Planet Project

Two unforgettable years are coming to an end, and I would like to share this last photo with my supervisor, Professor 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐲, in front of the statue of Benjamin Franklin on the beautiful University of Pennsylvania campus.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Steve for his constant guidance, generosity, encouragement, and support throughout these years. His knowledge and enthusiasm to share his time and experience have had a profound impact on both my research and my personal growth.

Thank you, Steve, for every conversation, every piece of advice, every thoughtful comment, and for creating such a welcoming environment. It has been a privilege to work with you, and I will always be grateful for everything you have done for me during this journey.

🌿 Spotlight: Sacred Plants in Mesopotamia 🌿

I'm thrilled to share that PlANET's little exhibit 𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐚 is now on view in the Spotlight Gallery at the 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦!

Cylinder seals and cuneiform tablets tell the deep bond between trees, gods, and humans in Mesopotamian mythology — from the wilderness where Gilgamesh battles lions, to the mahaleb cherry tree in Inanna's garden.

A small space, but full of arboreal stories: for the ancient Mesopotamians, trees were bridges between earth and sky, between humans and gods.

A heartfelt thank you to the Penn Museum staff, Jess Bicknell and Lauren Harrison, for their support in bringing this exhibit to life. Thanks as well to the curators of the Near East Section, Prof. Holly Pittman and Prof. Richard Zettler, to Dr. Katherine Blanchard and Dr. Philip Jones, keepers of the Near East and Babylonian Sections respectively.

And finally, a special thank you to Prof. 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐲, my supervisor, without whose costant support this project would never have seen the light of day.

Thank you to everyone who stops by to see it in person at the Penn Museum! 🌳

Today marked my final meeting with Dr. 𝗡𝗮𝗼𝗺𝗶 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 after nearly two years of regular discussions and collaboration at the Penn Museum as part of the PlANET project. 🌱

As one of the world's leading archaeobotanists, Naomi has taught me so much—from the study and interpretation of plant macroremains to reading and understanding pollen diagrams, and from the ecology of the Zagros Mountains and the Iranian Plateau to discussing hypotheses on the identification of plants mentioned in cuneiform texts.
These conversations have greatly enriched both my research and my perspective, reminding me how valuable the exchange of ideas is in science.

Thank you, Naomi, for your time, your generosity, and for sharing your extraordinary knowledge. I hope this is not the end, but the beginning of many more discussions and collaborations.

🌿 What can plants tell us about the ancient Mesopotamian world?

🎙️ In the new episode of the 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 podcast, I had the pleasure of discussing this question with 𝐉𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫 (British Museum) and 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭 (University of Helsinki).

In this conversation, we explore the world of 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗮: their economic roles, their symbolic meanings, and the challenges of identifying and studying them through both texts and archaeobotanical remains.

I had the opportunity to discuss my Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action 𝗣𝗹𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗧 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 (Plants in the Ancient Near East Texts), its goals, and how it brings together different disciplines to investigate the role of plants in ancient Mesopotamia.

A big thank you to Jon and Ellie for the invitation and for such an engaging and enjoyable discussion!

🎧 The episode is now available on the Thin End of the Wedge website and on Spotify: https://www.wedgepod.org/episode-list/

Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Member Spotlight from Marie Curie Alumni Association United States of America Chapter.

For Dr. Gioele Zisa, attending the Marie Curie Alumni Association United States of America Chapter Regional Meeting in Chicago was an opportunity not only to present his Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Global Fellowship project, PLANET (Plants in Ancient Near Eastern Texts), but also to finally meet in person many members of the Marie Curie community he had previously only known online.
Currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Global Research Fellow at Sapienza University of Rome and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, Gioele studies the role of plants in ancient Near Eastern texts, bringing together perspectives from history, anthropology, religion, and cultural studies.
The Chicago meeting offered a unique environment to exchange ideas, explore career paths, and connect with researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds.
While the scientific sessions, lightning talks, and discussions on funding opportunities were highly valuable, what resonated most were the informal conversations between sessions.
"It was a reminder that these moments can genuinely shape the way we think about our work and our future paths. What I appreciated most was feeling part of a real community, not just a network."
Celebrating Marie Skłodowska-Curie’s birthday together added a meaningful moment of reflection on the enduring legacy of one of science’s most influential pioneers.
Beyond the academic program, Chicago provided memorable experiences—from exploring the Field Museum and seeing Sue, the world-famous Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, to enjoying a classic slice of Chicago-style pizza with fellow attendees.
Experiences like the Chicago Regional Meeting demonstrate the value of bringing researchers together in person, transforming professional connections into lasting relationships and fostering collaborations that extend far beyond the event itself.
A sincere thank you to Sabina Cveček, the MCAA USA Chapter Board, and all volunteers whose dedication made this inspiring gathering possible.

#mcaa #mariecuriealumni #msca #mariecurieactions #researchcommunity #scientificnetworking #globalresearch #internationalcollaboration #academiccommunity #researchexcellence #humanitiesresearch… | Marie Curie Alumni Association United States of... 🌟 Member Spotlight: Dr. Gioele Zisa from Marie Curie Alumni Association United States of America Chapter For Dr. Gioele Zisa, attending the Marie Curie Alumni Association United States of America Chapter Regional Meeting in Chicago was an opportunity not only to present his Marie Skłodowska-Curi...

🌲On 29 April I had the pleasure of giving a lecture at the 𝐔𝐂𝐈 𝐉𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬, Irvine 🌴

The lecture 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒁𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒔 𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔? 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒖 is now available online:

Watch the lecture on YouTube, on the channel of the UCI Jordan Center for Persian Studies:

The Cedars of the Zagros Mountains? The Cedars of the Zagros Mountains? Rethinking the Mesopotamian Evidence and its Connections with the Iranian Plateau.A talk by Gioele ZisaUCI Jordan Center ...

🌿 I am pleased to share my contribution to the volume 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑵𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒕. 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 (wEdge 6, Zaphon):

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐲
by Gioele Zisa

The article explores the role of plants in first-millennium BCE Mesopotamian anti-witchcraft rituals and incantations, with particular attention to the so-called "Heilmittel incantations". Rather than treating vegetal substances as passive materia medica et magica, the study investigates how plants were conceptualized as living, intelligent, and agentive beings actively participating in ritual performances.
Through the analysis of poetic language, etymologies, metaphorical associations, and performative invocations, the article shows how plants acquired therapeutic efficacy within Mesopotamian ritual practice. It argues that anti-witchcraft botany in ancient Mesopotamia must be understood within a broader relational ontology in which plants possessed agency, intentionality, and cosmological significance. 🌱

This contribution reflects my broader interest in multispecies relationships, Environmental Humanities, and the intersections between Assyriology, Ritual Studies, and Critical Plant Studies.

Link to the pubblication: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20384981

🌿 We are delighted to announce that 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑵𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒕. 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, edited by 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐃𝐢 𝐏𝐚𝐨𝐥𝐨 and 𝐆𝐢𝐨𝐞𝐥𝐞 𝐙𝐢𝐬𝐚, is now in press as volume 6 of the wEdge series (Zaphon).

This collective work brings together scholars from archaeology and art history, Assyriology, archaeobotany and paleoecology, history of religions, and Environmental Humanities to explore the many ways plants shaped — and were shaped by — ancient Near Eastern societies.

Rather than considering plants merely as passive resources, the volume investigates their active participation in the co-production of landscapes, symbolic systems, religious practices, and artistic representations, highlighting the complexity of multispecies relationships in the ancient world.

The volume emerges at the intersection of the 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐀𝐍𝐄 project (𝐵𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑁𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑡), directed by Silvana Di Paolo and Gioele Zisa, and the MSCA project 𝐏𝐥𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐓 (𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑁𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝑇𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑠), coordinated by Gioele Zisa. It reflects the growing dialogue between Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Environmental Humanities, and Critical Plant Studies.

A heartfelt thank you to all the contributors for their inspiring chapters, intellectual generosity, and enthusiasm throughout this collaborative journey. 🌱

Contributors:
Jason L.B. Walton (University of Manchester), Silvana Di Paolo, Nicola Macchioni (CNR Rome), Ali Binandeh (Bu-Ali Sina University), Licia Romano (University of Melbourne), Alessandra Celant, Mary Anne Tafuri, Franco D’Agostino, Angela Greco, Lorenzo Verderame, Marinella Ceravolo, Davide Nadali (Sapienza University of Rome), Gioele Zisa (Sapienza University of Rome and University of Pennsylvania), Davide D'Amico (University of Lorraine), Laura Battini (CNRS Paris), Dlshad Aziz Marf (University of Sulaimani), Thomas Staubli (University of Fribourg), Federica Giardini, Zohreh Hosseini, and Flavia Bartoli (Roma Tre University).

More information about the volume:
https://www.zaphon.de/plants-and-humans-in-the-ancient.../en

🌲 Last night I had the pleasure of giving my lecture at the 𝐔𝐂𝐈 𝐉𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬, Irvine 🌴

My sincere thanks to Prof. 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢 and Prof. 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐣 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐞𝐞 for their kind invitation and warm hospitality.

I presented my talk 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒁𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒔 𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔? 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒖, in which I explored the complex question of the location of the “Cedar Forest” in Sumerian traditions, drawing on textual evidence, ecological data, and the symbolic construction of space in the ancient Near East and Iranian Plateau.
After the lecture, the evening continued in the best possible way with an excellent Iranian dinner in great company.

Many thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion!

🌲 A few snapshots from my talk, 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑻𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒔 presented at the 𝟐𝟑𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚, Los Angeles.

The paper explores the symbolic role of cedar in Sumerian texts. The term erin denotes not only “cedar” in a botanical sense, but also serves as a marker of alterity, distance, and prestige, often associated with remote landscapes and exotic resources.

Many thanks to colleagues for the engaging discussion and thoughtful questions.

It was also a pleasure to see Prof. Peter Machinist (Harvard University) in the audience. From Munich to Venice to Los Angeles—a thread that continues to weave encounters and paths over time.

Next stop: UCI Jordan Center for Persian Studies!