Category Archives: Team members

New eyes look at an old mystery.

Posted on August 1, 2013 by matney

As readers are starting to appreciate, many discoveries at Ziyaret Tepe are not made immediately in the field, but only after long and careful study of finds made by specialists in the laboratory. This is true at all archaeological projects. … Continue reading →

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Meet our new colleagues from Warsaw.

Posted on August 9, 2012 by matney

We have a number of new team members this season bringing fresh perspectives, skills, and experiences to the Ziyaret Tepe project. From previous posts, you know that ours is a very diverse project and, over the years, scholars from over … Continue reading →

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On the road.

Posted on September 7, 2011 by matney

One of the most important elements of any dig is a reliable means of transport. With a large team and piles of equipment, the daily logistics of moving from the dig house to the excavations and back, along with numerous … Continue reading →

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Hayley tackles giant ceramic jigsaw puzzles.

Posted on September 2, 2011 by matney

When you go to a museum, you expect to see complete, or at least nearly complete, artifacts that can be appreciated as much for their artistry and beauty as for their information content. In the field, the reality is that … Continue reading →

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Assyrian language heard again at ancient Tushhan.

Posted on August 30, 2011 by matney

It has been over two millennia since the Assyrian language was last spoken at Ziyaret Tepe/Tushhan, but during a recent visit by Saliba Ozman, His Grace the Bishop of Mardin and Diyarbakir of the Syriac Orthodox Church (with the scarlet shirt … Continue reading →

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Unexpected on the citadel mound.

Posted on August 21, 2011 by matney

On the citadel mound, a Medieval pit has revealed a surprising find – a completely intact canine burial at the bottom of what otherwise appeared to be a simple refuse pit. As you know from earlier posts, we have lots … Continue reading →

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Lourdes and Friederike provide expertise in artifact conservation.

Posted on August 16, 2011 by matney

You may have noticed in my last post that the coin in the photograph was clean, even if it was old, worn, and hard to read. Of course, artifacts don’t come out of the ground looking that good. At Ziyaret … Continue reading →

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Jonathan Pilgrim takes to the field.

Posted on August 9, 2011 by matney

Last week the team was boosted with the arrival of Jonathan Pilgrim from England. Jonathan is just finishing a gap year before heading off to university, and comes to Ziyaret Tepe having worked teaching English in a school in Uganda, … Continue reading →

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David Astbury joins the excavations in the lower town.

Posted on August 2, 2011 by matney

Not every dig can boast a bona fide rock musician on staff, but we can! David Astbury, one of our new recruits and an archaeology student from the University of Newcastle, spent the previous 12 years touring and recording with … Continue reading →

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Some new faces.

Posted on July 25, 2011 by matney

Part of life on the dig is the constant shifting of personnel as outside commitments and the complex schedules of academic life require early departures and late arrivals. Since we have to submit our permit requests in December for excavations … Continue reading →

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