- Department of the Middle East
The British Museum
Great Russell Street
London
WC1B 3DG - 0207-323-8942 (voicemail)
St John Simpson
The British Museum, Middle East, Faculty Member
- Sasanian Archaeology, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, Ancient Iran, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ottoman Tobacco Pipes, Islamic Archaeology, and 122 morePostcards, Mesopotamian Archaeology, Afghanistan, Roman Mesopotamia, Hellenistic Babylonia, Queen of Sheba, Casts, Copies and Replicas, Food History, Cooking and Food Preparation (archaeology), Middle East, Archaeology, Cultural History, Cultural Heritage, Museum Studies, Central Asia, Archaeological Science, Archaeology of Central Asia, Greek and Roman Art- Plaster Casts, Plaster Casts, Plaster Casts 19thc, Sasanian Army, Sasanian Warfare, Sasanian Empire, Sasanian art, Sasanian History, Sasanian Rock Reliefs, Iran Archaeology, Pre-Islamic Iran, Parthian Empire, Parthian Kingdoms, Parthian Pottery, Iranian Sudies, Sasanian Iran, Parthian Iran, Parthian Archaeology, Iranian Archaeology, Arabian/Persian Gulf Archaeology, South Arabian Culture, Ancient South Arabia, Arabian Peninsula in Antiquity, Archaeology of Oman peninsula, Arabian Gulf, Persian Gulf, Parthians, Tillya Tepe, Ai Khanum, Hidden treasures, Tepe Fullol, Periplus Maris Erythraei, Indo-Roman Trade, Roman Trade in the Indian Ocean, Indian Ocean Archaeology, South Arabian Archaeology, Pre-Islamic Arabia, Ancient Maritime Trade Routes, Ancient History of Afghanistan, Bactria (Archaeology), Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian Culture, Kushan and Central Asian Studies, Talmudic Archaeology, Babylonian talmud, Middle Persian Context of Babylonian Talmud, Table Etiquette and Persian Culture in the Babylonian Talmud, Intellectual History of the Babylonian Talmud, Early Islamic Archaeology, Eurasian Nomads, Central Asian wall paintings on the Silk Road, Late Roman and early Byzantine fortifications, Khazar archaeology and history, Ancient North Caucasian, History of Kazakhstan, animal style, nomads, the Steppe of Eurasia, Achaemenid archaeology, History of Postcards, Postcard, Picture Postcards, Illicit Antiquities Trade, Protection of Cultural Heritage from Illicit Trafficking, Repatriation of Antiquities, Antiquities Looting, Cultural Property Law, Illicit traffic cultural property, Art Theft, Art Crime, Art Related Crime, Cultural Heritage Law, Ottoman postcards, Sassanian Persia, Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian History; International Relations and Diplomacy between Roman-Byzantine and Persian Empires, Kushan history, Silk Road Archaeology, Hellenistic Bactria, Ancient Persia, Iron Age Iran, Roman-sassanid wars and diplomacy, Roman-Persian wars, Sassanid Empire, Sassanian Arms and Armor, Sasanides, Archaeology of Oman, Aksumite Archaeology, ancient Red sea ports, Red Sea archaeology, History of Pre-Islamic Arabia, Roman Arabia (Archaeology), Palmyra, Syria, Ottoman Ceramics, Siberian archaeology, Tashtyk Culture, Pazyryk Culture, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Archaeology of the Eurasian steppe belt, Scythian archaeology, Sarmatians, Scythians, Scythian History, Scythian Animal Style, Scythian Archaeology, Scythian Animal Style, Scythians, Scythian Cults, Cimmerians, Herodotus, Scythians, Pontic area, Black Sea area, Caucaaus, Near East, Anatolia, nomads, steppe peoples, History and civilisation of the Huns, Scythians, Iranian Huns, Alans, Early Steppe Nomadic peoples migrations and social life, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, and Late Antique Archaeologyedit
- https://ane.hypotheses.org/author/stjohnsimpson I am an archaeologist and a museum curator. I have excavated extensi... morehttps://ane.hypotheses.org/author/stjohnsimpson
I am an archaeologist and a museum curator. I have excavated extensively in the Middle East and Central Asia, from 1992-2000 co-directed an international collaborative project at the important ancient city-site of Merv (modern Turkmenistan), and in 2021 directed a first season of surveys and excavations at the site of Kobeba (southern Iraq). My core research is on Sasanian and early Islamic - perhaps better defined as Late Antique and early medieval - material culture from Iraq, Iran, Caucasus, Persian Gulf and Central Asia, and the publication of this as papers and monographs are part of a structured approach.
I have also published on a wide range of other topics inspired by working on the Museum's collections, ranging from ancient South Arabia and Afghanistan to Bronze Age finds from Central Asia and eastern Iran and archaeological evidence for smoking in the Ottoman empire. I have endeavoured to upload all onto this site so they can be freely shared. I strongly believe that working across modern political borders helps us to better understand and appreciate cultures, ancient and modern, and that museums offer a powerful means of engaging with multiple audiences and stakeholders, inclusive of academic, popular, governmental, old and young. Archaeology and fieldwork also enable us to re-interpret old collections, and that should continue to be an essential part of all museum research and curation.
Within the British Museum I have curated three major exhibitions, the first entitled "Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen" (2002, with major loans from across Yemen but also the UK), the second "Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World" (2011, exclusively loans from the National Museum of Afghanistan) and the most recent "Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia" (2017/18, jointly with the State Hermitage Museum, plus a small loan from the National Museum of Kazakhstan). Each of these led to their own peer-reviewed catalogues and research publications. I have contributed to many other smaller displays, and curated permanent gallery displays for Ancient Iran (1995, 2007) and Ancient South Arabia (2007).
In addition to this work I have co-supervised a number of PhD students with different UK universities (Cambridge, Cranfield, Durham, Kent, Nottingham, Southampton), and initiated and developed a museum project on collecting postcards of the Middle East, since extended into other regions of the world where our department has become engaged, such as Russia and Ukraine.
I am also responsible for managing relations and processes across the Museum by which stolen or illicitly trafficked antiquities identified by the Museum on behalf of law enforcement, the art trade or private individuals can be exhibited, published and repatriated to their countries of origin.
Editorial board member for Ash-Sharq: Bulletin of the Ancient Near East, and Mesopotamia: Journal of Archaeology, Epigraphy and History of the Ancient Near Eastedit
'To Aleppo gone ...' is a festschrift offered in honour of Jonathan Tubb, former Levant curator and retired Keeper of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum. It includes 44 peer-reviewed contributions invited from... more
'To Aleppo gone ...' is a festschrift offered in honour of Jonathan Tubb, former Levant curator and retired Keeper of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum. It includes 44 peer-reviewed contributions invited from Jonathan's friends and colleagues, past and present, from a dozen countries on three continents, with each short essay exploring a single idea and its wider ramifications.
The assembled volume reflects the development of Jonathan's own career and professional interests, with a focus on the Jordan Valley and southern Levant, including eight papers on sites where he excavated, but extending to north Syria, Mesopotamia, the protection of endangered cultural heritage, and the lives of early archaeological pioneers. The volume includes a list of his publications, concludes with a republication of his latest paper detailing the history of display of the ancient Levant in the British Museum, and an index of subjects, names and places. The festschrift is vol. 10 in the Archaeopress Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology series.
This resume forms the basis of this post:
https://ane.hypotheses.org/11719
The assembled volume reflects the development of Jonathan's own career and professional interests, with a focus on the Jordan Valley and southern Levant, including eight papers on sites where he excavated, but extending to north Syria, Mesopotamia, the protection of endangered cultural heritage, and the lives of early archaeological pioneers. The volume includes a list of his publications, concludes with a republication of his latest paper detailing the history of display of the ancient Levant in the British Museum, and an index of subjects, names and places. The festschrift is vol. 10 in the Archaeopress Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology series.
This resume forms the basis of this post:
https://ane.hypotheses.org/11719
Research Interests:
This peer-reviewed collection of invited essays offers a new examination of the Sasanian empire based almost entirely on archaeological and scientific research. The Sasanian empire was one of the great powers of Late Antiquity, and for... more
This peer-reviewed collection of invited essays offers a new examination of the Sasanian empire based almost entirely on archaeological and scientific research. The Sasanian empire was one of the great powers of Late Antiquity, and for four centuries ruled the vast region stretching from Syria and the Caucasus to Central Asia. Classical, Armenian, Jewish and Arab written sources throw light on its history, and studies of its rock reliefs, stuccoes, silver, silks, coins and glyptic have created a picture of a rich courtly culture with a strong Iranian character. However, the everyday material culture is much less understood, as is the economy which sustained and supported the Sasanian empire and underpinned its consistent military superiority over its western rivals. This collection of essays looks at these aspects and offers an approach based almost entirely on archaeological and scientific research, much presented here for the first time. This book is divided into three parts which in turn examine evidence for Sasanian sites, settlements and landscapes, their complex agricultural resources, and their crafts and industries. Each section is preceded by an essay by the editor which sets out the wider research questions and current state of knowledge. The book begins and ends with a general introduction and conclusion, also by the editor, which set out why this new approach is necessary, and how it helps change our perceptions of the complexity and power of the Sasanian empire. There is also a comprehensive subject index.
Research Interests:
Jointly edited with my colleague Dr I.L. Finkel, this is a collection of invited and peer-reviewed essays by friends and colleagues of Julian Edgeworth Reade, sometime Mesopotamia curator at the British Museum from 1975 to 2000. Its... more
Jointly edited with my colleague Dr I.L. Finkel, this is a collection of invited and peer-reviewed essays by friends and colleagues of Julian Edgeworth Reade, sometime Mesopotamia curator at the British Museum from 1975 to 2000. Its coverage is designed to reflect the breadth of the recipient's professional interests, from Assyria and Mesopotamia in general, to the relations between Mesopotamia and other regions, and the impact of nineteenth century discoveries on the field of Assyriology. The papers range from innovative syntheses to new archaeological research and archival discoveries. Context is always important. Here is fresh work from which any reader can gain new appreciation of the importance of the ancient Near East.
Copies are available to order from Archaeopress Archaeology (Oxford):
http://www.archaeopress.com/archaeopressshop/Public/defaultAll.asp
Copies are available to order from Archaeopress Archaeology (Oxford):
http://www.archaeopress.com/archaeopressshop/Public/defaultAll.asp
Research Interests:
Softstone explores stone containers that have been made and used in the Middle East for over eleven millennia where they pre-dated the invention of pottery and were widely traded. The appearance or properties of the stone helped govern... more
Softstone explores stone containers that have been made and used in the Middle East for over eleven millennia where they pre-dated the invention of pottery and were widely traded. The appearance or properties of the stone helped govern how stone vessels were valued or used and many classes were strictly utilitarian, being used for storage, cooking or lighting. Others were decorated and at times they were considered valuable exotica, particularly in regions far removed from their source areas. The subject of stone vessels is attracting growing attention but this is the first attempt to bring together different approaches to the study of softstone vessels, particularly but not exclusively those carved from varieties of chlorite, and covering all periods from prehistory to the present.
Research Interests:
This small book is in Persian and kindly translated by Parsa Ghasemi and published in Shiraz by the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft Organization of Fars Province in 2015.
Research Interests:
The “Begram ivories” are widely considered to be miniature masterpieces of Indian art and are one of the largest archaeological collections of ancient ivories. They were excavated at the site of Begram, in northern Afghanistan, in 1937... more
The “Begram ivories” are widely considered to be miniature masterpieces of Indian art and are one of the largest archaeological collections of ancient ivories. They were excavated at the site of Begram, in northern Afghanistan, in 1937 and 1939 and belong to a period when Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India were united under rulers of the Kushan dynasty. Divided soon afterwards between the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul and the Musée national des arts asiatiques–Guimet in Paris, the collection in Kabul suffered a disaster during the civil war which ravaged the country during the early 1990s. Some of the pieces were successfully concealed by museum staff but most were stolen, hundreds have since been reported in different collections and very few have yet been recovered.
In 2011 a group of twenty bone and ivory plaques was generously acquired for the National Museum of Afghanistan by a private individual. These were scientifically analysed, conserved and exhibited at the British Museum and returned to Kabul in 2012. This book describes their story from excavation to display and return, with individual object biographies and detailed scientific analyses and conservation treatments. It also discusses how these objects have attracted very different interpretations over the decades since their discovery, and how the new analyses shed a completely fresh light on the collection. It is lavishly illustrated in full colour, and includes many previously unpublished views of the objects when they were originally exhibited in Kabul. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the archaeology of Afghanistan, Indian art, polychromy, museum studies, object biographies or the history of conservation. This is available both as an interactive e-book and as a traditional printed volume. An order form is attached which also offers a discount.
In 2011 a group of twenty bone and ivory plaques was generously acquired for the National Museum of Afghanistan by a private individual. These were scientifically analysed, conserved and exhibited at the British Museum and returned to Kabul in 2012. This book describes their story from excavation to display and return, with individual object biographies and detailed scientific analyses and conservation treatments. It also discusses how these objects have attracted very different interpretations over the decades since their discovery, and how the new analyses shed a completely fresh light on the collection. It is lavishly illustrated in full colour, and includes many previously unpublished views of the objects when they were originally exhibited in Kabul. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the archaeology of Afghanistan, Indian art, polychromy, museum studies, object biographies or the history of conservation. This is available both as an interactive e-book and as a traditional printed volume. An order form is attached which also offers a discount.
Research Interests: Museum Studies, Cultural Heritage, Afghanistan, South Asian Archaeology, Archaeology of Central Asia, and 9 moreKushan empire (Archaeology), Kushan art and architecture, Polychromy in Ancient Art, Indian Archaeology and History of Art, Ivory Carving, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, Ivory and Bone Working, Begram, and Archaeology of Pakistan
This popular illustrated book was written to accompany the special exhibition 'Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World', which was held at the British Museum in 2011. It is written from the author's perspective as an archaeologist.
Research Interests:
This small book is now out of print but is superceded by a larger and more detailed publication announced above. This earlier book was written to accompany the British Museum exhibition, 'Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World'... more
This small book is now out of print but is superceded by a larger and more detailed publication announced above. This earlier book was written to accompany the British Museum exhibition, 'Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World' (2011), and highlights a group of twenty carved Indian ivory and bone furniture ornaments which featured as a special addition to the exhibition. These items had been stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan during the civil war, been identified and purchased on behalf of Kabul by a private individual and specially conserved at the British Museum. This book describes their original context, how they were conserved and the surprising new discoveries made when they were scientifically analysed at the British Museum which includes important new evidence for polychromy on Indian ivories. The items have now been safely returned to Kabul and a detailed paper published more recently on the conservation and scientific research. The book is now out of print but interested researchers might contact the author for additional information.
Research Interests:
This is the final report on the author's excavations at this multi-period tell in the Eski Mosul Dam Salvage Project which was carried out as part of the work directed by Warwick Ball for the British Archaeological Expedition to Iraq. The... more
This is the final report on the author's excavations at this multi-period tell in the Eski Mosul Dam Salvage Project which was carried out as part of the work directed by Warwick Ball for the British Archaeological Expedition to Iraq. The sequence covers the Proto-Hassuna to Parthian periods and was one of the most important to be excavated and published in detail from this region. Among the unexpected results were a deep and complex sequence of Ubaid occupation, with intact graves and cubicle architecture, a Late Uruk pottery kiln, traces of a widespread destruction horizon corresponding to the Akkadian period and monumental construction in the Old and Late Assyrian periods. The final chapter in this volume details the recent mudbrick village and cemetery and provides insights into traditional architecture, burial practices and site formation processes. The site was submerged by the Eski Mosul dam but the summit periodically emerges from the reservoir and is visible on Google Earth when the level of water in the dam recedes. The pottery and finds will be published separately.
A pdf can be downloaded here:
http://digital.library.stonybrook.edu/cdm/ref/collection/amar/id/155707
A pdf can be downloaded here:
http://digital.library.stonybrook.edu/cdm/ref/collection/amar/id/155707
Research Interests:
This is the catalogue to accompany the exhibition of the same name, held at the British Museum from October 2017-January 2018 and organised with the State Hermitage Museum. The catalogue was published three years ago but soon sold out and... more
This is the catalogue to accompany the exhibition of the same name, held at the British Museum from October 2017-January 2018 and organised with the State Hermitage Museum. The catalogue was published three years ago but soon sold out and is now long out of print and, following repeated requests, we are now putting it here for wider access.
If you are interested in this, you will be interested in the proceedings of the accompanying conference also organised by Dr Pankova and myself. These are published by Archaeopress Archaeology and entitled 'Masters of the Steppe: The Impact of the Scythians and Late Nomad Societies on Eurasia' (Oxford, 2020), and contains 45 papers by leading international specialists, in many cases making this research accessible in English for the first time.
If you are interested in this, you will be interested in the proceedings of the accompanying conference also organised by Dr Pankova and myself. These are published by Archaeopress Archaeology and entitled 'Masters of the Steppe: The Impact of the Scythians and Late Nomad Societies on Eurasia' (Oxford, 2020), and contains 45 papers by leading international specialists, in many cases making this research accessible in English for the first time.
Research Interests:
Exhibition catalogue edited by the author for the exhibition of the same name which he curated at the British Museum in 2002. The objects were mostly on loan from Sanaa and different regional museums in Yemen but also included objects and... more
Exhibition catalogue edited by the author for the exhibition of the same name which he curated at the British Museum in 2002. The objects were mostly on loan from Sanaa and different regional museums in Yemen but also included objects and artworks from the British Museum other select pieces were borrowed from UK institutions and private collections, including the National Gallery, V&A, British Library, Ashmolean Museum and Fitzwilliam Museum. The catalogue is now out of print.
Research Interests:
A slim exhibition catalogue written to accompany a loan exhibition drawn entirely from the collections of the British Museum and curated by the author for The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in California. Sumptiously illustrated, it only... more
A slim exhibition catalogue written to accompany a loan exhibition drawn entirely from the collections of the British Museum and curated by the author for The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in California. Sumptiously illustrated, it only includes a highlight of the full exhibition. The catalogue is now out of print.
Research Interests:
This book co-edited with Svetlana Pankova presents 45 papers offered for and/or presented at a major international conference held at the British Museum as part of the public programme associated with the 2017 exhibition 'Scythians:... more
This book co-edited with Svetlana Pankova presents 45 papers offered for and/or presented at a major international conference held at the British Museum as part of the public programme associated with the 2017 exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia'. Papers include new archaeological discoveries, results of scientific research and studies of museum collections, most presented in English for the first time.
The volume also contains a lengthy introduction explaining how the conference was devised alongside the exhibition and how the exhibition itself was created. The book ends with a long concluding essay exploring the ramifications of the papers and other research into Eurasian nomads, and is followed by a comprehensive subject index. A full list of contributors and their affiliations is also provided. All papers were peer-reviewed.
Papers are embargoed for two years but we hope that you can find copies through your institutions and personal Eurasian networks.
The title page and main list of contents are attached for reference.
The volume also contains a lengthy introduction explaining how the conference was devised alongside the exhibition and how the exhibition itself was created. The book ends with a long concluding essay exploring the ramifications of the papers and other research into Eurasian nomads, and is followed by a comprehensive subject index. A full list of contributors and their affiliations is also provided. All papers were peer-reviewed.
Papers are embargoed for two years but we hope that you can find copies through your institutions and personal Eurasian networks.
The title page and main list of contents are attached for reference.
Research Interests:
This is the second in a three volume set of proceedings of the 7ICAANE conference held in London in 2010 and jointly hosted by the British Museum and UCL. This volume includes the papers from a session I organised on the subject of... more
This is the second in a three volume set of proceedings of the 7ICAANE conference held in London in 2010 and jointly hosted by the British Museum and UCL. This volume includes the papers from a session I organised on the subject of 'Colour and Light in Architecture, Art and Material Culture'. A list of contents and the theme summary are attached here as pdfs. For a pdf of my joint paper on the results of scientific analyses of polychrome Parthian stuccoes from Uruk go to my section on 'Papers'.
Research Interests:
Jointly edited with Dr J.E. Curtis, this volume contains the proceedings of a conference of the same name which was organised by the editors at the British Museum and accompanied the special exhibition, 'Forgotten Empire. The World of... more
Jointly edited with Dr J.E. Curtis, this volume contains the proceedings of a conference of the same name which was organised by the editors at the British Museum and accompanied the special exhibition, 'Forgotten Empire. The World of Achaemenid Persia', in 2005.
Research Interests:
Jointly edited with Dr L. Weeks, this volume contains the proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, held at the British Museum in 2007.
Research Interests:
Jointly edited with Dr L. Weeks, this volume contains the proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, held at the British Museum in 2006.
Research Interests:
Jointly edited with Dr R. Carter, this volume contains the proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, held at the British Museum in 2005.
Research Interests:
This is an online blog about a new special case display at the British Museum which is aimed at highlighting the importance and relevance of the culture and history of ancient South Arabia when the region is still suffering from the... more
This is an online blog about a new special case display at the British Museum which is aimed at highlighting the importance and relevance of the culture and history of ancient South Arabia when the region is still suffering from the effects of conflict in Yemen.
Research Interests:
In 2022, targeted excavations were carried out as part of a study season at the site of Kobeba, near the town of al-Rifa’i, in Dhi Qar governorate, southern Iraq. The results were very successful and clarified a number of outstanding... more
In 2022, targeted excavations were carried out as part of a study season at the site of Kobeba, near the town of al-Rifa’i, in Dhi Qar governorate, southern Iraq. The results were very successful and clarified a number of outstanding questions over the dating and phasing. One sounding has confirmed a deep sequence of Jemdet Nasr occupation with evidence for pottery production and a fragment of a jar with part of a carefully incised pictographic inscription. A second sounding has gone below the latest two levels of 8th century early Islamic occupation to reach a third level with more substantial architecture datable to the 7th century, and a Sasanian level below that. This sequence is now one of the most important for these periods from Iraq and there are clear changes in the pottery which will help future surveys in this region. Finally, a test trench excavated last year in the fields beyond the site was expanded into a larger area, and the results proved that there is an archaeological layer contemporary with the latest period of occupation at Kobeba at a depth of 1.60 m below plain level and resting directly on top of an ancient marsh deposit: this proves that at this period Kobeba was in a wetland environment very different to the present situation.
a pdf is available on request
a pdf is available on request
Research Interests:
We are delighted to confirm the return of the final body of cuneiform tablets exported from Woolley’s excavations at Ur to London for study and publication. This follows the announcement at the inaugural session of 13ICAANE in Copenhagen... more
We are delighted to confirm the return of the final body of cuneiform tablets exported from Woolley’s excavations at Ur to London for study and publication. This follows the announcement at the inaugural session of 13ICAANE in Copenhagen on 22nd May this year by Dr Laith, Chair of the State Board of Organisation and Heritage in Baghdad, and the reports which have already appeared in the international media. It marks a centenary of collaboration between the British Museum and Baghdad, and honours an agreement between Miss Bell, founder of the Iraq Museum and first Honorary Director, and Sir Leonard Woolley.
Research Interests:
This online paper proposes a different origin and route of diffusion of the practice of drinking alcohol through a straw, utilising a recent re-interpretation of old finds from Maikop, and suggests that this was a foreign concept adopted... more
This online paper proposes a different origin and route of diffusion of the practice of drinking alcohol through a straw, utilising a recent re-interpretation of old finds from Maikop, and suggests that this was a foreign concept adopted in Mesopotamia by the elites before being more widely adopted by Near Eastern society.
Sociétés humaines du Proche-Orient ancien, 29/04/2023, https://ane.hypotheses.org/11604
Sociétés humaines du Proche-Orient ancien, 29/04/2023, https://ane.hypotheses.org/11604
Research Interests:
Smoking and drinking are highly sociable activities, once redolent of status, yet often associated with loudness, debauchery or disease. They have very different histories, yet both are complex, nuanced and linked by their rapid spread of... more
Smoking and drinking are highly sociable activities, once redolent of status, yet often associated with loudness, debauchery or disease. They have very different histories, yet both are complex, nuanced and linked by their rapid spread of popularity across completely different cultures. This tribute to Jonathan Tubb focuses on an example of each and combines archaeological discoveries with topics of personal interest. The first is previously unpublished and comes from his own excavations at Tell es-Sa’idiyeh, the second with a new interpretation over where the idea of drinking alcohol through a straw originated.
Research Interests:
This is an online article discussing some of the research questions and results from a recent project in southern Iraq. The findings include the Jemdet Nasr, Sasanian and early Islamic periods, and throw important new light on a... more
This is an online article discussing some of the research questions and results from a recent project in southern Iraq. The findings include the Jemdet Nasr, Sasanian and early Islamic periods, and throw important new light on a medium-sized settlement in the Mesopotamian heartland:
https://ane.hypotheses.org/11331
https://ane.hypotheses.org/11331
Research Interests:
This is the illustrated and extended English-language version of a paper presented at a conference devoted to the memory of the late I.N. Khlopin in November 2020 at the Institute for the History of Material Culture [IIMK] i St.... more
This is the illustrated and extended English-language version of a paper presented at a conference devoted to the memory of the late I.N. Khlopin in November 2020 at the Institute for the History of Material Culture [IIMK] i St. Petersburg and published as an abstract in Russian. It builds on a common strand in some other recent papers by the author which concerns cultural inter-connections in the Bronze Age of Central Asia and beyond, and challenges the interpretations of objects which appear unusual or are unexplained in the archaeological literature.
Research Interests:
This joint paper publishes in detail the results of scientific analysis of Sasanian swords and their decorated gold and silver scabbards in the British Museum, with a review of known comparanda. A full pdf is available on request.
Research Interests:
This is the first detailed study to assess the archaeological evidence for Sasanian pottery over the full extent of the Sasanian empire, drawing on direct observations, published and unpublished survey, excavated and textual sources, and... more
This is the first detailed study to assess the archaeological evidence for Sasanian pottery over the full extent of the Sasanian empire, drawing on direct observations, published and unpublished survey, excavated and textual sources, and heavily illustrated throughout. A full pdf is available on request.
Research Interests:
This joint paper with Margaret Sax in a special issue published in memory of the late Antonio Invernizzi reconsiders the date, function and materials of a highly distinctive class of decorated calves’ head finials found in small numbers... more
This joint paper with Margaret Sax in a special issue published in memory of the late Antonio Invernizzi reconsiders the date, function and materials of a highly distinctive class of decorated calves’ head finials found in small numbers with a distribution stretching from Takht-i Sangin, on the Tajik/Afghan border, to Tello in southern Iraq. It proposes that, rather than being Achaemenid as previously supposed, they are all of early Seleucid date, and part of a workshop tradition which made use of different materials, including chlorite, pyrophyllite and a mica of similar appearance, and originally decorated with coloured inlays. They have been previously interpreted as coming from western Iran or Mesopotamia, but the choice of materials and inlay technique instead point to an eastern Iranian or Bactrian origin.
This is a pdf of the text only: a pdf offprint with illustrations is available on request.
This is a pdf of the text only: a pdf offprint with illustrations is available on request.
Research Interests:
Eurasia from the Aneolithic (Chalcolithic) Era to the Early Middle Ages (Innovations, Contacts, Transmission of Ideas and Technologies). Proceedings of the International conference dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the outstanding... more
Eurasia from the Aneolithic (Chalcolithic) Era to the Early Middle Ages (Innovations, Contacts, Transmission of Ideas and Technologies). Proceedings of the International conference dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the outstanding researcher of Southern Siberian and Central Asian antiquities, Mikhail Petrovich Gryaznov (1902–1984), edited by M.T. Kashuba et al. St. Petersburg: Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for the History of Material Culture and the State Hermitage Museum.
Joint paper discussing the scientific results of wood identification and a radiocarbon date on the exceptionally well preserved organic remains of the haft of a Bronze Age weapon in a consignment seized by UK Border Force and repatriated to Afghanistan, presented here jointly with the director of the National Museum of Afghanistan. This paper was written and submitted before the change of government in Afghanistan in 2021 and the war in Ukraine after February 2022, but presented in the interests of maintaining cultural connections across all borders.
Настоящий сборник материалов Международной научной конференции, посвященной 120-летию М. П. Грязнова (7–11 ноября 2022 года, Санкт-Петербург, Россия), содержит обширную подборку публикаций. Они касаются большинства направлений в археологии горно-степной полосы Евразии от энеолита до средневековья, которые так или иначе получили отражение в работах выдающегося ученого либо входили в круг его научных интересов. Издание открывается блоком статей, затрагивающих различные аспекты биографии М. П. Грязнова, а также его взгляды на ряд конкретных научных проблем. Другие блоки включают работы широкого временного диапазона, в которых представлены анализ конкретного материала (в значительной мере — впервые вводимого в научный оборот), современная проблематика археологической науки, еждисциплинарные комплексные исследования. Наконец, два тематических блока составили публикации по археологии Кавказа и Средней Азии, а также статьи, посвященные различным аспектам изучения древнего искусства. Сборник предназначен для археологов, этнографов, искусствоведов, историков, студентов и всех интересующихся археологией и древней историей горно-степной полосы Евразии.
The present collection of papers of the International conference dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Mikhail P. Gryaznov (November 8–11, 2022, St. Petersburg, Russia) contains an extensive set of publications. They deal with the majority of the research areas in the archaeology of the Eurasian mountain-steppe zone from the Aeneolithic (Chalcolithic) to the Middle Ages reflected in the eminent scholar’s works or belonged to the sphere of his research interest. The volume opens with the series of papers revealing various aspects of Gryaznov’s biography or regarding his views on certain archaeological problems. Other blocs include the papers devoted to the analysis of definite archaeological material (very often yet unpublished), to the current problems of archaeological studies, to the interdisciplinary complex investigations in the wide chronological range. At last, two thematic blocs are formed from the papers connected with the archaeology of the Caucasus and Central Asia and from the articles concerning various aspects of the ancient art. This collection of papers is addressed to archaeologists, ethnographers, historians.
Joint paper discussing the scientific results of wood identification and a radiocarbon date on the exceptionally well preserved organic remains of the haft of a Bronze Age weapon in a consignment seized by UK Border Force and repatriated to Afghanistan, presented here jointly with the director of the National Museum of Afghanistan. This paper was written and submitted before the change of government in Afghanistan in 2021 and the war in Ukraine after February 2022, but presented in the interests of maintaining cultural connections across all borders.
Настоящий сборник материалов Международной научной конференции, посвященной 120-летию М. П. Грязнова (7–11 ноября 2022 года, Санкт-Петербург, Россия), содержит обширную подборку публикаций. Они касаются большинства направлений в археологии горно-степной полосы Евразии от энеолита до средневековья, которые так или иначе получили отражение в работах выдающегося ученого либо входили в круг его научных интересов. Издание открывается блоком статей, затрагивающих различные аспекты биографии М. П. Грязнова, а также его взгляды на ряд конкретных научных проблем. Другие блоки включают работы широкого временного диапазона, в которых представлены анализ конкретного материала (в значительной мере — впервые вводимого в научный оборот), современная проблематика археологической науки, еждисциплинарные комплексные исследования. Наконец, два тематических блока составили публикации по археологии Кавказа и Средней Азии, а также статьи, посвященные различным аспектам изучения древнего искусства. Сборник предназначен для археологов, этнографов, искусствоведов, историков, студентов и всех интересующихся археологией и древней историей горно-степной полосы Евразии.
The present collection of papers of the International conference dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Mikhail P. Gryaznov (November 8–11, 2022, St. Petersburg, Russia) contains an extensive set of publications. They deal with the majority of the research areas in the archaeology of the Eurasian mountain-steppe zone from the Aeneolithic (Chalcolithic) to the Middle Ages reflected in the eminent scholar’s works or belonged to the sphere of his research interest. The volume opens with the series of papers revealing various aspects of Gryaznov’s biography or regarding his views on certain archaeological problems. Other blocs include the papers devoted to the analysis of definite archaeological material (very often yet unpublished), to the current problems of archaeological studies, to the interdisciplinary complex investigations in the wide chronological range. At last, two thematic blocs are formed from the papers connected with the archaeology of the Caucasus and Central Asia and from the articles concerning various aspects of the ancient art. This collection of papers is addressed to archaeologists, ethnographers, historians.
Research Interests:
Сасани археологиясында сәнді өнер, жартас бедерлері мен монументалды сәулет және зороастриялық от ғибадатханалар зерттеулері басым, ал халықтық сәулет пен тұрмыстық материалдық мәдениетке аз көңіл бөлінді. Үш ерекшелік бар: итальяндық... more
Сасани археологиясында сәнді өнер, жартас бедерлері мен монументалды сәулет және зороастриялық от ғибадатханалар зерттеулері басым, ал халықтық сәулет пен тұрмыстық материалдық мәдениетке аз көңіл бөлінді. Үш ерекшелік бар: итальяндық археологиялық экспедицияның Ирактағы Ктесифон маңындағы Вех Ардаширге жасаған жұмыстары; қазба жұмыстары марқұм В.А. Өзбекстанның оңтүстігіндегі Зар теппедегі Завьялов; және ЮТАКЕ және одан кейінгі Мервке Ұлыбритания/Түркімен/Ресей экспедициясының жұмысы. Бұл есеп Мервтегі егжей-тегжейлі жағдайды зерттейді және осы дәлелдерге сүйене отырып, бай, археологиялық дәлелденген, үй шаруашылығының бейнесін қалай құруға және оны Орталық Азияда да, одан тыс жерлерде де өмірдің ұзақ мерзімді үлгілеріне қалай орнатуға болатынын көрсетеді.
В сасанидской археологии преобладают исследования предметов роскоши, наскальных рельефов и монументальной архитектуры, а также зороастрийских храмов огня, и мало внимания уделялось народной архитектуре или повседневной материальной культуре. Есть три исключения: работа итальянской археологической экспедиции в Вех-Ардашире, недалеко от Ктесифона в Ираке; раскопки покойного В.А. Завьялов в Зартепе на юге Узбекистана; и работа ЮТАКЭ и последующей англо-туркмено-российской экспедиции в Мерв. В этом отчете представлен подробный пример из Мерва и показано, как мы можем построить более богатую, археологически подтвержденную картину семейной жизни на основе этих свидетельств и соотнести ее с более долгосрочными моделями жизни как в Центральной Азии, так и за ее пределами.
Sasanian archaeology is dominated by studies of the luxury arts, rock reliefs and monumental architecture and Zoroastrian fire temples, and little attention has been paid to the vernacular architecture or everyday material culture. There are three exceptions: the work by the Italian Archaeological Expedition to Veh Ardashir, near Ctesiphon in Iraq; the excavations by the late V.A. Zavyalov at Zar tepe in southern Uzbekistan; and the work of the YuTAKE and subsequent UK/Turkmen/Russian expedition to Merv. This report sets out a detailed case-study from Merv and shows how we can build a richer, archaeologically supported, picture of household life based on this evidence and set this within longer-term patterns of life, both in Central Asia and beyond.
Keywords: Merv Erk-Kala, Sasanian, domestic architecture, stratigraphy
В сасанидской археологии преобладают исследования предметов роскоши, наскальных рельефов и монументальной архитектуры, а также зороастрийских храмов огня, и мало внимания уделялось народной архитектуре или повседневной материальной культуре. Есть три исключения: работа итальянской археологической экспедиции в Вех-Ардашире, недалеко от Ктесифона в Ираке; раскопки покойного В.А. Завьялов в Зартепе на юге Узбекистана; и работа ЮТАКЭ и последующей англо-туркмено-российской экспедиции в Мерв. В этом отчете представлен подробный пример из Мерва и показано, как мы можем построить более богатую, археологически подтвержденную картину семейной жизни на основе этих свидетельств и соотнести ее с более долгосрочными моделями жизни как в Центральной Азии, так и за ее пределами.
Sasanian archaeology is dominated by studies of the luxury arts, rock reliefs and monumental architecture and Zoroastrian fire temples, and little attention has been paid to the vernacular architecture or everyday material culture. There are three exceptions: the work by the Italian Archaeological Expedition to Veh Ardashir, near Ctesiphon in Iraq; the excavations by the late V.A. Zavyalov at Zar tepe in southern Uzbekistan; and the work of the YuTAKE and subsequent UK/Turkmen/Russian expedition to Merv. This report sets out a detailed case-study from Merv and shows how we can build a richer, archaeologically supported, picture of household life based on this evidence and set this within longer-term patterns of life, both in Central Asia and beyond.
Keywords: Merv Erk-Kala, Sasanian, domestic architecture, stratigraphy
Research Interests:
Joint contribution co-authored with Eberhard Sauer, Mahdi Jahed, Mohaddeseh Mansouri Razi, Marzieh Moslehi, Mohammadreza Nemati, Jebrael Nokandeh, Hamid Omrani Rekavandi, Tim Penn and Alireza Salari on the finds from 2014-2016 excavations... more
Joint contribution co-authored with Eberhard Sauer, Mahdi Jahed, Mohaddeseh Mansouri Razi, Marzieh Moslehi, Mohammadreza Nemati, Jebrael Nokandeh, Hamid Omrani Rekavandi, Tim Penn and Alireza Salari on the finds from 2014-2016 excavations at Fort 2 on the Gorgan Wall.
Research Interests:
This publication of two Achaemenid silver bowls in the British Museum includes new compositional analyses and a detailed examination of their manufacturing techniques. It also offers an opportunity to discuss their previous history and... more
This publication of two Achaemenid silver bowls in the British Museum includes new compositional analyses and a detailed examination of their manufacturing techniques. It also offers an opportunity to discuss their previous history and the evidence for their alleged provenance of Mazanderan.
Research Interests:
First publication of glass bangles, with scientific analysis by Y. Abe, and vessel glass from archaeological excavations on the Maldives, demonstrating trade contacts with South Asia and probably Yemen during the late medieval and later... more
First publication of glass bangles, with scientific analysis by Y. Abe, and vessel glass from archaeological excavations on the Maldives, demonstrating trade contacts with South Asia and probably Yemen during the late medieval and later periods.
Research Interests:
This is the full English version of a paper published in Russian in a volume of Arkheologicheskiye vesti / Archaeological News (2021) dedicated to Dr L. Kircho.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This is the full English version of a paper originally given on 14th December 2018 at the Institute for the History of Material Culture (IIMK) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg, in a conference on the 90th anniversary of... more
This is the full English version of a paper originally given on 14th December 2018 at the Institute for the History of Material Culture (IIMK) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg, in a conference on the 90th anniversary of Aleksandr Danilovich Grach, and published in 'Arkheologicheskie Vestii / Archaeological News (2020). A.D. Grach was the first to undertake urban excavations in St Petersburg but also led rescue work in advance of the impounding of the mighty Sayan dam. Soviet engineers designed and constructed some of the world's largest dams, including the High Aswan Dam in Egypt and the Tabqa Dam in Syria, and were also instrumental in advising on dams in Iraq. This paper summarises the history of dam rescue projects in Iraq, and is part of a larger piece of research on Middle Eastern dam rescue archaeology which will appear in a monograph on the archaeology of northern Iraq.
Research Interests:
Short essay published in the catalogue of an exhibition held at the Musée Guimet Paris (13 October 2021-10 January 2022), to which a small number of pieces from the Oxus Treasure held in the British Museum were loaned.
Research Interests:
This is the first publication of two shell inlays found at a large late third millennium BC (Umm an-Nar) period site on the Batinah coast of Oman during investigations carried out as part of the, Rustaq-Batinah Archaeological Survey... more
This is the first publication of two shell inlays found at a large late third millennium BC (Umm an-Nar) period site on the Batinah coast of Oman during investigations carried out as part of the, Rustaq-Batinah Archaeological Survey directed by Dr D. Kennet (University of Durham). They were found close together, next to a large building tentatively interpreted by the project as a temple. The inlays are compared to others known from Mesopotamia and suggested to have belonged to a metal bull-headed lyre gifted from that region.
Research Interests:
The early Tashtyk cemetery site of Oglakhty in Minusinsk basin is best known because of the exceptional state of preservation of some of the organic objects found there in excavations in 1903 and 1969. The chronological and spatial... more
The early Tashtyk cemetery site of Oglakhty in Minusinsk basin is best
known because of the exceptional state of preservation of some of the organic objects found there in excavations in 1903 and 1969. The chronological and spatial
development of this extensive cemetery have not been clearly explored until now.
This paper represents a first step in that direction by dealing with previously
unpublished finds from Adrianov’s excavation at the site in 1903 and held in
Krasnoyarsk Museum of Local Lore. They were found in the Eastern plot of the
cemetery (Oglakhty I) which represents one of four such plots according to the latest
fieldwork results from the site. This paper presents the results of a new series of
calibrated radiocarbon dates and new scientific identifications of the woody and plant
species used to construct and fit out these graves. The results are considered within
the first attempt to examine finds from Oglakhty cemetery within what we now know
of its spatial organization. This has only been possible through a combination of these
new absolute dates combined with a recent survey of the site and the identification of
the previously excavated burials using scattered archival sources. The new series of
15 radiocarbon dates were based mainly on samples of different materials from two
graves (1 and 2) containing the best-preserved objects from Adrianov’s excavation.
This adds a new footing to understanding the chronology of the site as previous
absolute dates were only available for a single grave in the Western plot, and other
studies have been forced to rely on typological approaches and comparative analysis
with finds from other regions. According to these new results, graves 1 and 2 in the
Eastern plot date between the mid-2nd and mid 4th centuries AD, the former slightly
later than the latter. The species of all of the finds, whether of wood, birchbark, grass
or cereal grain, have been confirmed through scientific analysis. The results provide
new glimpses into early Tashtyk exploitation of the local environment, and constitutes
the first such step of studying the palaeoenvironment of this region in the Tashtyk
period.
known because of the exceptional state of preservation of some of the organic objects found there in excavations in 1903 and 1969. The chronological and spatial
development of this extensive cemetery have not been clearly explored until now.
This paper represents a first step in that direction by dealing with previously
unpublished finds from Adrianov’s excavation at the site in 1903 and held in
Krasnoyarsk Museum of Local Lore. They were found in the Eastern plot of the
cemetery (Oglakhty I) which represents one of four such plots according to the latest
fieldwork results from the site. This paper presents the results of a new series of
calibrated radiocarbon dates and new scientific identifications of the woody and plant
species used to construct and fit out these graves. The results are considered within
the first attempt to examine finds from Oglakhty cemetery within what we now know
of its spatial organization. This has only been possible through a combination of these
new absolute dates combined with a recent survey of the site and the identification of
the previously excavated burials using scattered archival sources. The new series of
15 radiocarbon dates were based mainly on samples of different materials from two
graves (1 and 2) containing the best-preserved objects from Adrianov’s excavation.
This adds a new footing to understanding the chronology of the site as previous
absolute dates were only available for a single grave in the Western plot, and other
studies have been forced to rely on typological approaches and comparative analysis
with finds from other regions. According to these new results, graves 1 and 2 in the
Eastern plot date between the mid-2nd and mid 4th centuries AD, the former slightly
later than the latter. The species of all of the finds, whether of wood, birchbark, grass
or cereal grain, have been confirmed through scientific analysis. The results provide
new glimpses into early Tashtyk exploitation of the local environment, and constitutes
the first such step of studying the palaeoenvironment of this region in the Tashtyk
period.
Research Interests:
This paper, offered in honour of the anniversary of Dr L.B. Kircho, briefly reviews some of the excavated evidence for decorated boxes found at sites from Mesopotamia to Central Asia in the late 3rd millennium BC (Fig. 1–10), and... more
This paper, offered in honour of the anniversary of Dr L.B. Kircho, briefly reviews some of the excavated evidence for decorated boxes found at sites from Mesopotamia to Central Asia in the late 3rd millennium BC (Fig. 1–10), and concludes that one published from an Akkadian grave at Nippur is a Harappan import. Similar types of box found at Gonur depe were used to contain mirrors, and this also provides a new explanation for the Nippur box. Remains of other types of decorated box are also known from elite graves at Gonur and Ur, some of a size consistent with trunks or chests, but others much smaller and employing iconography peculiar to their cultural context. This paper draws attention to the fact that the boards for the “Game of Twenty Squares” were originally hollow in order to hold the pieces, and that the so-called “Standard of Ur” was also a box, rather the solid object it has been reconstructed and known as. In other regions, such as southeast Arabia and Iran, small compartmented boxes were also carved from chlorite but larger examples were probably also made of wood. The fired clay boxes also known from eastern Iran and southwest Central Asia may well have had wooden counterparts which have not survived. In short, a much greater variety of boxes of different types and sizes were used at this period than is generally acknowledged.
Research Interests:
This paper uses excavated findings from Merv to illustrate some of the trade between highland Iran and the Merv oasis during the early medieval period. After briefly reviewing some of the textual and archaeological sources and discussion... more
This paper uses excavated findings from Merv to illustrate some of the trade between highland Iran and the Merv oasis during the early medieval period. After briefly reviewing some of the textual and archaeological sources and discussion of industries in Khurasan at this period, it focuses on three materials: talc, jet and turquoise, and the types of object made from each.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This is the lightly edited and peer-reviewed English version of an essay published in the Russian-language catalogue (now out of print) of the exhibition 'I founded therein my royal palace' held at the State Hermitage Museum December 2019... more
This is the lightly edited and peer-reviewed English version of an essay published in the Russian-language catalogue (now out of print) of the exhibition 'I founded therein my royal palace' held at the State Hermitage Museum December 2019 - May 2020.
Research Interests:
This is the concluding essay to the volume of proceedings arising from a conference at the British Museum devoted to Scythians and other Eurasian nomads. It draws together the themes expressed in more detail in individual papers and... more
This is the concluding essay to the volume of proceedings arising from a conference at the British Museum devoted to Scythians and other Eurasian nomads. It draws together the themes expressed in more detail in individual papers and addresses other questions raised during the course of development of the associated exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia' and the separate catalogue published to accompany that.
The term bleached carnelian bead replaces the term etched carnelian bead, and the production of these began in the Indus Valley in the third millennium BC. There have been many studies of these, but very little attention has been paid to... more
The term bleached carnelian bead replaces the term etched carnelian bead, and the production of these began in the Indus Valley in the third millennium BC. There have been many studies of these, but very little attention has been paid to later beads of this type. The dating and distribution of these from the Near East, Caucasus, Central Asia and the Eurasian steppe is reviewed here.
A group of glass beads from late Scythian graves at Aymyrlyg and two groups of re-strung beads from a post-Scythian hoard at Znamenka were examined as part of a programme of scientific analysis associated with the exhibition 'Scythians:... more
A group of glass beads from late Scythian graves at Aymyrlyg and two groups of re-strung beads from a post-Scythian hoard at Znamenka were examined as part of a programme of scientific analysis associated with the exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia' at the British Museum in 2017/18. All belong to the collections of the State Hermitage Museum and were analysed with permission as part of the exhibition loan agreement. Non-destructive compositional analysis was carried out on the surface of the objects using a combination of XRF and VP-SEM-EDX. Using the compositional data it was possible to characterise and differentiate the types of glass used in the production of these objects. Using published analytical data for contemporary glasses we are able to suggest an approximate provenance for each of the object types and a closer dating for the beads from Znamenka. Since this was published, further parallels for the latter have been found, and a follow-up paper is anticipated, so any comments would be gratefully received and acknowledged.
Research Interests:
This paper examines evidence for a highly distinctive class of decorated bead first made in the Indus region in the mid-3rd millennium BC, and this form of decoration continued to be applied to ring stones (although not beads) as late as... more
This paper examines evidence for a highly distinctive class of decorated bead first made in the Indus region in the mid-3rd millennium BC, and this form of decoration continued to be applied to ring stones (although not beads) as late as the 1930s in Sind. For most of the past century these have been referred to as ‘etched beads’, but more recent studies suggest this is an inappropriate term and they should instead be described as bleached beads. The decoration was made by drawing designs in an alkaline paste on the surface of the carnelian and, when heated, the painted areas turned white whereas the rest of the stone turned red or pinkish orange. Many different motifs were applied to beads of this type. A basic and pioneering classification was published by Horace Beck in 1933 which divided them into three main chronological groups. Since then, most attention has been paid to the distribution and more precise dating of the earliest and latest types, whereas little attention has focused on such beads of the intervening period considered to date between 300 BC and AD 100. There have been a growing number of finds of this middle group (Beck’s so-called Type B) and the publication of the finds from the 7th century BC site of Arzhan-2 in southern Siberia helps close this gap with the earlier tradition by another four centuries. A selection of these particular beads was loaned for the BP exhibition Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia and prompted this preliminary literature review. Moreover, this paper includes illustrations of new types not listed by Beck and an updated discussion of the evidence for the development and diffusion of these beads. It concludes that we should now abandon Beck’s outdated typology, and introduce better documentation and new scientific techniques in the study of these beads if we are to explore in greater detail the emerging questions as to how and where they were made.
How and why major museum exhibitions are put together are rarely explained in detail, let alone in print: this introduction to a volume of studies arising from a joint British Museum and State Hermitage Museum exhibition and conference... more
How and why major museum exhibitions are put together are rarely explained in detail, let alone in print: this introduction to a volume of studies arising from a joint British Museum and State Hermitage Museum exhibition and conference helps redress that. Here you can read the reasoning behind the 2017/18 exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia', and see how research and international collaboration underpin these projects. The separate conclusions at the conclusion of the present volume discuss in greater depth approaches to Eurasian pastoral nomadism, compare with evidence from Arabia, and raise much bigger questions over cultural identity and the transfer of ideas and technologies.
Research Interests:
This paper updates previous papers to outline the process and successful role of the British Museum in advising UK and international law enforcement and other parties over the identification and effective repatriation of stolen or... more
This paper updates previous papers to outline the process and successful role of the British Museum in advising UK and international law enforcement and other parties over the identification and effective repatriation of stolen or trafficked antiquities to national museums in their countries of origin. It details a succession of case studies relating to Afghanistan, Iraq and Uzbekistan over the past years. These serve as a model for other cases in the future, both for these and other countries.
Research Interests:
This paper reviews the evidence, much previously unremarked on, for the purposeful defacement or smashing of particular objects or sections of Assyrian relief and proposes a new interpretation based on the principle of cold revenge rather... more
This paper reviews the evidence, much previously unremarked on, for the purposeful defacement or smashing of particular objects or sections of Assyrian relief and proposes a new interpretation based on the principle of cold revenge rather than the work of hotheads.
A pdf is available on request.
A pdf is available on request.
Research Interests:
Thanks to the incredibly prompt work of the editors, this is the publication of a short paper presented virtually at a conference dedicated in memory of the centenary of the birthday of A.M. Mandelshtam and the ninetieth birthday of I.N.... more
Thanks to the incredibly prompt work of the editors, this is the publication of a short paper presented virtually at a conference dedicated in memory of the centenary of the birthday of A.M. Mandelshtam and the ninetieth birthday of I.N. Khlopin, held in the Institute for the History of Material Culture (IIMK) of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, 10-12 November 2020.
The paper is concerned with the re-identification of a class of carved stone containers found in Central Asia as cosmetic flasks, rather than lamps or tools. The presentation with illustrations is posted as a pdf under my 'Talks' as it was only possible to include one illustration in these proceedings. The paper was kindly translated into Russian by my good colleague Dr V.P. Nikonorov.
The paper is concerned with the re-identification of a class of carved stone containers found in Central Asia as cosmetic flasks, rather than lamps or tools. The presentation with illustrations is posted as a pdf under my 'Talks' as it was only possible to include one illustration in these proceedings. The paper was kindly translated into Russian by my good colleague Dr V.P. Nikonorov.
Research Interests:
This is the publication of a paper given on 14th December 2018 at the Institute for the History of Material Culture (IIMK) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg, in a conference on the 90th anniversary of Aleksandr Danilovich... more
This is the publication of a paper given on 14th December 2018 at the Institute for the History of Material Culture (IIMK) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg, in a conference on the 90th anniversary of Aleksandr Danilovich Grach. A.D. Grach was the first to undertake urban excavations in St Petersburg but also led rescue work in advance of the impounding of the mighty Sayan dam. Soviet engineers designed and constructed some of the world's largest dams, including the High Aswan Dam in Egypt and the Tabqa Dam in Syria, and were also instrumental in advising on dams in Iraq. This paper summarises the history of dam rescue projects in Iraq, and is part of a larger piece of research on Middle Eastern dam rescue archaeology which will appear in a monograph on the archaeology of northern Iraq.
Research Interests:
Invited paper given at a workshop jointly organised by the British Arts and Humanities Research Council [AHRC] and Russian Foundation for Basic Research [RFBR], held in London on 21-22 October 2019. The theme of the workshop was “British... more
Invited paper given at a workshop jointly organised by the British Arts and Humanities Research Council [AHRC] and Russian Foundation for Basic Research [RFBR], held in London on 21-22 October 2019. The theme of the workshop was “British and Russian Identities and Cultures in a Comparative and Cross-cultural Perspective c. 1800-2000”. This paper looked at how two major international museums - the British Museum and the State Hermitage Museum - have collaborated with each other over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, through scientific exchanges, exhibitions, conferences, archaeological fieldwork and joint research. The impact of this form of soft power on mutual understanding, international dialogue and public perceptions of culture should not be under-estimated: it illustrates the importance of museums within society, and how they maintain dialogues across all borders and at all times.
Research Interests:
On 10 August 2018 an important group of antiquities looted in 2003 from the city-site of Tello (ancient Girsu) was officially presented to the Iraqi authorities in London for return to the Iraq Museum. These objects had been seized in a... more
On 10 August 2018 an important group of antiquities looted in 2003 from the city-site of Tello (ancient Girsu) was officially presented to the Iraqi authorities in London
for return to the Iraq Museum. These objects had been seized in a Metropolitan Police operation on the premises of a now defunct London dealer at Grays Mews on 2 May 2003. The dealer failed to supply proof of ownership, ceased trading and title passed to the Crown. The objects were identified by the British Museum as being from Iraq
and more specifically as coming from the site of Tello. Three of the objects carry Sumerian inscriptions in cuneiform script which identify their origin as the Eninnu temple at ancient Girsu. This temple was sacred to the god’s patron deity Ningirsu and is located in the area of Tello known to modern scholarship as Tell A and where current excavations are not only revealing the plan and extent of this important complex but also many inscribed wall cones in situ in the temple walls (Fig. 1). The other items are also identical to objects known from excavations at Tello and most likely also originate from the same site.
for return to the Iraq Museum. These objects had been seized in a Metropolitan Police operation on the premises of a now defunct London dealer at Grays Mews on 2 May 2003. The dealer failed to supply proof of ownership, ceased trading and title passed to the Crown. The objects were identified by the British Museum as being from Iraq
and more specifically as coming from the site of Tello. Three of the objects carry Sumerian inscriptions in cuneiform script which identify their origin as the Eninnu temple at ancient Girsu. This temple was sacred to the god’s patron deity Ningirsu and is located in the area of Tello known to modern scholarship as Tell A and where current excavations are not only revealing the plan and extent of this important complex but also many inscribed wall cones in situ in the temple walls (Fig. 1). The other items are also identical to objects known from excavations at Tello and most likely also originate from the same site.
Research Interests:
This paper is about two cases of looted antiquities which we identified on behalf of UK law enforcement and which were returned to Baghdad in 2019. The first category is a Babylonian boundary stone (kudurru), it is dated to the reign of... more
This paper is about two cases of looted antiquities which we identified on behalf of UK law enforcement and which were returned to Baghdad in 2019. The first category is
a Babylonian boundary stone (kudurru), it is dated to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar I, who reigned from about 1126-1103 BC. This kudurru is previously unknown to scholarship and bears no museum number or other evidence as to its earlier history, the assumption that it was looted and then brought to London as a product of illegal trafficking of antiquities for the market. It was seized at London’s Heathrow airport by UK Border Force in 2012 and identified at the British Museum. The second case is a group of 156 complete and sometimes crudely conserved clay tablets written in cuneiform script. The tablets range in date from the mid-third millennium BC to the Achaemenid period (sixth-fourth centuries BC). There is also a single tablet of the little-known late Babylonian king Nabu-nasir (Nabonassar) (747–734 BC). In addition, there are two letters, six legal texts and eight round school texts, all of the Old Babylonian period. After an investigation by the UK’s Fraud Investigation Service of HMRC, they were seized from the freight forwarder near Heathrow Airport in June 2013. They were identified, catalogued and photographed at the British Museum, handed over in a ceremony at the British Museum and are now also safely in Baghdad.
a Babylonian boundary stone (kudurru), it is dated to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar I, who reigned from about 1126-1103 BC. This kudurru is previously unknown to scholarship and bears no museum number or other evidence as to its earlier history, the assumption that it was looted and then brought to London as a product of illegal trafficking of antiquities for the market. It was seized at London’s Heathrow airport by UK Border Force in 2012 and identified at the British Museum. The second case is a group of 156 complete and sometimes crudely conserved clay tablets written in cuneiform script. The tablets range in date from the mid-third millennium BC to the Achaemenid period (sixth-fourth centuries BC). There is also a single tablet of the little-known late Babylonian king Nabu-nasir (Nabonassar) (747–734 BC). In addition, there are two letters, six legal texts and eight round school texts, all of the Old Babylonian period. After an investigation by the UK’s Fraud Investigation Service of HMRC, they were seized from the freight forwarder near Heathrow Airport in June 2013. They were identified, catalogued and photographed at the British Museum, handed over in a ceremony at the British Museum and are now also safely in Baghdad.
Research Interests:
This news piece details the role of the British Museum in advising all areas of British law enforcement over the identification and return of stolen or trafficked antiquities from across the world, with case studies picked from... more
This news piece details the role of the British Museum in advising all areas of British law enforcement over the identification and return of stolen or trafficked antiquities from across the world, with case studies picked from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Iraq.
An updated version with more illustrations was later published in The Journal of Art Crime (2020).
An updated version with more illustrations was later published in The Journal of Art Crime (2020).
Research Interests:
Joint report with L. Chologauri, A. Gabunia, F.A. Mowat, S.M.N. Priestman, E.W. Sauer and S. Stetkiewicz on the mostly early medieval small finds excavated in the fort at Dariali in Georgia. This is probably one of the most detailed... more
Joint report with L. Chologauri, A. Gabunia, F.A. Mowat, S.M.N. Priestman, E.W. Sauer and S. Stetkiewicz on the mostly early medieval small finds excavated in the fort at Dariali in Georgia. This is probably one of the most detailed reports on an early medieval assemblage in the southern Caucasus, and individual elements include imports from both the northern Caucasus, Arabia and probably the Persian Gulf, hinting at the complexity of political relations as this important gateway fort commanding the Dariali pass changed hands at different periods.
Research Interests:
Excavations conducted at ancient Merv (1992–2000) provided many results on the economy of the ancient city. This paper looks at new evidence for the Sasanian food and fibre industries arising from detailed analyses of the excavated... more
Excavations conducted at ancient Merv (1992–2000) provided many results on the economy of the ancient city. This paper looks at new evidence for the Sasanian food and fibre industries arising from detailed analyses of the excavated environmental remains, the first to be examined from a Sasanian city-site. The detailed results by the different specialists involved are forthcoming in the final monographs underway on these excavations.
This paper was given in November 2019 and the volume of abstracts published to coincide with the conference: ANTIQUITIES OF EAST EUROPE, SOUTH ASIA AND SOUTH SIBERIA IN THE CONTEXT OF CONNECTIONS AND INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE EURASIAN CULTURAL SPACE (NEW DATA AND CONCEPTS). Volume 1: Ancient Central Asia in the context of the Eurasian cultural space (new data and concepts). To the 90th anniversary of the birth of the Patriarch of Eurasian archeology Vadim Mikhailovich Masson.
This paper was given in November 2019 and the volume of abstracts published to coincide with the conference: ANTIQUITIES OF EAST EUROPE, SOUTH ASIA AND SOUTH SIBERIA IN THE CONTEXT OF CONNECTIONS AND INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE EURASIAN CULTURAL SPACE (NEW DATA AND CONCEPTS). Volume 1: Ancient Central Asia in the context of the Eurasian cultural space (new data and concepts). To the 90th anniversary of the birth of the Patriarch of Eurasian archeology Vadim Mikhailovich Masson.
Research Interests:
Paper looking at the hinterland of Basra in Late Antiquity.
Research Interests:
Paper exploring the implications of evidence offered by the small finds found in excavations at different sites on both sides of the Persian Gulf, including Kush, Siraf and Kadhima, for the Sasanian and medieval periods.
Research Interests:
Essay in the catalogue of the exhibition "'I founded therein my royal palace': Assyrian art from the British Museum", held at the State Hermitage Museum from December 2019 to March 2020, then closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic,... more
Essay in the catalogue of the exhibition "'I founded therein my royal palace': Assyrian art from the British Museum", held at the State Hermitage Museum from December 2019 to March 2020, then closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, re-opened free of charge and extended until 1 August 2020. The catalogue is the first book on the subject in Russian, quickly sold out and is now out of print, hence my uploading this essay here.
Research Interests:
Essay in the catalogue of the exhibition "'I founded therein my royal palace': Assyrian art from the British Museum", held at the State Hermitage Museum from December 2019 to March 2020, then closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic,... more
Essay in the catalogue of the exhibition "'I founded therein my royal palace': Assyrian art from the British Museum", held at the State Hermitage Museum from December 2019 to March 2020, then closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, re-opened free of charge and extended until 1 August 2020. The catalogue is the first book on the subject in Russian, quickly sold out and is now out of print, hence my uploading this essay here.
Research Interests:
This paper reviews archaeological discoveries of pottery jars and stone ossuaries containing human remains made during the nineteenth century at different places on the Bushehr peninsula and described by several travellers and other... more
This paper reviews archaeological discoveries of pottery jars and stone ossuaries containing human remains made during the nineteenth century at different places on the Bushehr peninsula and described by several travellers and other authors. Some of these ossuaries and human remains were presented to the British Museum where they have been examined in detail. The results suggest that open body exposure was practised and the human remains then gathered and interred in reused pottery jars as well as purpose-made stone ossuaries. This is the first time that anthropological analysis has been used to confirm this practice and indicates that the population was Zoroastrian. The nineteenth century finds resemble others excavated more recently by Mr Rahbar. They also provide the funerary counterpart for archaeological survey evidence which indicates a high level of population across the Bushehr peninsula during the Sasanian period.
Research Interests:
There has been a great deal of study and research into the subject of Zoroastrian funerary practices and the archaeological evidence for burial practices of all periods in Iran. Moreover, there is a large amount of archaeological data... more
There has been a great deal of study and research into the subject of Zoroastrian funerary practices and the archaeological evidence for burial practices of all periods in Iran. Moreover, there is a large amount of archaeological data from Mesopotamia relating in particular to the Sasanian period. However, there has been no synthetic re-analysis of this latter material, and the present tribute to Rémy Boucharlat will attempt this and complement his own pioneering work on Zoroastrian funerary customs, the archaeology of Susa and interest in the relationship of Iranian customs with those practised in neighbouring regions at periods of Iranian rule.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A joint paper with Andrew Meek summarising the archaeological evidence for glass objects other than vessels from Sasanian contexts, and some of which may be imports. The paper includes scientific analysis of two glass stamp-seals.
Research Interests:
This is the preliminary report on a second season of excavations carried out as part of a study season at Kobeba in 2022.
Research Interests:
This is the second extended preliminary report on my excavations at Kobeba, giving a little more information about the results from two deep soundings, one yielding a rare 6th-8th century AD sequence from late Sasanian to early Islamic... more
This is the second extended preliminary report on my excavations at Kobeba, giving a little more information about the results from two deep soundings, one yielding a rare 6th-8th century AD sequence from late Sasanian to early Islamic periods, and the other with a sequence of Jemdet Nasr deposits associated with pottery production. A third excavation area off-site revealed 8th century refuse stratified in a palaeo-marsh with the geoarchaeological sequence offering important insights into local landscape changes.
Research Interests:
In 2021, a season of survey and excavation was carried out at the site of Tulul Kobeba, near the town of Ar Rifa’i, in Dhi-Qar province, southern Iraq. This was the first time this previously looted site had attracted serious... more
In 2021, a season of survey and excavation was carried out at the site of Tulul Kobeba, near the town of Ar Rifa’i, in Dhi-Qar province, southern Iraq. This was the first time this previously looted site had attracted serious archaeological attention, and the results already offer significant new information on daily life, local industries and the impact of Islam on a small early medieval community in this part of Iraq. Geoarchaeological investigations prove that during the latter period it was a local hub in a region of wetland, but its main function was as an industrial centre for the production of so-called ‘synthetic basalt’ rotary querns made from high-fired clay and chipped into form. A small mosque was found at the centre of the site, surrounded by private residences. Finds on the floors of these houses suggest that it may have been abandoned suddenly and the last period of occupation dates to the 8th century. However, the site was also occupied in the period immediately preceding, and the site offers an important opportunity of obtaining a new sequence showing the development from the late Sasanian to early Islamic periods. Moreover, a ‘magic bowl’ was found in situ near the threshold of one house, the first such archaeological find from this region for many years. There was also intermittent occupation of much earlier periods, including Early Dynastic, Ur III/Isin-Larsa, late Babylonian and possibly Seleucid/Parthian. These periods also produced some significant finds, including an eastern Iranian stone vessel and another carved in low relief.
Research Interests:
This is the final published version of the first preliminary report on the first season of archaeological investigations at the site of Kobeba in Dhi Qar province, southern Iraq, in 2021. A longer preliminary report on this season was... more
This is the final published version of the first preliminary report on the first season of archaeological investigations at the site of Kobeba in Dhi Qar province, southern Iraq, in 2021. A longer preliminary report on this season was published in ash-Sharq (pdf available on request). Further investigations were conducted as part of a research study season in November-December 2022.
Research Interests:
Arabic translation by Fatima Snafi of the full end-of-season 2022 preliminary report on work at Kobeba. English versions are in press.
Research Interests:
This is the Arabic summary of the end of season report on the second season (2022), delivered to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Baghdad and detailing the main results of investigations at Kobeba (Dhi Qar governorate),... more
This is the Arabic summary of the end of season report on the second season (2022), delivered to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Baghdad and detailing the main results of investigations at Kobeba (Dhi Qar governorate), Iraq. A preliminary report on this work has been submitted for publication in Sumer, and a second is being prepared for a second journal.
Research Interests:
Arabic summary of the excavation report on the first season of excavations at Kobeba (2021); translation by Amir Doshi
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Herrmann, G. & Kurbansakhatov, K. et al. The season was conducted between 3rd September-15th October 1995 and included excavations in four areas: (1), completion of excavations of a Late Sasanian residence in the citadel of Erk-Kala... more
Herrmann, G. & Kurbansakhatov, K. et al.
The season was conducted between 3rd September-15th October 1995 and included excavations in four areas: (1), completion of excavations of a Late Sasanian residence in the citadel of Erk-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MEK1); (2), continuation of excavations of a Mid-Sasanian residential quarter in the lower city of Gyaur-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MGK5); (3), continuation of excavations of an early medieval industrial quarter including the production of crucible steel in a second area of Gyaur-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MGK4); (4) initiation of excavations of a Seljuk residence in the medieval citadel of Sultan-Kala known as Shahriyar-Ark (abbreviated as MSK1). In addition, work was continued on a topographic survey and recording of standing buildings of medieval and later date.
This preliminary report details the results, principal finds, a report on the environmental and archaeometallurgical remains, and selected standing monuments.
The season was conducted between 3rd September-15th October 1995 and included excavations in four areas: (1), completion of excavations of a Late Sasanian residence in the citadel of Erk-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MEK1); (2), continuation of excavations of a Mid-Sasanian residential quarter in the lower city of Gyaur-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MGK5); (3), continuation of excavations of an early medieval industrial quarter including the production of crucible steel in a second area of Gyaur-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MGK4); (4) initiation of excavations of a Seljuk residence in the medieval citadel of Sultan-Kala known as Shahriyar-Ark (abbreviated as MSK1). In addition, work was continued on a topographic survey and recording of standing buildings of medieval and later date.
This preliminary report details the results, principal finds, a report on the environmental and archaeometallurgical remains, and selected standing monuments.
Research Interests:
Herrmann, G. & Kurbansakhatov, K. et al. The season was conducted between 6th September-14th October 1994 and included excavations in three areas: (1), continuation of excavations of a Late Sasanian residence in the citadel of Erk-Kala... more
Herrmann, G. & Kurbansakhatov, K. et al.
The season was conducted between 6th September-14th October 1994 and included excavations in three areas: (1), continuation of excavations of a Late Sasanian residence in the citadel of Erk-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MEK1); (2), continuation of excavations and the addition of a geophysical survey of a Mid-Sasanian residential quarter in the lower city of Gyaur-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MGK5); (3), continuation of excavations of an early medieval industrial quarter including the production of crucible steel in a second area of Gyaur-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MGK4). In addition, the surface survey of Gyaur-Kala was completed and survey transects added outside the fortifications.
This preliminary report details the results, principal finds, a report on the archaeobotanical results, zooarchaeological remains, worked marine shell and coral finds and coins.
The season was conducted between 6th September-14th October 1994 and included excavations in three areas: (1), continuation of excavations of a Late Sasanian residence in the citadel of Erk-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MEK1); (2), continuation of excavations and the addition of a geophysical survey of a Mid-Sasanian residential quarter in the lower city of Gyaur-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MGK5); (3), continuation of excavations of an early medieval industrial quarter including the production of crucible steel in a second area of Gyaur-Kala (referred to by the abbreviation of MGK4). In addition, the surface survey of Gyaur-Kala was completed and survey transects added outside the fortifications.
This preliminary report details the results, principal finds, a report on the archaeobotanical results, zooarchaeological remains, worked marine shell and coral finds and coins.
Research Interests:
Herrmann, G. & Kurbansakhatov, K. et al.
Research Interests:
Herrmann, G., Masson, V.M. & Kurbansakhatov, K. et al.
Research Interests:
Short note on the identification and temporary display of a Sasanian stele seized at Stansted airport by UK Border Force and since repatriated to Iran where it is on display in the National Museum in Tehran.
Research Interests:
Short article from the British Museum Middle East Newsletter (2022) outlining how the Museum has responded to the war in Ukraine by opening two small case displays and offering training, fellowships and conservation and packing materials... more
Short article from the British Museum Middle East Newsletter (2022) outlining how the Museum has responded to the war in Ukraine by opening two small case displays and offering training, fellowships and conservation and packing materials to Ukrainian museums in need.
Research Interests:
A short article from the British Museum Middle East Newsletter outlining some recent archaeological and contemporary gifts to the collection: a group of Elamite and Parthian objects excavated at Susa and Choga Zanbil by Roman Ghirshman... more
A short article from the British Museum Middle East Newsletter outlining some recent archaeological and contemporary gifts to the collection: a group of Elamite and Parthian objects excavated at Susa and Choga Zanbil by Roman Ghirshman (presented by his former architect, Ian Weatherhead); a traditional woven palm-leaf fan made in southern Iraq (presented by the family in memory of Patricia and Peter Spencer-Silver); a gold bracelet made by James Ogden which incorporates beads from the Royal Cemetery at Ur that were presented to the maker by the excavator, Leonard Woolley (presented by Philip and S.G. Bousfield); and a First day Cover commemorating the sinking of the Russian warship Moskva (presented by Andrii Rakivnenko).
Research Interests:
Short article on the results of archaeological investigations at the site of Kobeba (Dhi Qar governorate), Iraq in 2021, published in the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum.
Research Interests:
Short note on a recent acquisition by a Scottish stone-carver who, inspired by Assyrian sculpture, carved one himself during the pandemic but wearing a face-mask ...
Research Interests:
Discusses a fascinating photographic and written personal archive relating to Aden in the 1940s which was gifted to the British Museum during the pandemic, and which throws completely new light on local trades and crafts and Jewish... more
Discusses a fascinating photographic and written personal archive relating to Aden in the 1940s which was gifted to the British Museum during the pandemic, and which throws completely new light on local trades and crafts and Jewish communities in the highlands.
Research Interests:
Joint short paper with I.L. Finkel on the identification and context of a printed cotton cloth used to disseminate the impact of Layard's discoveries in Assyria
Research Interests:
This short paper provides additional context for a late Neo-Elamite bronze ladle fitting said to be from Tang-i Sarvak and correcting published attributions of date and function
Research Interests:
Short note on a Sumerian temple plaque identified by the British Museum on the London market, seized by the Metropolitan Police (Art and Antiques Unit), and on special display at the Museum before repatriation to Baghdad through the... more
Short note on a Sumerian temple plaque identified by the British Museum on the London market, seized by the Metropolitan Police (Art and Antiques Unit), and on special display at the Museum before repatriation to Baghdad through the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq.
Research Interests:
This short article highlights the scale of crude modern fakes flooding the antiquities market, in this case consignments of fake Mesopotamian tablets and other items. These were seized by UK Border Force at Heathrow airport and identified... more
This short article highlights the scale of crude modern fakes flooding the antiquities market, in this case consignments of fake Mesopotamian tablets and other items. These were seized by UK Border Force at Heathrow airport and identified on their behalf at the British Museum.
Research Interests:
A glazed pyxis excavated in the 19th century by Hormuzd Rassam at the site of Sippar in southern Iraq has been generously purchased on behalf of the British Museum: this is the first announcement of this new acquisition.
Research Interests:
Short news piece on the temporary display at the British Museum in 2020 of a Kushan sculpture stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan during the civil war (1992-1994), illegally exported, identified on the market in the UK and to... more
Short news piece on the temporary display at the British Museum in 2020 of a Kushan sculpture stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan during the civil war (1992-1994), illegally exported, identified on the market in the UK and to be returned to Kabul later in the year.
Research Interests:
Short article detailing the role of the British Museum in the identification of antiquities believed to be stolen or trafficked.
Research Interests:
A short report on the history of a largely unpublished archaeological survey by the late Paul Gotch of the Shiraz and Persepolis plains.
Research Interests:
Summary of new archaeological fieldwork
Research Interests:
Short illustrated piece to promote the BP exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia', open at the British Museum from 14 September 2017-14 January 2018.
Research Interests:
A short report highlighting the recent damage to museums, collections, historic buildings and sites inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Monuments in Yemen as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Research Interests:
A short update on the continuing destruction of cultural heritage in Yemen, with images of the bombed museum in Dhamar and Great Dam at Marib, both targeted in May 2015.
Research Interests:
A short report outlining the impact of an international museum initiative partly led by the British Museum as part of a UNESCO 'Unite4Heritage' campaign, with the aim of highlighting the richness and importance of Yemeni cultural heritage... more
A short report outlining the impact of an international museum initiative partly led by the British Museum as part of a UNESCO 'Unite4Heritage' campaign, with the aim of highlighting the richness and importance of Yemeni cultural heritage and at a time when it is being either threatened or destroyed by the current conflict in Yemen.
Research Interests:
A short preliminary note on the analysis of eighth century assemblages from sites around Kuwait Bay. The final report will form part of a monograph edited by Dr D. Kennet.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Short article illustrating personal research interest and the first preliminary results of collaborative work with colleagues in Slemani museum.
Research Interests:
Outlines reasons why the British Museum has started collecting postcards of the Middle East, including Egypt, for the national collection. This short paper focuses on aspects relevant particularly to Egypt.
Research Interests:
A short note highlighting a recent acquisition at the British Museum.
Research Interests:
This short article describes the successful return of a Safavid metal bowl stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan between 1992 and 1994 and returned to that museum in 2016, with the process and individuals involved described and... more
This short article describes the successful return of a Safavid metal bowl stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan between 1992 and 1994 and returned to that museum in 2016, with the process and individuals involved described and acknowledged.
Research Interests:
Addenda to earlier published notes on the use of pipes in Central Asia, including portable rigid stemmed and ad hoc fixed "earth" pipes.
Research Interests:
This short paper uses the accounts of early European travellers to the Ottoman empire, as well as other written sources, to illustrate the impact of smoking across the Near East during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Research Interests:
This gives an outline of a new AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award PhD which begins in September 2015.
Research Interests:
Editorial opinion article on the situation in Syria and Iraq, and outlining some areas where the UK could help in connection with looted cultural heritage.
Research Interests:
This short article highlights a recent donation to the British Museum of an important collection of old postcards and photographs of Iran which were taken in 1935/36 by the late George B. Blaker. Some show landscapes and scenes of... more
This short article highlights a recent donation to the British Museum of an important collection of old postcards and photographs of Iran which were taken in 1935/36 by the late George B. Blaker. Some show landscapes and scenes of everyday life but others show Persepolis and Sasanian rock reliefs at Naqsh-i Rustam and Naqsh-i Rajab. These are an important addition to the British Museum's holdings of the visual context of the Middle East. They are registered and can be viewed on the British Museum's Collections Online.
Research Interests:
Short note announcing a new project at the British Museum to collect, register, scan and acknowledge donations of postcards of the Middle East, whether new or old, used or unused, as a permanent public record of places and people in a... more
Short note announcing a new project at the British Museum to collect, register, scan and acknowledge donations of postcards of the Middle East, whether new or old, used or unused, as a permanent public record of places and people in a region of change.
Short note acknowledging a very generous donation of ancient and ethnographic items, mainly from the Hadramawt, which was donated to the British Museum by Leila Ingrams, including costumes and other items collected by her parents, Harold... more
Short note acknowledging a very generous donation of ancient and ethnographic items, mainly from the Hadramawt, which was donated to the British Museum by Leila Ingrams, including costumes and other items collected by her parents, Harold and Doreen Ingrams. Two items have been placed on exhibition in the BM in the Ancient South Arabia cases (see also short article below: 'Recent acquisition: Winged goddess').
Research Interests:
Very brief announcement of forthcoming monographs on the finds assemblages from excavations at Kush and Siraf, ranging in date from the Sasanian to Islamic periods. These include a large number of new scientific analyses which were... more
Very brief announcement of forthcoming monographs on the finds assemblages from excavations at Kush and Siraf, ranging in date from the Sasanian to Islamic periods. These include a large number of new scientific analyses which were conducted at the British Museum.
Research Interests:
Short note announcing the recent acquisition of archive and finds from a survey of the Persepolis plain carried out in 1966 and 1968 by the late Paul Gotch, former director of the British Council in Shiraz.
Research Interests:
A short note on a recent acquisition, a fired brick with a Middle Elamite inscription from Choga Zanbil which was presented to the late mother of the donor, BM Trustee Liz Forgan, by the excavator, Roman Ghirshman. This brick is... more
A short note on a recent acquisition, a fired brick with a Middle Elamite inscription from Choga Zanbil which was presented to the late mother of the donor, BM Trustee Liz Forgan, by the excavator, Roman Ghirshman. This brick is registered as BM 2012,6001.1 and was displayed in the Rahim Irvani Gallery from 2012-2016.
Research Interests:
Short article describing the process of catalguing and return to the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul of various antiquities which had either been stolen from that museum during the civil war or had been illegally exported in... more
Short article describing the process of catalguing and return to the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul of various antiquities which had either been stolen from that museum during the civil war or had been illegally exported in recent times and seized by the UK Border Agency in Britain. The items were returned with the assistance of the British Armed Forces.
Research Interests:
This object is now on display. Short item describing a recent generous donation of an ancient South Arabian sculpture which had been found at Shabwa and previously exhibited at the British Museum in 2002 as part of its special exhibition,... more
This object is now on display. Short item describing a recent generous donation of an ancient South Arabian sculpture which had been found at Shabwa and previously exhibited at the British Museum in 2002 as part of its special exhibition, 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen' (and published in the accompanying catalogue of that title). This object was donated by Leila Ingrams and is part of a larger collection of ancient and ethnographic items presented by her.
Research Interests:
Short article describing the recent special exhibition at the British Museum, 'Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World' (2011).
Research Interests:
Short article describing the recent special exhibition at the British Museum, 'Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World' (2011).
Research Interests:
This short article was published as part of the programme for Garsington Opera’s 2008 season of performances. It looks at the historical background and European reception of the Persian Empire, as context for this UK premiere of Vivaldi’s... more
This short article was published as part of the programme for Garsington Opera’s 2008 season of performances. It looks at the historical background and European reception of the Persian Empire, as context for this UK premiere of Vivaldi’s opera 'L’Incoronazione di Dario'. This was first performed at the Teatro S. Angelo in Venice on 23 January 1717 although the libretto by Adriano Morselli had already been set to music on several previous occasions. A selection of printed ephemera arising from the Garsington Opera production has been registered in the Department of the Middle East's Ephemera collection in the British Museum (BM EPH-ME.397): for more information search under this number on the BM's Collections Online.
Research Interests:
A one-page article outlining the concept and contents of the new gallery which opened in June 2007. The displays make very effective use of monumental 19th century plaster casts from Persepolis to create and enhance a sense of the... more
A one-page article outlining the concept and contents of the new gallery which opened in June 2007. The displays make very effective use of monumental 19th century plaster casts from Persepolis to create and enhance a sense of the architecture and culture of ancient Iran. This is the first occasion that these have been employed in such a manner in a permanent gallery display at the British Museum. I have added more information about this gallery in my section on "Gallery Information".
Research Interests:
Describes a newly acquired Achaemenid silver bowl reportedly found in Mazanderan and illustrated in 'The Survey of Persian Art'.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Short popular article exploring the background for the exhibition 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen', held at the British Museum in 2002
Research Interests:
Short note highlighting recent donations of ancient South Arabian antiquities to the British Museum, including a fine collection generously presented by Jonathan Hassell. The most important pieces were exhibited soon afterwards in the... more
Short note highlighting recent donations of ancient South Arabian antiquities to the British Museum, including a fine collection generously presented by Jonathan Hassell. The most important pieces were exhibited soon afterwards in the special exhibition, 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen', held at the British Museum that year (2002) and the remainder were placed on temporary display in a gallery display on ancient South Arabia. All are now on the British Museum's Collections Online.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Phoenicians and Beads
Short report on the author's experience on the UNESCO 'Steppe Route 1991' expedition to Soviet Central Asia from April-June 1991.
Research Interests:
This is a short review of Iraqi excavations at several sites which were published as preliminary reports in Arabic in the journal 'Sumer' in 1987/88 (vol. 45), the texts published in translation as a Supplement, and each commented on here... more
This is a short review of Iraqi excavations at several sites which were published as preliminary reports in Arabic in the journal 'Sumer' in 1987/88 (vol. 45), the texts published in translation as a Supplement, and each commented on here with additional references and personal insights.
Research Interests:
This is the 2022 edition of the Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum: jointly edited with I.L. Finkel, it highlights the latest curatorial ideas, acquisitions and year's research publications, bringing all... more
This is the 2022 edition of the Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum: jointly edited with I.L. Finkel, it highlights the latest curatorial ideas, acquisitions and year's research publications, bringing all together into a unique annual review.
Research Interests:
Quoted in an article by Dalya Alberge in connection with a Sasanian stela seized by UK Border Force at Stansted airport, investigated, forfeited to the crown and exhibited at the British Museum for three months (March-May 2023) with the... more
Quoted in an article by Dalya Alberge in connection with a Sasanian stela seized by UK Border Force at Stansted airport, investigated, forfeited to the crown and exhibited at the British Museum for three months (March-May 2023) with the permission of the Iranian Government, prior to being sent to the National Museum in Tehran.
This report is also the subject of a blog by Laura Battini:
Laura Battini, “A Sassanid relief seized in Great Britain”, in Human Societies of the Ancient Near East , 05/04/2023, https://ane.hypotheses.org/11266
The stela is now in the National Museum in Tehran:
UK returns stolen 3rd-century artifact to Iran:
https://bcbegley.com/2023/06/26/uk-returns-stolen-3rd-century-artifact-to-iran/
UK returns smuggled ancient artifact to Iran:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/06/25/705891/UK-returns-smuggled-ancient-artifact-Iran
The Frontier Post
UK returns historical artifact from Sasanian era after 35 years:
https://thefrontierpost.com/uk-returns-historical-artifact-from-sasanian-era-after-35-years/
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/uk-returns-historical-artifact-from-sasanian-era-after-35-years/news
This report is also the subject of a blog by Laura Battini:
Laura Battini, “A Sassanid relief seized in Great Britain”, in Human Societies of the Ancient Near East , 05/04/2023, https://ane.hypotheses.org/11266
The stela is now in the National Museum in Tehran:
UK returns stolen 3rd-century artifact to Iran:
https://bcbegley.com/2023/06/26/uk-returns-stolen-3rd-century-artifact-to-iran/
UK returns smuggled ancient artifact to Iran:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/06/25/705891/UK-returns-smuggled-ancient-artifact-Iran
The Frontier Post
UK returns historical artifact from Sasanian era after 35 years:
https://thefrontierpost.com/uk-returns-historical-artifact-from-sasanian-era-after-35-years/
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/uk-returns-historical-artifact-from-sasanian-era-after-35-years/news
Research Interests:
Interviews made at the end of the second season and a lecture given at the University of Sumer, aired on al-Iraqiya, 22 December 2022
Research Interests:
Short interview about the importance of the preservation of cultural heritage everywhere
Research Interests:
Interview about the seizure, identification, display and future repatriation of some early medieval and later items seized by UK Border Force.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00187xv
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00187xv
Research Interests:
Article by David Sanderson about two new special case displays in the British Museum co-ordinated by St J. Simpson with curators in other departments and aimed at highlighting Ukrainian culture in crisis: one is drawn from the Museum's... more
Article by David Sanderson about two new special case displays in the British Museum co-ordinated by St J. Simpson with curators in other departments and aimed at highlighting Ukrainian culture in crisis: one is drawn from the Museum's own collection and shows the depth of and breadth of culture over time (Room 2), whereas the second displays a small consignment of illegal metal-detecting finds posted from Kyiv for sale on a UK web platform and seized by UK Border Force in July 2021 (Room 53).
This story was also picked up by The Evening Standard and Yahoo News on this day, and an interview with St J. Simpson broadcast on 3rd June as part of Mariella Frostrup's show on Times Radio, discussing the impact of war on the 100 day anniversary of the 2022 war in Ukraine:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/radio/show/20220601-12901/2022-06-01
This story was also picked up by The Evening Standard and Yahoo News on this day, and an interview with St J. Simpson broadcast on 3rd June as part of Mariella Frostrup's show on Times Radio, discussing the impact of war on the 100 day anniversary of the 2022 war in Ukraine:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/radio/show/20220601-12901/2022-06-01
Research Interests:
Quoted in an article by Martin Bailey
Research Interests:
Quoted in article by George Grylls on reported damage to archaeological sites and a museum in the conflict zone. At the time of writing, these reports had not been independently verified and the factors involved are complex in a time of... more
Quoted in article by George Grylls on reported damage to archaeological sites and a museum in the conflict zone. At the time of writing, these reports had not been independently verified and the factors involved are complex in a time of war with impartial reporting on all sides, but any damage or loss to cultural heritage is to be deplored as culture is a bridge to understanding across all borders.
Research Interests:
This is the first posting of an expression of support by the British Museum for museum colleagues in Ukraine, and the first announcement of a future repatriation of trafficked antiquities to the National Museum in Kyiv which were seized... more
This is the first posting of an expression of support by the British Museum for museum colleagues in Ukraine, and the first announcement of a future repatriation of trafficked antiquities to the National Museum in Kyiv which were seized by UK Border Force in entry to Britain in 2021. This is part of ongoing joint work by Border Force with the British Museum, and builds on similar collaboration with Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Uzbekistan.
Research Interests:
A conversation with Dr Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, about the impact of the first antiquarian discoveries and decipherment of inscriptions from ancient South Arabia, and how these objects entered the British Museum in... more
A conversation with Dr Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, about the impact of the first antiquarian discoveries and decipherment of inscriptions from ancient South Arabia, and how these objects entered the British Museum in the 19th century
Research Interests:
This is the 2021 edition of the Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum: jointly edited with I.L. Finkel on behalf of the Keeper, J.N. Tubb, it highlights the latest curatorial ideas, acquisitions and year's... more
This is the 2021 edition of the Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum: jointly edited with I.L. Finkel on behalf of the Keeper, J.N. Tubb, it highlights the latest curatorial ideas, acquisitions and year's research publications, bringing all together into a unique annual review.
Research Interests:
Quoted in article by Alex Diggins on the role of the British Museum as an adviser to UK law enforcement and others on the trafficking of illegally exported antiquities and fakes
Research Interests:
Quoted in an article by Layla Maghribi on the donation of Edmund de Waal's 'Library of Exile' to the University of Mosul, which arrived there on 5th June 2021 thanks to the assistance of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq.
Research Interests:
Quoted in article by Tom Mashberg about a handover of looted antiquities from Afghanistan to the Afghan ambassador, Her Excellency Roya Rahmani, at a ceremony in New York. The New York Times reports that 33 antiquities, valued at $1.8M,... more
Quoted in article by Tom Mashberg about a handover of looted antiquities from Afghanistan to the Afghan ambassador, Her Excellency Roya Rahmani, at a ceremony in New York.
The New York Times reports that 33 antiquities, valued at $1.8M, were handed over to the Afghan ambassador, Her Excellency Roya Rahmani, by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Department of Homeland Security, at a ceremony in New York on Monday. The article writes that ‘For half a century, through war anarchy and upheaval, Afghanistan has been stripped of tens of thousands of Buddhist and Hindu antiquities, some dating back more than 1,800 years’. The artefacts returned were part of a hoard of 2,500 objects valued at $143 million seized in a dozen raids between 2012 and 2014 from Subhash Kapoor, a disgraced Manhattan art dealer currently jailed in India on smuggling and theft charges. The news was also reported by Pajhwok Afghan News and Art Daily;
Pajhwok Afghan News - https://pajhwok.com/2021/04/20/valued-at-1-8m-looted-antiques-returned-to-afghanistan/
Art Daily - https://artdaily.com/news/134953/Looted-objects-from-Afghanistan-are-returned#.YH6PpmdKiuU
The New York Times reports that 33 antiquities, valued at $1.8M, were handed over to the Afghan ambassador, Her Excellency Roya Rahmani, by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Department of Homeland Security, at a ceremony in New York on Monday. The article writes that ‘For half a century, through war anarchy and upheaval, Afghanistan has been stripped of tens of thousands of Buddhist and Hindu antiquities, some dating back more than 1,800 years’. The artefacts returned were part of a hoard of 2,500 objects valued at $143 million seized in a dozen raids between 2012 and 2014 from Subhash Kapoor, a disgraced Manhattan art dealer currently jailed in India on smuggling and theft charges. The news was also reported by Pajhwok Afghan News and Art Daily;
Pajhwok Afghan News - https://pajhwok.com/2021/04/20/valued-at-1-8m-looted-antiques-returned-to-afghanistan/
Art Daily - https://artdaily.com/news/134953/Looted-objects-from-Afghanistan-are-returned#.YH6PpmdKiuU
Research Interests:
Quoted in a lengthy news article by Mattieu Aikins, who charts the story of how a Ghaznavid carved panel was acquired by the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg after being looted from the site in the 1990s and is now being repatriated... more
Quoted in a lengthy news article by Mattieu Aikins, who charts the story of how a Ghaznavid carved panel was acquired by the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg after being looted from the site in the 1990s and is now being repatriated to the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul. Many more such pieces from Ghazni remain unaccounted for or in other collections.
Research Interests:
This is the 2020 issue of the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and details the wide range of curatorial activity and research undertaken, plus a list of publications by the staff over the past... more
This is the 2020 issue of the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and details the wide range of curatorial activity and research undertaken, plus a list of publications by the staff over the past year. The Newsletter is jointly edited by Irving Finkel and St John Simpson on behalf of J.N. Tubb, Keeper of the the Department of the Middle East.
Research Interests:
Covid-19 has closed our borders, time and time again, but it does not stop us thinking, collaborating and travelling back in time: try this for a fresh new view on Persepolis.
Research Interests:
Quoted in article by Mark Brown on a UK Border Force seizure at London Heathrow airport of a suitcase full of glazed tiles, which were then brought to the British Museum for verification of age and country of origin. International experts... more
Quoted in article by Mark Brown on a UK Border Force seizure at London Heathrow airport of a suitcase full of glazed tiles, which were then brought to the British Museum for verification of age and country of origin. International experts from Britain, America, Russia, Turkey and Iran were invited to comment remotely because of the pandemic: they concurred they were from Uzbekistan and experts there in Samarkand and Tashkent confirmed this and believed some to come from previous excavations of an unknown monument at the Shah-i Zinda at Samarkand. The tiles were illegally exported and are part of illicit trafficking. Further checking is necessary at the site(s) and depots in country when the situation allows. In the meantime the tiles will be briefly exhibited at the British Museum before they are repatriated to Uzbekistan and placed on display there.
Research Interests:
Quoted in press story by Adam Sherwin about a seizure by Border Force in July 2019 of trunks of crude fakes of Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets and a series of lightly fired clay figurines
Research Interests:
Quoted in article by Dalya Alberge on an unprovenanced Sumerian temple plaque identified on the art market, reported by the British Museum to the police, relinquished by the consigner and to be repatriated to Iraq after brief display at... more
Quoted in article by Dalya Alberge on an unprovenanced Sumerian temple plaque identified on the art market, reported by the British Museum to the police, relinquished by the consigner and to be repatriated to Iraq after brief display at the British Museum.
Research Interests:
Quoted in press story by Sandeep Singh Grewal on the identification by the British Museum of a collection of fake Mesopotamian tablets and other objects seized by UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport.
Research Interests:
Quoted in press story on the identification by the British Museum of a collection of fake Mesopotamian tablets and other objects seized by UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport.
Research Interests:
Quoted in press story on the identification by the British Museum of a collection of fake Mesopotamian tablets and other objects seized by UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport.
Research Interests:
Quoted in media article by Lanre Bakare in connection with another story that the European market is full of recently looted antiquities from Syria and Iraq, pointing out that the reporting has been simplistic, there is little evidence... more
Quoted in media article by Lanre Bakare in connection with another story that the European market is full of recently looted antiquities from Syria and Iraq, pointing out that the reporting has been simplistic, there is little evidence that the objects in question are from recent looting, and no antiquities have been identified coming in to the UK which can be proven to come from looting in that country in the past eight years.
Research Interests:
Quoted in press story by David Sanderson on the identification by the British Museum of a collection of fake Mesopotamian tablets and other objects seized by UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport.
Research Interests:
Short media piece published in The Metro (London) on a Babylonian kudurru seized by Border Force at Heathrow Airport which was now being handed over at an official ceremony at the British Museum to the Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq.... more
Short media piece published in The Metro (London) on a Babylonian kudurru seized by Border Force at Heathrow Airport which was now being handed over at an official ceremony at the British Museum to the Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq. The object is now in Baghdad.
Research Interests:
Quoted in media story by Dalya Alberge about the identification of a looted and trafficked Babylonian antiquity seized by a Border Force officer at Heathrow airport. The object has been handed over to the Iraqi authorities at a ceremony... more
Quoted in media story by Dalya Alberge about the identification of a looted and trafficked Babylonian antiquity seized by a Border Force officer at Heathrow airport. The object has been handed over to the Iraqi authorities at a ceremony at the British Museum on 19th March 2019 and is now in the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.
Research Interests:
Interview giving comments on the role of the British Museum in helping identify objects suspected to be stolen or trafficked which were identified by law enforcement, and how this relates to broader questions and perceptions about... more
Interview giving comments on the role of the British Museum in helping identify objects suspected to be stolen or trafficked which were identified by law enforcement, and how this relates to broader questions and perceptions about trafficking, the art market and funding of terrorism
Research Interests:
This is the official press release from the British Museum detailing an important Kushan antiquity excavated at Surkh Kotal which was stolen in the 1990s from the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul and appeared in the UK in November... more
This is the official press release from the British Museum detailing an important Kushan antiquity excavated at Surkh Kotal which was stolen in the 1990s from the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul and appeared in the UK in November 219. Thanks to the co-operation of the National Museum of Afghanistan this piece is now on display at the British Museum for three months prior to its return to the museum in Kabul.
Research Interests:
News piece by Anthony France following an announcement by the Metropolitan Police about the display at the British Museum of looted Gandharan objects from Afghanistan which had been seized on entry to Britain, investigated by the police... more
News piece by Anthony France following an announcement by the Metropolitan Police about the display at the British Museum of looted Gandharan objects from Afghanistan which had been seized on entry to Britain, investigated by the police and identified by the British Museum. At the time this article appeared the objects were still on display and will actually be returned to Kabul at a later stage.
The story also featured with images on the homepage of the Metropolitan Police intranet:
Met officers celebrate return of ancient stolen artefacts to Afghanistan
11 November 2019
"In September 2002, two wooden crates entered Heathrow Airport from Peshawar in Pakistan and were intercepted by customs officers, who suspected the items – a Buddha sculpture and nine Buddha heads - contained drugs. When no drugs were found, the items were seized by the Met’s Art and Antiques unit, as the items, which date back to between the fourth and sixth century, were believed to have been stolen from Afghanistan. Detectives established that the objects had been sent on consignment to a business based in London, which was unaware of the nature of the items. As there were no other suspects in the UK, the case was closed. Afghanistan subsequently claimed the pieces but it wasn’t possible to return the items, due to conflict in the country. The items will now be returned to the National Museum of Afghanistan after being displayed for a short time at the British Museum. DC Sophie Hayes from the Met’s Art and Antiques unit, says, “This has been a very long and complex case but I am delighted that after seventeen years, these ancient and precious items are finally being returned to Afghanistan. The handover takes place during the Art and Antiques unit’s 50th year and it is fitting that whilst celebrating our anniversary we were also able to attend the event at the British Museum to celebrate Afghanistan’s cultural heritage returning to its rightful home.”
The story also featured with images on the homepage of the Metropolitan Police intranet:
Met officers celebrate return of ancient stolen artefacts to Afghanistan
11 November 2019
"In September 2002, two wooden crates entered Heathrow Airport from Peshawar in Pakistan and were intercepted by customs officers, who suspected the items – a Buddha sculpture and nine Buddha heads - contained drugs. When no drugs were found, the items were seized by the Met’s Art and Antiques unit, as the items, which date back to between the fourth and sixth century, were believed to have been stolen from Afghanistan. Detectives established that the objects had been sent on consignment to a business based in London, which was unaware of the nature of the items. As there were no other suspects in the UK, the case was closed. Afghanistan subsequently claimed the pieces but it wasn’t possible to return the items, due to conflict in the country. The items will now be returned to the National Museum of Afghanistan after being displayed for a short time at the British Museum. DC Sophie Hayes from the Met’s Art and Antiques unit, says, “This has been a very long and complex case but I am delighted that after seventeen years, these ancient and precious items are finally being returned to Afghanistan. The handover takes place during the Art and Antiques unit’s 50th year and it is fitting that whilst celebrating our anniversary we were also able to attend the event at the British Museum to celebrate Afghanistan’s cultural heritage returning to its rightful home.”
Research Interests:
This is the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and details the wide range of curatorial activity and research undertaken, plus a list of publications by the staff over the past year. The... more
This is the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and details the wide range of curatorial activity and research undertaken, plus a list of publications by the staff over the past year. The Newsletter is jointly edited by Irving Finkel and St John Simpson on behalf of the department and its Keeper, J.N. Tubb.
Research Interests:
Blog post on the British Museum website detailing the role of the British Museum in the identification and return of trafficked antiquities seized by UK law enforcement, and highlighting a new showcase of Gandharan objects from Afghanistan.
Research Interests:
Article by Mark Brown highlighting the role of the British Museum in the identification and return of illicitly trafficked antiquities from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Research Interests:
Article by James Pickford illustrating the role of the British Museum in the identification and return of illicitly trafficked antiquities interdicted by UK law enforcement, and how the museum seeks sponsorship for its exhibitions.
Research Interests:
Quoted in article by Alisha Rouse on the role of the British Museum in the identification, display and later return of Buddhist sculptures illegally exported from Afghanistan.
Research Interests:
Quoted in newspaper article by Robert Dex on the role of the British Museum in the identification, display and later return of Buddhist sculptures illegally exported from Afghanistan
Research Interests:
Photo piece describing how the British Museum identified and is returning a group of Buddhist sculptures illegally exported from Afghanistan which had been seized by UK law enforcement.
Research Interests:
Newspaper article summarising the story of how the British Museum identified and returned a group of Mesopotamian tablets to Iraq which had been illegally exported and seized by UK law enforcement.
Research Interests:
Quoted following interview in article by Kaya Burgess in 'The Times' 30th August 2019, p.3 concerning the identification and handover by the British Museum of 156 cuneiform tablets looted in 2003 and seized in the UK by Her Majesty's... more
Quoted following interview in article by Kaya Burgess in 'The Times' 30th August 2019, p.3 concerning the identification and handover by the British Museum of 156 cuneiform tablets looted in 2003 and seized in the UK by Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs which will be returned to Baghdad through the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq.
Research Interests:
Quoted in an exclusive press article by Dalya Alberge announcing the identification and forthcoming handover at the British Museum of a Babylonian kudurru seized at London Heathrow Airport which will be returned to Iraq. Further news... more
Quoted in an exclusive press article by Dalya Alberge announcing the identification and forthcoming handover at the British Museum of a Babylonian kudurru seized at London Heathrow Airport which will be returned to Iraq.
Further news outputs here:
Tuesday 19 March
Following a major press event with DCMS and the FCO, a number of UK online media outlets have written on the return of an ancient Babylonian boundary stone to Iraq. The articles all detail how experts at the British Museum helped UK Border Force identify the object as an ancient antiquity:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1469361/middle-east
Victoria Bell writes for the Mail online
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6826531/Ancient-Babylonian-treasure-seized-Heathrow-airport-returned-Iraq.html
Adam Sherwin for the I online:
https://inews.co.uk/culture/babylonian-treasure-seized-at-heathrow-is-returned-to-iraq/
AFP:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6826511/UK-returns-3-000-year-old-tablet-looted-Iraq-War.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
Daniel Binns for the Metro:
https://www.metro.news/rare-babylon-relic-seized-at-heathrow-is-returned-to-iraq/1482848/
Sherna Noah for the Press Association. This was syndicated in regional publications across the country over 150 times.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/babylonian-treasure-seized-heathrow-airport-112650162.html
http://home.bt.com/news/showbiz-news/babylonian-treasure-seized-at-heathrow-airport-returned-to-iraq-11364346215075
BBC Radio 4 19/3/2019
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0003cx3
BBC World Service 19/3/2019
BBC Radio Scotland 19/3/2019
Further news outputs here:
Tuesday 19 March
Following a major press event with DCMS and the FCO, a number of UK online media outlets have written on the return of an ancient Babylonian boundary stone to Iraq. The articles all detail how experts at the British Museum helped UK Border Force identify the object as an ancient antiquity:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1469361/middle-east
Victoria Bell writes for the Mail online
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6826531/Ancient-Babylonian-treasure-seized-Heathrow-airport-returned-Iraq.html
Adam Sherwin for the I online:
https://inews.co.uk/culture/babylonian-treasure-seized-at-heathrow-is-returned-to-iraq/
AFP:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6826511/UK-returns-3-000-year-old-tablet-looted-Iraq-War.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
Daniel Binns for the Metro:
https://www.metro.news/rare-babylon-relic-seized-at-heathrow-is-returned-to-iraq/1482848/
Sherna Noah for the Press Association. This was syndicated in regional publications across the country over 150 times.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/babylonian-treasure-seized-heathrow-airport-112650162.html
http://home.bt.com/news/showbiz-news/babylonian-treasure-seized-at-heathrow-airport-returned-to-iraq-11364346215075
BBC Radio 4 19/3/2019
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0003cx3
BBC World Service 19/3/2019
BBC Radio Scotland 19/3/2019
Research Interests:
This marks the first phase to index a large collection of press cuttings from the UK, international and Arab World press which mainly relate to the Ancient Near East, which are part of the filed holdings of the Department of the Middle... more
This marks the first phase to index a large collection of press cuttings from the UK, international and Arab World press which mainly relate to the Ancient Near East, which are part of the filed holdings of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum.
Albums 3-10 are indexed here and cover the period from 1987-2004. These indices give the name of the journalist, the newspaper article title, the place of publication and the date of publication: page numbers refer to the scrapbook albums only.
These ephemeral published accounts capture news events ranging from new archaeological discoveries to threats to cultural heritage. More general stories about the British Museum also feature as this was a museum departmental archive. In some cases the personal interests of curators then on the staff are reflected in the selection of other stories such as the history of games or the focus on particular news events such as the looting of the Iraq Museum or stories about the Queen of Sheba. In some cases the interviews include otherwise unpublished information.
This collection is mainly of articles in the English language and is far from exhaustive but is a useful resource for looking at the subject and how stories are reported to the world at large through the medium of print. Gifts of similar press cuttings are always welcome.
The indexing was kindly done with the assistance of Chloe Leighton. Other albums cover the years before 1987 and since 2004 and will be the focus of further indexing.
Albums 3-10 are indexed here and cover the period from 1987-2004. These indices give the name of the journalist, the newspaper article title, the place of publication and the date of publication: page numbers refer to the scrapbook albums only.
These ephemeral published accounts capture news events ranging from new archaeological discoveries to threats to cultural heritage. More general stories about the British Museum also feature as this was a museum departmental archive. In some cases the personal interests of curators then on the staff are reflected in the selection of other stories such as the history of games or the focus on particular news events such as the looting of the Iraq Museum or stories about the Queen of Sheba. In some cases the interviews include otherwise unpublished information.
This collection is mainly of articles in the English language and is far from exhaustive but is a useful resource for looking at the subject and how stories are reported to the world at large through the medium of print. Gifts of similar press cuttings are always welcome.
The indexing was kindly done with the assistance of Chloe Leighton. Other albums cover the years before 1987 and since 2004 and will be the focus of further indexing.
Research Interests:
Article by Daniel Weiss featuring interviews with Sebastien Rey and St John Simpson about the identification, return and implications of a group of antiquities looted from the site of Tello in 2003 and returned to Baghdad in 2018.
Research Interests:
Press article by Dalya Alberge on a looted silver flask seized by UK Border Force, identified at the British Museum and due to be sent to the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul.
Research Interests:
Press story by Maev Kennedy in 'The Guardian' about the identification of a small group of antiquities looted from the site of Tello (ancient Girsu) in southern Iraq, offered for sale in London, seized in a Metropolitan Police raid on 2... more
Press story by Maev Kennedy in 'The Guardian' about the identification of a small group of antiquities looted from the site of Tello (ancient Girsu) in southern Iraq, offered for sale in London, seized in a Metropolitan Police raid on 2 May 2003 and correctly identified at the British Museum. The objects are being returned shortly to Baghdad.
Research Interests:
This is the third issue of the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and gives a rich idea of the wide range of activities and research being undertaken by all colleagues. Published copies are... more
This is the third issue of the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and gives a rich idea of the wide range of activities and research being undertaken by all colleagues. Published copies are distributed to supporters of the department and an e-version posted subsequently.
Research Interests:
This is the second issue of the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and gives a rich idea of the wide range of activities and research being undertaken by all colleagues. Published copies are... more
This is the second issue of the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and gives a rich idea of the wide range of activities and research being undertaken by all colleagues. Published copies are distributed to supporters of the department and an e-version posted subsequently.
Research Interests:
This is the first issue of the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and gives a rich idea of the wide range of activities and research being undertaken by all colleagues. Published copies are... more
This is the first issue of the annual Newsletter of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum and gives a rich idea of the wide range of activities and research being undertaken by all colleagues. Published copies are distributed to supporters of the department and an e-version posted subsequently.
Research Interests:
Interview by Irene Kukota in connection with the 2017/18 exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia'.
Research Interests:
Short review by Bettany Hughes of the catalogue for the BP exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia' which she ranked in her top three books of the year in the BBC History magazine (December 2017).
Research Interests:
Exhibition review by Peter Frankopan in 'Apollo' of the BP exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia', at the British Museum from 14 September 2017-14 January 2018.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Short review of a book with a foreword by Andrey Kurkov.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A short review of the first book to discuss the life and impact of this great but maligned Achaemenid ruler.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A review of the first of three projected volumes by the late David Whitehouse on the Islamic glass in The Corning Museum of Glass.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Reviews: (1) W. Ball & L. Harrow (eds), 'Cairo to Kabul: Afghan and Islamic Studies presented to Ralph Pinder-Wilson' (London: Melisende, 2002); (2) G.T. Scanlon & R. Pinder-Wilson, 'Fustat Glass of the Early Islamic Period: Finds excavated by The American Research Center in Egypt 1964-1980', 2001 more
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Joint review with I. Freestone.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Short review of a catalogue of mainly medieval Islamic glass seized by Iranian customs in August 1979 as it was being illegally exported overland to Turkey as a consignment of five crates.
Research Interests:
Review of the late Donny George's MS thesis, published as a monograph in English, on the Iraqi excavations at the sixth millennium BC Samarran-period type-site of Tell es-Sawwan, with additional observations by the reviewer.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Short review of Kennedy and Riley: 'Rome's Desert Frontier From the Air' (1990), criticising the tendency to assume that all square anomalies seen from the air are Roman forts when some are certainly medieval caravanserais, and... more
Short review of Kennedy and Riley: 'Rome's Desert Frontier From the Air' (1990), criticising the tendency to assume that all square anomalies seen from the air are Roman forts when some are certainly medieval caravanserais, and underlining the necessity to ground-truth and not simply rely on air photos (or satellite images) in the reconstruction of ancient landscapes.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This short review is of Erdinc Bakla's first book on the subject of the Ottoman pipe-making industry at Tophane, Istanbul.
Research Interests:
Obituary for Malcolm Colledge
Research Interests:
Obituary for Malcolm Colledge submitted to ARA News.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Presentation given as part of an online British Museum Members webinar entitled 'Crafting Persian luxuries' on 20th July 2023 to coincide with the BM exhibition 'Luxury and Power'.
Research Interests:
This is the powerpoint presentation given on the first day of 13ICAANE, University of Copenhagen, 22 May 2023.
Research Interests:
This powerpoint presentation looks at how the British Museum works with law enforcement agencies, the trade and private individuals to secure the safe return to their home country of antiquities which have been stolen or trafficked, or in... more
This powerpoint presentation looks at how the British Museum works with law enforcement agencies, the trade and private individuals to secure the safe return to their home country of antiquities which have been stolen or trafficked, or in some cases offered as donations to those countries. It uses a case-study approach to give examples from different countries and shows how this process builds collaboration and trust. It underlines how museums can play a major role in informing the public about the ethics of collecting and that they are able to play an effective but neutral role in a sensitive political landscape.
Paper given at the British Academy-supported conference: 'Art and the Market: Examining the Intersections between Museums, Philanthropy, Commerce and the Law', The Guildhall York, 11th-12th May 2023.
Paper given at the British Academy-supported conference: 'Art and the Market: Examining the Intersections between Museums, Philanthropy, Commerce and the Law', The Guildhall York, 11th-12th May 2023.
Research Interests:
This is a powerpoint presentation given at a workshop at the British Museum, March 2023. Previous published papers by the author have explored how and why these casts were made, but this presentation is more focused on their impact from a... more
This is a powerpoint presentation given at a workshop at the British Museum, March 2023. Previous published papers by the author have explored how and why these casts were made, but this presentation is more focused on their impact from a museological perspctive, and is preparatory work for a longer study.
Research Interests:
This presentation given at the Museum in March 2023 sets out some of the first results, research questions and new approaches from survey and excavations at the site of Kobeba (Dhi Qar Governorate)
Research Interests:
This paper discusses a conical stone container found in this grave and its function as a cosmetic flask of a type found at other sites in eastern Iran, southwest Central Asia and Afghanistan. It discusses these parallels along with other... more
This paper discusses a conical stone container found in this grave and its function as a cosmetic flask of a type found at other sites in eastern Iran, southwest Central Asia and Afghanistan. It discusses these parallels along with other types in circulation, and concludes that the shape of this particular variety imitates that of a horn tip, and that many more of these may have been made of this perishable material, just as in Morocco today, but which have not survived.
This talk is now published: see under papers.
This talk is now published: see under papers.
Research Interests:
The site of Chermanskoye is located in the Yenisei district of Krasnoyarsk Territory, measures 125 m across and extends for two km along the left terrace of the Yenisei river. The eastern side runs along the river terrace, whereas the... more
The site of Chermanskoye is located in the Yenisei district of Krasnoyarsk Territory, measures 125 m across and extends for two km along the left terrace of the Yenisei river. The eastern side runs along the river terrace, whereas the opposite side slopes down to seasonally flooded lowlands, and is now covered with pine trees. Between 2002 and 2005, extensive excavations were conducted under the direction of Dr N.P. Makarov, demonstrating that the first occupation belongs to the early Iron Age Shilka culture, and dates between the fifth and second centuries BC. This was followed by medieval occupation, with pottery dated to the second half of the first millennium AD. However, the dating of the deep fortification ditch on the western side remained open: they are a feature of Shilka settlements, when the first fortifications appear in this part of the Yenisei valley, yet it could be much later. In 2018 excavations were resumed under the field direction of Dr S.M. Fokin, and an area of 100 m 2 excavated and a section cut across the ditch. Early Iron Age pottery was found in the lower fill and slopes, but samples of charcoal found in the primary fill were submitted for dating at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre laboratory as part of a project funded by the British Museum (table 1). The material was identified by Caroline R. Cartwright as Pinus sp. (pine) and the calibrated dates indicate a late eighth to late tenth century date, now proving that the ditch is early medieval.
Paper given at the International Conference “Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research of the Ancient Cultures of the Yenisei Siberia and Adjacent Territories”, 20-21 October 2020, Krasnoyarsk.
Paper given at the International Conference “Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research of the Ancient Cultures of the Yenisei Siberia and Adjacent Territories”, 20-21 October 2020, Krasnoyarsk.
Research Interests:
Presentation of new radiocarbon dates obtained from a salvage intervention of a kurgan submerged within the inundation zone of Krasnoyarsk reservoir, given at the International Conference “Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research of the... more
Presentation of new radiocarbon dates obtained from a salvage intervention of a kurgan submerged within the inundation zone of Krasnoyarsk reservoir, given at the International Conference “Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research of the Ancient Cultures of the Yenisei Siberia and Adjacent Territories”, 20-21 October 2020, Krasnoyarsk.
Research Interests:
Discusses the discovery and analysis of Bronze Age cosmetic flasks from northern Afghanistan, both from excavations and seizures by UK law enforcement, and some of the implications of the results. Abstract published in: 'Proceedings of... more
Discusses the discovery and analysis of Bronze Age cosmetic flasks from northern Afghanistan, both from excavations and seizures by UK law enforcement, and some of the implications of the results.
Abstract published in: 'Proceedings of the International Conference, November 18-22 2019, St Petersburg: Antiquities of East Europe, South Asia and South Siberia in the context of connections and interactions within the Eurasian cultural space (new data and concepts). Volume II'.
Abstract published in: 'Proceedings of the International Conference, November 18-22 2019, St Petersburg: Antiquities of East Europe, South Asia and South Siberia in the context of connections and interactions within the Eurasian cultural space (new data and concepts). Volume II'.
Research Interests:
Discusses the implications of some of the environmental analyses from excavations at Merv for understanding the economy of the city and its hinterlands. Abstract published in: 'Proceedings of the International Conference, November 18-22... more
Discusses the implications of some of the environmental analyses from excavations at Merv for understanding the economy of the city and its hinterlands.
Abstract published in: 'Proceedings of the International Conference, November 18-22 2019, St Petersburg: Antiquities of East Europe, South Asia and South Siberia in the context of connections and interactions within the Eurasian cultural space (new data and concepts). Volume I: Ancient Central Asia in the Eurasian cultural context (new data and concepts)': a pdf of this volume is attached under my section on papers
Abstract published in: 'Proceedings of the International Conference, November 18-22 2019, St Petersburg: Antiquities of East Europe, South Asia and South Siberia in the context of connections and interactions within the Eurasian cultural space (new data and concepts). Volume I: Ancient Central Asia in the Eurasian cultural context (new data and concepts)': a pdf of this volume is attached under my section on papers
Research Interests:
This is a powerpoint presentation delivered to museum staff and government officials at two meetings on 19th September 2019, and details how the British Museum works with UK law enforcement and host countries in the identification,... more
This is a powerpoint presentation delivered to museum staff and government officials at two meetings on 19th September 2019, and details how the British Museum works with UK law enforcement and host countries in the identification, research, display and return of stolen or looted antiquities from the Middle East. The presentation highlights many of the successful cases involving Afghanistan, Iraq and Uzbekistan.
Research Interests:
This paper reviews what is known archaeologically about Sasanian glass.
Research Interests:
This discusses the process and results of numerous cases the British Museum has directly facilitated concerning the return of illegally exported antiquities and objects stolen from museums and monuments, many from Afghanistan but also... more
This discusses the process and results of numerous cases the British Museum has directly facilitated concerning the return of illegally exported antiquities and objects stolen from museums and monuments, many from Afghanistan but also Iraq and Uzbekistan.
Research Interests:
Joint presentation with Dr E. Korolkova (State Hermitage Museum) with an overview of the Oxus Treasure and some new insights and comparisons with selected pieces from the Siberian Collection of Peter the Great. Paper delivered at the... more
Joint presentation with Dr E. Korolkova (State Hermitage Museum) with an overview of the Oxus Treasure and some new insights and comparisons with selected pieces from the Siberian Collection of Peter the Great. Paper delivered at the First International Congress of the Eurasian Association of Iranian Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies, St. Petersburg, 21 February 2019.
Research Interests:
This powerpoint presentation was delivered at the A.D. Grach memorial conference in St Petersburg on 14th December 2018 and highlights the pioneering status of the Carnegie expedition to Turkestan directed by Raphael Pumpelly in 1904 and... more
This powerpoint presentation was delivered at the A.D. Grach memorial conference in St Petersburg on 14th December 2018 and highlights the pioneering status of the Carnegie expedition to Turkestan directed by Raphael Pumpelly in 1904 and how new research on the finds throw new light on Merv and the region of Khurasan as a whole in the early medieval period.
Research Interests:
This powerpoint presentation was delivered at the A.D. Grach memorial conference in St Petersburg on 14th December 2018 and highlights the impact of rescue archaeology in dam projects,. particularly in Iraq, some of the results these had,... more
This powerpoint presentation was delivered at the A.D. Grach memorial conference in St Petersburg on 14th December 2018 and highlights the impact of rescue archaeology in dam projects,. particularly in Iraq, some of the results these had, how rescue archaeology is developing in new ways in that country and what some of the positive outcomes might be.
This talk is now published: see under papers.
This talk is now published: see under papers.
Research Interests:
A half-hour presentation summarising archaeological evidence from five case-studies around the edges of the Sasanian empire to show how this evidence illustrates local versus long-distance trade and economies. This was presented at a... more
A half-hour presentation summarising archaeological evidence from five case-studies around the edges of the Sasanian empire to show how this evidence illustrates local versus long-distance trade and economies. This was presented at a public programme study day at the British Museum entitled 'Understanding the Silk Roads', 27 January 2018.
Research Interests:
A free public gallery talk within the British Museum public programme: attendance was a record at over 70 people and the event was in the Rahim Irvani Gallery for Ancient Iran (G52), 9th January 2018.
Research Interests:
This is the powerpoint presentation given in the BP Cultural Visions lecture series at the University of Hull, 15th November 2017. Each of these invited lectures is intended to give new perspectives on the value of culture and the... more
This is the powerpoint presentation given in the BP Cultural Visions lecture series at the University of Hull, 15th November 2017. Each of these invited lectures is intended to give new perspectives on the value of culture and the contributions made by the individuals in question. This personal journey was a story of how archaeological experience in Iraq and Central Asia shaped a museum career and shows how research underpins all aspects of museum work, that a curator's task is to make this work accessible to all while maintaining standards and how museums play an important role in society. Finally, it is important not only to share knowledge but also build trust and maintain long-term contacts, and through these the longer term impact of our work is increased. A recording of this lecture will be posted online.
Research Interests:
This is the powerpoint of a short presentation given to illustrate the range and complexity of interactions between the Achaemenid Persians and Scythians: this was given alongside other presentations by Tom Holland and Frances Wood in a... more
This is the powerpoint of a short presentation given to illustrate the range and complexity of interactions between the Achaemenid Persians and Scythians: this was given alongside other presentations by Tom Holland and Frances Wood in a public programme event at the British Museum entitled 'Just who were the Scythians? Ancient accounts from Herodotus to Sima Qian', 10th November 2017.
Research Interests:
Illustrated talk delivered to the Association of Archaeological Illustrators and Surveyors Millennium Conference and AGM, Ramsay Hall, UCL, the evening before departing for the final season of excavations in 2000.
Research Interests:
Illustrated talk given as part of an afternoon lecture series at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian, in conjunction with the exhibition, 'Asian Traditions in Clay: The Hauge Gifts', 4 November.
Research Interests:
This is the powerpoint of a presentation given at the British Museum conference, 'Scythians and other Eurasian nomads', 29 October 2017. Comments on the content would be welcomed and acknowledged in advance of publication.
Research Interests:
The full text of a public lecture given on 22 September 2017 is attached here along with a copy of the illustrated powerpoint itself. The lecture was recorded and the Youtube link is given below.
Research Interests:
Paper given at the symposium organised by the DFG entitled 'Irans archäologisches Erbe Alte Kulturen im Blickpunkt neuer Forschungen' and held at the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Bonn, 9 July 2017.
Research Interests:
Updated presentation in the light of an additional successful return by the British Museum of a stolen antiquity from a monument in Uzbekistan which was identified on the London art market. This episode represents another case of... more
Updated presentation in the light of an additional successful return by the British Museum of a stolen antiquity from a monument in Uzbekistan which was identified on the London art market. This episode represents another case of effective close co-operation between governments, museums and the art market in rectifying the effects of looting. These are models of how future repatriations of this sort can be carefully managed and using the media to positive benefit. The high profile of the case is illustrated yet again by the level of engagement by the relevant governments.
Research Interests:
A powerpoint presentation focused on case studies of successful repatriation of stolen objects and trafficked antiquities from Afghanistan which were either seized by the UK Border Force or presented by private individuals.
Research Interests:
Review of a talk given for the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia.
Research Interests:
This is the powerpoint presentation illustrating the impact of two archaeological projects on our understanding of Islamic-period sites in Iran and Central Asia: the Persian Gulf port town of Siraf and the city-site of Merv.
Research Interests:
This brief presentation outlines the public impact a museum can have by citing the example of how the British Museum worked with nine other museums to highlight Yemen Heritage Week in April 2016 as part of the UNESCO "Unite4Heritage"... more
This brief presentation outlines the public impact a museum can have by citing the example of how the British Museum worked with nine other museums to highlight Yemen Heritage Week in April 2016 as part of the UNESCO "Unite4Heritage" campaign. It measures public impact by giving the analytics created from the social media campaign and how academic responses were tracked using the analytics generated by Academia.edu.
Research Interests:
This is a copy of a powerpoint presentation delivered at a conference in Basrah and following the opening of the Basrah Museum the previous day. It looks at the available evidence for the Sasanian and early Islamic periods in the Basrah... more
This is a copy of a powerpoint presentation delivered at a conference in Basrah and following the opening of the Basrah Museum the previous day. It looks at the available evidence for the Sasanian and early Islamic periods in the Basrah region and suggests how the roles and directions of trade changed when the port moved from Ubulla to Basrah. This paper will be published in due course.
Research Interests:
Arabian postcards have attracted little serious academic interest outside Oman and illustrations of the Hajj, and even Middle Eastern postcards in general are very under-researched compared to ones from other parts of the world. This talk... more
Arabian postcards have attracted little serious academic interest outside Oman and illustrations of the Hajj, and even Middle Eastern postcards in general are very under-researched compared to ones from other parts of the world. This talk sets out some of the research questions and subjects we are interested in addressing as part of our project to develop the British Museum as the main centre for this type of object.
Research Interests:
These are the images for a powerpoint presentation delivered at the British Museum: even without the explanation and captions, the images are self-explanatory in the multiple resonances they contain. All are scans of actual postcards... more
These are the images for a powerpoint presentation delivered at the British Museum: even without the explanation and captions, the images are self-explanatory in the multiple resonances they contain. All are scans of actual postcards registered in the BM collection and on our Collections Online.
Research Interests:
Short powerpoint presentation given which illustrates patterns of looting of sites and museums, iconoclasm and how the British Museum has worked with others to help return stolen antiquities to the National Museum of Afghanistan over the... more
Short powerpoint presentation given which illustrates patterns of looting of sites and museums, iconoclasm and how the British Museum has worked with others to help return stolen antiquities to the National Museum of Afghanistan over the past decade. There are many analogies and positive lessons to be applied to other conflict regions.
Research Interests:
A short powerpoint presentation illustrating some key messages and archaeological sites excavated and submerged within the Eski Mosul dam. This subject is part of a forthcoming monograph.
Research Interests:
A short powerpoint illustrating some key points and images for Iraq during the Sasanian period.
Research Interests:
This short presentation looks at the historical background to looting of sites and museums in Afghanistan, draws a distinction between this and the generally later phase of iconoclasm, and makes an analogy with the current situation with... more
This short presentation looks at the historical background to looting of sites and museums in Afghanistan, draws a distinction between this and the generally later phase of iconoclasm, and makes an analogy with the current situation with Iraq and Syria. It closes with the positive case study of objects being returned to the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul.
Research Interests:
This paper looked at how archaeological evidence from sites such as Merv (Turkmenistan), Kush (in southeast Arabia), Bushehr (Persian Gulf), Veh Ardashir (central Iraq) and Gilan (northwest Iran) can be compared to illustrate patterns of... more
This paper looked at how archaeological evidence from sites such as Merv (Turkmenistan), Kush (in southeast Arabia), Bushehr (Persian Gulf), Veh Ardashir (central Iraq) and Gilan (northwest Iran) can be compared to illustrate patterns of interaction within and beyond the Sasanian empire. It builds on previous work by the speaker but is work in progress.
Research Interests:
The link below is to the full talk and lasts 45 minutes. https://youtu.be/eWCklkPvAlg This talk was given to the Friends of the Oriental Institute. It looked at how we try and understand how certain types of object were made, used or... more
The link below is to the full talk and lasts 45 minutes. https://youtu.be/eWCklkPvAlg
This talk was given to the Friends of the Oriental Institute. It looked at how we try and understand how certain types of object were made, used or appeared in antiquity, and drew on examples of new research, either on collections at the British Museum or on previous loan from the National Museum of Afghanistan.
This talk was given to the Friends of the Oriental Institute. It looked at how we try and understand how certain types of object were made, used or appeared in antiquity, and drew on examples of new research, either on collections at the British Museum or on previous loan from the National Museum of Afghanistan.
Research Interests:
This is the pdf of a powerpoint presentation which outlines the scope of a recent project to develop the British Museum's collection of postcards from the Middle East as a major research resource.
Research Interests:
This was a public gallery talk and outlined why the British Museum has started collecting postcards, what information they offer as a source of visual images, social history and the history of photography, and how they are registered,... more
This was a public gallery talk and outlined why the British Museum has started collecting postcards, what information they offer as a source of visual images, social history and the history of photography, and how they are registered, scanned and made freely accessible through the Collections Online section of the BM website. Donations are very gratefully received and acknowledged with the name of the donor. The talk took place in front of a permanent showcase which exhibits the highlights of a recent bequest of real photograph postcards by the late Frank Hall, Jnr. They include some very poignant views of places which have changed dramatically in the course of recent decades or are currently threatened by conflict, including the citadel of Aleppo and a beehive-domed village in the Idlib area of Northern Syria.
Research Interests:
This is the powerpoint of a short presentation given in the opening session of the Expert Meeting on the Safeguarding of Yemen's Cultural Heritage, 15-16 July, UNESCO HQ, Paris. The programme of the meeting is also attached here for... more
This is the powerpoint of a short presentation given in the opening session of the Expert Meeting on the Safeguarding of Yemen's Cultural Heritage, 15-16 July, UNESCO HQ, Paris. The programme of the meeting is also attached here for reference.
Research Interests:
This is the pdf version of a short powerpoint presentation givan at a BM seminar on the subject of "Collecting Cities". It uses two data-sets from current research projects by the speaker. It begins with results and lessons learnt from... more
This is the pdf version of a short powerpoint presentation givan at a BM seminar on the subject of "Collecting Cities". It uses two data-sets from current research projects by the speaker. It begins with results and lessons learnt from archaeological approaches to a large Central Asian city (Merv) and continues by showing how our current project of collecting postcards (which are added to the BM collections database and go online) illustrate patterns of continuity and change since the late 19th century and fit within colonial and post-colonial discourses on urban change.
Research Interests:
Powerpoint presentation giving the brief background to and examples of effective collaboration between the National Museum of Afghanistan and the British Museum. These concern the recovery, analysis, conservation where appropriate and... more
Powerpoint presentation giving the brief background to and examples of effective collaboration between the National Museum of Afghanistan and the British Museum. These concern the recovery, analysis, conservation where appropriate and safe return of Begram ivories and a large Gandharan statue which had been stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan during the civil war, and thousands of items looted from sites which had been seized in Britain. The story of the ivories has been fully published as a monograph (see under Books) and the catalogue of the products of site looting is part of a forthcoming monograph. The paper was preceded by several short media interviews.
Research Interests:
This short presentation was given at a workshop in the British Museum and illustrates the range and reasons for the British Museum's collecting policy for modern Middle Eastern ephemera and postcards.
Research Interests:
The attached pdfs are the powerpoint presentation and text of a paper given at a conference hosted by UCL on the subject of "Things that Travelled: Mediterranean Glass in the First Millennium AD". The proceedings will be published in due... more
The attached pdfs are the powerpoint presentation and text of a paper given at a conference hosted by UCL on the subject of "Things that Travelled: Mediterranean Glass in the First Millennium AD". The proceedings will be published in due course.
Sasanian glass was first defined by Shinji Fukai following his documentation of art market finds appearing from the Gilan region of north-west Iran from 1958 onwards and comparison with the famous complete bowl in the Shōsō-in treasury in Nara (Fukai 1959). Most attention has been paid to particular varieties of cut glass and the place of these within the wider range of Sasanian glass vessels has been recently re-assessed in the light of archaeological evidence (Simpson 2014), and the importance of the Caucasus as well as Mesopotamia as centres of production and circulation have been highlighted (Simpson in press). This paper returns to the subject of the cut glass. Whereas the aesthetic of overlapping circular facets on heavy thick-walled vessels is probably derived from rock crystal (Simpson 2007), this paper suggests new explanations for certain shapes and cutting styles, and develops a suggestion made by the late Axel von Saldern (1991: 120) that “Roman Imperial glass was followed, in fact, by Sassanian glass of the fourth to early seventh century. Although no direct prototypes can be given for those vessels that are decorated with highly raised, often countersunk and even undercut discs ... it is quite possible to postulate models in metal”.
Sasanian glass was first defined by Shinji Fukai following his documentation of art market finds appearing from the Gilan region of north-west Iran from 1958 onwards and comparison with the famous complete bowl in the Shōsō-in treasury in Nara (Fukai 1959). Most attention has been paid to particular varieties of cut glass and the place of these within the wider range of Sasanian glass vessels has been recently re-assessed in the light of archaeological evidence (Simpson 2014), and the importance of the Caucasus as well as Mesopotamia as centres of production and circulation have been highlighted (Simpson in press). This paper returns to the subject of the cut glass. Whereas the aesthetic of overlapping circular facets on heavy thick-walled vessels is probably derived from rock crystal (Simpson 2007), this paper suggests new explanations for certain shapes and cutting styles, and develops a suggestion made by the late Axel von Saldern (1991: 120) that “Roman Imperial glass was followed, in fact, by Sassanian glass of the fourth to early seventh century. Although no direct prototypes can be given for those vessels that are decorated with highly raised, often countersunk and even undercut discs ... it is quite possible to postulate models in metal”.
Research Interests:
This paper highlighted three case studies in the ongoing collaboration between the National Museum of Afghanistan and the British Museum over the safeguarding of cultural heritage. It detailed research and conservation on a group of the... more
This paper highlighted three case studies in the ongoing collaboration between the National Museum of Afghanistan and the British Museum over the safeguarding of cultural heritage. It detailed research and conservation on a group of the so-called "Begram Ivories" which were identified in private hands and returned to Kabul in 2012; a famous Gandharan sculpture which had also been stolen from the museum in Kabul during the civil war in the 1990s; and illegally excavated antiquities which had been interdicted in Britain by the UK Border Force and others. The lecture ended with the announcement of a new monograph on the Begram objects and the presentation of advance copies to the National Museum of Afghanistan, Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University, and the Ministry of Culture and Information. Also attached here are copies of the conference programme in Dari and English. The papers themselves will be published.
Research Interests:
This presentation was given as part of an official visit to Tajikistan and was attended by over seventy curators and students at the new National Museum in Dushanbe. It was intended to illustrate the products of new research and... more
This presentation was given as part of an official visit to Tajikistan and was attended by over seventy curators and students at the new National Museum in Dushanbe. It was intended to illustrate the products of new research and approaches to objects at the British Museum, and demonstrate what the public impact and benefits are.
Research Interests:
A short public presentation as part of an international museum panel and coinciding with the opening of the new National Museum of Kazakhstan in Astana.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This is an annotated floor plan showing the design layout for this gallery which opened in 2007. Showcases are numbered and highlighted in black and ex-case interpretation panels are shaded in grey.
Research Interests:
These are annotated floor plans of these two adjoining gallery spaces. The showcases and ex-case sculpture displays are highlighted in grey on one. The second version gives a free and schematic overview of the main periods covered in each... more
These are annotated floor plans of these two adjoining gallery spaces. The showcases and ex-case sculpture displays are highlighted in grey on one. The second version gives a free and schematic overview of the main periods covered in each part of these two galleries.
Research Interests:
This set of notes was intended to help brief volunteer guides on the key messages and star objects in the refurbished Ancient Iran gallery which opened in Room 52 in 1995. It is accompanied by a sketch plan showing the layout of the... more
This set of notes was intended to help brief volunteer guides on the key messages and star objects in the refurbished Ancient Iran gallery which opened in Room 52 in 1995. It is accompanied by a sketch plan showing the layout of the gallery and the numbering of the showcases.
This gallery followed a temporary version opened in the previous year (1994) in Gallery 49 as part of the British Museum's infrastructure works along the upper eastern range of galleries. In both cases the displays reused cases ordered for an earlier display of Ancient Iran (opened in 1975) but with new content and interpretation. These were my first experiences of making new gallery displays and were a great learning experience. Mistakes were inevitably made but I am grateful to my museum colleagues for their huge support.
The 1995 gallery was closed in 2005 in preparation for a completely new display which opened on the same spot in 2007 and is now known as the Rahim Irvani Gallery for Ancient Iran (also known as Gallery 52). We are very grateful to the sponsors for their generosity in enabling this.
The records for all of the objects in these displays, whether past or present, are displayed virtually as part of the British Museum's Collections Online which can be accessed through the British Museum website. I am gradually adding more information under Exhibition History for all records, as well as bibliographies and multiple images for all records: students might wish to use this resource along with the attached notes to use this display as a case-study in how Ancient Iran has been displayed in a major museum."""""
This gallery followed a temporary version opened in the previous year (1994) in Gallery 49 as part of the British Museum's infrastructure works along the upper eastern range of galleries. In both cases the displays reused cases ordered for an earlier display of Ancient Iran (opened in 1975) but with new content and interpretation. These were my first experiences of making new gallery displays and were a great learning experience. Mistakes were inevitably made but I am grateful to my museum colleagues for their huge support.
The 1995 gallery was closed in 2005 in preparation for a completely new display which opened on the same spot in 2007 and is now known as the Rahim Irvani Gallery for Ancient Iran (also known as Gallery 52). We are very grateful to the sponsors for their generosity in enabling this.
The records for all of the objects in these displays, whether past or present, are displayed virtually as part of the British Museum's Collections Online which can be accessed through the British Museum website. I am gradually adding more information under Exhibition History for all records, as well as bibliographies and multiple images for all records: students might wish to use this resource along with the attached notes to use this display as a case-study in how Ancient Iran has been displayed in a major museum."""""
Research Interests:
Yemen, once known to Roman writers as 'Happy Arabia' (Arabia Felix), was declared by the United Nations to be the world's worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. Politicians talk, armies fight, aid agencies support yet people... more
Yemen, once known to Roman writers as 'Happy Arabia' (Arabia Felix), was declared by the United Nations to be the world's worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. Politicians talk, armies fight, aid agencies support yet people struggle. In April 2016 a group of museums across the world united under the UNESCO initiative #Unite4Heritage to highlight the richness of Yemen's unique heritage, and bring hope and awareness. At the British Museum we have decided to return to this and use a rotating case display to once more highlight the strength of Yemeni heritage and its fragility at a time of ongoing conflict and economic crisis. These are the labels from the first display, on the Queen of Sheba and female identity.
Research Interests:
Label copy for a fragment of a previously unrecorded Sasanian rock relief seized by UK Border Force, identified and conserved at the British Museum and displayed there for three months from March 2023 prior to being returned to Iran.
Research Interests:
Labels for a special case display on illegal metal detecting finds posted from Kyiv in June 2022, seized on entry to the UK a few days later by UK Border Force (Gatwick), identified at the British Museum and due to be sent at an... more
Labels for a special case display on illegal metal detecting finds posted from Kyiv in June 2022, seized on entry to the UK a few days later by UK Border Force (Gatwick), identified at the British Museum and due to be sent at an appropriate time to the National Museum in Kyiv.
Research Interests:
Case labels from a special display mounted at the British Museum, opening 8 April 2022, to celebrate the richness and diversity of the cultural heritage of Ukraine, and highlighting the fragility of culture at times of war. The objects... more
Case labels from a special display mounted at the British Museum, opening 8 April 2022, to celebrate the richness and diversity of the cultural heritage of Ukraine, and highlighting the fragility of culture at times of war. The objects are drawn from the Departments of Britain and Prehistory, Greece and Rome, and Prints and Drawings, and the display developed and installed within a fortnight.
Research Interests:
A temporary display opened at the British Museum on Friday 6th August 2021 and shows a wide variety of modern fakes of cuneiform tablets and terracotta figurines. They were seized by a Border Force officer at Heathrow airport in July... more
A temporary display opened at the British Museum on Friday 6th August 2021 and shows a wide variety of modern fakes of cuneiform tablets and terracotta figurines. They were seized by a Border Force officer at Heathrow airport in July 2019. The items show how some classes of collectable antiquities are mass produced, in these cases very badly, and were intended to fool a gullible buyer. Although these are not cases of antiquities trafficking, they are part of wider fraudulent activity and sometimes using the same players and networks.
Research Interests:
This label is for a temporary display of late 13th-early 14th century glazed tiles from Uzbekistan which were found in the luggage of a passenger arriving at Heathrow airport on 24 January 2020. They were declared to be replicas and... more
This label is for a temporary display of late 13th-early 14th century glazed tiles from Uzbekistan which were found in the luggage of a passenger arriving at Heathrow airport on 24 January 2020. They were declared to be replicas and purchased in Sharjah the previous day. They were seized by a Border Force officer and the British Museum was contacted for advice. A wide range of international experts were independently contacted across the world and they concurred on their date and country of origin, even if it is not clear from which site or monuments they belong. They were displayed at the British Museum with the permission of the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan from May until Monday 2nd August 2021. They have now been officially handed over to the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan for repatriation to that country.
Research Interests:
A conversation with Dr Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, about the first objects from Yemen at the museum, filmed in the Department of the Middle East study room by John Harding and Nick Harris, and produced in conjunction... more
A conversation with Dr Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, about the first objects from Yemen at the museum, filmed in the Department of the Middle East study room by John Harding and Nick Harris, and produced in conjunction with the photographic exhibition by Ursula Schulz-Dornburg entitled 'Von Sanaa nach Marib' (Berlin 2021).
Research Interests:
This is the extended label for a temporary case display at the British Museum of a Sumerian plaque looted from a site in southern Iraq, identified by the British Museum on behalf of the Metropolitan Police (art and Antiques Unit) and... more
This is the extended label for a temporary case display at the British Museum of a Sumerian plaque looted from a site in southern Iraq, identified by the British Museum on behalf of the Metropolitan Police (art and Antiques Unit) and displayed from October-December 2020 with the permission of the Minister of Culture and Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, after which time it will be repatriated to Iraq through the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq.
Research Interests:
This is a pdf of an extended label accompanying a special display of a Kushan sculpture stolen from the museum in Kabul during the 1992-1994 civil war, identified and seized, and on special display at the British Museum in 2020 prior to... more
This is a pdf of an extended label accompanying a special display of a Kushan sculpture stolen from the museum in Kabul during the 1992-1994 civil war, identified and seized, and on special display at the British Museum in 2020 prior to its return to the National Museum of Afghanistan.
Research Interests:
Exhibition review by Lucia Marchini of the BP exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia', at the British Museum from 14 January 2017-14 January 2018.
Research Interests:
These are the abstracts from a conference held at the British Museum from 27-29 October 2017 and which was supported by the European Research Council [ERC] and the British Museum. The proceedings will be published as a peer-reviewed... more
These are the abstracts from a conference held at the British Museum from 27-29 October 2017 and which was supported by the European Research Council [ERC] and the British Museum. The proceedings will be published as a peer-reviewed monograph.
Research Interests:
Free family activities programme associated with the BP exhibition 'Scythians: Warriors of ancient Siberia' (The British Museum, 14 September 2017-14 January 2018).for
Research Interests:
This is the programme for a major three-day conference to be held at the British Museum from 27-29 October 2017. For bookings please contact the British Museum Box Office.
Research Interests:
This image shows the 3D designer's model made by Jon Ould for the exhibition and illustrates the different major sections of the exhibition. Models such as this are normally made for every special exhibition and are used for... more
This image shows the 3D designer's model made by Jon Ould for the exhibition and illustrates the different major sections of the exhibition. Models such as this are normally made for every special exhibition and are used for demonstrations during the planning stages.
Research Interests:
Views of postcards of Aden on display in special exhibition, 'Buildings that Fill my Eye', Brunei Gallery, London, July-September 2017
Research Interests:
The British Museum Great Court menu for 2017 with a highlighted selection of Russia-inspired additions to accompany the BP exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia'. The addition of a selection of themed dishes like this is a... more
The British Museum Great Court menu for 2017 with a highlighted selection of Russia-inspired additions to accompany the BP exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia'. The addition of a selection of themed dishes like this is a typical feature of the restaurant menu.
Research Interests:
This is the exhibition leaflet encouraging visitors to see the new BP exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia.
Research Interests:
This leaflet lists all the public events associated with the BP exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia'. It includes the academic conference, lectures and other activities. For booking details please go to the Box Office... more
This leaflet lists all the public events associated with the BP exhibition 'Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia'. It includes the academic conference, lectures and other activities. For booking details please go to the Box Office section of the British Museum website.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This conference accompanied the British Museum exhibition 'Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World' (2011). It included the results of important new research and archaeological excavations in Afghanistan and how other discoveries in... more
This conference accompanied the British Museum exhibition 'Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World' (2011). It included the results of important new research and archaeological excavations in Afghanistan and how other discoveries in neighbouring countries affect some of our interpretations of earlier finds made in that country. It included new interpretations of the sites and objects from three of the sites represented in this exhibition, namely Ai Khanum, Begram and Tillya Tepe. It also provided a report on the history and current state of the National Museum of Afghanistan by one of its curators. Most of these papers have been published separately by the speakers but this is uploaded as a public record of the event.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This is the large print guide for visitors to the British Museum special exhibition, 2011.
Research Interests:
This is a translation of the exhibition flyer from English.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Free guide leaflet for visitors to the British Museum special exhibition, 2011.
Research Interests:
This gives the layout of the exhibition held at the British Museum in 2002.
Research Interests:
This report gives a summary of the content and the evaluation of the visitor figures, exhibition promotion, media impact, education programme and events associated.
Research Interests:
This event was part of the public programme associated with the British Museum exhibition "Queen of Sheba: Treasures from Ancient Yemen" which was curated by St John Simpson. The event was organised by Alexandra Porter but the papers were... more
This event was part of the public programme associated with the British Museum exhibition "Queen of Sheba: Treasures from Ancient Yemen" which was curated by St John Simpson. The event was organised by Alexandra Porter but the papers were not published. The attached files give the programme and abstracts given to participants.
Research Interests:
This event was part of the public programme associated with the British Museum exhibition "Queen of Sheba: Treasures from Ancient Yemen" and was organised by St John Simpson. My introductory paper is uploaded under "talks".
Research Interests:
In 2002 Barclays sponsored a special one-night open-air concert on the forecourt of the British Museum and inspired by the exhibition 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen' which was then open. 2130 guests attended and 8.5%... more
In 2002 Barclays sponsored a special one-night open-air concert on the forecourt of the British Museum and inspired by the exhibition 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen' which was then open. 2130 guests attended and 8.5% completed the attached evaluation.
Research Interests:
This is the unpublished text of a unique evening of music and performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Royal National Theatre which was held on the forecourt of the British Museum on the evening of Sunday 28 July 2002 to coincide... more
This is the unpublished text of a unique evening of music and performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Royal National Theatre which was held on the forecourt of the British Museum on the evening of Sunday 28 July 2002 to coincide with its exhibition 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen'. The conductor was Andrew Constantine and the readings were by Simon Russell Beale. This performance was made possible by Barclays as part of their 'Invest and Inspire' sponsorship.
Research Interests:
The attached pdf accompanies the separate entry on 'A Romantic Journey with the Queen of Sheba'; it gives the advertising from the Hot Tickets section of 'The Evening Standard' (12 July 2002), plus photographs of this event which was held... more
The attached pdf accompanies the separate entry on 'A Romantic Journey with the Queen of Sheba'; it gives the advertising from the Hot Tickets section of 'The Evening Standard' (12 July 2002), plus photographs of this event which was held between 7.30 and 10.00 pm on Sunday 28 July 2002.
Research Interests:
This day was associated with the British Museum exhibition 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen', and took place on 8th June 2002. 1397 people attended this event and 20.4% completed the attached evaluation.
Research Interests:
This small selection of images shows the signage and part of the interior of the 2002 British Museum exhibition 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures of ancient Yemen'
Research Interests:
A powerpoint format record which captures the exhibition content and poster marketing of the exhibition "Queen of Sheba. Treasures from ancient Yemen" which was curated by St John Simpson at the British Museum in 2002. The 3D designer was... more
A powerpoint format record which captures the exhibition content and poster marketing of the exhibition "Queen of Sheba. Treasures from ancient Yemen" which was curated by St John Simpson at the British Museum in 2002. The 3D designer was Jon Ould and the 2D designer was Paul Goodhead.
Research Interests:
This was a complimentary exhibition guide for visitors to the exhibition of the same name.
Research Interests:
The Queen of Sheba has been a popular subject in Western art from the medieval period up to the present day, firstly within a Christian context and highlighting her beauty and wealth, and latterly drawing more heavily on Islamic sources... more
The Queen of Sheba has been a popular subject in Western art from the medieval period up to the present day, firstly within a Christian context and highlighting her beauty and wealth, and latterly drawing more heavily on Islamic sources to emphasise her dangerous power. She has moved from church architecture and religious art into literature, poetry, the performing arts, film and popular music, and serves as a role model for those who flaunt their wealth or independence. There are a number of good studies which set her into the context of Judeo-Christian tradition (Pennacchietti 2002), Western European art and popular culture (Llewellyn-Jones 2002), Ethiopian art and belief (Ullendorf 1963), and Islamic tradition (Lassner 1993).
The attached list was begun in 2000 as part of the preparations for the special exhibition 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen', which was held at the British Museum in 2002. It is far from exhaustive but has been periodically updated and I am grateful to many individuals for supplying the information on which it is based, in particular Dr Roger Simpson, Dr Donato Esposito, Dr Alison Inglis, Dr Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and Ms Layla Atac. I would be grateful for all further additions. The British Museum has a strong and growing collection of related material, including European prints and drawings in the Department of Prints and Drawings, modern printed ephemera and popular fiction in the Department of the Middle East, and Ethiopian paintings and modern ephemera in the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. The museum welcomes any offers of donation to these collections. Apart from books which are listed on COPAC, the remainder are all part of the museum’s registered collections and are on the British Museum Collections Online, through which images can be freely obtained. All of these items are also normally available for study in person by making appointments in the relevant departments. This bibliography is arranged according to categories, with references given in chronological order within each.
ADDITION:
Leila Bederkhan was a Kurdish dancer. Her father was a Kurd during the period of the Ottoman Empire and her mother was a Romanian Jew. Leila was born in Istanbul in 1903. More information may be found in 'Searching for Leila: the Kurdish Princess of Dance', Leyla Safiye, Avesta Publishing 2012.
The attached list was begun in 2000 as part of the preparations for the special exhibition 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen', which was held at the British Museum in 2002. It is far from exhaustive but has been periodically updated and I am grateful to many individuals for supplying the information on which it is based, in particular Dr Roger Simpson, Dr Donato Esposito, Dr Alison Inglis, Dr Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and Ms Layla Atac. I would be grateful for all further additions. The British Museum has a strong and growing collection of related material, including European prints and drawings in the Department of Prints and Drawings, modern printed ephemera and popular fiction in the Department of the Middle East, and Ethiopian paintings and modern ephemera in the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. The museum welcomes any offers of donation to these collections. Apart from books which are listed on COPAC, the remainder are all part of the museum’s registered collections and are on the British Museum Collections Online, through which images can be freely obtained. All of these items are also normally available for study in person by making appointments in the relevant departments. This bibliography is arranged according to categories, with references given in chronological order within each.
ADDITION:
Leila Bederkhan was a Kurdish dancer. Her father was a Kurd during the period of the Ottoman Empire and her mother was a Romanian Jew. Leila was born in Istanbul in 1903. More information may be found in 'Searching for Leila: the Kurdish Princess of Dance', Leyla Safiye, Avesta Publishing 2012.
Research Interests:
These notes were compiled as a result of the BM exhibition 'Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen' (2002) and are uploaded here for wider benefit.
Research Interests:
This DPhil was submitted to the Oriental Institute in Oxford 1992 and supervised by the late Dr P.R.S. Moorey. Parts of it have been published as separate research papers but a heavily updated and revised version will be published as a... more
This DPhil was submitted to the Oriental Institute in Oxford 1992 and supervised by the late Dr P.R.S. Moorey. Parts of it have been published as separate research papers but a heavily updated and revised version will be published as a separate monograph in due course.
Research Interests:
This was a dissertation submitted as part of the BA degree at the Institute of Archaeology, London (now UCL) in 1984. It was inspired and supervised by the late James Mellaart.
Research Interests:
This is the Arabic version of the end of season 2022 report submitted to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage [SBAH] in Baghdad, and translated from the English by Fatimah Snafi. An English version has been submitted to SBAH for... more
This is the Arabic version of the end of season 2022 report submitted to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage [SBAH] in Baghdad, and translated from the English by Fatimah Snafi. An English version has been submitted to SBAH for publication in Sumer and a second version will be submitted for piblication.
Research Interests:
This event will be held at the British Museum and will coincide with a forthcoming exhibition. Papers are now requested on the topic of Eurasian nomads and their impact on society. A primary aim is to investigate the rise and fall of the... more
This event will be held at the British Museum and will coincide with a forthcoming exhibition. Papers are now requested on the topic of Eurasian nomads and their impact on society. A primary aim is to investigate the rise and fall of the Scythians, their impact on contemporary civilisations, including Greeks and Persians, and the legacy they left for their successors. New research on aspects of their lifestyle, herding economy, use of horses and material culture are particularly welcome. Papers on later Eurasian nomad cultures, including
Research Interests:
This is the formative report produced for the BP exhibition 'Scythians: Warriors of ancient Siberia', held at the British Museum, and is based on a survey of members of the public whose views were sought as part of the museum's market... more
This is the formative report produced for the BP exhibition 'Scythians: Warriors of ancient Siberia', held at the British Museum, and is based on a survey of members of the public whose views were sought as part of the museum's market research on likely public responses to this exhibition.