Thin End of the Wedge

It's back to school season. So it's story time. In this special episode, we hear the stories of how our guests became interested in the ancient Middle East.
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

Susanne pulls back the curtain on how exhibitions are made. She explains how the topic was chosen, and how that vision is translated into reality. How long does it take, how many people are involved, and just what needs to be done?
2:17 about Back to School
3:27 goals
5:37 what's on show?
7:16 star pieces
10:10 recreating an ancient school
11:05 how to display tablets
17:06 why school and why now?
19:10 return to Nippur and the Nippur Tablet Project
23:51 audience testing
25:50 how long it takes
27:37 what does a curator do?
29:33 the wider team
38:40 workshops for children
41:33 souvenirs for the giftshop
Susanne's university page
Susanne's Academia page
Susanne's ResearchGate page
Back to School in Babylonia exhibition
exhibition catalogue
The Adventures of Inanaka and Tuni: Learning to Write in Ancient Babylonia
Augusta McMahon's talk on excavations at Nippur
This special exhibition has been curated by Susanne Paulus, with Marta Díaz Herrera, Jane Gordon, Danielle Levy, Madeline Ouimet, Colton G. Siegmund, and Ryan D. Winters and with support from Pallas Eible Hargro, C Mikhail, Carter Rote, and Sarah M. Ware.
This exhibition has been organized by the ISAC Museum: Susan Allison, Rob Bain, Denise Browning, Laura D’Alessandro, Anne Flannery, Marc Maillot, Helen McDonald, Kiersten Neumann, Josh Tulisiak, and Alison Whyte, with contributions by Erin Bliss and Judy Radovsky.
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

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

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 from the sidelines?
35:47 end of life
Sophie'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