{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":13.95,"endTime":16.65,"body":"Hello, and welcome"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":13.95,"endTime":16.65,"body":"to the Thin End of the Wedge,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":16.86,"endTime":19.74,"body":"the podcast where experts from"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":16.86,"endTime":19.74,"body":"around the world share new and"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":19.74,"endTime":23.88,"body":"interesting stories about life"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":19.74,"endTime":23.88,"body":"in the ancient Middle East. My"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":23.88,"endTime":27.36,"body":"name is Jon. Each episode, I"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":23.88,"endTime":27.36,"body":"talk to friends and colleagues"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":27.51,"endTime":30.27,"body":"and get them to explain their"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":27.51,"endTime":30.27,"body":"work in a way we can all"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":30.27,"endTime":31.05,"body":"understand."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":31.95,"endTime":35.46,"body":"Nippur is one of the most famous"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":31.95,"endTime":35.46,"body":"sites in Mesopotamian history."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":36.36,"endTime":39.75,"body":"Perhaps best known as the sacred"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":36.36,"endTime":39.75,"body":"heart of the Sumerian world, the"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":39.75,"endTime":45.09,"body":"city enjoyed a life maybe 5000"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":39.75,"endTime":45.09,"body":"years long. More than a century"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":45.09,"endTime":48.81,"body":"of excavations there revealed"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":45.09,"endTime":48.81,"body":"the remains of great temples, as"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":48.81,"endTime":51.45,"body":"well as tablets documenting"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":48.81,"endTime":51.45,"body":"education in the second"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":51.45,"endTime":56.22,"body":"millennium and banking in the"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":51.45,"endTime":56.22,"body":"first. A new series of"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":56.22,"endTime":59.94,"body":"excavations has started at"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":56.22,"endTime":59.94,"body":"Nippur. Interests have changed,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":60.15,"endTime":64.17,"body":"and new types of research"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":60.15,"endTime":64.17,"body":"question are being designed. In"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":64.17,"endTime":68.31,"body":"the 21st century, new challenges"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":64.17,"endTime":68.31,"body":"face archaeology in Iraq."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":69.33,"endTime":72.78,"body":"Our guest is an experienced"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":69.33,"endTime":72.78,"body":"field archaeologist, who now"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":72.78,"endTime":77.1,"body":"leads the new excavations at"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":72.78,"endTime":77.1,"body":"Nippur. She explains her plans,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":77.37,"endTime":82.38,"body":"the results so far, and how it"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":77.37,"endTime":82.38,"body":"all works in 2025. So get"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":82.38,"endTime":86.13,"body":"yourself a cup of tea, make"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":82.38,"endTime":86.13,"body":"yourself comfortable, and let's"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":86.13,"endTime":87.51,"body":"meet today's guest."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":96.09,"endTime":99.15,"body":"Hello and welcome to Thin End of"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":96.09,"endTime":99.15,"body":"the Wedge. Thank you for joining"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":99.15,"endTime":99.48,"body":"us."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":99.69,"endTime":101.73,"body":"Thank you for"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":99.69,"endTime":101.73,"body":"the invitation. I'm excited to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":101.76,"endTime":102.48,"body":"have a chat."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":103.26,"endTime":105.93,"body":"Could you tell us"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":103.26,"endTime":105.93,"body":"please: who are you, and what do"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":105.93,"endTime":106.47,"body":"you do?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":107.34,"endTime":109.65,"body":"I'm Augusta"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":107.34,"endTime":109.65,"body":"McMahon. I'm a Mesopotamian"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":109.68,"endTime":113.52,"body":"archaeologist. That means I work"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":109.68,"endTime":113.52,"body":"in what is now traditionally"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":113.52,"endTime":117.9,"body":"Mesopotamia, or in Iraq and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":113.52,"endTime":117.9,"body":"northeast Syria. My research"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":117.9,"endTime":122.43,"body":"focuses on ancient cities."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":117.9,"endTime":122.43,"body":"Mesopotamia is the region which"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":122.43,"endTime":126.21,"body":"has the earliest cities in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":122.43,"endTime":126.21,"body":"world, particularly looking at"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":126.24,"endTime":130.62,"body":"the past lived experience of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":126.24,"endTime":130.62,"body":"people who live in cities, urban"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":130.62,"endTime":134.46,"body":"dwellers. Whether that's their"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":130.62,"endTime":134.46,"body":"neighbourhood interactions as"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":134.46,"endTime":137.97,"body":"they walk around in streets and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":134.46,"endTime":137.97,"body":"plazas, or their daily routines"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":137.97,"endTime":142.56,"body":"as they do housework or work for"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":137.97,"endTime":142.56,"body":"the state. And also what"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":142.56,"endTime":145.44,"body":"employment opportunities they"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":142.56,"endTime":145.44,"body":"have and how that potentially"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":145.44,"endTime":146.61,"body":"changes over time."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":147.42,"endTime":150.99,"body":"I was at the University of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":147.42,"endTime":150.99,"body":"Cambridge for 27 years in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":150.99,"endTime":153.66,"body":"department of archaeology there."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":150.99,"endTime":153.66,"body":"And about two and a half years"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":153.66,"endTime":158.4,"body":"ago, I moved to the University"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":153.66,"endTime":158.4,"body":"of Chicago. I used to be the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":158.4,"endTime":161.67,"body":"field director of the Tell Brak"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":158.4,"endTime":161.67,"body":"excavation in northeast Syria."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":162.57,"endTime":167.79,"body":"That ceased in 2011 because of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":162.57,"endTime":167.79,"body":"global political issues. And now"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":167.79,"endTime":170.28,"body":"I am the director of the Nippur"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":167.79,"endTime":170.28,"body":"excavation in south Iraq."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":171.18,"endTime":173.16,"body":"And you're freshly"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":171.18,"endTime":173.16,"body":"back from the spring season,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":173.16,"endTime":173.49,"body":"aren't you?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":173.88,"endTime":177.09,"body":"Yes, we just"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":173.88,"endTime":177.09,"body":"had a two month long season from"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":177.12,"endTime":181.11,"body":"January to middle of March. It"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":177.12,"endTime":181.11,"body":"was an absolutely excellent"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":181.14,"endTime":185.7,"body":"field excavation. Got some"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":181.14,"endTime":185.7,"body":"amazing results. The team was"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":185.76,"endTime":188.49,"body":"absolutely incredible; one of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":185.76,"endTime":188.49,"body":"the best teams I've ever worked"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":188.49,"endTime":192.18,"body":"with. And we're just very, very"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":188.49,"endTime":192.18,"body":"happy to relaunch the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":192.18,"endTime":193.35,"body":"excavations at Nippur."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":193.71,"endTime":196.5,"body":"Okay, I'm excited to"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":193.71,"endTime":196.5,"body":"hear more detail. We should"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":196.5,"endTime":198.57,"body":"start though with, why Nippur?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":199.14,"endTime":202.77,"body":"Nippur is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":199.14,"endTime":202.77,"body":"probably best known as an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":202.77,"endTime":206.37,"body":"important religious centre"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":202.77,"endTime":206.37,"body":"within Sumer, within south Iraq."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":206.37,"endTime":209.73,"body":"It's the city of which the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":206.37,"endTime":209.73,"body":"patron deity is Enlil, who is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":209.73,"endTime":215.94,"body":"the god of winds and air, and is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":209.73,"endTime":215.94,"body":"really one of the chief deities"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":215.94,"endTime":218.85,"body":"within the Mesopotamian pantheon"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":215.94,"endTime":218.85,"body":"in the third millennium BCE."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":219.45,"endTime":222.12,"body":"There's a number of temples."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":219.45,"endTime":222.12,"body":"There is an actual ziggurat and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":222.12,"endTime":225.3,"body":"a temple to Enlil on the site,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":222.12,"endTime":225.3,"body":"which we can come back to later."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":225.3,"endTime":227.19,"body":"We're not actually digging there"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":225.3,"endTime":227.19,"body":"yet, but there might be a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":227.19,"endTime":230.46,"body":"conservation project there."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":227.19,"endTime":230.46,"body":"There are a number of other"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":230.76,"endTime":234.45,"body":"important temples there. There's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":230.76,"endTime":234.45,"body":"Ninurta, Inanna. There's a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":234.45,"endTime":238.83,"body":"number of sort of big religious"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":234.45,"endTime":238.83,"body":"institutions there. But it's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":238.83,"endTime":243.75,"body":"also an important city and an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":238.83,"endTime":243.75,"body":"important economic centre as"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":243.75,"endTime":247.98,"body":"well as a religious centre. And"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":243.75,"endTime":247.98,"body":"it has incredibly long"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":248.01,"endTime":251.31,"body":"occupation from at least the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":248.01,"endTime":251.31,"body":"Ubaid period around, probably"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":251.31,"endTime":255.81,"body":"around 6000 BCE, right the way"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":251.31,"endTime":255.81,"body":"through most of the first volume"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":255.81,"endTime":259.8,"body":"BCE. And there's also Sassanian"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":255.81,"endTime":259.8,"body":"and early Islamic occupation"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":259.8,"endTime":263.52,"body":"there as well, and Parthian"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":259.8,"endTime":263.52,"body":"occupation. So clearly there's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":263.52,"endTime":265.8,"body":"... it's a city to which a lot"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":263.52,"endTime":265.8,"body":"of people have this very, very"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":265.8,"endTime":268.68,"body":"long connection with and sense"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":265.8,"endTime":268.68,"body":"of belonging."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":269.16,"endTime":273.0,"body":"It's also an amazing case study"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":269.16,"endTime":273.0,"body":"for the expansion and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":273.0,"endTime":277.89,"body":"contraction of urban size and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":273.0,"endTime":277.89,"body":"urban scale over time, depending"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":277.89,"endTime":281.7,"body":"on things like political events"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":277.89,"endTime":281.7,"body":"and political churn, and also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":281.7,"endTime":286.29,"body":"climate change as well. We know"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":281.7,"endTime":286.29,"body":"of a sequence of political"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":286.29,"endTime":290.55,"body":"expansions and collapses, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":286.29,"endTime":290.55,"body":"also particular climate change"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":290.55,"endTime":294.36,"body":"events. And those can actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":290.55,"endTime":294.36,"body":"be studied directly at Nippur as"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":294.36,"endTime":299.07,"body":"those have an effect on just the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":294.36,"endTime":299.07,"body":"size and diversity of the city."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":299.82,"endTime":303.45,"body":"So it's an amazing place to dig."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":299.82,"endTime":303.45,"body":"It also happens to be a very,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":303.45,"endTime":306.81,"body":"very long-term University of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":303.45,"endTime":306.81,"body":"Chicago project. So in many"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":306.81,"endTime":309.42,"body":"ways, I kind of inherited it"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":306.81,"endTime":309.42,"body":"when I moved to the University"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":309.42,"endTime":312.93,"body":"of Chicago. Obviously, this is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":309.42,"endTime":312.93,"body":"dependent on the State Board of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":312.93,"endTime":315.57,"body":"Antiquities and Heritage in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":312.93,"endTime":315.57,"body":"Iraq. And so we had to develop a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":315.78,"endTime":319.26,"body":"five year plan of what we would"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":315.78,"endTime":319.26,"body":"actually do in order to have the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":319.26,"endTime":324.09,"body":"permit renewed. It's just an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":319.26,"endTime":324.09,"body":"incredible, exciting, dynamic"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":324.09,"endTime":325.53,"body":"place to be doing research."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":326.01,"endTime":328.8,"body":"Really exciting."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":326.01,"endTime":328.8,"body":"So what are the goals for the"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":328.8,"endTime":330.39,"body":"current excavations, then?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":330.87,"endTime":333.78,"body":"Okay, so our"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":330.87,"endTime":333.78,"body":"current goal is a little bit"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":333.99,"endTime":338.31,"body":"off-beat, given that when you"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":333.99,"endTime":338.31,"body":"walk onto Nippur, the most"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":338.31,"endTime":340.65,"body":"important building is the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":338.31,"endTime":340.65,"body":"ziggurat. And you know that's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":340.65,"endTime":344.25,"body":"the thing that Nippur is the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":340.65,"endTime":344.25,"body":"best known for. We're actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":344.25,"endTime":347.55,"body":"concentrating on the city edge"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":344.25,"endTime":347.55,"body":"zone in what I'm calling the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":347.55,"endTime":351.18,"body":"southern suburb. So you walk"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":347.55,"endTime":351.18,"body":"onto the city and there's the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":351.18,"endTime":354.45,"body":"enormous mound, and there's a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":351.18,"endTime":354.45,"body":"big channel ... water channel"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":354.45,"endTime":357.06,"body":"that runs through the middle."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":354.45,"endTime":357.06,"body":"And all the best-known"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":357.09,"endTime":360.18,"body":"excavations are on this high"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":357.09,"endTime":360.18,"body":"mound. But we're actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":360.18,"endTime":364.02,"body":"working on an area which is a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":360.18,"endTime":364.02,"body":"very, very low, mounded part of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":364.02,"endTime":367.8,"body":"the site, which is down to the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":364.02,"endTime":367.8,"body":"south. In part because there's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":367.8,"endTime":370.47,"body":"some interesting things that are"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":367.8,"endTime":370.47,"body":"happening there. So during the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":370.5,"endTime":374.22,"body":"Ur III period, so late third"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":370.5,"endTime":374.22,"body":"millennium BCE, in the Kassite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":374.22,"endTime":378.27,"body":"period, so mid- to later second"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":374.22,"endTime":378.27,"body":"millennium BC, and again in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":378.27,"endTime":381.0,"body":"Neo-Babylonian period, so in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":378.27,"endTime":381.0,"body":"second half of the first"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":381.0,"endTime":381.81,"body":"millennium BCE."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":382.23,"endTime":386.55,"body":"The city has been consciously"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":382.23,"endTime":386.55,"body":"expanded in each one of those"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":386.58,"endTime":392.31,"body":"time periods by the regional or"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":386.58,"endTime":392.31,"body":"national government. And in part"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":392.31,"endTime":395.34,"body":"what's happening is there's a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":392.31,"endTime":395.34,"body":"rebuilding on the big temples,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":395.97,"endTime":400.47,"body":"but that comes with also sort of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":395.97,"endTime":400.47,"body":"revitalisation of the city, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":400.47,"endTime":403.65,"body":"expansion of its population and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":400.47,"endTime":403.65,"body":"increased diversity of its"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":403.65,"endTime":407.73,"body":"population as well. And what we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":403.65,"endTime":407.73,"body":"can see in the southern suburb"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":407.73,"endTime":411.6,"body":"is that's a sort of optimal area"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":407.73,"endTime":411.6,"body":"for people who are basically"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":411.6,"endTime":415.23,"body":"haven't lived there before,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":411.6,"endTime":415.23,"body":"right? You get immigration,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":415.23,"endTime":420.3,"body":"migration inward for either job"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":415.23,"endTime":420.3,"body":"opportunities with the regional"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":420.3,"endTime":422.49,"body":"administration. You know,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":420.3,"endTime":422.49,"body":"they're rebuilding the temples."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":422.49,"endTime":425.49,"body":"So there's a whole bunch of new"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":422.49,"endTime":425.49,"body":"positions as scribes and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":425.49,"endTime":429.03,"body":"administrators within the temple"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":425.49,"endTime":429.03,"body":"institutions. But also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":429.3,"endTime":431.94,"body":"potentially people who are"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":429.3,"endTime":431.94,"body":"coming to lay bricks for the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":431.94,"endTime":436.62,"body":"state. You know, build the city"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":431.94,"endTime":436.62,"body":"wall, make pottery for all the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":436.62,"endTime":438.72,"body":"new people who are showing up."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":436.62,"endTime":438.72,"body":"So that just the job"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":438.72,"endTime":441.57,"body":"opportunities and employment"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":438.72,"endTime":441.57,"body":"opportunities just have this"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":441.6,"endTime":446.1,"body":"huge uplift. And so where are"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":441.6,"endTime":446.1,"body":"these people going to live when"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":446.1,"endTime":449.28,"body":"they arrive to a city which has"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":446.1,"endTime":449.28,"body":"this long established tradition"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":449.28,"endTime":450.75,"body":"of other people who've been"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":449.28,"endTime":450.75,"body":"living there?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":451.17,"endTime":454.29,"body":"It tends to be that people move"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":451.17,"endTime":454.29,"body":"into the suburbs of this sort of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":454.29,"endTime":457.62,"body":"city edge zone. So that's what"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":454.29,"endTime":457.62,"body":"we're looking at. It's actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":457.86,"endTime":462.54,"body":"this city edge zone. And how is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":457.86,"endTime":462.54,"body":"that used? How is it framed? Is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":462.54,"endTime":467.04,"body":"it originally open space. Once"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":462.54,"endTime":467.04,"body":"you would get these expansions,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":467.1,"endTime":471.93,"body":"is this very crowded with"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":467.1,"endTime":471.93,"body":"disenfranchised, poor people, or"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":471.93,"endTime":474.96,"body":"is it? And it turns out, in some"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":471.93,"endTime":474.96,"body":"cases, it actually turns out to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":474.96,"endTime":477.93,"body":"be where it's more like a garden"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":474.96,"endTime":477.93,"body":"suburb, where you have these"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":477.93,"endTime":481.95,"body":"enormous villas, because the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":477.93,"endTime":481.95,"body":"wealthy have new space where"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":481.95,"endTime":485.49,"body":"they can come in and build ideal"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":481.95,"endTime":485.49,"body":"houses. So that's what we're"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":485.49,"endTime":490.02,"body":"looking at to just investigate"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":485.49,"endTime":490.02,"body":"the diversity of the urban edge"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":490.02,"endTime":490.65,"body":"zone."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":491.64,"endTime":494.01,"body":"You have this"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":491.64,"endTime":494.01,"body":"fantastic site with a very long"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":494.01,"endTime":497.82,"body":"history of excavations. How does"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":494.01,"endTime":497.82,"body":"your current work fit with those"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":497.82,"endTime":500.97,"body":"previous campaigns? Is it in"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":497.82,"endTime":500.97,"body":"some way related, or have you"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":500.97,"endTime":504.0,"body":"made a conscious break to look"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":500.97,"endTime":504.0,"body":"at this very different type of"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":504.0,"endTime":504.72,"body":"archaeology?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":505.41,"endTime":507.15,"body":"Nippur is, you"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":505.41,"endTime":507.15,"body":"know, one of these famous"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":507.36,"endTime":511.47,"body":"poisoned chalices where it's an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":507.36,"endTime":511.47,"body":"amazing, amazing site, but also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":511.47,"endTime":517.05,"body":"has this history of excavation"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":511.47,"endTime":517.05,"body":"since the 1890s. And so there"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":517.05,"endTime":520.17,"body":"was a massive University of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":517.05,"endTime":520.17,"body":"Pennsylvania project in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":520.2,"endTime":524.91,"body":"1890s, which has left a legacy"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":520.2,"endTime":524.91,"body":"of enormous holes and also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":524.91,"endTime":529.47,"body":"enormous spoil heaps and dumps"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":524.91,"endTime":529.47,"body":"all over the site. So it can be"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":529.47,"endTime":533.22,"body":"a real challenge to work around"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":529.47,"endTime":533.22,"body":"those. The publication of that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":533.22,"endTime":537.54,"body":"University of Pennsylvania"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":533.22,"endTime":537.54,"body":"excavation campaign is also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":537.84,"endTime":541.38,"body":"sometimes a little bit"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":537.84,"endTime":541.38,"body":"inadequate according to modern"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":541.47,"endTime":544.92,"body":"... modern standards, let's say."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":541.47,"endTime":544.92,"body":"There are also significant"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":544.92,"endTime":549.48,"body":"excavations from the 1950s,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":544.92,"endTime":549.48,"body":"1960s, 1970s onwards, which have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":549.51,"endTime":554.04,"body":"been variously much better"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":549.51,"endTime":554.04,"body":"published, but also have left a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":554.07,"endTime":558.24,"body":"different kind of legacy on the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":554.07,"endTime":558.24,"body":"site. So that means that if you"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":558.24,"endTime":562.32,"body":"want to really start over,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":558.24,"endTime":562.32,"body":"right, one is restricted in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":562.32,"endTime":565.47,"body":"terms of where you actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":562.32,"endTime":565.47,"body":"excavate and what target"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":565.47,"endTime":569.37,"body":"research questions one has. And"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":565.47,"endTime":569.37,"body":"in part, that's why we are"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":569.37,"endTime":572.01,"body":"targeting this southern suburb"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":569.37,"endTime":572.01,"body":"or southern extension, because"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":572.01,"endTime":575.55,"body":"there's been less excavation"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":572.01,"endTime":575.55,"body":"there. That said there have been"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":575.55,"endTime":579.24,"body":"excavations there in the 1970s"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":575.55,"endTime":579.24,"body":"and 1980s by my predecessor,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":579.24,"endTime":584.19,"body":"McGuire Gibson, that have been"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":579.24,"endTime":584.19,"body":"variously published. And what"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":584.19,"endTime":587.28,"body":"we're doing is building on those"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":584.19,"endTime":587.28,"body":"to a great extent."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":587.28,"endTime":590.94,"body":"So from those excavations, we do"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":587.28,"endTime":590.94,"body":"know that this southern suburb"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":590.94,"endTime":594.24,"body":"was first occupied in the Ur III"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":590.94,"endTime":594.24,"body":"period. There's nothing prior to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":594.24,"endTime":598.98,"body":"that. And also that the earliest"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":594.24,"endTime":598.98,"body":"Ur III occupation does seem to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":598.98,"endTime":602.76,"body":"be from one excavation, one very"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":598.98,"endTime":602.76,"body":"small excavation, possibly sort"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":602.76,"endTime":605.94,"body":"of smaller houses of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":602.76,"endTime":605.94,"body":"disenfranchised people. So we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":605.94,"endTime":609.72,"body":"want to simply excavate more of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":605.94,"endTime":609.72,"body":"the early Ur III occupation to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":609.72,"endTime":613.41,"body":"see if that one very small"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":609.72,"endTime":613.41,"body":"excavation is representative of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":613.41,"endTime":616.83,"body":"what's happening in the larger"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":613.41,"endTime":616.83,"body":"area. We also know from the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":616.83,"endTime":621.0,"body":"1970s and 1980s excavations"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":616.83,"endTime":621.0,"body":"where the more or less where the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":621.06,"endTime":626.37,"body":"Ur III city wall is in one"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":621.06,"endTime":626.37,"body":"place, right? The city wall is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":626.37,"endTime":629.64,"body":"actually, it's known to have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":626.37,"endTime":629.64,"body":"been built by Ibbi-Sin in his"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":629.64,"endTime":633.57,"body":"sixth year. So this is the final"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":629.64,"endTime":633.57,"body":"king of the Ur III dynasty. And"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":633.57,"endTime":636.48,"body":"so we know that this Ur III city"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":633.57,"endTime":636.48,"body":"wall was built basically over"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":636.48,"endTime":640.14,"body":"the top of some earlier Ur III"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":636.48,"endTime":640.14,"body":"houses. So we have the Ur III"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":640.14,"endTime":644.79,"body":"occupation sequence, but only in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":640.14,"endTime":644.79,"body":"one tiny area. So we're looking"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":644.79,"endTime":648.18,"body":"at that and trying to see what"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":644.79,"endTime":648.18,"body":"the actual extent and the plan"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":648.21,"endTime":649.86,"body":"of the Ur III city wall is."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":650.34,"endTime":653.61,"body":"We also know from the 1970s and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":650.34,"endTime":653.61,"body":"80s excavations that in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":653.64,"endTime":659.1,"body":"Kassite period, there was a big"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":653.64,"endTime":659.1,"body":"villa-like building down in this"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":659.1,"endTime":662.25,"body":"southern suburb. But again, we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":659.1,"endTime":662.25,"body":"want to see if that was"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":662.4,"endTime":666.3,"body":"representative, or if, basically"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":662.4,"endTime":666.3,"body":"that was one building, and then"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":666.3,"endTime":669.96,"body":"there's a whole bunch of other"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":666.3,"endTime":669.96,"body":"little Kassite shacks around, or"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":669.96,"endTime":673.26,"body":"there's open space. The"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":669.96,"endTime":673.26,"body":"interesting thing about the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":673.26,"endTime":676.86,"body":"Kassite period is we do have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":673.26,"endTime":676.86,"body":"this Kassite map of Nippur,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":676.86,"endTime":680.49,"body":"which is now in the Hilprecht"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":676.86,"endTime":680.49,"body":"collection, that seems to show"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":680.49,"endTime":683.31,"body":"... it shows basically, it's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":680.49,"endTime":683.31,"body":"like a plan of the entire site,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":683.31,"endTime":686.01,"body":"including the ziggurat and the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":683.31,"endTime":686.01,"body":"Shatt an-Nil, which is the water"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":686.01,"endTime":688.92,"body":"course, which runs through the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":686.01,"endTime":688.92,"body":"middle. And city walls that go"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":688.92,"endTime":692.55,"body":"around in this area of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":688.92,"endTime":692.55,"body":"southern suburb, it is labelled"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":692.58,"endTime":696.09,"body":"\"gardens in the city\". And it"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":692.58,"endTime":696.09,"body":"would be nice to see that,"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":696.21,"endTime":699.96,"body":"AUGHS} Are there"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":696.21,"endTime":699.96,"body":"genuinely gardens and small"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":699.96,"endTime":703.95,"body":"fields and garden agriculture to"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":699.96,"endTime":703.95,"body":"go with this one villa that we"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":703.95,"endTime":707.19,"body":"know of from the early"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":703.95,"endTime":707.19,"body":"excavations. And so we're"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":707.19,"endTime":710.16,"body":"looking at that as well, just to"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":707.19,"endTime":710.16,"body":"expand our picture on that and"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":710.16,"endTime":713.43,"body":"building on this earlier"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":710.16,"endTime":713.43,"body":"documentation and earlier"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":713.43,"endTime":717.33,"body":"excavation. So we're working"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":713.43,"endTime":717.33,"body":"with the more ... the most"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":717.33,"endTime":722.01,"body":"recent excavations, and trying"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":717.33,"endTime":722.01,"body":"as much as possible to avoid the"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":722.01,"endTime":726.09,"body":"massive holes and dumps from the"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":722.01,"endTime":726.09,"body":"very early University of"},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":726.09,"endTime":728.94,"body":"Pennsylvania excavations ..."},{"speaker":"right? {L","startTime":726.09,"endTime":728.94,"body":"working on that."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":729.42,"endTime":731.46,"body":"I guess the key"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":729.42,"endTime":731.46,"body":"question is whether you've"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":731.46,"endTime":734.76,"body":"actually been able to do that."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":731.46,"endTime":734.76,"body":"Have you been able to find these"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":734.79,"endTime":738.51,"body":"gardens and villas and see if"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":734.79,"endTime":738.51,"body":"those finds in the 70s were"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":738.66,"endTime":739.68,"body":"representative?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":740.4,"endTime":743.43,"body":"So far, we've"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":740.4,"endTime":743.43,"body":"just had really one season of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":743.43,"endTime":746.85,"body":"excavation. So we're just"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":743.43,"endTime":746.85,"body":"getting started on this project."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":747.6,"endTime":752.25,"body":"What we have found so far is we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":747.6,"endTime":752.25,"body":"put in two large trench areas,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":752.25,"endTime":756.3,"body":"let's say. One of which actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":752.25,"endTime":756.3,"body":"did uncover the city wall, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":756.3,"endTime":759.06,"body":"another which did actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":756.3,"endTime":759.06,"body":"uncover a big house. And I'll"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":759.09,"endTime":763.56,"body":"talk through those separately,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":759.09,"endTime":763.56,"body":"right? The first trench that we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":763.56,"endTime":768.3,"body":"put in, you can actually see in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":763.56,"endTime":768.3,"body":"the low mounds within the area"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":768.3,"endTime":771.21,"body":"that we chose, you can actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":768.3,"endTime":771.21,"body":"more or less see the line of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":771.21,"endTime":776.94,"body":"what might possibly be the city"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":771.21,"endTime":776.94,"body":"wall. Okay, so we did start a 10"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":776.94,"endTime":780.12,"body":"by 10 there, and we found"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":776.94,"endTime":780.12,"body":"immediately below, almost below"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":780.12,"endTime":783.06,"body":"the surface, a fabulous city"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":780.12,"endTime":783.06,"body":"wall. It's about three meters"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":783.06,"endTime":787.92,"body":"wide, preserved at maximum about"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":783.06,"endTime":787.92,"body":"one and a half meters high. And"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":787.92,"endTime":790.65,"body":"as we dug for several weeks, we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":787.92,"endTime":790.65,"body":"were thinking that that was the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":790.68,"endTime":792.96,"body":"Ur III city wall, because, of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":790.68,"endTime":792.96,"body":"course, that's the one that is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":792.96,"endTime":797.31,"body":"documented in the texts. And"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":792.96,"endTime":797.31,"body":"that was the best preserved wall"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":797.34,"endTime":800.88,"body":"that was actually exposed in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":797.34,"endTime":800.88,"body":"1970s and 1980s excavations."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":801.57,"endTime":805.98,"body":"But as we dug down and dug down,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":801.57,"endTime":805.98,"body":"we kept finding Kassite material"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":805.98,"endTime":809.55,"body":"{LAUGHS} and thinking, \"Oh,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":805.98,"endTime":809.55,"body":"well, this is possibly reuse of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":809.55,"endTime":812.88,"body":"the city walls, early Kassite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":809.55,"endTime":812.88,"body":"re-use of the Ur III city wall"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":812.88,"endTime":814.98,"body":"when they were doing whatever"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":812.88,"endTime":814.98,"body":"else they were doing\"."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":815.76,"endTime":818.73,"body":"Ultimately, we had to completely"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":815.76,"endTime":818.73,"body":"change our minds and decide"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":818.73,"endTime":821.37,"body":"that, in fact, this was the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":818.73,"endTime":821.37,"body":"Kassite city wall, not the Ur"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":821.37,"endTime":823.77,"body":"III city wall. So we have the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":821.37,"endTime":823.77,"body":"Kassite city wall, which is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":824.07,"endTime":828.12,"body":"brand new. It was not really"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":824.07,"endTime":828.12,"body":"known of before. The Kassite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":828.12,"endTime":831.45,"body":"city wall in the other"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":828.12,"endTime":831.45,"body":"excavations was significantly"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":831.45,"endTime":835.17,"body":"eroded, and roughly we knew more"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":831.45,"endTime":835.17,"body":"or less that it was there. But"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":835.17,"endTime":837.75,"body":"this new excavation actually has"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":835.17,"endTime":837.75,"body":"the whole thing."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":838.53,"endTime":839.7,"body":"Oh, that's"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":838.53,"endTime":839.7,"body":"exciting, though."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":840.12,"endTime":842.67,"body":"Yeah, oh very"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":840.12,"endTime":842.67,"body":"exciting. We were really hoping"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":842.67,"endTime":845.31,"body":"for the Ur III city wall, but"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":842.67,"endTime":845.31,"body":"the Kassite city wall, this is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":845.31,"endTime":849.9,"body":"fine. And it takes a kind of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":845.31,"endTime":849.9,"body":"zigzag to deal with a major"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":850.17,"endTime":853.68,"body":"erosion channel that runs"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":850.17,"endTime":853.68,"body":"through this area of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":853.71,"endTime":856.86,"body":"trenches that we had. But then"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":853.71,"endTime":856.86,"body":"as we dug down, we finally got"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":856.86,"endTime":861.06,"body":"to the bottom of this Kassite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":856.86,"endTime":861.06,"body":"city wall. What we found"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":861.12,"endTime":864.9,"body":"immediately below that was the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":861.12,"endTime":864.9,"body":"Ur III city wall. So at least we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":864.9,"endTime":865.56,"body":"did find that."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":866.16,"endTime":866.73,"body":"Yay!"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":866.91,"endTime":870.42,"body":"Yes, yay."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":866.91,"endTime":870.42,"body":"{LAUGHS} It was unfortunately"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":870.42,"endTime":874.08,"body":"kind of damaged by this weird"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":870.42,"endTime":874.08,"body":"erosion channel that we had that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":874.08,"endTime":877.95,"body":"sort of cut through that must"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":874.08,"endTime":877.95,"body":"belong to either the very late"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":877.95,"endTime":881.13,"body":"third millennium or the early"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":877.95,"endTime":881.13,"body":"second millennium BC. So"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":881.13,"endTime":884.01,"body":"probably during the Isin-Larsa"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":881.13,"endTime":884.01,"body":"time period, this area is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":884.01,"endTime":887.52,"body":"abandoned, and the Ur III city"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":884.01,"endTime":887.52,"body":"wall actually just has this like"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":887.52,"endTime":890.4,"body":"massive erosion channel that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":887.52,"endTime":890.4,"body":"cuts through the middle, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":890.4,"endTime":892.95,"body":"then the Kassite city wall is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":890.4,"endTime":892.95,"body":"then built over the top of that."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":892.95,"endTime":895.89,"body":"So clearly something of the Ur"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":892.95,"endTime":895.89,"body":"III city wall was still visible"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":896.25,"endTime":899.76,"body":"when the Kassite engineers and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":896.25,"endTime":899.76,"body":"architects came in to basically"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":899.76,"endTime":903.18,"body":"use that as a foundation. So we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":899.76,"endTime":903.18,"body":"did find that. And as we then"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":903.18,"endTime":905.52,"body":"dug down, because, you know,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":903.18,"endTime":905.52,"body":"this is our target, we were"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":905.52,"endTime":908.58,"body":"looking for these potential Ur"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":905.52,"endTime":908.58,"body":"III houses that were below the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":908.61,"endTime":913.95,"body":"Ur III city wall, what we found"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":908.61,"endTime":913.95,"body":"was another big Ur III piece of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":913.95,"endTime":915.33,"body":"architecture, let's say."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":915.9,"endTime":918.45,"body":"We still have to examine that."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":915.9,"endTime":918.45,"body":"We literally found that in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":918.45,"endTime":922.65,"body":"last two days of excavation. So"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":918.45,"endTime":922.65,"body":"we have this stack of at least"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":922.65,"endTime":925.65,"body":"two city walls and then"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":922.65,"endTime":925.65,"body":"something else Ur III that is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":925.65,"endTime":928.65,"body":"actually below that. So that's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":925.65,"endTime":928.65,"body":"what we have of that so far."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":929.28,"endTime":931.95,"body":"Ideally we would, you know, have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":929.28,"endTime":931.95,"body":"found houses, and be able to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":931.95,"endTime":935.73,"body":"look at diversity and mobility"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":931.95,"endTime":935.73,"body":"and who is actually living in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":935.73,"endTime":937.86,"body":"this area in the Ur III and the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":935.73,"endTime":937.86,"body":"Kassite period. But we haven't."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":937.86,"endTime":938.91,"body":"We haven't quite gotten to that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":937.86,"endTime":938.91,"body":"yet."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":939.78,"endTime":943.77,"body":"Then the other excavation area"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":939.78,"endTime":943.77,"body":"that we have initially, we had"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":943.8,"endTime":946.89,"body":"placed the trench sort of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":943.8,"endTime":946.89,"body":"nearest to where there was this"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":946.89,"endTime":950.67,"body":"big Kassite villa, thinking that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":946.89,"endTime":950.67,"body":"we would be able to see, does"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":950.67,"endTime":953.37,"body":"that Kassite villa have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":950.67,"endTime":953.37,"body":"neighbours? Is there, again,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":953.37,"endTime":957.09,"body":"gardens or some kind of farming"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":953.37,"endTime":957.09,"body":"or something out in this general"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":957.09,"endTime":960.78,"body":"area? We were expecting to find"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":957.09,"endTime":960.78,"body":"Kassite at the basically, sort"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":960.78,"endTime":964.23,"body":"of right below the surface, in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":960.78,"endTime":964.23,"body":"part because when we did a very"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":964.29,"endTime":967.89,"body":"casual survey of the area,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":964.29,"endTime":967.89,"body":"pretty much all the ceramics"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":967.89,"endTime":971.91,"body":"were Kassite. Kassite and Ur"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":967.89,"endTime":971.91,"body":"III. So we started digging, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":971.91,"endTime":975.57,"body":"we found, pretty quickly, right"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":971.91,"endTime":975.57,"body":"below the surface a big house,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":975.57,"endTime":978.66,"body":"it looks like, again, a big"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":975.57,"endTime":978.66,"body":"villa. Looked pretty similar to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":978.66,"endTime":981.84,"body":"this Kassite villa, but it"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":978.66,"endTime":981.84,"body":"turned out to be Neo-Babylonian."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":982.68,"endTime":987.09,"body":"Not what we were expecting, not"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":982.68,"endTime":987.09,"body":"really initially part of our"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":987.09,"endTime":990.51,"body":"research plan, but something"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":987.09,"endTime":990.51,"body":"which absolutely we can embrace."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":990.78,"endTime":991.59,"body":"This is fine."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":993.45,"endTime":996.48,"body":"It turned out that we actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":993.45,"endTime":996.48,"body":"then expanded this trench so we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":996.48,"endTime":1001.1,"body":"have about 200 square meters at"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":996.48,"endTime":1001.1,"body":"least, of excavation, and found"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1001.1,"endTime":1004.55,"body":"this absolutely enormous"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1001.1,"endTime":1004.55,"body":"Neo-Babylonian house with ..."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1005.03,"endTime":1008.63,"body":"what it looks like a couple of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1005.03,"endTime":1008.63,"body":"different courtyard spaces"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1008.63,"endTime":1011.99,"body":"within it. It's hard to explain"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1008.63,"endTime":1011.99,"body":"without actually showing a map."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1011.99,"endTime":1013.52,"body":"You know, I'm always used to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1011.99,"endTime":1013.52,"body":"doing lectures with the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1013.52,"endTime":1017.84,"body":"PowerPoint right behind me. But"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1013.52,"endTime":1017.84,"body":"there were two pairs of parallel"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1017.84,"endTime":1021.23,"body":"rectangular spaces, one of which"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1017.84,"endTime":1021.23,"body":"is roofed, and the other which"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1021.23,"endTime":1025.16,"body":"is unroofed. So two courtyards"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1021.23,"endTime":1025.16,"body":"that are slightly offset from"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1025.16,"endTime":1030.11,"body":"each other that make it look as"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1025.16,"endTime":1030.11,"body":"if it's potentially the house or"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1030.11,"endTime":1034.19,"body":"the household of two brothers,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1030.11,"endTime":1034.19,"body":"or a very extended family, where"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1034.19,"endTime":1038.09,"body":"you have almost like two"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1034.19,"endTime":1038.09,"body":"families with their own sets of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1038.09,"endTime":1041.12,"body":"semi-public and semi-private"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1038.09,"endTime":1041.12,"body":"space within it. But it is all"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1041.12,"endTime":1043.79,"body":"one absolutely enormous house"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1041.12,"endTime":1043.79,"body":"with just room after room after"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1043.79,"endTime":1048.86,"body":"room. We only found the exterior"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1043.79,"endTime":1048.86,"body":"wall on the west side, and even"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1048.86,"endTime":1051.23,"body":"though we expanded our trenches"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1048.86,"endTime":1051.23,"body":"and expanded we never actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1051.23,"endTime":1056.18,"body":"got the northeast or southern"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1051.23,"endTime":1056.18,"body":"full extent of this house, which"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1056.18,"endTime":1058.19,"body":"is now over 200 meters squared."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1059.06,"endTime":1061.67,"body":"Then the interesting thing that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1059.06,"endTime":1061.67,"body":"we found further west of that is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1061.67,"endTime":1064.34,"body":"we found a little street, which"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1061.67,"endTime":1064.34,"body":"is amazing. I love streets."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1064.61,"endTime":1068.24,"body":"Again, that's one of the most"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1064.61,"endTime":1068.24,"body":"overlooked and under examined"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1068.24,"endTime":1071.09,"body":"contexts within Mesopotamian"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1068.24,"endTime":1071.09,"body":"archaeology. But, you know,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1071.09,"endTime":1074.54,"body":"they're full of this amazing"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1071.09,"endTime":1074.54,"body":"trash and just enormous amounts"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1074.54,"endTime":1077.6,"body":"of sort of scientific data that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1074.54,"endTime":1077.6,"body":"you can explore and think"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1077.6,"endTime":1080.48,"body":"through. So there is a street"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1077.6,"endTime":1080.48,"body":"that's on the essentially along"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1080.48,"endTime":1083.99,"body":"the western extent of this"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1080.48,"endTime":1083.99,"body":"house, and immediately on the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1083.99,"endTime":1087.11,"body":"other side of the street, we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1083.99,"endTime":1087.11,"body":"actually found another city"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1087.11,"endTime":1091.4,"body":"wall. So we found the first"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1087.11,"endTime":1091.4,"body":"millennium, the Neo-Babylonian"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1091.43,"endTime":1094.85,"body":"city wall there as well, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1091.43,"endTime":1094.85,"body":"this little space in between. So"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1094.85,"endTime":1099.68,"body":"this big Neo-Babylonian villa is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1094.85,"endTime":1099.68,"body":"essentially right next to the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1099.68,"endTime":1102.71,"body":"city wall as it exists in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1099.68,"endTime":1102.71,"body":"neo-Babylonian period. But the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1102.71,"endTime":1104.72,"body":"interesting thing about the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1102.71,"endTime":1104.72,"body":"Neo-Babylonian wall is it"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1104.72,"endTime":1108.35,"body":"actually re-uses the Kassite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1104.72,"endTime":1108.35,"body":"wall. So what we found was"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1108.35,"endTime":1112.37,"body":"essentially like a kind of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1108.35,"endTime":1112.37,"body":"casemate arrangement in which"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1112.37,"endTime":1115.82,"body":"the interior wall was built in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1112.37,"endTime":1115.82,"body":"the Neo-Babylonian period, but"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1115.82,"endTime":1119.87,"body":"the exterior wall is actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1115.82,"endTime":1119.87,"body":"the re-used Kassite wall."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1120.98,"endTime":1124.82,"body":"So anyway, the upshot of all"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1120.98,"endTime":1124.82,"body":"this is we can now more or less"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1124.82,"endTime":1129.53,"body":"trace the city wall along quite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1124.82,"endTime":1129.53,"body":"a significant distance between"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1129.77,"endTime":1132.95,"body":"the 1970s and 1980s excavations"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1129.77,"endTime":1132.95,"body":"that touched on it in a few"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1132.95,"endTime":1137.18,"body":"places, our own excavations."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1132.95,"endTime":1137.18,"body":"Plus we actually had a colleague"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1137.18,"endTime":1139.04,"body":"from the University of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1137.18,"endTime":1139.04,"body":"Pennsylvania, Emily Hammer, who"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1139.04,"endTime":1143.45,"body":"did magnetometry in this whole"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1139.04,"endTime":1143.45,"body":"area and has managed to track"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1143.51,"endTime":1146.51,"body":"the line of the city wall"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1143.51,"endTime":1146.51,"body":"between our excavations, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1146.51,"endTime":1151.04,"body":"also significantly on either"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1146.51,"endTime":1151.04,"body":"side as well. And outside of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1151.04,"endTime":1154.79,"body":"that, it turns out that there's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1151.04,"endTime":1154.79,"body":"a moat or a water channel, which"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1154.79,"endTime":1158.36,"body":"is about 50 meters wide on the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1154.79,"endTime":1158.36,"body":"outside of that which she has"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1158.36,"endTime":1161.99,"body":"also managed to track in this"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1158.36,"endTime":1161.99,"body":"magnetometry. So that's our main"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1161.99,"endTime":1165.8,"body":"result, is we're starting to get"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1161.99,"endTime":1165.8,"body":"to grips with the occupation of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1165.8,"endTime":1171.47,"body":"this southern suburb at various"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1165.8,"endTime":1171.47,"body":"times, very preliminary stage"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1171.47,"endTime":1174.23,"body":"for the Ur III and the Kassite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1171.47,"endTime":1174.23,"body":"period, a little bit more for"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1174.23,"endTime":1178.04,"body":"the Neo-Babylonian period. But"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1174.23,"endTime":1178.04,"body":"gives us an amazing foundation"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1178.04,"endTime":1180.11,"body":"for further work in the next few"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1178.04,"endTime":1180.11,"body":"years."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1180.86,"endTime":1182.84,"body":"This is all very"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1180.86,"endTime":1182.84,"body":"exciting, isn't it? There's, I"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1182.84,"endTime":1186.47,"body":"guess, lots of bonuses for you."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1182.84,"endTime":1186.47,"body":"Your original goal was to look"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1186.47,"endTime":1189.68,"body":"for Ur III. And with the other"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1186.47,"endTime":1189.68,"body":"city walls and this huge"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1189.8,"endTime":1193.07,"body":"Neo-Babylonian house, how are"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1189.8,"endTime":1193.07,"body":"you going to deal with that?"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1193.07,"endTime":1196.76,"body":"Will you remove part of it? Will"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1193.07,"endTime":1196.76,"body":"you extend to try and work"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1196.76,"endTime":1198.77,"body":"around it? How will you confront"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1196.76,"endTime":1198.77,"body":"that?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1199.31,"endTime":1203.09,"body":"Yeah, so within"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1199.31,"endTime":1203.09,"body":"the city wall excavation, we can"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1203.24,"endTime":1205.85,"body":"continue to dig down quite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1203.24,"endTime":1205.85,"body":"easily. So we're actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1205.85,"endTime":1209.0,"body":"leaving each of the city walls"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1205.85,"endTime":1209.0,"body":"that we find. We're actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1209.0,"endTime":1212.69,"body":"leaving those and not removing"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1209.0,"endTime":1212.69,"body":"those at the moment. We do have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1212.69,"endTime":1217.43,"body":"space inside them to continue"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1212.69,"endTime":1217.43,"body":"down and hopefully to target the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1217.43,"endTime":1219.95,"body":"Ur III period. Unfortunately, in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1217.43,"endTime":1219.95,"body":"that particular area, there is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1219.95,"endTime":1224.27,"body":"some erosion. There's a bit of a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1219.95,"endTime":1224.27,"body":"ridge, so we should actually be"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1224.27,"endTime":1228.56,"body":"fairly near to the Ur III"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1224.27,"endTime":1228.56,"body":"period, even though it's a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1228.56,"endTime":1231.44,"body":"little bit hard to explain."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1228.56,"endTime":1231.44,"body":"Potentially, the Neo-Babylonian"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1231.44,"endTime":1234.35,"body":"is completely eroded in that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1231.44,"endTime":1234.35,"body":"area. And the Kassite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1234.38,"endTime":1237.29,"body":"architecture in that area also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1234.38,"endTime":1237.29,"body":"seems to be extremely minimal,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1237.95,"endTime":1240.65,"body":"so we can probably get to the Ur"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1237.95,"endTime":1240.65,"body":"III period pretty easily without"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1240.65,"endTime":1241.91,"body":"actually having to remove"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1240.65,"endTime":1241.91,"body":"anything."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1242.48,"endTime":1245.09,"body":"That said, the one thing that I"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1242.48,"endTime":1245.09,"body":"forgot to say was we also found"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1245.09,"endTime":1250.01,"body":"a Parthian cemetery in this"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1245.09,"endTime":1250.01,"body":"area. This is, again, not really"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1250.01,"endTime":1254.6,"body":"part of our research questions,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1250.01,"endTime":1254.6,"body":"but is very interesting. Nippur"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1254.6,"endTime":1258.47,"body":"is an amazing city. In the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1254.6,"endTime":1258.47,"body":"Parthian period, there's a huge"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1258.47,"endTime":1262.88,"body":"fortress around the ziggurrat."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1258.47,"endTime":1262.88,"body":"There's a big, a quite big town,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1262.88,"endTime":1267.44,"body":"or Parthian city, on the west"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1262.88,"endTime":1267.44,"body":"mound. And then in this southern"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1267.44,"endTime":1272.3,"body":"suburban area is where the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1267.44,"endTime":1272.3,"body":"cemetery is. And between the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1272.33,"endTime":1275.3,"body":"various trenches that we have,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1272.33,"endTime":1275.3,"body":"we have, I think, more than 60"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1275.33,"endTime":1278.84,"body":"Parthian burials. They are very,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1275.33,"endTime":1278.84,"body":"very close to the surface and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1278.84,"endTime":1282.8,"body":"unfortunately, very, very badly,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1278.84,"endTime":1282.8,"body":"badly damaged and kind of eroded"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1282.83,"endTime":1287.09,"body":"and not in particularly good"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1282.83,"endTime":1287.09,"body":"condition. But that's our main"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1287.12,"endTime":1290.57,"body":"thing that overlies the Ur III"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1287.12,"endTime":1290.57,"body":"period occupation within the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1290.57,"endTime":1291.74,"body":"city wall excavation."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1292.88,"endTime":1297.17,"body":"In the Neo-Babylonian house"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1292.88,"endTime":1297.17,"body":"excavation, we're probably going"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1297.17,"endTime":1300.86,"body":"to cut through that. What we'll"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1297.17,"endTime":1300.86,"body":"do is actually expand the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1300.86,"endTime":1304.76,"body":"trenches so we can actually see"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1300.86,"endTime":1304.76,"body":"the entire house. We want to get"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1304.76,"endTime":1308.27,"body":"right to the actual edges of it,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1304.76,"endTime":1308.27,"body":"so we can get a sense of, like,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1308.48,"endTime":1313.52,"body":"what the exterior is, is the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1308.48,"endTime":1313.52,"body":"street along the west edge also?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1313.52,"endTime":1316.49,"body":"You know, are there also streets"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1313.52,"endTime":1316.49,"body":"or alleys and then nearby"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1316.49,"endTime":1320.63,"body":"structures on the other sides?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1316.49,"endTime":1320.63,"body":"What is surrounding the actual"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1320.66,"endTime":1323.27,"body":"house? And we still need an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1320.66,"endTime":1323.27,"body":"entrance. We don't even know how"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1323.27,"endTime":1326.06,"body":"they got into the house, either."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1323.27,"endTime":1326.06,"body":"So we want the front door. We"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1326.06,"endTime":1329.3,"body":"want the back door. We want just"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1326.06,"endTime":1329.3,"body":"to understand a lot more about"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1329.33,"endTime":1332.75,"body":"circulation within the house"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1329.33,"endTime":1332.75,"body":"itself. So we'll do that."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1333.02,"endTime":1337.49,"body":"Certainly expand out and try to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1333.02,"endTime":1337.49,"body":"expose the entirety of the house"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1337.49,"endTime":1337.91,"body":"as well."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1338.39,"endTime":1342.8,"body":"But then ideally, we will simply"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1338.39,"endTime":1342.8,"body":"remove that and excavate down"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1342.83,"endTime":1346.64,"body":"into what I'm assuming is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1342.83,"endTime":1346.64,"body":"probably Kassite, given the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1346.64,"endTime":1350.3,"body":"quantity of Kassite pottery that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1346.64,"endTime":1350.3,"body":"we actually have sort of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1350.57,"endTime":1354.23,"body":"up-churned into the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1350.57,"endTime":1354.23,"body":"Neo-Babylonian structure. In"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1354.23,"endTime":1357.65,"body":"some of the contexts, we had"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1354.23,"endTime":1357.65,"body":"actually more Kassite pottery"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1357.83,"endTime":1359.81,"body":"than Neo-Babylonian pottery."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1357.83,"endTime":1359.81,"body":"Just because, you know, they're"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1359.81,"endTime":1363.02,"body":"constantly digging pits, or"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1359.81,"endTime":1363.02,"body":"there's kind of up-churn of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1363.02,"endTime":1365.54,"body":"ceramics from the earlier"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1363.02,"endTime":1365.54,"body":"occupation. So we assume there's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1365.57,"endTime":1369.98,"body":"Kassite occupation immediately"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1365.57,"endTime":1369.98,"body":"below. But that's, again, we're"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1370.01,"endTime":1373.76,"body":"braced for being surprised, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1370.01,"endTime":1373.76,"body":"there not being anything there,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1374.06,"endTime":1376.88,"body":"but I'm sure there was something"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1374.06,"endTime":1376.88,"body":"Kassite below it for sure,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1377.03,"endTime":1381.11,"body":"whether this is houses or some"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1377.03,"endTime":1381.11,"body":"kind of fields or gardens,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1381.14,"endTime":1382.1,"body":"remains to be seen."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1382.31,"endTime":1384.14,"body":"I imagine your"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1382.31,"endTime":1384.14,"body":"epigrapher will be very pleased"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1384.14,"endTime":1385.1,"body":"if you find Kassite."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1385.16,"endTime":1389.42,"body":"Yes, yes,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1385.16,"endTime":1389.42,"body":"indeed. {LAUGHS} We did have ..."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1389.42,"endTime":1392.81,"body":"we have Susanna Paulus, who is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1389.42,"endTime":1392.81,"body":"our main epigrapher. We also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1392.81,"endTime":1394.82,"body":"have a number of other"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1392.81,"endTime":1394.82,"body":"epigraphers who are part of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1394.82,"endTime":1398.72,"body":"team, and a large part of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1394.82,"endTime":1398.72,"body":"students as well. The students"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1398.72,"endTime":1401.12,"body":"from the University of Chicago"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1398.72,"endTime":1401.12,"body":"who are part of the team are"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1401.12,"endTime":1404.3,"body":"actually cuneiform students. So"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1401.12,"endTime":1404.3,"body":"we are well braced if we find"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1404.3,"endTime":1407.87,"body":"any tablets. That said, I'm"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1404.3,"endTime":1407.87,"body":"happy they're all there, because"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1407.87,"endTime":1410.18,"body":"there's nothing like having a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1407.87,"endTime":1410.18,"body":"whole bunch of epigraphers on"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1410.18,"endTime":1414.56,"body":"the team to make sure you don't"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1410.18,"endTime":1414.56,"body":"find any tablets. {LAUGHS} We"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1414.56,"endTime":1417.83,"body":"did not do. We found one"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1414.56,"endTime":1417.83,"body":"inscribed sherd, which actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1417.83,"endTime":1420.89,"body":"Susanna found when we were"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1417.83,"endTime":1420.89,"body":"walking around near the ziggurat"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1420.92,"endTime":1424.31,"body":"near the neighborhood area; the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1420.92,"endTime":1424.31,"body":"Tablet Hill area. She did find"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1424.31,"endTime":1427.31,"body":"an inscribed sherd out of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1424.31,"endTime":1427.31,"body":"millions and millions of sherds"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1427.31,"endTime":1430.67,"body":"on the surface. Trust our"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1427.31,"endTime":1430.67,"body":"epigrapher to find one inscribed"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1430.67,"endTime":1434.69,"body":"sherd. And then we found ..."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1430.67,"endTime":1434.69,"body":"there was an Ur III tablet that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1434.69,"endTime":1437.45,"body":"was actually found, again, just"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1434.69,"endTime":1437.45,"body":"on the surface, a little"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1437.45,"endTime":1441.59,"body":"economic tablet. So that was our"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1437.45,"endTime":1441.59,"body":"two epigraphic finds from this"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1441.59,"endTime":1444.89,"body":"last year, both of which were"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1441.59,"endTime":1444.89,"body":"surface finds and interesting,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1444.89,"endTime":1446.6,"body":"but not really significant for"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1444.89,"endTime":1446.6,"body":"our goals."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1446.99,"endTime":1448.94,"body":"It sounds like"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1446.99,"endTime":1448.94,"body":"you're very well placed for any"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1448.97,"endTime":1453.2,"body":"cuneiform finds. Do you have any"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1448.97,"endTime":1453.2,"body":"other expertise on your team?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1453.71,"endTime":1456.08,"body":"Yes, so we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1453.71,"endTime":1456.08,"body":"pretty much cover all the bases."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1456.08,"endTime":1459.62,"body":"So we have five Iraqi colleagues"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1456.08,"endTime":1459.62,"body":"from the State Board of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1459.62,"endTime":1462.5,"body":"Antiquities and Heritage, who"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1459.62,"endTime":1462.5,"body":"are working with us. Many of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1462.5,"endTime":1467.96,"body":"whom have very, very deep and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1462.5,"endTime":1467.96,"body":"very diverse excavation"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1467.96,"endTime":1471.65,"body":"experience as well. So they were"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1467.96,"endTime":1471.65,"body":"absolutely key members of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1471.65,"endTime":1476.18,"body":"team in terms of us working out"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1471.65,"endTime":1476.18,"body":"things like stratigraphy and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1476.18,"endTime":1480.44,"body":"architecture and so on. Our"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1476.18,"endTime":1480.44,"body":"students also. So there are"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1480.44,"endTime":1482.54,"body":"students from the University of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1480.44,"endTime":1482.54,"body":"Chicago and the University of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1482.54,"endTime":1485.33,"body":"Cambridge. You know, the younger"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1482.54,"endTime":1485.33,"body":"generation, who just simply have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1485.33,"endTime":1490.16,"body":"an innate ability at grappling"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1485.33,"endTime":1490.16,"body":"with data collection, say. What"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1490.16,"endTime":1493.58,"body":"we do in terms of our recording"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1490.16,"endTime":1493.58,"body":"in the field is we actually use"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1493.64,"endTime":1497.6,"body":"high resolution GPS receivers,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1493.64,"endTime":1497.6,"body":"these Emlid Reach receivers,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1497.99,"endTime":1502.64,"body":"which give centimetre level"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1497.99,"endTime":1502.64,"body":"control. They're connected"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1502.64,"endTime":1506.06,"body":"directly to laptop computers and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1502.64,"endTime":1506.06,"body":"a whole sort of complicated"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1506.06,"endTime":1509.93,"body":"database. And so the students,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1506.06,"endTime":1509.93,"body":"not only are they, they have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1509.93,"endTime":1512.66,"body":"excellent excavation experience,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1509.93,"endTime":1512.66,"body":"but they're also good at"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1512.87,"endTime":1516.47,"body":"grappling with all the potential"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1512.87,"endTime":1516.47,"body":"issues that can arise if you're"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1516.47,"endTime":1520.43,"body":"trying to do digital data"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1516.47,"endTime":1520.43,"body":"collection in the field, with"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1520.64,"endTime":1524.93,"body":"wind and rain, dirt and so on."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1520.64,"endTime":1524.93,"body":"They managed to deal with that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1524.96,"endTime":1526.58,"body":"unbelievably professionally."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1527.12,"endTime":1530.15,"body":"We also have an excellent data"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1527.12,"endTime":1530.15,"body":"manager, a dedicated data"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1530.15,"endTime":1533.69,"body":"manager who also does things"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1530.15,"endTime":1533.69,"body":"like photogrammetry and so on."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1534.35,"endTime":1537.68,"body":"We have these epigraphic"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1534.35,"endTime":1537.68,"body":"experts. We have an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1537.77,"endTime":1540.71,"body":"archaeozoologist--my colleague,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1537.77,"endTime":1540.71,"body":"Tina Greenfield from the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1540.74,"endTime":1544.85,"body":"University of Manitoba, who also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1540.74,"endTime":1544.85,"body":"works with isotope analyses as"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1544.85,"endTime":1549.11,"body":"well. And isotopes can give us"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1544.85,"endTime":1549.11,"body":"information about mobility and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1549.11,"endTime":1553.31,"body":"diet of both animals and humans."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1549.11,"endTime":1553.31,"body":"Then Emily Hammer of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1553.31,"endTime":1556.19,"body":"University of Pennsylvania is an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1553.31,"endTime":1556.19,"body":"expert in magnetometry, in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1556.19,"endTime":1560.03,"body":"general sort of landscape"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1556.19,"endTime":1560.03,"body":"interpretation. We also do more"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1560.03,"endTime":1564.8,"body":"traditional interpretation of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1560.03,"endTime":1564.8,"body":"ceramic assemblages. My"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1564.8,"endTime":1567.11,"body":"colleague, Luca Volpi, who's at"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1564.8,"endTime":1567.11,"body":"the University of Madrid and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1567.11,"endTime":1570.08,"body":"University of Rome, and I are"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1567.11,"endTime":1570.08,"body":"working on the ceramics. And"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1570.08,"endTime":1573.74,"body":"then also people who are looking"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1570.08,"endTime":1573.74,"body":"at material culture analyses and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1573.74,"endTime":1575.87,"body":"so on. So we have a pretty good"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1573.74,"endTime":1575.87,"body":"range."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1575.9,"endTime":1578.99,"body":"We do not have an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1575.9,"endTime":1578.99,"body":"archaeobotanist yet, in part"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1578.99,"endTime":1582.98,"body":"because there are challenges"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1578.99,"endTime":1582.98,"body":"with flotation and archaeobotany"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1583.01,"endTime":1585.71,"body":"in general in south Iraq,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1583.01,"endTime":1585.71,"body":"because of salinity and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1585.71,"endTime":1588.14,"body":"preservation and so on. So we're"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1585.71,"endTime":1588.14,"body":"looking for a potential"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1588.17,"endTime":1591.56,"body":"archaeobotanist. We also don't"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1588.17,"endTime":1591.56,"body":"have yet a human remains"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1591.56,"endTime":1595.25,"body":"analyst, though we have saved"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1591.56,"endTime":1595.25,"body":"all the human remains from the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1595.25,"endTime":1597.95,"body":"Parthian cemetery, and also from"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1595.25,"endTime":1597.95,"body":"the ... we have a couple of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1597.98,"endTime":1601.64,"body":"Neo-Babylonian graves as well."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1597.98,"endTime":1601.64,"body":"We've saved all of that, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1601.64,"endTime":1605.03,"body":"those have all been"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1601.64,"endTime":1605.03,"body":"comprehensively documented in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1605.03,"endTime":1608.66,"body":"terms of, again, photographs and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1605.03,"endTime":1608.66,"body":"photogrammetry as well. So those"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1608.66,"endTime":1612.83,"body":"are the sort of two experts that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1608.66,"endTime":1612.83,"body":"we lack at the moment. But no,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1612.83,"endTime":1615.53,"body":"we find that we have a pretty"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1612.83,"endTime":1615.53,"body":"good range of expertise. There's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1615.53,"endTime":1618.35,"body":"nothing that we really find"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1615.53,"endTime":1618.35,"body":"like, oh, we we can't do this."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1619.16,"endTime":1621.2,"body":"We can pretty much deal with"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1619.16,"endTime":1621.2,"body":"almost anything."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1621.65,"endTime":1624.05,"body":"Wow. That's a"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1621.65,"endTime":1624.05,"body":"massive range. And I hope you"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1624.05,"endTime":1627.77,"body":"are able to fill those gaps in"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1624.05,"endTime":1627.77,"body":"the ...was it archaeobotany and"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1627.77,"endTime":1628.79,"body":"human remains?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1629.09,"endTime":1632.3,"body":"Archaeobotany"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1629.09,"endTime":1632.3,"body":"and human remains are our two"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1632.54,"endTime":1634.58,"body":"acknowledged gaps at the moment."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1634.76,"endTime":1636.83,"body":"And I'd love,"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1634.76,"endTime":1636.83,"body":"just really quickly ... can you"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1636.83,"endTime":1639.05,"body":"talk more about the"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1636.83,"endTime":1639.05,"body":"neo-Babylonian graves?."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1639.35,"endTime":1643.85,"body":"Yeah. So what"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1639.35,"endTime":1643.85,"body":"we had were basically three"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1644.24,"endTime":1649.43,"body":"coffin burials within the house"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1644.24,"endTime":1649.43,"body":"itself. One was in one of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1649.46,"endTime":1654.74,"body":"traditional bathtub coffins. One"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1649.46,"endTime":1654.74,"body":"was actually in a round or oval"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1654.74,"endTime":1658.04,"body":"coffin, and then there was"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1654.74,"endTime":1658.04,"body":"another. There were actually, in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1658.04,"endTime":1660.95,"body":"fact, two others, but they were"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1658.04,"endTime":1660.95,"body":"badly crushed and damaged. And"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1660.95,"endTime":1663.89,"body":"one was probably in a bathtub"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1660.95,"endTime":1663.89,"body":"coffin, and the other one maybe"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1663.89,"endTime":1667.61,"body":"in some other kind of vessel."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1663.89,"endTime":1667.61,"body":"The two that were the best"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1667.61,"endTime":1672.2,"body":"preserved did have adult remains"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1667.61,"endTime":1672.2,"body":"in them, together with these"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1672.2,"endTime":1676.31,"body":"little glazed jars that are"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1672.2,"endTime":1676.31,"body":"quite common in elite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1676.31,"endTime":1681.53,"body":"households, elite house"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1676.31,"endTime":1681.53,"body":"contexts. In terms of just being"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1681.62,"endTime":1685.4,"body":"above your average everyday"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1681.62,"endTime":1685.4,"body":"vessel. Little glazed jars that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1685.4,"endTime":1689.03,"body":"have this kind of flower petals"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1685.4,"endTime":1689.03,"body":"and little things, almost like"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1689.06,"endTime":1691.73,"body":"little bulls eyes on them in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1689.06,"endTime":1691.73,"body":"this beautiful yellow and white"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1691.73,"endTime":1694.13,"body":"glaze, in one case. And another"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1691.73,"endTime":1694.13,"body":"one was actually just kind of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1694.13,"endTime":1697.04,"body":"like all entirely green as well."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1694.13,"endTime":1697.04,"body":"So these beautiful little glazed"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1697.04,"endTime":1701.42,"body":"jars, they also sometimes come"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1697.04,"endTime":1701.42,"body":"with a few beads and so on. That"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1701.42,"endTime":1704.99,"body":"reinforces that what we're"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1701.42,"endTime":1704.99,"body":"looking at is an elite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1704.99,"endTime":1708.56,"body":"household, rather than just a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1704.99,"endTime":1708.56,"body":"large poor household."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1708.98,"endTime":1711.53,"body":"The material culture that we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1708.98,"endTime":1711.53,"body":"have from the house also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1711.53,"endTime":1714.29,"body":"includes things like incense"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1711.53,"endTime":1714.29,"body":"burners, fragments of incense"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1714.29,"endTime":1717.32,"body":"burners, and these glazed jars."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1714.29,"endTime":1717.32,"body":"It just reinforces that this is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1717.44,"endTime":1722.42,"body":"a household that has access to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1717.44,"endTime":1722.42,"body":"elite material culture and so"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1722.42,"endTime":1726.02,"body":"on. Interestingly, the diet,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1722.42,"endTime":1726.02,"body":"also in terms of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1726.08,"endTime":1730.31,"body":"archaeozoological remains, also"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1726.08,"endTime":1730.31,"body":"reinforces that. So they have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1730.31,"endTime":1735.14,"body":"the usual sheep, goat, pig, you"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1730.31,"endTime":1735.14,"body":"know, the normal kind of diet,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1735.29,"endTime":1738.53,"body":"but quite a lot of animal"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1735.29,"endTime":1738.53,"body":"remains, and also quite a lot of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1738.95,"endTime":1743.24,"body":"wild animals as well. So they"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1738.95,"endTime":1743.24,"body":"were hunting deer and doing a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1743.24,"endTime":1747.59,"body":"lot of fishing and yanking"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1743.24,"endTime":1747.59,"body":"turtles out of the Euphrates and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1747.59,"endTime":1750.59,"body":"so on. So the diet was really"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1747.59,"endTime":1750.59,"body":"quite varied. That, again,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1750.59,"endTime":1755.03,"body":"reinforces this idea of an elite"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1750.59,"endTime":1755.03,"body":"household was living there. You"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1755.03,"endTime":1757.46,"body":"know, basically that is played"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1755.03,"endTime":1757.46,"body":"out in terms of these graves"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1757.46,"endTime":1758.0,"body":"that we have."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1758.66,"endTime":1762.38,"body":"You've painted"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1758.66,"endTime":1762.38,"body":"this really complex picture of a"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1762.38,"endTime":1766.85,"body":"really interesting site. So I'm"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1762.38,"endTime":1766.85,"body":"wondering if there have been any"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1766.85,"endTime":1769.88,"body":"challenges that you've faced"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1766.85,"endTime":1769.88,"body":"with organising these"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":1769.91,"endTime":1770.99,"body":"excavations."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1771.47,"endTime":1774.77,"body":"There are"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1771.47,"endTime":1774.77,"body":"always challenges. Working in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1774.77,"endTime":1779.96,"body":"Iraq can be unpredictable,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1774.77,"endTime":1779.96,"body":"because of just global politics"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1779.99,"endTime":1784.64,"body":"and internal bureaucracy. The"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1779.99,"endTime":1784.64,"body":"biggest challenges on the site,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1784.64,"endTime":1788.51,"body":"as I said, are really the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1784.64,"endTime":1788.51,"body":"previous excavations and trying"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1788.51,"endTime":1792.98,"body":"to extract the maximum"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1788.51,"endTime":1792.98,"body":"information from those. And to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1792.98,"endTime":1797.33,"body":"work around things like spoil"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1792.98,"endTime":1797.33,"body":"heaps and so on that are left"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1797.33,"endTime":1801.74,"body":"behind from legacy excavations."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1797.33,"endTime":1801.74,"body":"And while it's enormously"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1801.74,"endTime":1805.01,"body":"valuable to have all those"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1801.74,"endTime":1805.01,"body":"legacy excavations, so we know"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1805.1,"endTime":1808.73,"body":"so much about the occupation of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1805.1,"endTime":1808.73,"body":"the site, that still means that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1808.73,"endTime":1811.16,"body":"sometimes you think \"Gosh. It"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1808.73,"endTime":1811.16,"body":"would be great to dig right"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1811.16,"endTime":1815.57,"body":"there, but there is an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1811.16,"endTime":1815.57,"body":"absolutely enormous spoil heap"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1815.57,"endTime":1818.45,"body":"on top of that\". That's one of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1815.57,"endTime":1818.45,"body":"the main challenges."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1818.66,"endTime":1825.08,"body":"There are always challenges."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1818.66,"endTime":1825.08,"body":"Working in Iraq can be"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1825.08,"endTime":1833.72,"body":"unpredictable, because of just"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1825.08,"endTime":1833.72,"body":"global politics and internal"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1833.72,"endTime":1836.75,"body":"bureaucracy. The biggest"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1833.72,"endTime":1836.75,"body":"challenges on the site, as I"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1836.96,"endTime":1838.28,"body":"said, are really the previous"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1836.96,"endTime":1838.28,"body":"excavations and trying to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1838.28,"endTime":1840.44,"body":"extract the maximum information"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1838.28,"endTime":1840.44,"body":"from those. And to work around"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1840.44,"endTime":1843.89,"body":"things like spoil heaps and so"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1840.44,"endTime":1843.89,"body":"on that are left behind from"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1843.89,"endTime":1846.35,"body":"legacy excavations. And while"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1843.89,"endTime":1846.35,"body":"it's enormously valuable to have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1846.35,"endTime":1848.0,"body":"all those legacy excavations, so"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1846.35,"endTime":1848.0,"body":"we know so much about the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1848.0,"endTime":1850.58,"body":"occupation of the site, that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1848.0,"endTime":1850.58,"body":"still means that sometimes you"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1850.58,"endTime":1851.78,"body":"think \"Gosh. It would be great"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1850.58,"endTime":1851.78,"body":"to dig right there, but there is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1851.78,"endTime":1853.34,"body":"an absolutely enormous spoil"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1851.78,"endTime":1853.34,"body":"heap on top of that\". That's one"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1853.34,"endTime":1854.03,"body":"of the main challenges."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1854.6,"endTime":1860.18,"body":"And the winter is really ideal."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1854.6,"endTime":1860.18,"body":"That said, you get rain. So we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1860.18,"endTime":1863.39,"body":"lost a few days to very, very"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1860.18,"endTime":1863.39,"body":"heavy rain. That just turns the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1863.42,"endTime":1868.1,"body":"the entirety of south Iraq into"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1863.42,"endTime":1868.1,"body":"this sort of clay swamp. We"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1868.1,"endTime":1871.49,"body":"also, unusually this time"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1868.1,"endTime":1871.49,"body":"around, also had a few days"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1871.49,"endTime":1873.71,"body":"where it was well below"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1871.49,"endTime":1873.71,"body":"freezing, so we would wake up"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1873.71,"endTime":1877.94,"body":"and in the house, all the water"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1873.71,"endTime":1877.94,"body":"pipes were frozen. That's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1877.97,"endTime":1881.27,"body":"unusual to get that cold, but"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1877.97,"endTime":1881.27,"body":"that can also happen. Climate"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1881.27,"endTime":1884.03,"body":"change doesn't just mean"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1881.27,"endTime":1884.03,"body":"warming, it means a higher"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1884.03,"endTime":1888.2,"body":"degree of fluctuation. So the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1884.03,"endTime":1888.2,"body":"weather is always a challenge."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1889.61,"endTime":1893.66,"body":"That said, also global politics"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1889.61,"endTime":1893.66,"body":"can be a challenge as well. This"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1893.66,"endTime":1897.86,"body":"was technically meant to be our"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1893.66,"endTime":1897.86,"body":"second season in 2025. We did"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1897.86,"endTime":1902.15,"body":"attempt to have a season in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1897.86,"endTime":1902.15,"body":"2024, but we had to evacuate"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1902.15,"endTime":1905.87,"body":"quite rapidly because of a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1902.15,"endTime":1905.87,"body":"threat, a specific threat"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1905.87,"endTime":1908.24,"body":"against us that did not have to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1905.87,"endTime":1908.24,"body":"do with anything that we had to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1908.24,"endTime":1912.86,"body":"do. But we are deemed to be an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1908.24,"endTime":1912.86,"body":"American project, and the global"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1912.86,"endTime":1915.44,"body":"political situation made it"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1912.86,"endTime":1915.44,"body":"unsafe for Americans to be"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1915.44,"endTime":1915.65,"body":"there."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1916.31,"endTime":1921.14,"body":"That said, our project is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1916.31,"endTime":1921.14,"body":"actually international. We have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1921.17,"endTime":1926.24,"body":"Iraqis, we have Spanish,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1921.17,"endTime":1926.24,"body":"Italian, Canadian, German, you"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1926.24,"endTime":1929.09,"body":"know, people from all over. And"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1926.24,"endTime":1929.09,"body":"technically, this is an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1929.09,"endTime":1931.43,"body":"international project, not an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1929.09,"endTime":1931.43,"body":"American one, but of course, it"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1931.43,"endTime":1934.61,"body":"is associated with an American"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1931.43,"endTime":1934.61,"body":"institution, and that comes with"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1934.61,"endTime":1938.24,"body":"a certain amount of just"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1934.61,"endTime":1938.24,"body":"political baggage that we have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1938.24,"endTime":1942.14,"body":"to be careful and diplomatic"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1938.24,"endTime":1942.14,"body":"about. Having been there now for"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1942.14,"endTime":1945.44,"body":"two months this last season, you"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1942.14,"endTime":1945.44,"body":"know, we've developed very close"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1945.44,"endTime":1948.62,"body":"and positive relations with a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1945.44,"endTime":1948.62,"body":"number of people around in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1948.62,"endTime":1952.22,"body":"area, and I hope that we will"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1948.62,"endTime":1952.22,"body":"have a positive association,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1952.58,"endTime":1954.65,"body":"rather than this being a problem"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1952.58,"endTime":1954.65,"body":"again in future."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1955.7,"endTime":1958.31,"body":"Thank you. I mean, I"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1955.7,"endTime":1958.31,"body":"think you touched there on what"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1958.31,"endTime":1961.61,"body":"was going to be my next question"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1958.31,"endTime":1961.61,"body":"in that you have this very long"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1961.61,"endTime":1965.6,"body":"archaeological experience. And"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1961.61,"endTime":1965.6,"body":"the situation is slightly"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1965.6,"endTime":1968.51,"body":"different now from the last time"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1965.6,"endTime":1968.51,"body":"Chicago was excavating at"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1968.54,"endTime":1971.21,"body":"Nippur. You have the"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1968.54,"endTime":1971.21,"body":"international situation,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1971.21,"endTime":1974.3,"body":"obviously is different, and with"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1971.21,"endTime":1974.3,"body":"climate change. But are there"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1974.3,"endTime":1977.66,"body":"any other differences you've"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1974.3,"endTime":1977.66,"body":"noticed working in Iraq nowadays"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":1977.66,"endTime":1978.77,"body":"from how things used to be?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1979.82,"endTime":1982.82,"body":"I still fondly"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1979.82,"endTime":1982.82,"body":"remember in the 1980s you know,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1982.85,"endTime":1986.78,"body":"the possibility to travel around"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1982.85,"endTime":1986.78,"body":"on your own. And I didn't do too"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1986.78,"endTime":1988.61,"body":"much of that, but I still"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1986.78,"endTime":1988.61,"body":"remember, you know, when I was a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1988.61,"endTime":1992.51,"body":"student, I arrived in Baghdad, I"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1988.61,"endTime":1992.51,"body":"was a little bit late arriving"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1992.51,"endTime":1996.32,"body":"after the rest of the team were"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1992.51,"endTime":1996.32,"body":"already at Nippur. And they"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1996.32,"endTime":1999.14,"body":"didn't know I was there. And so"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1996.32,"endTime":1999.14,"body":"I arrived in Baghdad, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1999.14,"endTime":2001.57,"body":"basically I just ... I went to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":1999.14,"endTime":2001.57,"body":"the bus station, and I took a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2001.57,"endTime":2006.4,"body":"bus from Baghdad to Diwaniyah,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2001.57,"endTime":2006.4,"body":"and then found a medical student"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2006.4,"endTime":2010.42,"body":"from the University of Hatra,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2006.4,"endTime":2010.42,"body":"who was driving a taxi. And we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2010.42,"endTime":2014.29,"body":"drove down from Diwaniyah to try"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2010.42,"endTime":2014.29,"body":"to find where Nippur were was."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2015.1,"endTime":2018.25,"body":"And you can't do that kind of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2015.1,"endTime":2018.25,"body":"thing anymore. I mean, it was a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2018.31,"endTime":2022.06,"body":"positive experience, you know, I"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2018.31,"endTime":2022.06,"body":"learned a lot, but the ability"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2022.06,"endTime":2025.36,"body":"to travel around on one's own is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2022.06,"endTime":2025.36,"body":"not really possible anymore."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2025.36,"endTime":2030.34,"body":"We do have with us at all times,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2025.36,"endTime":2030.34,"body":"various sets of security police,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2031.12,"endTime":2034.27,"body":"basically for our own safety,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2031.12,"endTime":2034.27,"body":"not because of any kind of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2034.27,"endTime":2037.99,"body":"issue. This is just kind of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2034.27,"endTime":2037.99,"body":"normal to have a contingent of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2038.11,"endTime":2042.01,"body":"antiquities police who guard the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2038.11,"endTime":2042.01,"body":"site and guard us as a team, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2042.01,"endTime":2045.1,"body":"also a SWAT team that basically"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2042.01,"endTime":2045.1,"body":"assures our personal safety."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2045.94,"endTime":2049.66,"body":"This is all positive. Usually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2045.94,"endTime":2049.66,"body":"they're very, very friendly"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2049.66,"endTime":2053.5,"body":"guys. You know, we talk about"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2049.66,"endTime":2053.5,"body":"archaeology, we wander out in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2053.5,"endTime":2056.59,"body":"the site together and so on."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2053.5,"endTime":2056.59,"body":"They're there doing their job,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2056.59,"endTime":2059.77,"body":"and I'm not sure they're really"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2056.59,"endTime":2059.77,"body":"that necessary. But that does"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2059.77,"endTime":2062.5,"body":"mean there's a certain there's a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2059.77,"endTime":2062.5,"body":"degree of layers of bureaucracy"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2062.53,"endTime":2066.28,"body":"if we then want to go and visit"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2062.53,"endTime":2066.28,"body":"a colleague. So when we go to we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2066.28,"endTime":2069.82,"body":"went to visit Uruk, we went to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2066.28,"endTime":2069.82,"body":"visit Babylon, we went to Kish."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2070.36,"endTime":2073.39,"body":"Every time one travels around,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2070.36,"endTime":2073.39,"body":"you have to organise this with"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2073.42,"endTime":2076.78,"body":"you know which police are going"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2073.42,"endTime":2076.78,"body":"to come with us to guard us en"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2076.78,"endTime":2078.94,"body":"route. And that's different."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2079.719,"endTime":2082.449,"body":"It's a different political world"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2079.719,"endTime":2082.449,"body":"than it used to be even in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2082.479,"endTime":2085.809,"body":"1980s. And the first time I was"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2082.479,"endTime":2085.809,"body":"there was actually during the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2085.839,"endTime":2089.469,"body":"Iran-Iraq War, and yet I still"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2085.839,"endTime":2089.469,"body":"managed to, like I said, take a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2089.469,"endTime":2091.989,"body":"bus from Baghdad to Diwaniyah"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2089.469,"endTime":2091.989,"body":"without anyone really caring,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2091.989,"endTime":2096.519,"body":"right? It's also, I think, a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2091.989,"endTime":2096.519,"body":"more litigious time as well, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2096.519,"endTime":2101.559,"body":"so can't imagine allowing any of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2096.519,"endTime":2101.559,"body":"my students to do that at the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2101.559,"endTime":2105.399,"body":"moment. I'd be too worried for"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2101.559,"endTime":2105.399,"body":"their personal safety, because"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2105.399,"endTime":2107.979,"body":"there is this larger world in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2105.399,"endTime":2107.979,"body":"which we're operating now where"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2107.979,"endTime":2112.359,"body":"we just have to be respectful"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2107.979,"endTime":2112.359,"body":"and careful and diplomatic to an"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2112.359,"endTime":2115.389,"body":"extent which is ... you know,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2112.359,"endTime":2115.389,"body":"which is very, very positive,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2115.749,"endTime":2118.509,"body":"but also has its constraints as"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2115.749,"endTime":2118.509,"body":"well."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2119.38,"endTime":2123.31,"body":"So what are the"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2119.38,"endTime":2123.31,"body":"longer term plans for the site?"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2123.31,"endTime":2125.71,"body":"I'm expecting that you're"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2123.31,"endTime":2125.71,"body":"wanting to return."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2125.74,"endTime":2126.19,"body":"Yes."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2126.37,"endTime":2128.53,"body":"What's the future"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2126.37,"endTime":2128.53,"body":"of Nippur in your mind?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2129.1,"endTime":2131.65,"body":"Alright, so at"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2129.1,"endTime":2131.65,"body":"the moment, we have a five year"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2131.65,"endTime":2135.01,"body":"permit. And we're in technically"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2131.65,"endTime":2135.01,"body":"we've just finished the second"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2135.01,"endTime":2137.59,"body":"year of that, so we only have"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2135.01,"endTime":2137.59,"body":"one year of excavation. So we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2137.59,"endTime":2141.79,"body":"have another three years. I want"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2137.59,"endTime":2141.79,"body":"to continue working in this"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2141.79,"endTime":2144.58,"body":"southern suburb for at least"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2141.79,"endTime":2144.58,"body":"next year and probably the year"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2144.58,"endTime":2148.42,"body":"after that. I really do want to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2144.58,"endTime":2148.42,"body":"get down to that Ur III initial"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2148.42,"endTime":2152.77,"body":"occupation to look at that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2148.42,"endTime":2152.77,"body":"diversity of peoples in this"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2152.8,"endTime":2157.39,"body":"edge zone. We're also hoping to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2152.8,"endTime":2157.39,"body":"add in some geomorphological"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2157.39,"endTime":2160.48,"body":"studies, both of the Shatt"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2157.39,"endTime":2160.48,"body":"an-Nil, which runs through the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2160.48,"endTime":2162.97,"body":"centre--the water course, which"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2160.48,"endTime":2162.97,"body":"runs through the centre of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2162.97,"endTime":2166.99,"body":"city. And also this new"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2162.97,"endTime":2166.99,"body":"watercourse, moat, canal,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2166.99,"endTime":2171.07,"body":"whatever it is, which is on the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2166.99,"endTime":2171.07,"body":"western edge of the site. And do"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2171.07,"endTime":2174.04,"body":"some geomorphological studies"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2171.07,"endTime":2174.04,"body":"there, potentially with local"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2174.04,"endTime":2177.79,"body":"colleagues at the University of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2174.04,"endTime":2177.79,"body":"Qadisiyah, to look at the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2177.79,"endTime":2182.29,"body":"variations in that water course"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2177.79,"endTime":2182.29,"body":"in terms of how much water there"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2182.29,"endTime":2185.92,"body":"is, how fast it's flowing, the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2182.29,"endTime":2185.92,"body":"kind of health of the water"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2185.92,"endTime":2189.28,"body":"system during these time periods"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2185.92,"endTime":2189.28,"body":"in which we have expansion and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2189.28,"endTime":2192.13,"body":"contraction. So hoping to add"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2189.28,"endTime":2192.13,"body":"that in."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2192.4,"endTime":2195.37,"body":"Eventually also going to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2192.4,"endTime":2195.37,"body":"excavate somewhere on the main"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2195.37,"endTime":2201.16,"body":"mounds as well. In part this is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2195.37,"endTime":2201.16,"body":"... we're sort of waiting to see"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2201.16,"endTime":2204.82,"body":"what the optimal place for that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2201.16,"endTime":2204.82,"body":"might be. We're also being"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2204.82,"endTime":2209.17,"body":"encouraged by the local"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2204.82,"endTime":2209.17,"body":"Department of Antiquities and by"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2209.2,"endTime":2213.22,"body":"the Antiquities Department of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2209.2,"endTime":2213.22,"body":"Diwaniyah province as well to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2213.25,"endTime":2217.99,"body":"further develop the site for"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2213.25,"endTime":2217.99,"body":"tourism. Diwaniyah province"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2217.99,"endTime":2221.53,"body":"doesn't have a lot of other"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2217.99,"endTime":2221.53,"body":"places where tourists might go,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2221.53,"endTime":2224.86,"body":"other than Nippur. And I have to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2221.53,"endTime":2224.86,"body":"say that sort of signage and the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2224.86,"endTime":2229.66,"body":"tourist experience at Nippur is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2224.86,"endTime":2229.66,"body":"not really ... is sub-optimal,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2229.84,"endTime":2233.98,"body":"let's say. Sort of working on"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2229.84,"endTime":2233.98,"body":"small things initially. Think,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2233.98,"endTime":2237.49,"body":"better tourist signage. We want"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2233.98,"endTime":2237.49,"body":"to get an archaeo trail app"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2237.52,"endTime":2241.78,"body":"pulled together so that people"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2237.52,"endTime":2241.78,"body":"can actually zap a QR code on a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2241.78,"endTime":2244.96,"body":"sign and then be guided around"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2241.78,"endTime":2244.96,"body":"the site for when we're not"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2244.96,"endTime":2245.44,"body":"there."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2246.04,"endTime":2248.95,"body":"This also involves some"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2246.04,"endTime":2248.95,"body":"conservation preservation on the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2248.95,"endTime":2253.96,"body":"ziggurat as well, which has very"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2248.95,"endTime":2253.96,"body":"badly eroded, again, due to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2253.96,"endTime":2257.86,"body":"climate change, due to rain, but"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2253.96,"endTime":2257.86,"body":"particularly from wind and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2257.86,"endTime":2261.37,"body":"sandstorms, has eroded the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2257.86,"endTime":2261.37,"body":"ziggurat quite a bit. And so one"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2261.37,"endTime":2263.77,"body":"of the things we're hoping to do"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2261.37,"endTime":2263.77,"body":"is actually some preservation"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2263.77,"endTime":2267.82,"body":"and conservation on the ziggurat"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2263.77,"endTime":2267.82,"body":"That will also involve some"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2267.82,"endTime":2270.67,"body":"excavation near the ziggurat as"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2267.82,"endTime":2270.67,"body":"well, because a lot of the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2270.67,"endTime":2274.9,"body":"ziggurat has eroded down. And so"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2270.67,"endTime":2274.9,"body":"the base of the ziggurat is now"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2274.9,"endTime":2279.07,"body":"surrounded by eroded soil from"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2274.9,"endTime":2279.07,"body":"the top of it. So we'll be doing"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2279.1,"endTime":2282.49,"body":"some excavation around the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2279.1,"endTime":2282.49,"body":"ziggurat as well, in terms of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2282.7,"endTime":2284.98,"body":"just working that out and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2282.7,"endTime":2284.98,"body":"working out the optimal"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2285.01,"endTime":2289.27,"body":"conservation preservation"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2285.01,"endTime":2289.27,"body":"project. That is very long term,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2289.63,"endTime":2293.2,"body":"that also requires a separate"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2289.63,"endTime":2293.2,"body":"conservation permit, which we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2293.2,"endTime":2297.67,"body":"don't have yet, but which I'm in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2293.2,"endTime":2297.67,"body":"the process of applying for. And"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2297.67,"endTime":2300.73,"body":"once that's pulled together,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2297.67,"endTime":2300.73,"body":"that would be another five year"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2300.82,"endTime":2303.67,"body":"overlapping project just to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2300.82,"endTime":2303.67,"body":"grapple with that."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2304.42,"endTime":2307.06,"body":"And then what I hope is, at the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2304.42,"endTime":2307.06,"body":"end of our five year excavation"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2307.06,"endTime":2311.26,"body":"permit, I'll apply for another"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2307.06,"endTime":2311.26,"body":"five years for either potential"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2311.26,"endTime":2315.01,"body":"continuation of the same project"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2311.26,"endTime":2315.01,"body":"or something which is related,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2315.01,"endTime":2317.38,"body":"but slightly different, that is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2315.01,"endTime":2317.38,"body":"related to whatever we're"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2317.38,"endTime":2320.05,"body":"finding but we'll hopefully find"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2317.38,"endTime":2320.05,"body":"in the next three years. So we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2320.05,"endTime":2323.86,"body":"get, we'll build on the first"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2320.05,"endTime":2323.86,"body":"five years of excavation for the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2323.86,"endTime":2328.21,"body":"next five year permit. At that"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2323.86,"endTime":2328.21,"body":"point, I might be close to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2328.21,"endTime":2332.74,"body":"retirement {LAUGHS}, so that, it"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2328.21,"endTime":2332.74,"body":"would depend on who of the next"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2332.77,"endTime":2337.0,"body":"generation might be willing to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2332.77,"endTime":2337.0,"body":"take on, therefore that stage,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2337.57,"endTime":2340.36,"body":"but you know, all remains to be"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2337.57,"endTime":2340.36,"body":"seen. You know, it depends on a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2340.36,"endTime":2343.36,"body":"number of other factors what"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2340.36,"endTime":2343.36,"body":"happens at the end of those two"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2343.36,"endTime":2346.12,"body":"five year, hopefully, permits."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2346.69,"endTime":2349.21,"body":"My fingers are"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2346.69,"endTime":2349.21,"body":"crossed for you. That end goal"},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2349.21,"endTime":2350.71,"body":"sounds wonderful."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2351.04,"endTime":2353.59,"body":"Yeah, yeah. Before"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2351.04,"endTime":2353.59,"body":"we let you go, Augusta, I would"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2353.59,"endTime":2356.92,"body":"like to ask about publication."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2353.59,"endTime":2356.92,"body":"So I guess, firstly, where can"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2356.92,"endTime":2360.22,"body":"we read more about the work"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2356.92,"endTime":2360.22,"body":"you've been doing so far? But"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2360.22,"endTime":2363.52,"body":"then secondly, what's your"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2360.22,"endTime":2363.52,"body":"overall plan for disseminating"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2363.52,"endTime":2366.19,"body":"the results of the work you do"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2363.52,"endTime":2366.19,"body":"to the various audiences who"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2366.19,"endTime":2367.15,"body":"might be interested?"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2367.57,"endTime":2369.7,"body":"So far, I'm"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2367.57,"endTime":2369.7,"body":"actually right now working on a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2369.7,"endTime":2373.99,"body":"preliminary report of that first"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2369.7,"endTime":2373.99,"body":"excavation season that will go"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2374.02,"endTime":2377.77,"body":"into a journal. I haven't really"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2374.02,"endTime":2377.77,"body":"quite targeted that yet, because"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2377.77,"endTime":2383.23,"body":"this is very preliminary stages"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2377.77,"endTime":2383.23,"body":"of this. Also, I have a short"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2383.26,"endTime":2387.19,"body":"report for a more general"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2383.26,"endTime":2387.19,"body":"audience, which will be in the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2387.43,"endTime":2391.66,"body":"institute called News and Notes,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2387.43,"endTime":2391.66,"body":"the Institute for Study of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2391.66,"endTime":2394.9,"body":"Ancient Cultures here at the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2391.66,"endTime":2394.9,"body":"University of Chicago, we have a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2394.93,"endTime":2398.14,"body":"general newsletter, and there"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2394.93,"endTime":2398.14,"body":"will be a report, a very"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2398.14,"endTime":2401.14,"body":"preliminary report, very general"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2398.14,"endTime":2401.14,"body":"report in that. And that is"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2401.14,"endTime":2405.31,"body":"available online once it's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2401.14,"endTime":2405.31,"body":"actually pulled together. I just"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2405.31,"endTime":2408.4,"body":"submitted that, so I think it"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2405.31,"endTime":2408.4,"body":"will be out in three or four"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2408.4,"endTime":2410.17,"body":"weeks or so, and that's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2408.4,"endTime":2410.17,"body":"available online."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2410.86,"endTime":2415.0,"body":"We'll also be putting together"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2410.86,"endTime":2415.0,"body":"and adding information to the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2415.0,"endTime":2418.42,"body":"website as well. There is a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2415.0,"endTime":2418.42,"body":"Nippur project website, but it"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2418.42,"endTime":2422.86,"body":"is, at the moment, a little bit"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2418.42,"endTime":2422.86,"body":"out of date, I'll say. A little"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2422.86,"endTime":2426.43,"body":"bit defunct in terms of actual"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2422.86,"endTime":2426.43,"body":"activity there, but we will"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2426.43,"endTime":2430.18,"body":"actually put something up there"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2426.43,"endTime":2430.18,"body":"as well. There is a YouTube"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2430.21,"endTime":2433.81,"body":"video of a lecture that I gave a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2430.21,"endTime":2433.81,"body":"couple of years ago with all the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2433.81,"endTime":2437.44,"body":"plans. This was before we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2433.81,"endTime":2437.44,"body":"actually went to the field, but"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2437.68,"endTime":2441.55,"body":"does actually have my plans and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2437.68,"endTime":2441.55,"body":"hopes and vision for the"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2441.55,"endTime":2446.2,"body":"project, and that is available"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2441.55,"endTime":2446.2,"body":"on the ISAC YouTube channel as"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2446.2,"endTime":2450.85,"body":"well, if you want an extended"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2446.2,"endTime":2450.85,"body":"version of that. You know,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2450.85,"endTime":2452.83,"body":"things were at the planning"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2450.85,"endTime":2452.83,"body":"stage at that point. So there's"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2453.13,"endTime":2455.23,"body":"nothing about the results"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2453.13,"endTime":2455.23,"body":"because we had not yet been in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2455.23,"endTime":2457.48,"body":"the field, but at least it gives"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2455.23,"endTime":2457.48,"body":"information about the larger"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2457.48,"endTime":2459.01,"body":"setting of what it is that we're"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2457.48,"endTime":2459.01,"body":"doing."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2460.09,"endTime":2465.1,"body":"We're also hoping to give more"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2460.09,"endTime":2465.1,"body":"public lectures in Iraq itself."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2465.1,"endTime":2469.93,"body":"We haven't yet had a chance to"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2465.1,"endTime":2469.93,"body":"do that. Education of local"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2469.93,"endTime":2474.46,"body":"stakeholders. Obviously, we talk"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2469.93,"endTime":2474.46,"body":"a lot with our workmen. Some of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2474.46,"endTime":2477.34,"body":"the workmen are quite interested"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2474.46,"endTime":2477.34,"body":"in and very knowledgeable about"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2477.55,"endTime":2480.67,"body":"the history of Mesopotamia, even"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2477.55,"endTime":2480.67,"body":"though, in the schools, there"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2480.67,"endTime":2484.99,"body":"seems to be variable degrees of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2480.67,"endTime":2484.99,"body":"education within the local"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2484.99,"endTime":2487.84,"body":"schools about local history and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2484.99,"endTime":2487.84,"body":"so on. But many of them,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2487.84,"endTime":2490.48,"body":"actually, they know and will"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2487.84,"endTime":2490.48,"body":"talk to you about the Ur III"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2490.48,"endTime":2494.02,"body":"period, or the Parthians and so"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2490.48,"endTime":2494.02,"body":"on. And so we do a lot of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2494.41,"endTime":2497.14,"body":"education at the same time we're"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2494.41,"endTime":2497.14,"body":"actually doing excavation."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2497.14,"endTime":2500.23,"body":"We hope to do more, potentially,"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2497.14,"endTime":2500.23,"body":"interaction in the local"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2500.23,"endTime":2503.71,"body":"schools. We have school groups"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2500.23,"endTime":2503.71,"body":"come out and walk around and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2503.71,"endTime":2507.07,"body":"look at our excavations, and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2503.71,"endTime":2507.07,"body":"also the in the local"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2507.07,"endTime":2511.57,"body":"universities as well. A number"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2507.07,"endTime":2511.57,"body":"of us from the team did actually"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2511.57,"endTime":2514.96,"body":"go to the University of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2511.57,"endTime":2514.96,"body":"Qadisiyah. Their archaeology"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2514.96,"endTime":2519.7,"body":"department there runs an annual"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2514.96,"endTime":2519.7,"body":"conference with local"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2519.7,"endTime":2522.37,"body":"archaeologists and any foreign"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2519.7,"endTime":2522.37,"body":"archaeologists who are in"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2522.43,"endTime":2525.52,"body":"country at the time. So we did"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2522.43,"endTime":2525.52,"body":"do a little bit of local"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2525.52,"endTime":2530.05,"body":"dissemination of our results."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2525.52,"endTime":2530.05,"body":"That was in mid-February, so we"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2530.05,"endTime":2534.13,"body":"had only really had about half"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2530.05,"endTime":2534.13,"body":"of the season, and so we'll hope"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2534.13,"endTime":2537.73,"body":"to go back to that next year and"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2534.13,"endTime":2537.73,"body":"in future years as well. So a"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2537.73,"endTime":2542.14,"body":"variety of different academic"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2537.73,"endTime":2542.14,"body":"conferences, also hopefully"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2542.14,"endTime":2545.41,"body":"school groups, and this variety"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2542.14,"endTime":2545.41,"body":"of different degrees of"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2545.41,"endTime":2548.65,"body":"publication, including"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2545.41,"endTime":2548.65,"body":"traditional academic ones, but"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2548.65,"endTime":2555.22,"body":"also more web-based versions as"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2548.65,"endTime":2555.22,"body":"well, and more general"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2555.25,"endTime":2557.23,"body":"dissemination to the public"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2555.25,"endTime":2557.23,"body":"also."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2557.71,"endTime":2559.63,"body":"Well, super. Thank"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2557.71,"endTime":2559.63,"body":"you very much indeed. And good"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2559.63,"endTime":2560.98,"body":"luck with the rest of the"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2559.63,"endTime":2560.98,"body":"project."},{"speaker":"Ellie Bennett","startTime":2561.04,"endTime":2562.03,"body":"Good luck."},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2562.33,"endTime":2563.26,"body":"Alright, thank"},{"speaker":"Augusta McMahon","startTime":2562.33,"endTime":2563.26,"body":"you."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2563.18,"endTime":2567.62,"body":"I’d also like to"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2563.18,"endTime":2567.62,"body":"thank our patrons: Enrique"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2567.62,"endTime":2573.65,"body":"Jiménez, Jana Matuszak, Nancy"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2567.62,"endTime":2573.65,"body":"Highcock, Jay C, Rune"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2573.68,"endTime":2578.27,"body":"Rattenborg, Woodthrush, Elisa"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2573.68,"endTime":2578.27,"body":"Rossberger, Mark Weeden, Jordi"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2578.27,"endTime":2584.42,"body":"Mon Companys, Thomas Bolin, Joan"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2578.27,"endTime":2584.42,"body":"Porter MacIver, John MacGinnis,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2584.93,"endTime":2591.62,"body":"Andrew George, Yelena Rakic,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2584.93,"endTime":2591.62,"body":"Zach Rubin, Sabina Franke, Shai"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2591.62,"endTime":2597.92,"body":"Gordin, Aaron Macks, Maarja"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2591.62,"endTime":2597.92,"body":"Seire, Jaafar Jotheri, Morgan"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2597.92,"endTime":2603.5,"body":"Hite, Chikako Watanabe, Mark"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2597.92,"endTime":2603.5,"body":"McElwaine, Jonathan Blanchard"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2603.5,"endTime":2609.74,"body":"Smith, Kliment Ohr, Christina"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2603.5,"endTime":2609.74,"body":"Tsouparopoulou, TT, Melanie"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2609.74,"endTime":2615.47,"body":"Gross, Claire Weir, Marc"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2609.74,"endTime":2615.47,"body":"Veldman, Bruno Biermann, Faimon"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2615.47,"endTime":2620.45,"body":"Roberts, Jason Moser, Pavla"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2615.47,"endTime":2620.45,"body":"Rosenstein, Müge"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2620.48,"endTime":2626.36,"body":"Durusu-Tanrıöver, Tate Paulette,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2620.48,"endTime":2626.36,"body":"Willis Monroe, Toby Wickenden,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2626.78,"endTime":2632.42,"body":"Emmert Clevenstine, Barbara"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2626.78,"endTime":2632.42,"body":"Porter, Cheryl Morgan, Kevin Roy"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2632.42,"endTime":2639.5,"body":"Jackson, Susannah Paulus, Eric"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2632.42,"endTime":2639.5,"body":"Whitacre, Jakob Flygare, Jon"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2639.5,"endTime":2644.99,"body":"Ganuza, Bonnie"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2639.5,"endTime":2644.99,"body":"Nilhamn-Kuosmanen, Ben, Michael"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2644.99,"endTime":2650.57,"body":"Gitlin, Janet Evans Houser,"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2644.99,"endTime":2650.57,"body":"Baladitya Yellapragada, Moudhy"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2650.57,"endTime":2655.01,"body":"Al-Rashid, as well as those who"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2650.57,"endTime":2655.01,"body":"prefer to remain anonymous."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2656.06,"endTime":2658.67,"body":"I really appreciate your"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2656.06,"endTime":2658.67,"body":"support. It makes a big"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2658.67,"endTime":2663.17,"body":"difference. Every penny received"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2658.67,"endTime":2663.17,"body":"has contributed towards"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2663.17,"endTime":2666.62,"body":"translations. Thanks of course"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2663.17,"endTime":2666.62,"body":"to the lovely people who have"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2666.62,"endTime":2670.04,"body":"worked on the translations on a"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2666.62,"endTime":2670.04,"body":"voluntary basis or for well"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2670.04,"endTime":2674.27,"body":"below the market rate. For"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2670.04,"endTime":2674.27,"body":"Arabic, thanks in particular to"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2674.27,"endTime":2679.01,"body":"Zainab Mizyidawi, as well as"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2674.27,"endTime":2679.01,"body":"Lina Meerchyad and May Al-Aseel."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2679.85,"endTime":2685.85,"body":"For Turkish, thank you to Pinar"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2679.85,"endTime":2685.85,"body":"Durgun and Nesrin Akan. TEW is"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2685.85,"endTime":2689.36,"body":"still young, but I want to reach"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2685.85,"endTime":2689.36,"body":"a sustainable level, where"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2689.36,"endTime":2692.54,"body":"translators are given proper"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2689.36,"endTime":2692.54,"body":"compensation for their hard"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2692.54,"endTime":2692.99,"body":"work."},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2694.28,"endTime":2697.55,"body":"And thank you for listening to"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2694.28,"endTime":2697.55,"body":"Thin End of the Wedge. If you"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2697.55,"endTime":2700.82,"body":"enjoy what we do, and you would"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2697.55,"endTime":2700.82,"body":"like to help make these podcasts"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2700.82,"endTime":2703.91,"body":"available in Middle Eastern"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2700.82,"endTime":2703.91,"body":"languages, please consider"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2703.91,"endTime":2707.75,"body":"joining our Patreon family. You"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2703.91,"endTime":2707.75,"body":"can find us at"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2707.84,"endTime":2714.14,"body":"patreon.com/wedgepod. You can"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2707.84,"endTime":2714.14,"body":"also support us in other ways:"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2714.77,"endTime":2718.61,"body":"simply subscribe to the podcast;"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2714.77,"endTime":2718.61,"body":"leave us a five star review on"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2718.61,"endTime":2721.91,"body":"Apple Music or your favourite"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2718.61,"endTime":2721.91,"body":"podcatcher; recommend us to your"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2721.91,"endTime":2725.9,"body":"friends. If you want the latest"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2721.91,"endTime":2725.9,"body":"podcast news, you can sign up"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2725.9,"endTime":2729.35,"body":"for our newsletter. You can find"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2725.9,"endTime":2729.35,"body":"all the links in the show notes"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2729.38,"endTime":2739.07,"body":"and on our website at"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2729.38,"endTime":2739.07,"body":"wedgepod.org. Thanks, and I hope"},{"speaker":"Jon Taylor","startTime":2739.13,"endTime":2740.15,"body":"you’ll join us next time."}]}