70. Simo Parpola and the State Archives of Assyria project

This episode was recorded live at the Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale conference held in Helsinki in July 2024. Simo Parpola reflects on his long and momentous career. He explains how he became an assyriologist, and how he came to focus on the Assyrians. A key collaboration led to one of the most significant projects in assyriological history. What was it like to study large groups of tablets in the days before bulk digitisation? How did they identify so many joins remotely? Simo then discusses what has brought him satisfaction, and offers advice to younger scholars. He also explains what else he has dedicated his time to. 2:19 why assyriology?4:38 why study the Assyrians?7:49 origins of the project12:24 early digital technology13:33 joining fragments17:17 looking back19:04 dream finds20:54 reaction to other projects21:28 finding support for the project23:32 combining traditional and innovative thinkingMusic by Ruba HillawiWebsite: http://wedgepod.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgwEmail: [email protected]: @wedge_podPatreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod