Dr. Tiffany Earley-Spadoni, Project Director, has received a Shepard Urgent Action Grant from the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) in support of emergency conservation efforts at the Middle Bronze Age site of Kurd Qaburstan in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Matching support has been provided by UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities.
The project will focus on the stabilization and conservation of three cuneiform tablets excavated in 2024 from the site’s lower town palace. These fragile, air-dried clay artifacts began to deteriorate immediately after excavation due to desiccation and salt crystallization. An expert conservator will travel to Erbil in summer 2025 to carry out treatment on these delicate artifacts as well as newly discovered ones. She will also lead a hands-on workshop for local heritage professionals at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH). The initiative will preserve irreplaceable heritage while helping build local capacity in cuneiform tablet conservation.
Image: Wikimedia Commons, tablets from the ancient site of Mari