Hilary Gopnik

Hilary Gopnik is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology & Ancient History at Monash University, Australia, and Director of the Centre for Ancient Cultures. She specializes in the archaeology of Iron Age Iran, the South Caucasus, and the Medes of the Zagros Mountains. Her research integrates ceramic analysis, landscape archaeology, and cultural heritage management. Gopnik holds a BA in Anthropology from McGill University and MA/PhD in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Toronto. Her doctoral work focused on Godin Tepe, Iran, and she co-authored its final publication. Since 2008, she has co-directed excavations at Oğlanqala in Azerbaijan and participated in NSF-funded projects. Recent grants include an ARC Discovery Project (2021–2024) studying Median polities in Northwestern Iran.

Her research interests span Near Eastern Archaeology, Iranian Archaeology, and the archaeology of Transcaucasia. She explores themes such as ancient governance, Medes political structures, and Achaemenid Persia’s cultural legacy. Key projects include the Oğlanqala excavations and the French-Iranian collaboration at Pasargadae. Gopnik’s work emphasizes interdisciplinary methods, including geochemical analysis and zooarchaeological studies.

Her articles reflect trends in Iron Age studies, frontier archaeology, and material culture analysis. She has collaborated extensively in Azerbaijan, Iran, and France, contributing to global archaeological discourse. Gopnik is committed to public outreach, delivering lectures on topics like Medes resistance to Assyria and gender in Mesopotamian studies. Her research aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to cultural preservation and knowledge sharing.

Current grants and activities include directing the ARC-funded project on Median polities and co-organizing public talks on ancient democracies and cultural heritage. She advises students on archaeology of Iran, Transcaucasia, Mesopotamia, ceramics, and cultural heritage management.