Archaeological Archives as Inclusive Learning Laboratories

American excavations at iconic sites, like Dura-Europos in Syria, have shaped museums, textbooks, and academic fields in the West, but local communities whose labor made these digs possible have long been reduced to nameless figures in photographs or line-items in budget records. This project aims to insert and amplify local Syrian voices, giving communities a platform to share their stories alongside traditional archaeological narratives. By introducing local perspectives and affordances, it seeks to rebalance a one-sided history and make digital archives more accessible to a wider range of users. Deliverables include oral histories, an enriched dataset, digital training for students and marginalized professionals, and an optimized browsing interface.

This is a collaborative project between Birkbeck, University of London, Bard College, Deir ez-Zor Museum, Deir ez-Zor Heritage Library and Heritage Voices (Aswat AlTurath) initiative. It is funded by ACLS Digital Justice Development Grants in May 2025.