"Raiders of the Lost Minaret – archaeology, looting and preconceptions of the past at Jam, Afghanistan" by Dr. David Thomas


 Center for Persian Studies and Culture     Jan 15 2016 | 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM Humanities Gateway 1030

Join us for a talk by Dr. David Thomas about the archaeology of Afghanistan.

The magnificent Minaret of Jam soars 65 m into the sky in the mountainous heart of central Afghanistan. The minaret is thought to mark the site of Firuzkuh, summer capital of the little-known Ghurid dynasty (c. 1148-1215 CE), whose empire briefly extended from eastern Iran into Bengal.  By interweaving data from historical sources, two seasons of archaeological fieldwork at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Jam, and the detailed analysis of satellite images, this richly illustrated seminar will challenge mainstream preconceptions about the past and open the door to a more nuanced understanding of this part of the Persian world 800 years ago.

David Thomas is the co-director of the Minaret of Jam Archaeological Project and director of the Archaeological Sites of Afghanistan in Google Earth project.  He has extensive archaeological fieldwork experience across the Islamic world and has contributed to major publications of excavations at Kilise Tepe in Turkey (Postgate & Thomas 1997) and Jarma in Libya (Mattingly et al. 2013).  David completed his doctoral thesis on the Ghurids at La Trobe University in Australia in 2011; a book based on this research will be published in 2016.  He currently works as the Manager of Metropolitan Heritage Programs at the Office of Aboriginal Affairs Victoria, in Melbourne, Australia.

This event is free and open to the public.