Meet the members of the AUIS Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (CACHE).
Tobin Hartnell
Founding Director, CACHE
Tobin Hartnell is an assistant professor of World History at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). Tobin teaches courses on archaeology, world history, world geography, and GIS. He uses the latest technology including geophysics and remote sensing to conduct non-destructive investigations of ancient sites. His research focuses on studying the ancient Medes, who both ruled a short-lived empire, and then partnered with the Persians to create the Achaemenid Empire (550 - 330 BC). They constitute a major force in the Kurdistan region, first as Media, then Media Atropatene, and finally Aturpatakan, until time of Islam.
The civilization of the ancient Medes is poorly known, and AUIS will host the only major research project in the Sulaimani region dedicated to this topic.
Prior to joining AUIS, Hartnell completed his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago on ancient Iran, and a Masters on ancient Iraq. He has worked as an archaeologist for twenty years and co-directed a project in Iran before becoming the director of the AUIS Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage.
Click here to view Dr. Hartnell's resume.
