Australian site highlights unequal representation of Iraqi and Chaldean archaeologists

The Australia-based publication The Conversation said centennial events marking major archaeological discoveries continue to illuminate the history of humanity in Iraq, citing excavations at the ancient city of Ur and at Jemdet Nasr in Babylon, as well as work at Shahikhori in the Kurdistan Region led by the University of Glasgow. According to the outlet, research at Ur is contributing to understanding early urban life and long-distance trade, while the Jemdet Nasr site is revealing the development of one of the world's earliest administrative systems. The Glasgow-led project in Shahikhori, the report said, has produced new findings on the nature of the earliest public institutions. The report argued that Iraqi and Kurdish researchers remain underrepresented in international archaeology and that the institutions producing knowledge are largely directed from outside the country. It pointed to a workshop held in Glasgow in May 2025, attended by 20 local archaeologists and heritage specialists, as an important step toward allowing local experts to set research priorities. The article also quoted Rozen Mohammed Amin, head of the Kurdistan Cultural Heritage Organization, who said bringing together experts separated by political and institutional divisions represented a significant gain. The Conversation is an academic news site founded in 2011 that publishes commentary and analysis written by researchers and academics.