Episodes

  • The Survival of Civilization: Insights from the Late Bronze Age
    Jun 5 2024

    Dr. Eric Cline, Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, discusses his new book "After 1177 BCE: The Survival of Civilization" and the graphic novel adaptation with host, Megan Lewis. They delve into the collapse of major civilizations in the late Bronze Age and the intriguing sequel to his award-winning work. Dr. Cline shares insights on biblical archaeology and international connections during this pivotal historical period.

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Unpacking the Lives of Ancient Immigrants with Dr. Teodoro Alstola
    Apr 5 2024

    Dr. Tero Alstola, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, discusses his work on ancient Near Eastern cultures and the social history of Babylonia in the first millennium BCE. He talks about his research on ancient immigrants, network approaches to historical data sets, and the use of computer-aided study of the Akkadian language. The conversation delves into his involvement in the 69th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale and his interest in the ancient world, starting with ancient Egypt.

    Dr. Alstola's research: https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/tero-alstola Information on RAI: http://helsinki.fi/rencontre More information on migration and immigrants: The Ancient Near East Today has blog posts on migration: https://www.asor.org/anetoday How Bad Was the Babylonian Exile? https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/how-bad-was-the-babylonian-exile/

    00:00:30 - Introduction to Dr. Teodoro Alstola
    00:01:43 - Dr. Alstola's Background and Interest in Ancient Studies
    00:03:22 - Dr. Alstola's Specialization and Research Focus
    00:04:01 - Origins of Dr. Alstola's Interest in Migration
    00:05:34 - Sources for Studying Ancient Migration
    00:06:56 - Comparing Ancient and Modern Migration
    00:09:19 - Legal Aspects of Ancient Migration
    00:10:54 - Perceptions of Immigrants in the Ancient Near East
    00:14:26 - Digital Humanities and Computer-Aided Research
    00:22:19 - AI in Academic Research
    00:24:31 - The 69th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale
    00:30:47 - Assyrian Deportation Policy
    00:33:28 - Artifacts Documenting Ancient Migration
    00:35:04 - Cultural Assimilation of Migrants

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    38 mins
  • Uncovering a Tablet in a Previously Unknown Language: Excavation Results Revealed
    Dec 18 2023

    In this episode of Digital Hammurabi, Dr. Daniel Schwemer, an expert in magic and witchcraft in the Ancient Near East, joins the host to discuss the recent excavation at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Boğazköy-Hattuša. The focus of the conversation is on a tablet written in a previously unknown language that was discovered during the excavation. Dr. Schwemer shares his journey into the study of the Ancient Near East and how he became involved in the excavations at Boğazköy-Hattuša. Tune in to learn more about this fascinating discovery and its implications for our understanding of the ancient world.

    Timestamps:
    [00:00:46] Previously unknown language
    [00:07:01] Hittite Old Kingdom and Empire
    [00:09:38] Ancient East and excavation process
    [00:17:12] Identifying and reuniting fragments
    [00:22:18] Administrative texts and society
    [00:26:18] Political history and religious practice
    [00:29:33] Understanding ancient tablet inscriptions
    [00:34:05] Hittite adoption of foreign traditions
    [00:39:01] Syncretization and types of deities
    [00:44:48] Location of Kalashma

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    47 mins
  • Faking It - Provenance, Antiquities, and eBay Interview with Dr. Erin Thompson
    Nov 24 2020

    Many people want to own a piece of the past, but eBay really the answer? Definitely not, and Dr. Erin Thompson, the nation's only full-time professor of art-crime, tells us why!

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    40 mins
  • No, You Shouldn't Buy Stolen Objects! With Dr. Patty Gerstenblith
    Sep 29 2020

    With the Museum of the Bible rarely out of the news due to their stolen, smuggled, or faked artifacts, the antiquities market is getting more attention than ever. Dr. Patty Gerstenblith, research professor of law at DePaul University, founding president of the Lawyers Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation, and former chair of the President's Cultural Property Advisory Committee in the U.S. Department of State is not only an expert in this area of law, but consulted with the founders of the Museum of the Bible at the beginning of their venture. She very kindly agreed to join us to talk about the legalities of buying antiquities, and why the Museum of the Bible just keeps getting it wrong.

    Dr Gerstenblith on Twitter: @PGerstenblith
    Further reading: https://displayatyourownrisk.org/gerstenblith/

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    59 mins
  • Fakes, Felonies, and the Museum of the Bible: Interview with Dr. Joel Baden
    Jul 30 2020

    The Museum of the Bible has a reputation for housing fakes and looted objects; most recently, the institution was in the news for their forged Dead Sea Scrolls, the arrest of their consultant, Dr. Dirk Obbink, and the revelation that the famous "Gilgamesh Dream Tablet" housed in the museum was removed from Iraq illegally.

    Dr. Joel Baden, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Yale Divinity School, joins Megan to talk about these many and varied events.

    Recorded May 28th 2020

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    50 mins
  • The REAL Israelite Religion: Interview with Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou
    Jun 22 2020

    Dr. Stavrakopoulou is professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion at Exeter University, and star of the BBC's "Bible's Buried Secrets". Hear about her research into what ancient Israelite religion was actually like, and how it's (mis)represented in the Bible!

    Dr. Stavrakopoulou on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProfFrancesca

    Originally recorded May 23 2020.


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    51 mins
  • We Need Racial Diversity in Ancient Studies!
    Jun 9 2020

    Bethany Hucks is a Ph.D. student at the University of Heidelberg, studying the Roman reuse of Egyptian motifs in material culture. Listen in to hear about her Ph.D. research, and about why diversity is so important for the study of the ancient world.

    Originally recorded June 7th 2020.

    Bethany on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RomanAegyptiaca

    White Homework: https://www.toriglass.com/white-homework
    https://twitter.com/toriglass
    https://www.patreon.com/toriglass

    Sportula: https://www.patreon.com/Libertinopatrenatus/posts https://thesportula.wordpress.com/
    https://twitter.com/Libertinopatren

    Data and resources on police violence:
    https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793
    https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/police-shootings-2019/
    https://www.statista.com/statistics/585152/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-race/
    https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/08/police-officer-shootings-gun-violence-racial-bias-crime-data/595528/

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    57 mins