Marta Ostovich, Author at American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)

Harris Grant Report: Alalakh/Tell Atchana

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

2025 Harris Grant Report: Documenting Archival Dynamics in the Late Bronze Age: A New Archive of Cuneiform Tablets from Alalakh/Tell Atchana

Jacob Lauinger, Johns Hopkins University; Zeynep T眉rker, Johns Hopkins University; Murat Akar, Hatay Mustafa Kemal 脺niversitesi[1]

This past summer, with the generous support of a Charles Harris Project Grant, a team of PhD students in the Departments of Near Eastern Studies and History of Art at Johns Hopkins University joined the 17吃瓜affiliated Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism and Mustafa Kemal University excavations at Tell Atchana, ancient Alalakh, in Hatay, T眉rkiye, which are under the direction of Murat Akar, to investigate one of the most promising discoveries made at the site in recent years: the possible remains of a Late Bronze Age archive of cuneiform tablets. What made this group of excavators distinctive was that each student had been trained not only in archaeology but also in reading Akkadian cuneiform, bringing together the two areas of expertise needed to recover and document such an archive with exceptional care.

Background to the Project

Following the devastating 2023 earthquakes, over the past three years the excavation team has focused on restoring the iconic Bronze Age monuments originally excavated by Sir Leonard Woolley in the 1930s and 1940s. Further restoration efforts have included the stabilization of sections of the Area 1 squares excavated between 2003 and 2016, adjacent to the Level IV Palace and the Administrative Castle Complex. This large-scale restoration program, partially funded by the 17吃瓜Shepard Urgent Action Grant in 2023, has also led to new discoveries at the site.

In particular, four cuneiform tablets were discovered during cleaning and stabilization operations conducted in the southern section of Sq. 32.54 in the 2024 season. One of the team鈥檚 experienced field supervisors, Baran Kerim Ecer, spotted the tablets within an extremely burnt deposit sealed by the succeeding building phase known as the Hittite Fortress. To test the possibility that additional texts may have survived, the 2025 excavation season was planned to include work in Sq. 32.64 (south of Sq. 32.54), which had previously been explored only on a limited scale.

Accordingly, project excavation鈥檚 staff epigraphers, Jacob Lauinger and Zeynep T眉rker, applied to 17吃瓜for a Charles Harris Project Grant. The funds provided by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and 17吃瓜enabled the excavation team to carry out 16 weeks (!) of intensive fieldwork. The targeted burnt deposit was sealed beneath the massive mudbrick foundations of the Hittite Fortress, previously explored in the adjacent squares and published as part of the Alalakh Excavations second monograph (Figure 2).

Excavations in Sq. 32.64

Excavations began in May, and the first eight weeks were devoted solely to understanding the architectural layout and the stratigraphic relationship between the Level II鈥揑II Hittite Fortress and the burnt deposit (Level IV) beneath it. This initial phase of work was conducted by Arman Alp, an MKU graduate student trained at Tell Atchana. The team of PhD students from Johns Hopkins arrived at the Tell Atchana Excavations and Amuq Valley Reseach Center in July to begin the excavation of the Level IV burnt deposit. The square was under the supervision of Zeynep T眉rker and Lauren Cook, both of whom had previously gained field experience at Tell Atchana and were familiar with the site鈥檚 stratigraphy thanks to ASOR鈥檚 travel grant program for PhD students.

Once the Hittite Fortress level had been fully explored within the boundaries of the square, an area measuring 7 脳 5 meters in the northern half was initially leveled down to reach the burnt deposit. Following the removal of the fortress foundations, and contrary to the typical practice in Near Eastern archaeology, the project adopted a 鈥淒o-It-Yourself鈥� policy. Only a skilled and experienced team of archaeologists, assisted by archaeology students, worked in the trench due to the extremely delicate nature of the context (Figs 3-6). The excavations almost immediately confirmed our initial assessments: more than a dozen tablets and fragments were recovered from this relatively small exposure, along with seal impressions and sealing materials (Fig 7).

Many of the tablets were discovered in the burnt destruction layer containing collapsed mudbricks, large carbon deposits, and dense concentrations of pottery, as well as ornaments made of gold and faience. The burnt deposit partially exposed on the northern section of Sq.32.64 is understood to be very thick and due to delicate and slow excavation methodology applied, the associated floor levels has not been reached yet. Therefore, it was decided to explore this level to the full extent of the square in order to better understand the architectural layout and the contextual distribution of the finds. At present, excavations are still ongoing at the site, carried out by the core members of the Alalakh excavation team, with the aim of removing the remaining portions of the Hittite Fortress, preparing the area for continued exploration that will further investigate the burnt level beneath, in 2026 (Fig. 8).

Most of Alalakh鈥檚 tablets were excavated in the 1930s and 1940s, often with limited documentation of their archaeological context. The discovery of this new archive provides a rare opportunity to examine such material in situ. Each tablet was photographed and recorded with a total station to document their spatial distribution in a three-dimensional context. The associated organic materials were collected for radiocarbon analysis, and soil samples were carefully taken to preserve contextual information for future study. All excavated soil was sifted, allowing the recovery of additional seal impressions and tablet fragments smaller than a thumbnail, demonstrating the necessity of employing a meticulous excavation strategy. The finds were then carefully transferred to the Tell Atchana Excavations and the Amuq Valley Research Center. In close cooperation with Jacob Lauinger and Zeynep T眉rker, the cleaning and conservation of the tablets were carried out by Hatice Nur Ayd谋n, a highly skilled conservator who has specialized in tablet restoration due to the large number of tablets recovered at the site over the past three years (Fig 9). This process was followed by high-resolution photographic documentation prior to in-depth epigraphic study.

Re-Excavating the Level IV Palace

While the Sq. 32.64 team focused on exploring this previously untouched area of the Royal Precinct of Alalakh, another team concentrated their efforts on re-excavating the Level IV Palace. Many of the rooms had been filled with decayed mudbrick following the original excavations of the monument in the 1930s, while others contained backfill from Woolley鈥檚 excavation dumps. This line of work has also led to exciting new discoveries, including additional tablets from the palace that are contemporary with those from Sq. 32.64. Together, these finds provide new perspectives on Woolley鈥檚 legacy excavations at Tell Atchana and the associated archival data (Fig 10).

Conclusion

Although further excavation will be necessary to confirm the architectural layout and extent of the deposit and further conservation and study of the cuneiform tablets is required to fully grasp the nature of their documentation and to integrate them with other cuneiform tablets from both the site and the larger region, this new archive promises to add valuable new data to our understanding of Alalakh and its Late Bronze Age society.

Preliminary assessment of the content of the tablets suggests that most of them are administrative in nature (although two are legal texts). The administrative texts record diverse matters such as personnel, the disbursement of goods, and furniture. In other words, both the context and also the content of the tablets strongly suggest that we are dealing with the remains of an archive located in a building in this area of Alalakh鈥檚 palace-castle complex. This brings up to possibility of exploring another self-contained administrative building adjacent to the Level IV palace.

The 2025 season brought exciting leads but also with many open questions. In 2026, excavation of the square will continue in order to clarify the extent of the archive and the nature of the space in which it was stored. The international team of archaeologists including the Johns Hopkins University graduate students are eager to be back at the site. Working closely with the Hatay Archaeological Museum, the team is committed to preserving these finds and sharing their significance with both scholars and the local community. We are deeply grateful to 17吃瓜for supporting this work possible. Your support allowed our team to carefully excavate, document, and study what may prove to be one of the most important discoveries at Alalakh since the renewed excavations began at the site over twenty years ago.

[1] The excavations at Tell Atchana, Alalakh are carried out with the generous support of the Republic of T眉rkiye鈥檚 Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Gelece臒e Miras (Heritage for the Future) initiative, and funds provided through the Hatay Governorship. Special acknowledgment is extended to Governor Mustafa Masatl谋 for his invaluable support of the 2025 excavation season. The authors also thank Lauren Cook for sharing her report on Sq. 32.64. Of course, any errors are entirely our own responsibility.

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Fieldwork Report: Don’Neka Hayslett

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

Looking Beyond: Finding the New in the Old

Don鈥橬eka Hayslett, 2025 17吃瓜Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

On my first few days at the Cadir H枚y眉k 2025 project, I was introduced to a tool I had never used before: the dumpy level. At its core, it is a simple instrument for measuring horizontal levels鈥攁 tripod, a level head, and a staff marked with precise centimeters. But the challenge wasn鈥檛 in the setup; it was in the seeing. When I first looked through the lens, I kept getting lost in the landscape. My eyes drifted toward the mound, the hills, even the horizon, when all I really needed to find was a tiny line on the staff. It was only after practicing that I realized the trick: I had to look beyond the distractions in order to focus on what mattered. The dumpy level trained me to see not just what was directly before me but the exact measurement that would help piece together the excavation.

That realization became a metaphor for both archaeology and life. Archaeology is the art of connecting fragments鈥攕mall sherds, soil layers, or architectural features鈥攊nto a larger story of how people once lived. Like the dumpy level, it requires looking beyond what you can immediately see to uncover the bigger picture. Each tiny detail is meaningful, but only when joined with others does the whole emerge.

This idea also echoed a sermon I once heard about John in the book of Revelation. Exiled to Patmos, John could have focused only on his suffering or the power of Rome around him. But instead, he looked beyond his circumstances to receive visions of Christ and the churches. In doing so, he pieced together a larger truth: that God鈥檚 kingdom stood above earthly kingdoms, and that the faithful were called to live not by what was seen but by what was true.

My pastor also preached a sermon about a woman, described in Revelation as 鈥淛ezebel,鈥� who lured people into sin. Many in that Roman city depended on her approval鈥攐r on society鈥檚 approval, to keep their businesses and livelihoods. Because the city was steeped in pagan worship with many gods, Christians were pressured into compromise. Their choice was stark: pursue wealth by following her influence, or trust God to provide. It鈥檚 unlikely that the woman鈥檚 actual name was Jezebel; rather, Jesus used the name to highlight her behavior, much like the Old Testament Jezebel who led Israel astray, claiming her words were from God. In the same way, false teaching must always be tested against Scripture. Every message should be weighed carefully, studied, and confirmed by the Word. It reminds me of using a dumpy level. You can either glance at the staff and guess your alignment, or you can use the notches to measure precisely. One way looks convincing, but the other ensures accuracy. Likewise, we must align every teaching with God鈥檚 Word rather than relying on appearances.

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Fieldwork Report: Yishu Deng

Posted on December 18, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

How Archaeology Bridges the Past and Present

Yishu Deng, 2025 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Participation Scholarship Recipient听

After completing my MPhil in Archaeology degree at the University of Cambridge, I had the privilege of joining the excavation team at Kani Shaie in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for the second consecutive year. The project is directed by my MPhil supervisor, Dr. Steve Renette, and offers a great opportunity to engage directly with ongoing archaeological research in the Near East. Fieldwork abroad is financially challenging. I was deeply honored to receive the generous support of and Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Participation Scholarships through ASOR, which enabled me to continue pursuing my passion and advancing my career in archaeology.

The Kani Shaie Archaeological Project is a unique chance for my academic development. My primary research interest lies in metal production at military sites, and although Kani Shaie is modest in size, it has yielded consistent evidence of metallurgical activity across multiple seasons. A notable quantity of metal slag was found, as well as an assortment of iron artifacts, including arrowheads, blades, and other tools. This season was particularly exciting: in the Lower Town trench, we found a small crucible in situ, embedded in the middle of a firepit. Looking at it in its place of function and imagining its ancient use was profoundly inspiring.

Another remarkable object excavated this year was a complete iron hook found inside a tanoor (traditional clay oven), which further ignited my curiosity. It is exceptionally well preserved and was also found in the place where it was used to stoke the fire or remove ashes. These simple yet powerful finds vividly evoked scenes of daily life from thousands of years ago.

In addition to metal objects, Kani Shaie has revealed a wide range of artifacts: all types of pottery, seals, sealings, figurines, spindle whorls, etc., suggesting that the site possibly served administrative, domestic, and military functions. Mapping the distribution of metal working features in relation to other potential activity areas across the site may help us understand where and how metal production occurred, and how this industrial activity related to the broader organization of the settlement. Scientific analysis of the metal artifacts may provide further insight into production techniques and the provenance of raw materials. All such studies can be interesting future research projects.

Another compelling aspect of Kani Shaie is its long history of human activities, spanning from around 6000 BCE to the Ottoman period. This long temporal sequence offers a unique opportunity to study how a site evolves through time鈥攈ow it was used, reused, and transformed, as well as how excavation can be best carried out to uncover this entangled history. It is our responsibility as archaeologists to discern both the changes and the continuities in these long-lived spaces. This season, I learned a great deal not only about excavation methodology but also about how the present-day lives of people in the region can inform us in archaeological studies.

One particularly memorable discovery came from the potentially late Parthian to early Sassanian level in the Lower Town trench, where we uncovered five tanoors, including the one where the hook was found. The place was likely a communal cooking area. The tanoor that contained the hook was connected at the back to a raised platform made of large stones. Steve suggested that the platform may have been supporting the tanoor. Under his guidance, we left the stones in situ and carefully excavated and sectioned the exposed half of the tanoor. What followed was an unexpected revelation: the tanoor contained a remarkably well-preserved stratigraphy. The upper layers consisted of ash in varying colors, while the lower layers comprised medium-sized stones. Beneath these stones, we found the complete iron hook. Finally, there was a grey layer of ash on the bottom of the tanoor, under the iron hook.

What made this find even more meaningful was the connection to present-day practices. Local team members told me that they still have similar tanoors in their homes for baking bread. After my fervent request, Mr. Zana Abdulkareem Qader kindly took me to see one at our neighbor鈥檚 house. It was strikingly similar to the ones we had excavated. There was even a similar iron hook hanging on the wall. Moreover, the tanoor was installed inside a stone-cement platform, which supported the tanoor just like the stones that we found. This type of installation is called sart-tanoor, as Zana explained. The next day at the site, I sat on the stone platform beside the excavated structure and imitated the motions of making bread using the tanoor. The height and layout felt just right.

For someone like me鈥攔aised in a modern city in a different country鈥攊t had always been difficult to visualize how such installations functioned in the past. Seeing these traditions alive in the present helped me connect the dots. It was a powerful reminder of how cultural practices endure over time, and how archaeology can bridge the past and present.

The precious experience at Kani Shaie this season would not have been possible for me without the generous support of 17吃瓜and Profs. Eric and Carol Meyers. Their scholarship significantly alleviated the financial burden of travel and living expenses, for which I would like to express my gratitude once more. I am also grateful to my supervisor Dr. Steve Renette and the project鈥檚 co-directors Andr茅 Tom茅 and Dr. Michael Lewis. Special thanks to Mr. Zana Abdulkareem Qader for his kindness and generosity, and to other local colleagues for their hard work and friendliness. I also learned so much from other students. This season has been invaluable, and I go forward with both knowledge and gratitude.

My name is Yishu Deng, and I鈥檓 originally from Beijing, China. My current research focuses on metallurgy and military fortifications in the Ancient Near East, with a particular emphasis on the Sasanian period.

The Kani Shaie Archaeological Project Instagram page: @kani_shaie_arch_project

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Fieldwork Report: Kearyn Hall

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

Disturbance and Discovery: Learning from Looting at Humayma

Kearyn Hall, 2025 Harva L. Sheeler Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

The 2025 field school began in Amman, the capital of Jordan, where our first week was devoted to lab-based training. Under the guidance of our instructors, we handled ceramics, practiced drawing profiles, reconstructed fragments, and grew accustomed to the meticulous process of cataloging. This initial week was invaluable; it allowed us to encounter the material record in a controlled environment before confronting its fragmentary and often damaged reality in the field. By the time we left Amman, I carried with me not only a set of practical skills but also a growing awareness of how even small sherds and fragments could speak volumes when studied carefully.

Travelling south to Humayma shifted our focus dramatically. The site itself lies in an austere yet striking landscape of desert plains framed by sandstone ridges. At first glance, it appears modest compared to monumental Nabataean or Roman centers, yet its significance lies precisely in its layered history. Established as a Nabataean settlement, later transformed by the presence of a Roman fort, and subsequently home to Byzantine churches and early Islamic occupation, Humayma presents a unique cross-section of centuries of cultural, religious, and social change. Standing within its ruins, one could trace how different communities shaped the same terrain, leaving behind traces that are at once fragile and enduring.

Life at Humayma quickly settled into a rhythm. Early mornings were spent in the field, where small teams divided their efforts among photogrammetry, architectural recording, survey, and midden documentation. Some days were devoted to tracing architectural features with RTK mapping, others to carefully noting the distribution of ceramics within middens. Afternoons were often spent reviewing notes, comparing interpretations, and discussing questions raised by the day鈥檚 work. Evenings, though quieter, were filled with writing, preparation, and the informal but equally important conversations that come with living and learning in close quarters.

Among the many tasks we undertook, the reality of looting stood out most starkly. It was impossible to ignore; it was everywhere. Some disturbances were recent, the scars from metal detectors fresh in the soil. Graves had been torn open, leaving human remains displaced, stripped of the context that would have allowed us to understand their original placement and significance. In another area, a marble platform had been ripped apart, apparently under the assumption that it concealed valuables. In truth, it was nothing more than a built surface, its destruction a senseless erasure of evidence. These episodes made clear how devastating looting is, not only for material culture but for the fragile stories of lives once lived.

Looting also shaped our daily practice. It was evident that looters were aware of our presence, and we were advised not to linger in any single area for too long. This necessity forced us to adapt; recording and documentation were carried out with a heightened sense of urgency, trying to get everything done at once so we didn鈥檛 have to worry about it still being there tomorrow to document. It was a sobering reminder that the work of archaeology does not unfold in isolation, but in a living landscape where the past and present are in constant negotiation.

For me, the most difficult moments were those involving disturbed human remains. Confronting looted graves was unsettling; faced with the incivility of leaving someone once buried to wither away on the surface, at first, I questioned whether I was truly suited to pursue bioarchaeology. Yet when I was able to contribute to the documentation of these remains, I realized how meaningful it was simply to approach them with care and respect. That experience did not erase the destruction I witnessed, but it gave me a sense of purpose in responding to it. It reminded me that archaeology is not only about recovering knowledge, but also about honouring the people and cultures whose traces we encounter.

I am deeply grateful to 17吃瓜and to the Sheelers for supporting my participation in this project. This opportunity not only allowed me to gain invaluable field experience, but also helped me realize that I have found something I truly love to do. Thank you for supporting my dream and helping me take these first steps toward a career in archaeology.

Kearyn is in her final year of her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Classics at the University of Alberta. She is currently applying to Master鈥檚 programs with a focus on Osteoarchaeology.

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2025 Dana Grant Report: Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

2025 Dana Grant Report: Developing an Accessible Digital Ceramic Typology for the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey (EPAS)

Elise Laugier, Utah State University

In recent years, urban expansion and agricultural intensification have placed increasing pressure on the region鈥檚 archaeological sites and cultural landscapes. Rapid documentation and accurate dating of surface materials have become critical for protecting the region鈥檚 cultural heritage. The EPAS ceramic typology, long used internally by the project, offers a standardized system for identifying pottery across 21 chronological phases (from the Proto-Hassuna to the Islamic periods) but has not yet been widely available.

Our goal in the last two seasons has been to expand access to EPAS鈥檚 ceramic typology by developing a bilingual, image-rich digital platform, an app that will allow archaeologists and heritage professionals to quickly identify pottery and date sites in the field. The app, accessible on both desktop and mobile devices, integrates detailed ceramic descriptions, diagnostic criteria, and color images, and will soon include both English and Kurdish. Once finalized, this accessible resource will provide students, archaeologists, and heritage officials in Iraq with a standardized system for ceramic classification, ensuring consistent documentation of sites across the Erbil Plain and adjacent regions.

With support from ASOR鈥檚 Stevan B. Dana Grant, our 2025 season focused on expanding and completing the image database that underpins this typology. Working at the Museum at Erbil Directorate of Antiquities, the team processed and added dozens of images from early phases (Proto-Hassuna through Ninevite 5) to the existing ArcGIS Online mobile application. We also photographed hundreds of additional sherds representing later periods (Mid-Late 3rd Millennium through Islamic), creating a database of over 2,500 high-resolution images. Together, these materials form the foundation of the first comprehensive digital typology for the Erbil Plain.

This project supports local capacity building and collaboration with Kurdish heritage professionals, ensuring that vital archaeological expertise is shared widely and sustainably. By transforming years of specialized field research into an open, bilingual reference, the project contributes to both heritage preservation and digital innovation in Mesopotamian archaeology.

We thank 17吃瓜and the Stevan B. Dana Grant for its generous support in helping us transform a decade of research into a shared resource for the archaeological and heritage communities of the Erbil Plain and beyond.

Learn more about the project or follow the project on .

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2025 17吃瓜Honors & Awards

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

2025 17吃瓜HONORS & AWARDS

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Each year at the Annual Meeting, 17吃瓜recognizes individuals who have performed outstanding service for the organization, those who have published exceptional academic work, and those who made significant contributions to our field. The following award recipients were honored at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Boston and during the Members鈥� Meeting on November 21st. Awards were presented by Lynn Welton, co-chair of ASOR鈥檚 Honors and Awards Committee.

The Richard J. Scheuer Medal. This award honors an individual who has provided truly outstanding, long-term support and service contributions to 17吃瓜(this medal is awarded when such an individual is identified).

Awarded to Sharon Herbert, for her exceptional contributions and guidance during her two terms as both Vice President and President of ASOR.

The Charles U. Harris Service Award. This award is given in recognition of long-term and/or special service as an 17吃瓜officer or Trustee (one award is given annually).

Awarded to Charles E. Jones, Tombros Librarian for Classics and Humanities at Pennsylvania State University, for his time as 17吃瓜Vice President from 2020-2025, most prominently his work with the Chairs Coordinating Council (CCC).

The P. E. MacAllister Field Archaeology Award. This award honors an archaeologist who, during his/her/their career, has made outstanding contributions to ancient Near Eastern and eastern Mediterranean archaeology (one award is given annually).

Awarded to Yorke Rowan, Research Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago, for his impactful contributions to the archaeology of Eastern Badia, Wadi al-Qattafi, and major Chalcolithic sites.

Community Engagement and Public Outreach Award. This award recognizes individuals, teams, and organizations who have initiated outstanding educational, informational, or practical projects (including but not limited to classes, programs, exhibits, resources, events, and platforms) with the goal of making subjects and information about the ancient world accessible to wider (particularly non-academic) audiences.

Awarded to Chad Spigel (Trinity University) and Paul Flesher (University of Wyoming), for their development of the website for the which makes publicly available all of the original field records for the 1970-1981 excavations of four synagogues of Upper Galilee: Meiron, Gush Halav, Khirbet Shema, and Nabratein. The database provides a searchable presentation of all field notes: from locus sheets and top plans to pottery readings and object lists, from daily notes to weekly and end-of-season reports.

17吃瓜Membership Service Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made special contributions on behalf of the 17吃瓜membership, through committee, editorial, or office services.

Awarded to: Theodore W. Burgh, Professor, University of North Carolina Wilmington, has been an exemplary leader for ASOR鈥檚 Membership and Outreach Committee during his two terms as its chair, from 2020 through 2025.

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Awarded to Allison Thomason, Professor, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, for her work as Co-Chair of the Program Committee for the last six years and compassionate approach to her service to ASOR.

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Awarded to Vanessa Workman, University of Pennsylvania, who has served on the Early Career Scholars (ECS) Committee since 2017 and became its Co-Chair in 2023.

The W. F. Albright Service Award. This award honors an individual who has shown special support or made outstanding service contributions to one of the overseas centers (AIAR, CAARI), or to one of the overseas committees 鈥� the Baghdad Committee and the Damascus Committee. This award is given when such an individual is identified.

Awarded to Matthew J. Adams, Director of the Center for the Mediterranean World, who served as Director of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research from 2014 to 2022, revitalizing its facilities, programs, finances, and global reach.

The G. Ernest Wright Award. This award is given to the editor/author of the most substantial volume(s) dealing with archaeological material, excavation reports and material culture from the ancient Near East and eastern Mediterranean. This work must be the result of original research published within the past two years (one award is given annually).

Awarded to Kevin D. Fisher, Associate Professor of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology, University of British Columbia, for his substantial contribution to the archaeology of Cyprus in

The Frank Moore Cross Award.听This award is presented to the author/editor of the most substantial volume(s) related to the history and/or religion of the ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean. Primary consideration will be given to historical, epigraphic, textual, and comparative literary studies; or to works that advance and/or evaluate new methodological approaches to the literary record(s). This work must be the result of original research published during the past two years (one award is given annually).

Awarded to Tiffany Earley-Spadoni, Associate Professor, University of Central Florida, for the novel analysis of Urartu as a decentralized non-urban empire with a political organization constructed around a dispersed fortified regional network in

The Nancy Lapp Popular Book Award. This award is presented to the author/editor of a book published in the last two years that offers a new synthesis of archaeological or textual evidence intended to reach an audience of scholars as well as students and the broader public (one award is given annually).

Awarded to Tate Paulette, Associate Professor at North Carolina State University, for , which synthesizes the long and colorful history of Mesopotamian beer.

The Joy Ungerleider Poster Award. This award is conferred upon the author(s) of the poster presenting the results of a study about ancient Near Eastern societies in a clear, legible fashion using original graphic content. Subject matter may be based in archaeological sciences, history, anthropology, epigraphy, ethnography, heritage or other scholarly approaches to understanding ancient people in the areas covered by 17吃瓜(one award is given annually).

Awarded to Defne Bilgili, Johns Hopkins University, for the poster: 鈥淧reservation and Public Engagement at Tell Atchana, Alalakh: A Digital Reconstruction of the Middle Bronze Age Gate Complex.鈥�

Student Paper Award. This award is conferred upon the author(s) of a paper presented during the Annual Meeting that conveys the results of a study about ancient Near Eastern and wider Mediterranean societies in a clear, understandable, and convincing fashion. The first author and presenter of the paper must be a registered student at the time of presentation in order to be eligible for consideration for this award.

Awarded to Aaren (Zhengfang) Zhou, New York听 University, for her paper 鈥淐ooking Pots and Negotiating Identity: Material Culture and Adaptive Agency During the Egyptian Occupation of Beth She鈥檃n.鈥�

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Fieldwork Report: Aleyna Uyanik

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

Dusty, Sweaty but very Happy!

Aleyna Uyanik, 2025 Katherine Barton Platt Fellowship Recipient.听

Spending the summer in Marmaris with the Phoenix Archaeological Project has been nothing short of incredible.

The people I worked with in the project are more than just colleagues. For me, this is one of the most beautiful aspects of our discipline. Every summer, people from different corners of the world come together in one place: Taslica. While we have scientific goals, we also share daily challenges, laughter, and mutual support under often demanding conditions. Looking back, I realize that the moments from the summer that stay with me most are the ones with the Phoenix Project team in Marmaris. It might sound clich茅, but it is here that I learned the most. It was not only about archaeology, it was about so many other things. Even something as simple as a song playing on the radio on our way to the field became part of that shared memory, one that I value just as much as the ancient press stones and pottery finds we documented.

Life in the Field

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At the Phoenix Archaeological Project, we work in the ancient region of Caria, today鈥檚 Marmaris area in southwestern Turkey. The terrain is demanding: steep hills and rocky paths (which made me cry once, though thinking about it now actually makes me laugh), but that is also what makes the work so rewarding. A typical day begins early. By sunrise, we have breakfast, and shortly after, we pack our equipment and head into the hills. Every evening, during team meetings, the we set the plan for the following day. That means that when we leave in the morning, we know exactly where we are going and what we are searching for. Of course, the land itself has the power to change plans. Sometimes we encounter unexpected things, or we find a site denser in material than anticipated, which forces us to adjust our schedule.

By midday, the heat in Marmaris becomes little overwhelming. Before temperatures rise too high and our water bottles empty, we return to our research center for lunch. At lunch we discuss the morning鈥檚 work, observations from the field, and sometimes also share jokes about an oversized rabbit that startled us. Yes, we enjoyed documenting even the tiniest sherds, since they contribute meaningfully to our academic work, but we also enjoyed the moments of laughter which made the long and tiring days at the field both productive and memorable.

After lunch, we usually take 听a pause to rest and take care of personal needs. In the late afternoon, office work begins. This is where 鈥渇ieldwork鈥� is turned into more scientific data. Out in the field we spent a lot of time around agricultural terraces and farm structures. We came across press stones, cisterns, and weight stones, which I helped measure and record with my teammates. Even small things like roof tiles or amphora bases around old farmhouses became important to document, because these small finds tell us a lot about the history of the place. Every time we found ceramics, we carefully recorded them, since pottery is one of the best ways to figure out the age of a structure.

Community and Camaraderie

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What makes the Phoenix Project great is not only the research but also the community it creates. After office hours, we often gather in the garden. Dinners in the evening are followed by late-night conversations (sometimes it was not the best idea, since we have to wake up around 5am, oopsie!) with friends who, in just a few weeks, come to feel like family. Balancing personal space and constant teamwork on archaeological projects can be challenging. We live and work together nearly every hour of the day. but we always find a way to overcome any negativities.

Aleyna Uyanik is a Classical Archaeology and Philosophy student at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. She has worked in archaeology and museum projects in Turkey and Germany, with a focus on Greek and Roman material culture.

Phoenix Archaeological Project Website:

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New B17吃瓜Editors Announced

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

NEW BULLETIN OF ASOR听(BASOR) EDITORIAL TEAM ANNOUNCED

17吃瓜welcomes Jason Ur as a new interim co-editor of TheBulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research (BASOR).听This co-editor appointment was unanimously approved by the Executive Committee on recommendation from the Committee on Publications. Ur will serve an interim term, ending December 31, 2026, alongside one of the current co-editors, Marwan Kilani.听The Committee on Publications thanks the three outgoing editors, Susan Cohen, Jana Myn谩艡ov谩, and Regine Pruzsinszky, for their dedication, professionalism, and service.

Jason Ur is Stephen Phillips Professor of Archaeology and Ethnology in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University. He specializes in early urbanism, landscape archaeology, and remote sensing. He was trained in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania (BA 1994) and in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago (PhD 2004). He has directed field surveys in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. He is the author of Urbanism and Cultural Landscapes in Northeastern Syria: The Tell Hamoukar Survey, 1999-2001 (2010). Since 2012, he has directed the , an archaeological survey in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. In 2014, he was the plenary speaker at the 2014 17吃瓜Annual Meeting with his talk, 鈥淭he Renaissance of Archaeology in Iraq and its Kurdistan Region.鈥�

Marwan Kilani is an Egyptologist and linguist working on cultural and linguistic interactions between Egypt and the Levant. He has a strong interest in methodological questions, and in digital humanities and computational methods applied to the study of the ancient world. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Basel and has served as B17吃瓜co-editor since January 1, 2021.

Those interested in publishing in BASOR should continue to submit manuscripts through the .

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Posted on October 26, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

Final Week: October Webinar Challenge

Each year, 17吃瓜offers a series of fascinating Friends of 17吃瓜webinarsthat are free to the public. In order to keep this program running and make sure webinars stay free and accessible for all, 17吃瓜needs to raise $10,000 every fiscal year. This year, two anonymous donors have generously pledged $3,000 in matching gifts to support the webinars. That means for every gift you make between now and November 26th, these generous donors will match your gift one-to-one until we hit $3,000.

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Fieldwork Report: Andrew Rivadeneira

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Marta Ostovich

Floating in the Adriatic

Andrew Victor Rivadeneira, 2025 Katherine Barton Platt Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient听

After 3 years of excavations at the hillfort Gradina Rat on Bra膷 Island in Croatia, this year was a study season. The site is about an hour ferry ride from Split on the mainland. Gradina Rat has a long history of occupation from the Bronze Age through the 19th century. The focus this season was on analyzing and cataloging artifacts previously excavated, instead of on uncovering new material. As researchers, we focused on the processing of the finds and started to build a clearer picture for the function of the site for reports and publication. This was my third year as part of the project and second as a staff member. My role was to aid in processing archaeobotanical samples and help with the field reports.

Flotation is a key archaeological method for recovering small scale artifacts such as seeds, charcoal, and fish bones from sediment. These smaller materials are hard to see during excavation of the deposits. Yet their low density allows them to float and become more visible in water, hence the flotation method. Samples were taken from each context after the modern layers and kept separated throughout the process. We used a full-sized metal water sieve device that was loaned from the University of Zadar for the last two field seasons. The drum was filled with water near the bottom, and then soil was poured from the top over the mesh in the drum. The mesh allowed the dirt to pass through while keeping larger material on the top of the mesh, and for the smaller material to float. The floating material and water then were slowly pushed out of an opening near the top of the drum. There were two different sized micro mesh trays that would then catch the material while allowing the water to filter through and out of the device. Afterwards the collected micro material was dried and later sorted.

Sorting the floated material proved a meticulous and at times painstaking process. 听Once dried, samples were transferred onto plastic trays, and then tweezers were used to separate tiny seeds, charcoal, bone, and shell. Trying to distinguish this material from compact dirt or rocks was another challenge especially for seeds. The material then was treated separately, seeds were saved for our archaeobotanist to study to help get a better understanding of possible diet, agriculture, and environment. Fish bones and scales were of particular interest when found since they are so small, and this method is one of the best ways to find them. Other bones are often too shattered and small to be identifiable in most instances to be particularly useful. Larger material gathered from the top mesh were sherds of ceramics, lithics, and metals. Sorting the top mesh was much easier and partially done during flotation.

Working on this project has been extremely rewarding personally and professionally. There is still much to discover and understand about Croatian archaeology. This site provides a fascinating component in helping us understand something about the past. A portion of an early fortification wall was found on the terraced hillside, and there are plans to try to preserve it for the public. There appear to be other signs of domestic structures on the hilltop and slopes, and there is evidence for trade鈥攂oth locally and abroad鈥攚ith other Mediterranean civilizations for over a thousand years. The complete story of this site still needs further investigation, though for now we must work with what we currently have. Hopefully this site will soon be accessible to hikers and bikers with signage directing people to the prehistoric wall as part of a Croatian state conservation project!

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