NEAF Public Lecture Series

Wednesday 26 June 2019

Dr Jamie Fraser, Nicholson Museum

Beneath the Wings of the Thunderbird: Excavating Tello in Southern Iraq

When Frenchman Ernest de Sarzec started digging at the dusty mount of Tello in 1877, he discovered extraordinary remains from the long-forgotten Sumerian civilisation that flourished in southern Iraq in the 3rd millennium BCE. Ongoing excavations by the Louvre would reveal Tello as one of the earliest cities in the world, revered as the sanctuary of the Sumerian heroic god Nin-Girsu, with close associations to the sacred Anzu Thunderbird.

The British Museum recently initiated new excavations at Tello as part of its Iraq Emergency Heritage Scheme, focussing on the Temple of Nin-Girsu. Dr Jamie Fraser joined the dig in 2016. In this lecture he discusses how excavations at Tello have shaped our understanding of the Sumerian civilisation, and presents new discoveries made the British Museum.

Jamie Fraser completed his PhD in Middle Eastern archaeology at the University of Sydney in 2015. He became Project Curator for the Ancient Levant at the British Museum, then Senior Curator at the Nicholson Museum. Jamie has worked on archaeological projects in Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kashmir, Greece, Cambodia, Australia and the Solomon Islands. He directs the Khirbet Ghozlan Excavation Project in north Jordan, investigating the production of olive oil around 2500 BCE.

Price: NEAF Members: $30 | Non-Members: $40 | NEAF Student Member: $15

………

Hosted by the Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation (NEAF)

Enquiries and RSVP:
P | +61 2 9351 4151
F | +61 9114 0921
Click here to email

Please RSVP by 21 June 2019 | A light supper will follow the lecture at 7.30pm
Click here to register online

Click here to download registration form (PDF) 226KB