. Who were they? What was their role in the trade? And what was their motivati...

Julian looks back over his career. He explains how he developed his interests, and his unusual path into the field. He discusses some key moments: from the excavations at Nimrud, to discoveries in museum collections, and his own excavations at Tell Taya. Who influenced him? What does he think about how things are done? Plus news of his latest work. 3:03 approach to history 5:30 origins of interest...

 Farouk offers his personal story. He describes his family background, his early life, and details of his career. He explains how he became interested in ancient Iraq, and the many people who influenced and helped him develop his career. We learn about life in Iraq during the 20th century, and how political changes affected one man's journey. 3:14 introduction. Rawa 6:33 family background 15:...

Davide recently returned from a season of work at Tell Surghul in southern Iraq. He discusses the site and his team's work there. How did they choose the site and what did they want to achieve there, and what are their results so far? Why is excavation important anyway? He explains what an archaeological team looks like today, what they do, and what happens once the excavations are over. He a...

Saana introduces us to the Centre of Excellence in Helsinki. She explains the new tools her team is developing to help us understand the meaning of Akkadian words. How can they help cuneiform specialists? And how can they make cuneiform resources more accessible to other specialists? 3:45 The Centre of Excellence 6:38 team goals 11:44 what digital Akkadian tools can do 19:50 why two tools? 23:23 s...

History isn't just about great men. Tonia introduces us to the complicated family life of King Shulgi. Who were his wives? Did they live in a 'harem'? How did he control his empire while managing the ambitions of his many sons? 2:43 the Ur III period and king Shulgi 5:47 Shulgi's family 9:19 Shulgi's children 13:01 Shulgi's motivation 14:37 the 'harem' 17:47...

Tim introduces us to a dynasty that ruled over Babylonia during one of the periods of its greatest influence. Where did they come from? What were their achievements? And what is their legacy?  2:29 who were the Kassites? 4:57 where did they come from? 9:20 Kassite achievements 18:04 characteristic Kassite material culture 23:13 where to see Kassite objects 24:57 where to find out more 28:49 Tim&ap...

Amir al-Zubaidi is Director of Nasiriyah Museum, and now SBAH Director of Archaeology for Dhi Qar province. He introduces us to Nasiriyah Museum, and discusses both his achievements so far and his dreams for the future. What interests the people of Nasiriyah, and what role does heritage play in civic life there?  This is the first in an experimental mini-series where we hear the thoughts of collea...