An Inscribed Ceramic Jug from Raqqa
Pottery vessels are made to perform everyday tasks, but why would someone choose to cover a jug in writing? This talk examines the inscriptions covering an ancient jug found in the Syrian city of Raqqa.Unglazed ceramic jug excavated in Raqqa, Syria. Late eighth or...
An Aerial Photograph from Iraq
How did an aerial photograph taken during World War I end up in a book in the University Victoria library? This talk relates the history of the annotations and additions to a published account of the Mesopotamian Campaign, and focuses on a photograph taken in the...
J. M. and Jerusalem
Why did the capture of Jerusalem by General Allenby in 1917 have such an impact across the world? Explore this topic through a painting produced on the Western Front by a soldier, known only as J. M.‘Our feet shall stand within Thy gates, O Jerusalem. Psalm CXXII.’...
J M’s Hut
What can we learn about the identity of the mysterious J. M. by looking at his paintings and drawings? This talk examines a painting of an officer’s hut from the World War I sketchbooks by J. M.‘Little Grey Home in the Wet.’ Watercolour painting by J. M., 1917–18....
Pipe Smoking in Ottoman Egypt
Why is it important that a shadow puppet shows a figure smoking a pipe? This talk examines the story about a puppet found in a town in northern Egypt, and questions what substances were smoked during the Ottoman period.Leather and textile puppet discovered in Manzala,...
Clay Pilgrim Tokens from Iran
How can clay be transformed into an object with spiritual significance? This talk examined the Shi‘a Muslim practice of using tablets of clay brought back from sites of pilgrimage in Iraq and Iran.Clay pilgrim tokens from the Pa Minar Mosque, Zavareh, Iran....
Guernica – A Political Odyssey on the CBC
"Guernica: A Political Odyssey" discusses the politics of Pablo Picasso's most famous work of art, from its inception in the crucible of the Spanish Civil War to the covering of a replica of the painting at the UN in 2003. (aired March 19,2007)Guernica - 1937,...
Art Anarchy & Activism on the CBC
"Art, Anarchy, and Activism" discusses the interface of the arts with anarchist activism on the cusp of the 21st Century. (aired June and October 2002)
Two Early Islamic Inscriptions
Why did Muslims in the first decades of the Islamic period feel compelled to create inscriptions on stone? This talk examines the religious and cultural messages contained in two important texts written at the end of the seventh century.Inscription from Hafnat...
A Greek Shadow Puppet
Why does a famous character in a Greek popular entertainment have a Turkish name? This talk discusses a shadow puppet made in southern Greece, and looks at the ways in which this type of theatre circulated around the eastern Mediterranean region.Shadow puppets made by...
A decorated Doorway from Raqqa
How do people use art to celebrate their participation in a pilgrimage? This talk looks at a painted doorway from a house in Raqqa, and considers the way in which the hajj (pilgrimage) is encapsulated in text and image.Painted doorway from a house in Raqqa, Syria....
An Ancient Act of Iconoclasm
What makes some people choose to destroy works of art? This talk examines an act of iconoclasm in an eighth-century church in Jordan, locating it in a context of religious debates about the legitimacy of images.Detail of the east end of a mosaic pavement in the church...
Historical Roots of Modern Coins
Ever wondered why Canadian coins contain Latin inscriptions? This talk traces the surprising origins of themes on modern money, taking you from ancient Greece to the court of Henry VIII of England. Drachm of Philip III of Macedon; 50 drachma coin, Greece Obverse and...
Traditional Brick Making in Syria
What were the challenges of constructing ancient cities in Iraq and Syria? This talk looks at traditional brick-making in Syria and considers the use of raw materials, labour, and fuel. Images of the brick making process at the Syrian Directorate of Antiquities site...
A Woodcut Map of Cairo
How did printed maps communicate ideas to the readers of books in the sixteenth century? This talk surveys the information contained in an early map of Cairo and considers the ways in which it would have stimulated the imaginations of readers in the sixteenth...
Two Coins of Emperor Trajan
Why did the Romans put so much effort into the images and texts placed on coins? This talk discusses what can be recovered from the content of two coins of emperor Trajan, one from Roman and the other from the east of the empire. Denarius of emperor Trajan, Rome, c....
A Medieval Hospital in Damascus
Why might a medieval patron choose to place so much decoration on a place meant for healing the sick? This talk looks at one of the most famous hospitals of the medieval Islamic world, and considers the combination of contemporary geometric decoration and reused...
An Inlaid Brass Box from Damascus
Can objects of war become works of art? This talk analyzes a Syrian brass box made at the end of World War I, and considers the surprising evidence for recycling of artillery shell cases.Brass box inlaid with silver and copper. Damascus, after 1911 (private collection)
Egyptian Glazed Pottery Bowls
Why do we know so little about the lives of the skilled artisans who made glazed pottery in the Medieval Middle East? This talk asks how much information we can recover by looking at the names written on glazed pottery bowls from Egypt.Underglaze-painted stonepaste...
Bosra street, Syria
How did the arrival of Christianity and then Islam transform the Classical cities of the Middle East? This talk takes you to the historic city of Bosra in the basalt desert of Syria.view of the Mosque of Umar, Bosra.Colonnaded street in Bosra, Syriaview of the Mosque...
A Photograph of an Antiquities Dealer in Damascus
Why are dealers in art and antiquities important in the early history of art history? This talk looks at a photograph taken in Damascus in about 1900, and examines the cultural context of the art market in the Middle East.Stereoscopic photograph, c. 1900. G. Eric and...
Two Syrian Coins
What can coins tell us about the evolution of religious and political ideas in new states? This talk looks at two coins minted in the early decades of the Islamic empire in the seventh century, and considers their links to the coins made by the Byzantine empire of...
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