Holding Hands with Heaven: Kingship and the Gods in Ancient Chorasmia

Among the Red Sands, the Kizilkum Desert, along the ancient Oxus River, the once lost land of Chorasmia has been yielding up extraordinary secrets to the archaeologist's trowel. This talk will focus on Akchakhan-kala, an ancient royal seat of the kings of Chorasmia, early converts to Mazdaism and sponsors of one of the most magnificent corpora of ancient art yet uncovered in Central Asia.

About the speaker: Alison Betts holds the Edwin Cuthbert Hall Chair of the Archaeology and Mythology of the Ancient Near East at the University of Sydney. Alison specialises in the archaeology of the lands along the Silk Roads from the Near East to China, especially nomadic peoples. Alison runs major field projects in Uzbekistan and Xinjiang and works closely with the Kabul Museum in Afghanistan and has research affiliations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Kashmir.

Part of a special series of lunchtime archaeology talks presented by the Chau Chak Wing Museum: one each weekday during National Archaeology Week. Find the series details here!

When: 12 – 12.45pm, Friday 21 May 2021

Where: Nelson Meers Foundation Auditorium, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University Place, Camperdown NSW 2006

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/lunchtime-archaeology-talks-tickets-148515595143