Warwick Ball is an Australia-born Near-Eastern archaeologist.
Ball has been involved in excavations, architectural studies and monumental restorations in Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Ethiopia and Afghanistan. As a lecturer, he has been involved with travel tours in Jordan, Iran, Syria, Crimea, Israel, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
Ball was formerly director of excavations at The British School of Archaeology in Iraq.
Video Title: The Eurasian Steppe: People, Movement, Ideas | Warwick Ball in conversation with Anthony Sattin. Source: Jaipur Literature Festival. Date Published: April 13, 2023. Description:
A geographical area, not a political entity, the steppe connects the western and eastern parts of the Eurasian landmass. As such, it is always open, subject to constant movement between Asia and Europe. Warwick Ball's latest The Eurasian Steppe: People, Movement, Ideas tells the story of that movement from prehistory to the present. From nomadic peoples to conquering empires, from tales of Amazon women to art nouveau, and from golden grave goods to the formation of countries that still exist today, Ball shows how the steppe has continually shaped Europe’s destiny and how ultimately, the steppe and the movement of people across it are so crucial that they question the very idea of ‘Europe’ as a separate cultural and historical construct. In this session, Ball will be in conversation with Anthony Sattin, author of Nomads, a book that follows the shifting relationship between nomads and settled communities across the Eurasian steppes and beyond over the past 12000 years.
Warwick Ball is a Near Eastern archaeologist who has worked in Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Jordan, Syria and Iraq, and travelled in most countries between Europe and China over the past fifty years in the course of his work. He is the author of numerous books on the history and archaeology of the region broadly. His latest work includes The Archaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan, East of the Wardrobe: The Unexpected Worlds of C S Lewis, and The Eurasian Steppe.