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 goals
8:11 working around previous excavations
12:09 first results
15:39 a Neo-Babylonian villa
19:40 searching for Ur III
22:18 Kassite Nippur
24:06 the dig team
27:14 Neo-Babylonian graves
29:18 challenges
35:19 long term plans
39:11 publication

Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod

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 this information
32:06 stress in bones
37:15 how to learn

Tina's University page

Tina's laboratory page

Tina's Academia page

Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod

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  favourite fact
27:17  new book
33:30  what's next?

Between Two Rivers

Moudhy's Bluesky

On the Spot: Moudhy Al-Rashid Feb 2019

The Stylus is Mightier than the Sword Feb 2020

You're Dead to Me--Cuneiform: the world’s first writing system

You're Dead to Me--The Ancient Babylonians

Writing and rewriting history Feb 2025

The Rest is History  RIHC: Mesopotamian Mythology, Cyrus the Great, and The First Museum

Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod

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 team
22:38latest results from Nimrud
31:26kudurru
34:46architectural remains
37:01inscriptions
39:34publication, research, collaboration
42:51working in Mosul region
45:52engaging communities
50:26what's next?

https://www.penn.museum/about/press-room/press-releases/preserving-assyria
https://www.penn.museum/calendar/423/the-deep-dig

Michael's Academia page

John's Academia page

Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod

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://www.mfab.hu/exhibitions/kingdom-of-gods-and-demons-mesopotamia-1000-500-bce/

Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod

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 influential and why did that change?

2:09 prize winner
3:09 regicide
8:04 motives for murder
10:21 what's new?
15:21 who was involved?
19:13 a coup
22:24 propaganda
25:20 dissertation
27:54 how the empire functioned
32:30 new power structures
36:16 rise and fall of the scholars
38:38 why reform?
40:42 Ashurbanipal's relationship with scholars(hip)
46:10 where tablets were found
51:56 interpreting palace reliefs

Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod

 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 horoscopes
20:03 star signs
22:37 two technical terms identified
26:51 wider context

29:10 Christopher Jones
30:45 whodunnit
35:59 new evidence
41:54 purge
45:48 coup theory


Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod

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 discusses what has brought him satisfaction, and offers advice to younger scholars. He also explains what else he has dedicated his time to.

2:19 why assyriology?
4:38 why study the Assyrians?
7:49 origins of the project
12:24 early digital technology
13:33 joining fragments
17:17 looking back
19:04 dream finds
20:54 reaction to other projects
21:28 finding support for the project
23:32 combining traditional and innovative thinking

Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @wedge_pod
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod

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 dung sources and their properties
20:37 plants as evidence for pottery production practices
23:04 where else are you working?
26:18 ideal situation for archaeobotany

Carolyne at Oxford
Carolyne's ResearchGate page
Carolyne's Academia page

Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @wedge_pod
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod

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 replace you or work alongside you?
15:22 salary
20:04 about beer
21:03 alcohol content
22:45 balance of power
25:13 challenging rogue employers
26:39 discipline
29:31 child labour
33:45 new book

Witold's university page
Witold's Academia page

Music by Ruba Hillawi

Website: http://wedgepod.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @wedge_pod
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod