Gioele talks about the PlANET Project (Plants in the Ancient Near East Texts). How do texts and archaeobotanical evidence combine to explain the economic and functional roles of plants? And what symbolic values did they have? To what extent did they play active roles? 3:27 the PlANET project 5:23 what do we know about plants? 7:57 combining sources 11:13 project goals 13:35 attitudes to environmental change 15:18 interdisciplinary 17:30 identifying pl...
Jun 19
45 min
David Kertai explains all about Neo-Assyrian palaces. What, and who, would we find there? How did they function? What do their design and decoration tell us about how they were used? How visible was the king? David's museum page Music by Ruba Hillawi Website: http://wedgepod.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw Email: [email protected] Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod
Apr 11
37 min
International Association for Assyriology awards prizes to early career scholars annually. The for 2025 awards went to: Best PhD dissertation in the field of Assyriology and Mesopotamian Archaeology: Adeline Reynaud, for “Les diagrammes mathématiques paléo-babyloniens : catalogue, propriétés matérielles, rôles dans les raisonnements” Best article in Assyriology and Mesopotamian Archaeology: Laureate: Jon Beltz, for “Everyday Magic? Four Sumerian zi…pa₃ Incantations on Amulets,” in...
Jan 28
35 min
Lisa Wilhelmi discusses the international system in the ancient Middlle East. The 14th century BC tablets from Amarna in Egypt, and tablets from the royal archives in Hattusa (Türkiye), reveal diplomatic exchanges between the great powers that ruled the region. What did they want from each other? Who and what moved around, and why? 2:00 what does "international" mean? 3:09 what sources our sources say? 5:22 were the letters preserved or did they just survive? 6:50 what language do they use? 8...
Dec 3, 2025
33 min
Gina Konstantopoulos, Andrew Deloucas, Gabriel Moshenska, and Steven Garfinkle discuss internet favourite, Ea-nasir. What do we know about the Dilmun traders and their role in the supply of copper to the kingdoms of Babylonia? Who were his customers and what did they want his copper for? How did he become famous in the 21st century, and what jokes do people make about him? What possibilities does this offer assyriology? Andrew Deloucas's university page Gina Konstantopoulos's university page ...
Nov 4, 2025
59 min
Rocío and Nathan take us to Babylon in the Late Babylonian period for a remarkable public ritual. The divine love lyrics are one of the most surprising literary survivals from antiquity. Sarpanitu discovers that Marduk has been sleeping with Ishtar. The two goddesses become embroiled in a very public shouting match, throwing insults at each other. What was this ritual and what did it mean? 3:56 introduction to the Divine Love Lyrics 5:42 one text, a series, or somethin...
Sep 13, 2025
45 min
Mustafa discusses his project to document the condition of the gates of Nineveh, and to plan the sustainable conservation and management. What do the gates mean to Mosulis? What reconstruction work has taken place, what condition are the gates in now, and what might they look like in the future? 2:39 the Gates of Nineveh project 4:46 historic reconstructions 5:40 significance 7:19 current condition 9:51 archaeological park 13:45 displaying finds from ...
Jul 31, 2025
28 min
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...
Jun 14, 2025
45 min
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 ho...
May 14, 2025
45 min
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 ...
Mar 30, 2025
37 min
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