The Digital Hammurabi Podcast
Digital Hammurabi is the creative outlet for two Assyriologists, Megan Lewis and Joshua Bowen. Driven by a passion for the ancient Near East and the belief that history is both important and relevant to modern life, Megan and Josh aim to break out of the ivory tower of academia and bring ancient Mesopotamia to the world! This podcast brings academic scholarship and interviews with researchers to your brain (via your ears) in an easily-understood format, so you can enjoy fascinating content wherever you are!
Episodes
15 episodes
The Art of Weaving Myths: Emily Wilson on Writing Historical Fantasy
In this episode of Digital Hammurabi, host Megan Lewis welcomes back writer and journalist Emily Wilson to discuss her latest book, "Gilgamesh," the second installment in her epic trilogy about the Sumerians. Emily shares insights into the cont...
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30:39
Understanding Matthew, Mark, and Luke: A Journey into the Synoptic Gospels
In this episode of Digital Hammurabi, host Megan Lewis welcomes Dr. Mark Goodacre, a Professor of Religious Studies at Duke University, to discuss the Synoptic Gospels. Dr. Goodacre, who has an extensive academic background including degrees fr...
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14:29
Brewing History: The Role of Beer in Ancient Mesopotamia
Join us in this exciting episode of Digital Hammurabi as host Megan Lewis sits down with Dr. Tate Paulette, an Associate Professor at North Carolina State University and an expert in Near Eastern Archaeology. Dr. Paulette shares insights from h...
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37:21
The Survival of Civilization: Insights from the Late Bronze Age
Dr. Eric Cline, Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, discusses his new book "After 1177 BCE: The Survival of Civilization" and the graphic novel adaptation with host, Megan Lewis. They delve into the collapse of major civili...
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1:05:54
Unpacking the Lives of Ancient Immigrants with Dr. Teodoro Alstola
Dr. Tero Alstola, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, discusses his work on ancient Near Eastern cultures and the social history of Babylonia in the first millennium BCE. He talks about his research on ancient immigrants, network approa...
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38:00
Uncovering a Tablet in a Previously Unknown Language: Excavation Results Revealed
In this episode of Digital Hammurabi, Dr. Daniel Schwemer, an expert in magic and witchcraft in the Ancient Near East, joins the host to discuss the recent excavation at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Boğazköy-Hattuša. The focus of the conve...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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46:36
Faking It - Provenance, Antiquities, and eBay Interview with Dr. Erin Thompson
Many people want to own a piece of the past, but eBay really the answer? Definitely not, and Dr. Erin Thompson, the nation's only full-time professor of art-crime, tells us why!
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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39:45
No, You Shouldn't Buy Stolen Objects! With Dr. Patty Gerstenblith
With the Museum of the Bible rarely out of the news due to their stolen, smuggled, or faked artifacts, the antiquities market is getting more attention than ever. Dr. Patty Gerstenblith, research professor of law at DePaul University, founding ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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58:52
Fakes, Felonies, and the Museum of the Bible: Interview with Dr. Joel Baden
The Museum of the Bible has a reputation for housing fakes and looted objects; most recently, the institution was in the news for their forged Dead Sea Scrolls, the arrest of their consultant, Dr. Dirk Obbink, and the revelation that the famous...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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50:06
The REAL Israelite Religion: Interview with Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou
Dr. Stavrakopoulou is professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion at Exeter University, and star of the BBC's "Bible's Buried Secrets". Hear about her research into what ancient Israelite religion was actually like, and how it's (mis)represe...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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51:21
We Need Racial Diversity in Ancient Studies!
Bethany Hucks is a Ph.D. student at the University of Heidelberg, studying the Roman reuse of Egyptian motifs in material culture. Listen in to hear about her Ph.D. research, and about why diversity is so important for the study of the ancient ...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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57:13
COVID-19, the Bible, and the End of the World.
Apocalypticism is a poorly-understood genre of literature that is found in the Hebrew Bible, and has given rise to countless predictions of the end of the world. Join Megan and Dr. Josh as they talk to Dr. Stephen Cook, professor of Old Testame...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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1:08:52
Everybody Dies! Death and Burial Practices in the Ancient Near East with Dr. Pinar Durgun
Death is the one common thread binding humanity together, but how we treat the dead and think about the afterlife varies by culture. Dr. Pinar Durgun is an archaeologist and art historian primarily interested in Anatolian burial practices, and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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43:26
Ancient Egypt, Modern Egyptians
What importance does ancient Egypt hold for modern Egyptians, and what can museums do to recognize and honor this relationship? In this episode, Megan talks to Heba Abd el Gawad, Egyptian Egyptologist, Ph.D. student at Durham University, and po...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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21:08
Cuneiform and the Invention of Writing
For our inaugural podcast episode, we chose to focus on one of the most important technological innovations of the ancient world - the invention of writing! This episode introduces you to cuneiform, the writing system developed during the late ...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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1:18:04