As you may know, the US-Israeli Axis launched a preemptive, and unnecessary, war on Iran. This war of choice has destablized the region, caused economic disruptions at home and created a humanitarian crisis throughout the Middle East. One somewhat overlooked part of this war includes the destruction of UNESCO recognized cultural heritage sites. Dr. Katherine Blouin stopped by the podcast to discuss this erasure of both history and culture. In addition to talking about the Iran War and its effects on history, archaeology and culture, we discuss the Israeli government’s genocide of the Palestinian people and Israel’s deliberate attempt to wipe Palestinian culture off the map to justify its own existence.
For additional reading on these topics, check out the following:
Archaeologists Against Apartheid
While this may not be the most cheerful conversation we’ve ever had on the podcast, it is a necessary one. And it gave us the chance to remind everyone of the best episode of Drunk History ever – Tiffany Haddish discussing Rose Valland. You will need to watch it at some point to get your mind off of current events.
Your reading assignments include Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo and Caroline Dodd Pennock’s On Savage Shores: How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe.
The theme music is from Brent Arehart. Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode. Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Bluesky, on Mastodon, on Reddit, or on Instagram.
And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.
The Classical Antiquity Sidequest 