British Institute for the Study of Iraq
(Gertrude Bell Memorial)

BISI & Other Events

Members of the public are very welcome to attend all BISI events. For further information on BISI lectures and events, or to provide links to related events and conferences, please contact the BISI Administrator via email or to the address at the bottom of this page.

A lists of past BISI and affiliated events are given below. Please click for the individual year. [2009 / 2008 / 2007 / 2006 / 2005 / 2004]

2010 BISI & Other Events

Thursday 11 March 2010 5.30 p.m. BISI Lecture Dr Priya Satia of Stanford University - 'The Defense of Inhumanity: Air Control and the British Idea of Arabia'

Venue: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH.

Please confirm your attendance at the event by sending an email to the BISI Administrator and your name will be put on a list. The space is limited and those who have sent a confirmation will have priority for seating. PLEASE NOTE THERE IS STILL SPACE FOR THIS EVENT SO PLEASE COME EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE.

17-19 March 2010 Rethinking the Middle East? Values, Interests, and Security Concerns in Western Policies toward Iraq and the Wider Region, 1918-2010 at the British Academy, London

Those interested in attending are kindly advised to register for the conference by contacting Dr Lars Berger (Salford University) and a brief description of the conference is available here. [30KB Word File} Further details are available on the British Academy's Events page.

Saturday 20 March 2010 10 am - 4 pm BISI and the Department of Adult and Continuing Education (DACE) of the University of Glasgow Day School: Mesopotamia: Exploring Ancient Iraq, Lectures by Dr Frances Reynolds, University of Oxford. (Fee £15)

A flyer with further details is available here or contact DACE directly.

12-14 April 2010 An interdisciplinary conference on the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, to be held at St John's College, Cambridge - "Decoding Gilgamesh: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Babylonian Epic"

Speakers at the conference will include specialists in many different world literatures, from Babylonian to Medieval French, and from to Ancient Greek to Modern Korean. The speakers will offer readings of the Epic informed and enriched by the literary traditions with which they are familiar, generating both new insights into the Epic and fresh questions about it.

There will be ample opportunities for discussion. It promises to be an intellectually rich and stimulating event. There is no conference fee.For details of the event and booking instructions click here.

12-16 April 2010 7th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (7ICAANE) in London.

The website is now online with details of congress themes, the call for papers, and workshop proposals. The event is full but some spaces have been opened up for attendees on a first come first served basis - please check the website. www.7icaane.org

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Saturday 24 April 2010 - Christianity in Iraq VII Seminar Day Further details are available on the application form available here [100KB PDF].

Tuesday 11 May 2010 BISI Appeal Lecture at 6 p.m. with Vernon Rapley, Detective Sergent of the Art & Antiquities Unit New Scotland Yard London, 'Iraq and Afghanistan: Criminal Benefit from Cultural Loss'

An application for tickets is required and can be obtained here [78 KB PDF].

Venue: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH.

Thursday 17 June 2010 - BISI Bonham Carter Forum and Lecture with Dr Nadje S.Al-Ali of SOAS on Women & Gender in Iraq: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

Venue: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH.

Thursday 16 September 2010 BISI Appeal Lecture at 6 p.m. (tbc) with Khyam Allami on the Iraq 'Oud School - details to be confirmed

December 2010 (date tba) BISI AGM and Lecture - Dr Augusta McMahon of the University of Cambridge on the Excavations at Tell Brak

2011 BISI & Other Events

6-8 January 2011 BANEA 2011 - The British Association for Near Eastern Archaeology (BANEA) would like to announce the 2011 Annual Conference, to be held in the School of World Art Studies at the University of East Anglia from Thursday 6th January 2011 to Saturday 8th January 2011. First Calls for Papers requested.

The main theme of the conference will be: Artistry, Artisanship and Divisions of Labour in the Ancient Near East.

The Conference organisers welcome proposals for themed sessions, workshops and papers broadly related to the ideas of artistry, artisanship and divisions of labour in the Ancient Near East. Themed sessions that could lead to publication through the BANEA Publication Series are particularly welcome. As in previous years there will also be a session dedicated to recent fieldwork and a general session.

PAST EVENTS

Previous BISI & Affiliated 2010 Events

Thursday 4 February 2010 at 6.30 p.m.

BISI Appeal Talk with Dr Saad Eskander, Director of the Iraq National Library and Archive.

'INLA at a time of National Crisis: Difficult Choices and Unanticipated Challenges'.

Co-hosted by the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum.

Venue: BP Lecture Theatre at The British Museum. Tickets will be required and a form is available here.

Tickets are available and you will be able to pay at the door for entry (not by credit card - cheque and cash only). For late applications we may hold tickets at the door but will advise you at your contact details provided.

Saturday 6 February 2010 Seven Years On: The Iraq National Museum, Iraq National Library and Archive & Cultural Heritage in Iraq

Fifth Birkbeck College & British Institute for the Study of Iraq Mesopotamian Archaeology Study Day & Co-sponsored with Ancient Egypt & Middle East Society (AEMES). Tickets will be required and a flyer and application form are available here.

Time: 10.00-5.00 pm 
Venue: Birkbeck College, University of London, Main Building, Malet Street, London WC1E 
Organised and chaired by Dr Mariana Giovino, Collège de France

The 2003 US/UK invasion unleashed destructive forces on past, present and future Iraq. How do we now account for the looting, theft and destruction of Iraq's museums, archaeological sites and libraries? Expert speakers will investigate this question from a variety of angles including the current state of Iraq's cultural institutions, and our attitudes towards the preservation of antiquities as well as heritage sites and institutions. Speakers: Dr Saad Eskander, Director, Iraq National Library & Archive; Dr Lamia al-Gailani Werr, Honorary Research Fellow, Institute of Archaeology, University College London; Professor Peter Stone, Director, International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies Newcastle University; Dr Eleanor Robson, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge; and Khyam Allami, 'Ud soloist.

Tea and coffee are provided during the morning and afternoon breaks.

Places are limited so early enrolment is advised. To enrol by telephone or to ask about concessions, please ring 020 7631 6627 or 020 7631 6631, quoting course code: FFAR160N0ACS. Fee: £42 (£21 concessions). 
Or, please email enquiries to: archaeology@fce.bbk.ac.uk. Alternatively, on-line enrolment is available by clicking HERE
Please use the email or web address to enrol.

Saturday 13 February 2010 - The next ZIPANG Day Out.

It is on the eve of St Valentine's Day and the Mesopotamian story of the day is the romantic comedy - 'The Marriage of Martu' - told by June Peters.  

Follow this link for an outline of the day's activities in English and this link in Arabic.

Meet the ZIPANG team any time between 10.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. on the seats near the information desk in the Great Court of the British     Museum  for the morning Heritage Trail.  Or come directly to the afternoon storytelling workshop at 3 p.m. in the Poetry Café, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden.  The ZIPANG Discover Mesopotamia through Storytelling project team looks forward to welcoming you.

Previous BISI 2009 Events

Saturday 7 February 2009  – From Babylon to Amarna: Ancient Middle Eastern Interactions in the Days of Akhenaten (See Newsletter 23 a report on the study day [NL 23])

The 14th century BC was a period of vibrant cultural relations throughout the Middle East when the Mesopotamian cuneiform writing system was adopted to write local languages. Babylonian, which was the international language of the age, was also the language of the Amarna letters of Pharaoh Akhenaten. These letters have been the most famous witness of this dynamic time since their discovery in the late 1880s. Important new discoveries in Middle Eastern archaeology allow us to bring this fascinating international age into sharper focus. This joint Birkbeck and British Institute for the Study of Iraq study day is the fourth in the Mesopotamia series. The Egypt Exploration Society has also joined us as a co-sponsor for the day. Organised and chaired by Mariana Giovino and Frans van Koppen, Birkbeck College, Faculty of Lifelong Learning. Speakers: Dr Paul Collins, Dr Jack Green, Dr Frances Reynolds, Dr Daniel Schwemer, Dr Kate Spence. ZIPANG performance: Nergal & Ereshkigal and The Ballad of the Former Heroes.

Enrolment opens at Birkbeck in April 2008. Places are limited so early enrolment is recommended and a form can be obtained by clicking here. Enquires about these courses are welcome. Please contact the Archaeology Desk on: FLL Archaeology, Birkbeck College, 26 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DQ; tel: 020 7631 6627; e-mail: archaeology@fce.bbk.ac.uk. To order your FLL prospectus which will confirm times, fees, venues and details  about how to enrol, please ring 0845 601 0174 or email info@bbk.ac.uk. Please make sure you ask for a FLL pre-degree/short course prospectus for 2007/8. The flyer is available by clicking here.

12 March 2009 5.30 P.M. BISI Lecture "The question of hellenisation: the case of the city of Babylon" by Professor Amélie Kuhrt FBA

Venue: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrrace, London SW1Y 5 AH. If possible, please confirm your attention to the BISI Administrator. Members of the public are very welcome to attend. A reception will follow the lecture.

25 April 2009 Chrisitianity in Iraq VI - A Seminar day on Christian education in Iraq.

To be held at The Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, London WC1H 0XG 10.30 A.M. - 4.30 P.M.

Organised by Dr Erica Hunter with the Centre of Eastern and Orthodox Christianity, Department for the Study of Religions, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in conjunction with the British Institute for the Study of Iraq and the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association.

For a copy of the programme and an application form please click here.

18 May 2009 6 P.M. BISI Appeal Lecture "Iraq: is the age of wars over?" with Patrick Cockburn, Middle East correspondent of The Independent, and author of The Occupation: War, Resistance and Daily Life in Iraq.

Tickets will be required and and can be obtained with this application form.

Reel Iraq - Non BISI event - May - July 2009

Reel Festivals is proud to present Reel Iraq, a festival of Iraqi Music, Cinema and Art to commence in Edinburgh in May, 2009. The festival is scheduled with films screening from the 14th to the 24th of May, along with a variety of other events during the course of the month. The British Institute for the Study of Iraq has provided a Development Grant to support the participation of Iraqi writers at this festival.
To find out more details go to the REEL website

17 June 2009 5.30 P.M. BISI Bonham-Carter Forum and Lecture - Dr Eleanor Wilkinson & Professor Tony Wilkinson FBA "Archaeology in Iraq: Preservation, Visualisation and Access". (Dr Wilkinson talk primarily was on 'DNA' - Digital Nineveh Archive - for more details see our Newsletter No. 21 [NL 21].)

Venue: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrrace, London SW1Y 5 AH

17 September 2009 6.00 P.M. BISI Appeal Talk with Professor Jim Khalili "Science and Rationalism in 9th Century Baghdad"

This event and the appeal are being generously sponsored by HE Sheikh Hamed Ahmed Al Hamed.

Our distinguished guest speaker, Iraqi born scientist, author and broadcaster Professor Jim Al-Khalili OBE, is professor of physics at the University of Surrey where he also holds a chair in the Public Engagement in Science.  He is also a Trustee and Vice President of the British Science Association. He was awarded the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize for science communication for 2007 and elected an Honorary Fellow of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.  He is a best-selling author of popular science books and appears regularly on television.  He presented the BBC4 three part series Science and Islam about the leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries and has contributed to many radio programmes. He co-presented the Channel 4 documentary “The Riddle of Einstein's Brain” (2004) and presented “Atom” (2007), a three-part series about the history of atomic physics.  Next year he presents a BBC series on chemistry and a Channel 4 series on the history of British science with Professor Stephen Hawking. His latest book, “The House of Wisdom” is published by Penguin Press next Spring. For more details please see his personal website.

The ticket cost is £15 per person for BISI members and one guest at the reduced rate and £20 per person for non-members and other guests.  If you wish to apply late for tickets (as of 10 September), we suggest you do so via email (pdf of the form) or by telephone to 020 7969 5274 or 01440 785 244. 

Tickets will be required and further details are available on this invitation form.

10 December 2009 6 p.m. BISI Lecture - Dr Karen Radner "The Neo-Assyrian imperial project: mechanisms of coherence"

Venue: J.Z. Young Lecture Theatre, Anatomy Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT - Members of the public are welcome to attend - kindly advise the BISI Administrator if you are attending. For a map of UCL please click here.

The AGM and a special Medal Presentation commence at 6 p.m. and will be followed by Dr Radner's lecture. A reception will follow the lecture in Wilkins North Cloisters.

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BISI 2008 Events

Saturday 2 February 2008 10.00 am - 5.00 pm

The Sumerians: Iraq’s First Civilization
Birkbeck College FCE Archaeology and the British Institute for the Study of Iraq Joint Study Day

Sumer was the birthplace of the world’s first cities and earliest writing. Archaeology and cuneiform inscriptions reveal sophisticated cities such as Uruk and Ur in the period 3500-2000 BC. In Ur’s Royal Cemetery retinues of over 60 attendants and rich grave goods attest to elaborate funerary practices. This joint Birkbeck and BISI study day is the third in the Mesopotamia series.

Organised and chaired by Dr Frances Reynolds, University of Oxford. Details of the programme, fees, and enrolment are on the Birkbeck website.

Enquires about these courses are welcome. Please contact the Archaeology Desk on: FCE Archaeology, Birkbeck College, 26 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DQ; tel: 020 7631 6627; e-mail: archaeology@fce.bbk.ac.uk. To order your FCE prospectus which will confirm times, fees, venues and details about how to enrol, please ring 0845 601 0174 or email info@bbk.ac.uk. Please make sure you ask for a FCE pre-degree/short course prospectus for 2007/8.

13 March 2008 - Dr Charles Tripp will give a BISI lecture on 'What can Iraq’s History Tell Us About Its Future?'

Venue: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrrace, London SW1Y 5 AH

18 & 19 April 2008 - BRISMES Conference at SOAS "Do we understand the Middle East?"

BRISMES Conference organised jointly with the London Middle East Institute, will be held at SOAS for further details click here. The British Academy Middle East Area Panel is hosting the Friday evening reception.

22 April 2008 Professor Olivier Rouault lecture on 'The Excavations of the Syrian-French archaeological mission at Ashara-Terqa in Syria'

Sponsored by UCL Institute of Archaeology and BISI in the J.Z. Young Lecture Theatre, Anatomny Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT - Members of the public are welcome to attend. For further information contact the BISI Administrator.

11 June 2008 Professor Elizabeth C. Stone will give the BISI Bonham Carter Lecture on ' The View from Above - Site Damage in Southern Iraq and Prospects for Understanding Mesopotamian Settlement Patterning'

Venue: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH.

19 June 2008, 6.30 p.m. William Dalrymple - BISI Appeal Talk on 'From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium'

Held jointly with the British Museum's Department of the Middle East at the British Museum.

18 September 2008 - BISI Appeal Talk and Book Event with Sir Hilary Synott 'Bad Days in Basra' 6.30 p.m.

Venue: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH. An application for tickets is available here or by contacting the BISI Administrator.

Our guest speaker Sir Hilary Synnott KCMG was the Coalition Provisional Authority’s Regional Coordinator for Southern Iraq from July 2003 until January 2004, the British High Commissioner in Pakistan from 2000 until 2003 and Deputy High Commissioner in India from 1993 to 1996 . He was Director for South and South East Asian affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1996 until 1998 and also served in Amman, Paris and Bonn.  He is Consulting Senior Fellow of The International Institute of Strategic Studies.   Before joining the British Diplomatic Service, he spent eleven years in the Royal Navy where he was a submariner.  He has a MA from the University of Cambridge where he studied electrical engineering.   
There will be copies of the book available for sale on the evening and for signing by the author. Tickets £15 per person - (BISI members and one guest receive a discounted rate at £10)

11 December 2008 - BISI AGM and Lecture "The shrines of the Shi'i Imams: Najaf, Kerbala and Kazimayn" by Professor James W. Allan

Time: 6 p.m. The AGM commences at 6 p.m. and will be followed by Professor Allan's lecture. A reception will follow the lecture.

Venue: J.Z. Young Lecture Theatre, Anatomy Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT - Members of the public are welcome to attend. For further information contact the BISI Administrator.

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BISI Affiliated Events in 2008

16-18 May 2008 ArtRole Events in London, Wakefield & Hull - 'An Insight into current Iraq - Development of art, culture & education in Kurdistan-Iraq.

For full details, please click here (14.5 KB PDF). Sponsored in part by a BISI Development Grant

27 May 2008 5 p.m. at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Dr Abbas Al-Husseiny (Al Qadassiyah University), and Professor Roger Matthews (UCL)will give a lecture on 'The Present State of Archaeological Heritage in Iraq"
in the Headley Lecture Theatre, Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH. Enquiries: Department of Antiquities, Ashmolean Museum. E-mail: antiquities@ashmus.ox.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1865 78020

Saturday 6 September 2008 - Clay Tablet Writing Workshop

A free hands-on workshop making and baking your own clay tablet will be held at the 1A Community Centre, Clerkenwell, London. Enthusiasts who have completed two years of coursework on any language written in the cuneiform script are welcome to join. Frans van Koppen, Birkbeck College, Faculty of Lifelong Learning and Dr Jon Taylor, British Museum, will be on hand as scribal guides; and Colleen Rogers, 1A Centre Ceramicist, will be on hand to help with the making and firing of the tablets. This workshop is jointly sponsored by the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, Birkbeck College, Faculty of Lifelong Learning, Holborn Community Development Project and the Enheduanna Society. For information, please contact Mariana Giovino at: m.giovino@fce-sessional.bbk.ac.uk

27 - 29 November 2008 - SAS Conference "Death, Burial, and the Transition to the Afterlife in Arabia and Adjacent Regions"

Thursday, 11 December to Saturday, 13 December 2008 "Culture Wars: Heritage and Armed Conflict in the 21st century"

Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Cambridge - CRASSH Conference sponsored in part by a BISI grant for the Iraqi participants.

Closing date for registration is 5 December 2008. Fees are £20 (excludes lunch) and £60 (includes lunch). For further details click here.

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BSAI Events 2007

Saturday 27th January 2007 - 'The Origins and Uses of Writing in the Near East' organised by Dr Jon Taylor

Synopsis: "The earliest writing and the first alphabets are found in the near east. Speakers will discuss writing from its origin as pictographs, through the many forms and uses of cuneiform and alphabetic scripts. The impact of recent events in Iraq will also be covered. There will be a display of Arabic illuminated manuscripts, and students will have the opportunity to handle museum objects and write their own cuneiform insciption."

Venue: University of Birmingham

28 March 2007 Dr Eleanor Robson "Ancient science, new technology: putting Mesopotamian scholarship online"

(See Links for further details of this research project and other web-sites)

3 May 2007 - Sir Stephen Egerton Memorial lecture by Dr Rosemary Hollis, Director of Research at Chatham House, "Europe and the Middle East: Repercussions from the Iraq War"

In memory of Sir Stephen Egerton KCMG (1932-2006) at the British Academy. This special Memorial Lecture and the BSAI Appeal were generously sponsored by the ArmorGroup.

5 May 2007 - CHRISTIANITY IN IRAQ IV - A seminar day on the monastic heritage of Iraq sponsored by DEPT for the STUDY of RELIGIONSSCHOOL of ORIENTAL and AFRICAN STUDIES UNIVERSITY of LONDON in conjunction with The British School of Archaeology in Iraq & The Anglican and Eastern Churches Association

CHRISTIANITY IN IRAQ IV- A seminar day on the monastic heritage of Iraq to be held at The Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre SCHOOL of ORIENTAL and AFRICAN STUDIES, Thornhaugh St. Russell Square London WC1H 0XG.

14 June 2007 at 5.30 p.m. BSAI Bonham Carter Forum and Lecture with Scheherazade Hassan 'Music of an ancient land - The art music of Iraq: Performance spaces in the 20th century Baghdad'

Venue: the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrrace, London SW1.

5 December 2007 at 6 pm - Rory Stewart OBE, Author of Occupational Hazards & former Deputy Governor of Maysan and Dhi Qar Provinces - BSAI Appeal Talk on ‘My Time Governing in Iraq’

Venue: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH.

Rory Stewart is the Chief Executive of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, a cultural foundation based in Afghanistan. He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford. He served briefly as an infantry Officer in the Black Watch before joining the Foreign Office and serving as Second Secretary in the embassy in Indonesia and then as British Representative in Montenegro. On leave of absence, he walked 6000 miles across Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal and Afghanistan and worked with the new UN administration in Kabul. In 2003, he was appointed as the Coalition Deputy Governor of Maysan and Dhi Qar in Iraq. In 2004, he became a Fellow of the Carr Centre at Harvard University and was awarded the OBE. He is the author of a prize-winning book about Afghanistan (‘The Places in Between”) and a new book about Iraq (“Occupational Hazards”). He lives in Kabul.

12 December 2007 at 6 pm - BSAI AGM and Lecture by Professor Roger Matthews on “Mesopotamian Discovery: 75 years of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq”

Venue: J.Z. Young Lecture Theatre, Anatomy Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT.

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BSAI Events 2006

28 January 2006, 10 a.m.-5.00 p.m. The Babylonians: Life in Ancient Southern Iraq

Archaeology Study Day at Birkbeck College, London co-sponsored by the BSAI 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

• The World of Hammurabi and his Contemporaries: An Archaeologist’s View - Dr Harriet Crawford, UCL, University of London
• Babylonia at the British Museum - Dr Irving Finkel, British Museum
• Gilgamesh: Translating the Masterpiece of Babylonian Poetry - Professor Andrew George, SOAS, University of London
• The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Story Retold by June Peters (storyteller) and Tara Jaff (harpist), ZIPANG
• Babylon’s Ishtar Gate: The Threshold of the Land - Dr Diana Stein, Birkbeck, and Dr Frances Reynolds, University of Oxford

Who were the Babylonians? Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar II are famous Babylonian kings, but archaeology and cuneiform inscriptions provide a wealth of evidence about the inhabitants of ancient southern Iraq in the period 2000–30 BC. This study day investigates aspects of the history, archaeology, cultures and languages of ancient Babylonia, including the city of Babylon itself.

1 March 2006 - Joint BSAI event with Harvard Yale and Princeton Clubs of the UK The British School of Archaeology in Iraq in conjunction with the Harvard, Yale and Princeton Clubs of the United Kingdom invite you to attend an illustrated talk by Dr Lamia Al Gailani-Werr, former cultural advisor to the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council on ‘The Destruction of the Heritage of Iraq, a bitter legacy’ at 6.00 pm Followed by a Reception at The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace. London SW1Y 5AH

Dr Lamia Al Gailani Werr is an Iraqi archaeologist and historian of the Ancient Near East based in the UK. After the second Gulf War she was invited to be the advisor to the Iraq Museum by the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council in Baghdad (2003-2004). She has been the author and editor of many books on Mesopotamian Archaeology. She obtained her BA from the University of Cambridge and her PhD from University College London where she holds an honorary research Fellowship at UCL. She is also an honorary member of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq and a valued advisor to its Council.

29 March 2006 BSAI Lecture at 5.30 p.m. by Dr Dominique Collon 'Survival and revival of some Mesopotamian motifs' at the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1.

12 April 2006 at 6 p.m. - Book Launch of Alastair Northedge's The Historical Topography of Samarra - Samarra Studies 1 at the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1

Book Notice available at OXBOW Books and under BSAI Publications.

15 June 2006 BSAI Bonham Carter Forum and Lecture by Dr Irving Finkel 'Babylonian ghosts - welcome and unwelcome' at the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1 at 5.30 p.m. The lecture will be preceeded by an open forum of members at 5 p.m.

14 September 2006 BSAI Appeal Lecture by Michael Wood - 'Iraq: the cradle of civilisation' at the British Museum in conjunction with the Department of the Ancient Near East of the British Museum at 6.30 p.m.

This lecture will deal with many aspects of the history of ancient Iraq with a bias to the ‘Heartland of Cities’. Michael Wood plans to trace continuities through the deep past to the present with slides of Eridu, Uruk Nippur Borsippa, Baghdad, Najaf, Kerbala, Kifil, Basra, and the Marshes with some early images from RAF aerial surveys (1919).
Michael Wood is the writer and presenter of many critically acclaimed series on television, including ‘Art of the Western World’, ‘Legacy and In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great’. He is author of over sixty TV films which have been shown worldwide, including Saddam's Killing Fields: an award winning account of the destruction of the Marsh Arabs of South Iraq), and of several best selling and highly praised books.

Thursday 26th October 2006 - BSAI Appeal Talk - 'An Ever Changing World' by John Simpson CBE, BBC World Affairs Editor, author and columnist in aid of the BSAI Appeal sponsored by Control Risks on Thursday 26th of October at The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH

Our guest speaker John Simpson is the BBC's World Affairs Editor, the senior member of a team of London-based foreign and specialist correspondents. In a BBC career spanning more than 30 years - he joined as a trainee journalist in 1966 - John has earned a reputation as one of the World's most experienced and authoritative journalists. John received a CBE in 1991 and is one of only two people to have been twice named the Royal Television Society's 'Journalist of the Year' (1991 and 2000). Among his other awards have been three BAFTA's, a Golden Nymph Award for his reporting of Ayatollah Khomeini's return to Iran (1979), a Peabody Trust Award for news (1999), a special jury's award at the Bayeux War Correspondents Awards (2002) and most recently an International Emmy Award for News Coverage for his report on the fall of Kabul for BBC's Ten O'Clock News.

10-12 November 2006 Archaeology in Conflict Conference

Cultural Heritage, Site Management and Sustainable
Development in Conflict and Post-Conflict States in the Middle East

Location: Institute of Archaeology, University College London.
Date: Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th November 2006.
Organizing body: The Centre for Applied Archaeology (CAA), supported by the British Academy and the British School of Archaeology in Iraq.

This three day conference will explore the ethics and practicalities of archaeological site management in conflict and post-conflict states, focusing on the impact of conservation and archaeology on local communities in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon. Thematic sessions include:

• Palestinian Heritage: Archival Memory and Identity Work.
• Conflict Management and Reconstruction – case studies from Lebanon
• Archaeology and Conflict in Iraq - present problems and future prospects
• Conservation and Sustainable Use of Resources - Case studies from Afghanistan
  
• onflicting Values, Government and Legitimacy

The conference brings together archaeologists, heritage managers, developing agencies, funding bodies, philosophers, social theorists, conflict resolution specialists, economists, NGOs, GOs and supranational bodies. Special focus will be given to academic scholars, experts and government representatives from Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq.

The conference is part of the Season of Cultural Heritage in Conflict, a series of events that are taking place at the University College London. A visit to the exhibition ‘A Future for the Past; Petrie’s Palestinian Collection’, the first public display of the Petrie Palestinian Collection, will form part of the first day of the conference.For further details and a booking form please see http:// www.ucl.ac.uk/caa , phone 020 7679 4778 or send an email to fau@ucl.ac.uk.

Contact: Sjoerd van der Linde, Centre for Applied Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, University College London
31-34 Gordon Square, London WC 1H 0PY, UK Tel: 0044(0) 20 7679 4778
fau@ucl.ac.uk / s.linde@ucl.ac.uk http:// www.ucl.ac.uk/caa

Saturday 18th November 2006 Mesopotamia ’06 - The Assyrians: Ancient Splendour in Northern Iraq

Excavating the royal cities of Nimrud and Nineveh unearthed magnificent finds. Expert speakers will investigate aspects of Assyria in the period c. 900-600 B.C., including spectacular golden grave goods and cuneiform tablets with a wealth of information about the past. This is the second joint Birkbeck and British School of Archaeology in Iraq study day, following 'The Babylonians',
and launches the Mesopotamia series.

Organised and Chaired by Dr Frances Reynolds, University of Oxford

* Queens and Treasures: The Nimrud Tombs
Dr Dominique Collon, British Museum
* Keep Taking the Tablets: King Ashurbanipal and His Library
Professor Andrew George, SOAS, University of London
* Memories of Nimrud: The 1950s Excavations
Dr Joan Oates, University of Cambridge
* "The Wolf on the Fold": The Assyrian Military in Images and Texts - Professor Nicholas Postgate, University of Cambridge
* Two Stories and a Song from Ashurbanipal's Library
ZIPANG: Fran Hazelton, Storyteller. Tara Jaff, Harpist

14 December 2006 BSAI AGM & Lecture by Prof. M. Van De Mieroop - 'The Mesopotamians and Their Past' at the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1. The lecture follows the BSAI AGM, which commences at 5.30 p.m. (NOT 5 p.m. as noted in the London Diary of the Ancient Near East).

Non-BSAI Events 2006

20 - 22 April 2006 The Ubaid Expansion? Cultural Meaning, Identity and Integration in the Lead-up to Urbanism. (Supported in part by a BSAI Conference Grant)

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BISI Lectures & Events in 2005

22 January 2005 The Culture of the Neo-Assyrians - A Day School to be held at Rewley, House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford at Oxford University Continuing Education in association with the BSAI. (Please note this event is expected to sell out. The cost is £45 with lunch and £35 without lunch.)

10 March 2005 BSAI Lecture on “Probing the frontiers: excavations at a provincial capital of the Assyrian empire” by Dr John MacGinnis on his excavations at Ziyaret Tepe at the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1.

9 April 2005 Christianity in Iraq II: A seminar day on the International Churches of Iraq to be held at the Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG. A BSAI sponsored conference in association with The Anglican and Eastern Churches Association. Speakers: Prof. John Healey (Manchester) Christians in the Gulf in the 7th century A.D.: Dr Wassilios Klein (Bonn) Syriac inscriptions from Tokmek and Pishpek Central Asia: Dr Erica C.D. Hunter (SOAS/Cambridge) Christian communities in Yuan ynasty China: Mar Aprem (India) The Mission of the Church of the East to India: Afternoon Session - The modern diaspora of the Churches of Iraq.

12 May 2005 Lecture by Dr Harriet Crawford and Book Launch of 'The Looting of the Iraq Museum, Baghdad: the lost of legacy of ancient Mesopotamia' ed. by Milbry Polk & Angela M. H. Schuster and forward by Donny George (published by Abrams)

3-4 June 2005 ICONOGRAPHY WITHOUT TEXTS. A conference organised at the Warburg Institute by Paul Taylor. Admission is free. For further information and advance reservations please contact Elizabeth Witchell at the Warburg Institute WOBURN SQUARE, LONDON WC1H 0AB. Tel: (020) 7862 8909 e-mail: Elizabeth.Witchell@sas.ac.uk

This colloquium is supported by grants from the British Academy and the British School of Archaeology in Iraq.

9 June 2005 BSAI Bonham Carter Forum & Mesopotamian Storytelling ZIPANG event in honour of Jeremy Black of LUGALBANDA AND THE ANZUD BIRD at the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1. Please confirm your attendance to the BSAI Secretary or by telephone to 020 7969 5274.

28 February 2005 The Inaugural Talk -Winter 2005/6 of the World Monuments Fund in Britain Lecture Series Dr John Curtis - Keeper of Department of Ancient Near East, British Museum, What happened to Babylon? The Destruction of Iraqi Cultural Heritage For the first time in its ten year history, the World Monuments Fund has placed an entire country whose culture heritage is at great risk: Iraq, on its 2006 Watch List of “100 Most Endangered Sites”. Dr. Curtis reveals the state of the Iraq’s significant archaeological and architectural heritage in light of the continuing conflict, widespread looting, artillery fire and other acts of destruction.

15 December 2005 BSAI AGM and Lecture by Dr Erica Hunter on 'Hira as a centre of Christianity during the Sassanid - Islamic periods' at the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1. AGM at 5.30 p.m. followed by the Lecture.

Lectures & Events in 2004

17 January 2004 The Sumerians, Oxford University Continuing Education in association with the BSAI

10 March 2004 "Urban landscapes and domestic space: the Neo-Babylonian house it its setting" by Dr Heather Baker

10 June 2004 BSAI Bonham Carter Lecture by Dr Emilie Savage-Smith on "Our Scientific Debt to Iraq"

13 - 14 September 2004 BSAI Joint Conference with the British Academy - 'Steady states: institutional stability in the face of political change. The evidence from pre-modern Western Asia' For further details, please go to the British Academy Website

28 October 2004 - BSAI special evening in honour of Gertrude Bell in association with Barzan Publishing featuring a talk about the Gertrude Bell archive by James Crow, School of Historical Studies, University of Newcastle at 6.30 p.m. at the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1. The talk is followed by the launch of Victor Winstone's revised and updated biography of 'The Lady of Iraq' at 7 p.m. For further details on the book, please see H.V.F. Winstone's website on his biography of Gertrude Bell.

2 December 2004 - ICOMOS-UK Christmas Lecture and Gathering in association with the British School of Archaeology in Iraq. Talk by Dr Lamia Al Galiani Werr on IRAQ'S CULTURAL HERITAGE - CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES at The Gallery, 77 Cowcross Street, London EC1

16 December 2004 - the 71st BSAI AGM at 5.30 pm followed by a Lecture 'The noble art of the chase under the Abbasid Caliphs' by Sir Terence Clark KBE, CMB, CVO at the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1.

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