Dr. Elizabeth Carter, professor emerita of Iranian Archaeology at UCLA, joins Lexie to discuss how backyard digs sparked her early love for archaeology, her experience working in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey, the intricacies of understanding the cultural significance of artifacts, and the difficulties young scholars face today due to the political restrictions on archaeological fieldwork in Iran. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Learn more about Dr. Carter: https://nelc.ucla.edu/person/elizabeth-carter/

Check out her publications on Academia: https://ucla.academia.edu/CarterhumnetuclaeduCarter

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.

Marco Ferrario, an ancient historian specializing in the longue durée of the Eastern Iranian world, joins Lexie to discuss how influential mentors and serendipitous opportunities pushed his interests from Classics into studying Ancient Persia and Central Asia, Bactria’s rich history and the challenges of studying the region, and the importance of interdisciplinary research to gain a more wholistic appreciation of antiquity. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Check out his publications on Academia: https://unitn.academia.edu/MarcoFerrario

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.

Dr. Nikolaus Overtoom, a professor of Ancient History at Washington State University, joins Lexie to discuss the significance of Parthian warfare, the strategic use of cavalry and the logistical challenges of utilizing war elephants, and examining Parthian interactions with the Greco-Roman world to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the ancient Mediterranean world. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Learn more about Dr. Overtoom: https://history.wsu.edu/nikolaus-overtoom/

Check out his publications on Academia: https://wsu.academia.edu/NikolausOvertoom

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.

Dr. Jason BeDuhn, a professor of Religious Studies at Northern Arizona University, joins Lexie to discuss the history of Manichaeism, exploring its dualistic cosmology and its connections to various religious traditions, including Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Platonism, the challenges Manichaeism faced, including its eventual decline due to persecution in both the West and East, and archaeological discoveries related to Manichaeism, particularly in Egypt and China. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Learn more about Dr. BeDuhn: https://directory.nau.edu/?person=jdb8

Check out his publications on Academia: https://nau.academia.edu/JasonBeDuhn

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.

Dr. Rolf Strootman, a professor of Ancient History at the University of Utrecht, joins Lexie to discuss the complexities surrounding the Persian identity after Alexander the Great's conquests, Alexander's unique approach to governance and cultural integration, particularly through his marriages to Persian women, the role of women in his life, and the aftermath of Alexander's death. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Learn more about Dr. Strootman: https://www.uu.nl/staff/RStrootman

Check out his publications on Academia: https://uu.academia.edu/RolfStrootman

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.

Dr. Eve MacDonald, an ancient historian and archaeologist at Cardiff University, joins Lexie to discuss the often-overlooked technological advancements of the Carthaginians and the importance of understanding their narrative beyond the Roman perspective, her work on the Sasanian Empire and the significance of borderlands and how local identities evolved in response to the shifting powers of the time, and the role of monumental structures and the impact of monumental architecture on historical narratives. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Learn more about Dr. MacDonald: https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/macdonaldg1

Check out her publications on Academia: https://cardiff.academia.edu/EveMacDonald

Follow her on Bluesky: @gevemac.bsky.social

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.

Dr. Neville McFerrin, a professor of Art History at the University of North Texas, is interviewed by Charlotte Howley – a 2nd year PhD student in UCLA’s Program of Iranian Studies. They discuss the connections between dress, ornamentation, and architecture, particularly in the context of research on Pompeii and Persepolis, the concept of proprioception and how ancient peoples understood their environments and interactions within them, and the role of water and plant imagery in the art of Persepolis. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Learn more about Dr. McFerrin: https://cvad.unt.edu/people/mcferrin-neville.html

Learn more about Charlotte: https://nelc.ucla.edu/person/charlotte-howley/

Check out her publications on Academia: https://unt.academia.edu/NevilleMcFerrin

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.

Dr. David Potter, a professor of Classics at the University of Michigan, joins Lexie to discuss the intriguing figure of Empress Theodora, the perceptions of the Sasanians by the Romans, and the complex relations and greatest lessons we can learn from the two ancient empires. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Learn more about Dr. Potter: https://lsa.umich.edu/classics/people/departmental-faculty/dsp.html

Check out his publications on Academia: https://umich.academia.edu/DavidPotter

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.

Dr. Mehrnoush Soroush, a professor of Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago, joins Lexie to discuss studying water hydraulics, water management and usage by the Persians, whether we should consider water a luxury resource, and identifying the many changes & problems in both the ancient and modern world when it comes to dealing with water issues. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Learn more about Dr. Soroush: https://mes.uchicago.edu/mehrnoush-soroush

Check out her publications on Academia: https://chicago.academia.edu/mehrnoushsoroush

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.

Dr. Tawny Holm, a professor of Jewish Studies and Classics at Pennsylvania State University, joins Lexie to discuss the importance of Aramaic language, why Papyrus Amherst 63 is so important, unique, and a bit odd, and the difficulties when teaching the Book of Daniel especially when dealing with the historical inaccuracies of the Persian timeline. 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 Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!

Learn more about Dr. Holm: https://jewishstudies.la.psu.edu/people/tuh14/

Check out her publications on Academia: https://pennstate.academia.edu/TawnyHolm

Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.