About the podcast

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Monuments Woman is a documentary podcast featuring two longtime friends, George Gavrilis, host and Central Asia expert, and Laura Tedesco, archaeologist and veteran U.S. Department of State cultural heritage specialist. The subject of the podcast is Laura's decade-plus relationship with Afghanistan and the perceived successful and failed U.S. efforts to preserve the country's diverse and rich heritage.   

Laura arrived in Afghanistan for the first time in 2010, and remained in Kabul full-time through 2011 as part of the U.S. diplomatic and military surge. She has since made over 50 trips to the country. The two take us on her ambitious and difficult mission to protect the country's vulnerable heritage. And they reflect on what is now at risk under Taliban control.

The podcast is intentionally apolitical. Deeply personal and intimate, Laura opens up about challenges, self-doubt, mis-steps, starting from when she first arrived in Afghanistan green. The exchanges are honest, serious, informed, while filled with humor and humanity. Laura's story is also one about marriage, motherhood, and friendship.  

The recording began just before the events of August 2021 when the Taliban took control of the entire country, and the mood of the podcast reflects it. George and Laura watched in real time, week after week, what was happening to Afghan friends and colleagues, and how in spite of the U.S. withdrawal, the two countries remain inextricably linked.  

Imagine a country so rich in archaeology that it would take a lifetime to see it all. Ruined fortresses in a countryside of fruit orchards and steep mountains. Ancient and medieval sites from a dozen civilizations in nearly every province. So much to protect and preserve, even more to uncover. But, this is not Italy or Greece or Turkey. This is a country without tourists, without money, and without peace. This is Afghanistan.  

In 2010, the U.S. government decided to help Afghanistan protect and preserve its archaeological sites, museums and cultural heritage. These were better times, when the U.S. was flush, willing to pump massive sums of money into rebuilding the country. It was a time of optimism, even though the Taliban had regrouped and trouble was on the horizon. And so, the State Department dispatched an archaeologist to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.   

This podcast is the story of the archaeologist, Laura Tedesco, the Monuments Woman. I should say that Laura hates the title of the podcast; you will learn why as you listen. I should also say that you, our listener, will not be given lessons about ancient civilizations or even the history of Afghanistan. Instead, this podcast is very much about the present day. What does it mean to be an archaeologist in the 21st century? What does it mean to preserve the past for the sake of an uncertain future? After all, this is a country that witnessed the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas at the hands of the Taliban. And if the U.S. is exiting Afghanistan and leaving the elected government at the mercy of the Taliban, what is the point of doing all this work?  

My name is George Gavrilis, and I will be your host. I’m an oral historian and writer with a fondness for Afghanistan. I think that Kabul looks like Los Angeles if you squint. Laura, our reluctant Monuments Woman, is the storyteller. We are good friends, so I get to call her Laurie. She’s a cultural heritage specialist and archaeologist who worked in trouble spots like Armenia, Syria, and the Metropolitan Museum, all before coming to Afghanistan. Come join us.