- ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives, Cultural Heritage Initiatives, Department MemberUniversity of Pennsylvania, Dept of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Department Memberadd
- Current: Cultural Heritage Programs Manager, American Society of Overseas Research Cultural Heritage Initiatives (ASO... moreCurrent:
Cultural Heritage Programs Manager,
American Society of Overseas Research Cultural Heritage Initiatives (ASOR CHI)
Assistant Director
Nimrud Archaeological Research Project
Former:
Senior Research Coordinator, IHSP, University of Pennsylvania
Project Manager for Iraqi and Syrian Cultural Heritage Projects, ASOR CHI
Post-doctoral Researcher, Early Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf, Penn
Field Director, The Rowanduz Archaeological Program
Fellow, Louis J. Kolb Societyedit
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In 2013 the Rowanduz Archaeological Program (RAP) received a five-year permit from the Department of Antiquities of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq for survey and excavation in Soran District, located in northeastern Erbil... more
In 2013 the Rowanduz Archaeological Program (RAP) received a five-year permit from the Department of Antiquities of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq for survey and excavation in Soran District, located in northeastern Erbil Province. RAP seeks to document human occupation in this mountainous region between the early Neolithic and the modern era with special emphasis on the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages.
RAP completed its second excavation season in 2014. Work at multiple sites near Soran and Sidekan revealed archaeological deposits that date from the sixth to the first millennia. At the site of Gund-i Topzawa, located near Sidekan, excavation uncovered part of a burned settlement whose destruction dates to Iron III. The material culture from this site has strong parallels with material excavated at Hasanlu and other sites in northwestern Iran. Based on historical and geographical evidence, this settlement likely belonged to the Kingdom of Musasir, an important buffer state between the Neo-Assyrian and Urartian empires. It is possible that this settlement’s destruction resulted from a raid by Sargon II conducted during his eighth campaign.
In Fall 2015 RAP will return to Gund-i Topzawa for its third excavation season. This paper will present the results of the 2014 season as well as the preliminary results from the 2015 season.
RAP completed its second excavation season in 2014. Work at multiple sites near Soran and Sidekan revealed archaeological deposits that date from the sixth to the first millennia. At the site of Gund-i Topzawa, located near Sidekan, excavation uncovered part of a burned settlement whose destruction dates to Iron III. The material culture from this site has strong parallels with material excavated at Hasanlu and other sites in northwestern Iran. Based on historical and geographical evidence, this settlement likely belonged to the Kingdom of Musasir, an important buffer state between the Neo-Assyrian and Urartian empires. It is possible that this settlement’s destruction resulted from a raid by Sargon II conducted during his eighth campaign.
In Fall 2015 RAP will return to Gund-i Topzawa for its third excavation season. This paper will present the results of the 2014 season as well as the preliminary results from the 2015 season.
Research Interests:
A short report on my initial documentary activities for the production of informative pieces for public and scholarly audiences on research conducted by the Rowanduz Archaeological Program. This work was generously funded by SASGov and... more
A short report on my initial documentary activities for the production of informative pieces for public and scholarly audiences on research conducted by the Rowanduz Archaeological Program. This work was generously funded by SASGov and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Research Interests:
A survey of the contributions of American archaeological projects to the study of the Early Dynastic Period for the Mosul University Archaeology Program (MAP).
Research Interests:
A preliminary report on RAP's second season of survey and excavation in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Research Interests:
A preliminary report on RAP's first season of survey and excavation in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Research Interests:
At the time of Donald Hansen’s untimely death in 2005 the results of his groundbreaking excavations at al-Hiba, the site of ancient Lagash, remained largely unpublished. In order to prepare the site’s final reports for publication, Holly... more
At the time of Donald Hansen’s untimely death in 2005 the results of his groundbreaking excavations at al-Hiba, the site of ancient Lagash, remained largely unpublished. In order to prepare the site’s final reports for publication, Holly Pittman of the University of Pennsylvania, in cooperation with Edward Ochsenschlager, started the Al-Hiba Publication Project with the support of the Shelby White-Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications.
The records documenting Hansen’s excavations at al-Hiba consist of thousands of photographs, data sheets, notebooks, drawings, and plans. During the past 4 years these records have been digitized and incorporated into a sophisticated database that stores and correlates digital versions of the materials and offers tools to manage and analyse the data. A team at the University of Pennsylvania is now at work studying these data and preparing final site reports. The first scheduled publication will focus on Area G, which contained a sequence of occupation spanning the Early Dynastic period. This is also the only area of the site where remains from the poorly understood ED I period were uncovered, making it particularly compelling.
Our poster is intended to offer a glimpse of several aspects of our methodological approach, outline some of the problems we have found, and share our progress with the academic community. We hope that this platform can serve to communicate with other scholars who have faced, or are facing, the challenge of publishing materials from old excavations."
The records documenting Hansen’s excavations at al-Hiba consist of thousands of photographs, data sheets, notebooks, drawings, and plans. During the past 4 years these records have been digitized and incorporated into a sophisticated database that stores and correlates digital versions of the materials and offers tools to manage and analyse the data. A team at the University of Pennsylvania is now at work studying these data and preparing final site reports. The first scheduled publication will focus on Area G, which contained a sequence of occupation spanning the Early Dynastic period. This is also the only area of the site where remains from the poorly understood ED I period were uncovered, making it particularly compelling.
Our poster is intended to offer a glimpse of several aspects of our methodological approach, outline some of the problems we have found, and share our progress with the academic community. We hope that this platform can serve to communicate with other scholars who have faced, or are facing, the challenge of publishing materials from old excavations."
In this paper, I will discuss a statue of Enmetena, a third millennium king of Lagash, that was recovered at Ur and offer a possible explanation for its presence in the context of Nabonidus' building activities. In the first millennium... more
In this paper, I will discuss a statue of Enmetena, a third millennium king of Lagash, that was recovered at Ur and offer a possible explanation for its presence in the context of Nabonidus' building activities. In the first millennium BCE, kings from the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian dynasties increasingly emphasized their strict adherence to the practices of former times, which were seen as more correct. Most of these kings went no further than asserting that they rebuilt temples on their original foundations, but Nabonidus appears to have had a more intense interest in the past for political, religious, and personal reasons. His interest is best seen in his work at Sippar and Ur, the home of the moon god Sin, whose worship he particularly promoted. This statue, which was found in a small gateway behind the ziggurat at Ur, was far removed in both time and space from its original dedicatory location. I suggest that it was erected during Nabonidus' renovations as both an emblem of and participant in the revitalized cult of Sin. The statue's antiquated appearance would have tied the cult of Sin to the distant past, while evidence of wear on the statue's neck suggests that it was also a participant in daily life or ritual activity in the religious precinct. In these roles, it represents the appropriation and renegotiation of the past by a community seeking to legitimize its activities in the present.