ASOR-Affiliated Morocco Project Publishes Evidence 17吃瓜 Bronze Age North Africa
Media Release February 20, 2025
ASOR-affiliated archaeology project finds new evidence of earliest farming in NW Africa
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ALEXANDRIA, Va. 鈥� A new study in the journal听Antiquity听presents the first evidence of a Bronze Age-era farming settlement in the northwest Maghreb following an ASOR-affiliated excavation in Kach Kouch, Morocco.
The study, titled 鈥溙齱as published on February 17 in the journal听Antiquity听by Cambridge University Press.听Authors Hamza Benattia, Youssef Bokbot, Jorge Onrubia-Pintado and the rest of the Kach Kouch Archaeological Project team, primarily comprising students from the National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage of Morocco (INSAP), have been conducting excavations and surveys at Kach Kouch, Morocco since 2021 to further the understanding of this hitherto little-known period. They revealed in the听Antiquity听study the remains of a settlement occupied from 1300 to 600 BCE that was a farming economy before the arrival of the Phoenician conquest.
The team鈥檚 research demonstrated that settled occupation in this region stems from social and economic dynamics within local North African communities since at least 2200 BCE, rather than being a result of later interactions with Phoenician communities. Despite the settlement of Phoenician communities along the northern Moroccan coast from the eighth century BCE onwards, local cultural traditions persisted in the inner valleys of the western Rif, Morocco, until the sixth to fifth centuries BCE.
The Kach Kouch settlement practiced animal husbandry and crop cultivation, with crops being processed and stored on site, based on the published findings. Farming, herding, building, and material culture continued from the eighth to seventh centuries BCE to further emphasize the 鈥減rimary role played by local communities in shaping the social, cultural and economic dynamics of the emergent Moroccan Bronze Age and subsequent Early Mauretanian period鈥� at Kach Kouch, according to the study.
Thanks to the support of an听17吃瓜Stevan B. Dana Grant, the Kach Kouch team continued the research in northwestern Morocco鈥檚 Rif mountains in 2023 and early 2024. Extensive survey and targeted excavation along the valleys of Oued Laou and Stehat identified five previously undocumented sites. The newly discovered sites attest to a more stable settled occupation in the region than previously thought, spanning from the Late Prehistory to the Early Mauretanian Period (from c. 2200-400BC), a novel signature for non-Nilotic North Africa.
The publication鈥檚 findings stimulate interest in the overlooked region and encourage new narratives in the scholarly discourse on North African archaeology.
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17吃瓜 ASOR
The听American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)听is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to initiate, encourage, and support research into, and public understanding of, the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world, from the earliest times. 17吃瓜fosters original research, archaeological excavations, and explorations; encourages scholarship in the Near East鈥檚 basic languages, cultural histories, and traditions; builds support for Near Eastern studies; and advocates high academic standards. 17吃瓜is apolitical and has no religious affiliation.
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The American Society of Overseas Research The James F. Strange Center 209 Commerce Street Alexandria, VA 22314 E-mail:听info@asor.org Telephone: 703-789-9229
Mid-way through excavation, the highest point of the site can be seen in the background near where the Cappadocia Gate and the Palatial Complex are located.
Welcome to Kerkenes, a sprawling Iron Age site located in central Anatolia. This megacity is mysterious as it is vast; Kerkenes was only briefly inhabited for less than a century, before a battle and catastrophic fire caused it to become abandoned. Although the site has been suggested to be that of which Herodotus identifies as Pteria, this description is unconfirmed, and much is left to be learned about the city and its former inhabitants.
Here I joined the ASOR-affiliated Kerkenes Project with the University of Central Florida, where I started my PhD this year working with Kerkenes project director Dr. Scott Branting. Despite a sobering earthquake and busy election season in Turkey preluding our excavation, this year鈥檚 field season took place from May until July 2023. Thanks to the generous support of the P.E. MacAllister Fieldwork Scholarship, I was fortunate to participate in an advantageous initial season on the site before starting my PhD program.
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The drone (somewhere up in the sky) and GPS in action.
Kerkenes is located in central Anatolia, in the province of Yozgat. This year the Kerkenes team was lucky to be among the first to experience the opening of the new high-speed rail system that now runs from Ankara to Yozgat (yes, the same name as the province), a city within an hour of the field site. I find the Kerkenes Project unique on account of the variety of research methods and experts that collaborate on the single site. This year we conducted geophysical surveys, drone surveys, and excavation in the field, in addition to ongoing material analysis carried out by conservators, zooarchaeologists, paleobotanists, and ceramicists in the nearby compound鈥檚 facilities. Digitalization of previous years鈥� finds is carried out in any spare time the team has, creating a valuable archive of 3D data about the site.
The timing of the field season in Kerkenes is particularly suited to the wide range of surveys and research that is conducted there. Weather in the first few weeks of the season is typically wet and rainy, the moist ground conducive to resistivity surveys. Perhaps thanks in part to El Ni帽o, we had an unusually rainy year that allowed for resistivity to carry on into nearly mid-June. As the spring rain cleared up, excavation began on Urban Block 8, a section of the city located along the northern edge of the city wall.听This block is one of the longest-excavated sections of the site and has yielded valuable data concerning urban development and planning of the city and its perimeter defensive wall.
Over June and July, the excavation team successfully excavated new rooms of this block, providing the project with more data that will help us understand the purposes of the specific structures in Urban Block 8. Based upon the 2022 season鈥檚 excavation in adjoining rooms of the block, we anticipated the need for accompanying zooarchaeologist researchers to develop a system by which to differentiate bone fragments from ivory in the field. This system expedited the identification process of many materials and made our work in the trench more efficient.
The project鈥檚 trusty all-terrain transportation.
Sure enough, this summer鈥檚 excavation yielded data which will help us understand the functionality of Urban Block 8鈥檚 structures, in addition to the potential diet, animal husbandry practices, storage systems, and art production of the urban block鈥檚 residents. Many materials found in Urban Block 8 this year showed evidence of contact with extreme temperatures, serving as further evidence of the reach and intensity of the destructive fire that enveloped the city. The team conducted wet sieving and flotation on many soil samples from this year鈥檚 trench, but due to the large volume of soil collected, work from 2023 samples will continue into next year and keep us very busy!
Finds from previous years of the Kerkenes project can be viewed by the public at the nearby Yozgat Museum, as well as in Ankara at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The Kerkenes site will continue to be a source of incredible information about the central Anatolian Iron Age and ancient megacities. Recent work on the site investigates urban planning, pedestrian modeling, and shared social spaces that can be applied to cities anywhere, ancient or modern. I look forward to joining the project in the coming years during my doctoral program to help uncover more of this incredible field site.
Annalise Whalen is a PhD student at the University of Central Florida, where she focuses on digital archaeology of the Middle East. She earned her MTS from Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and received her BA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.听You can find Annalise Whalen on Twitter @AnnaliseWhalen
For more information about the Kerkenes Project visit:
Website
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2023 Harris Grant Report: Polatl谋 Landscape Archaeology and Survey Project (PLAS), Turkey
The 17吃瓜Charles Harris Project Grant enabled us to expand our area coverage in Polatl谋 Landscape Archaeology and Survey Project (PLAS), resulting in the documentation of 19 new sites in the 2023 season.
A taste of the Polatl谋 landscapes, as seen from the top of H谋d谋r艧eyh H枚y眉k.
PLAS is a regional survey that explores the city of Polatl谋 in the province of Ankara in central Anatolia. We employ a combination of regional and site-based survey techniques to locate sites, to understand their landscape context, to construct their site biographies, and to study their material culture through a sample surface collection. While survey work is inherently diachronic, our dominant focus has always been on the Bronze and Iron Ages to be able to understand the changes this region experienced under Hittite imperialism by focusing on before, during, and after the reach of the Hittite Empire to this region.
The major research objective for PLAS is to trace the imperial strategies of the Hittite Empire along its under-investigated western border. Our survey area neighbors the eastern bank of the Sakarya River. The scarce mentions of this significant river in Hittite texts paint a picture of liminality and suggest that crossing this river towards the west meant leaving the Hittite core region. While Polatl谋 is home to the long-term excavations at the Phrygian capital Gordion鈥攁 freshly minted UNESCO World Heritage site鈥攔egional work in this area has been scarce, and rarely targeted the Bronze Age past.
A group from the PLAS 2022 team walking transects at the site of 脰renler Mevkii.
A melting pot yielded from the site of Karayav艧an H枚y眉k. Some metal slag still preserved inside can be seen in the top view above.
Our work since 2019 revealed a dense Early Bronze Age occupation in the region. Access to, and control of, metal ores and metalworking technologies seem to be a driving force for this settlement surge, as demonstrated by metal slags and vessels related to metalworking that were yielded from our third millennium BCE sites. Polatl谋 seems to have suffered from the catastrophic end of the Early Bronze Age that is visible elsewhere in Anatolia, as one third of these sites do not continue into the Middle Bronze Age. The Middle Bronze Age landscape is, however, still one of continuity, as every site occupied in the early second millennium BCE was also occupied in the Early Bronze Age. The full impact of the Hittite Empire is felt in the Late Bronze Age, manifested with three new foundations that exhibit close ties to the core region of the empire to the east in terms of their material assemblage. Following the end of the Bronze Age, the Iron Age of the region looks much different, as it is no longer on the borderlands of an empire but is the center of the Phrygian kingdom.
Tattoos identified in 2019 on a woman鈥檚 hip and lower back 漏 Anne Austin
The Charles Harris Grant enabled us to substantially increase our coverage in 2023. Polatl谋 is a large city, and having one home base is not enough to be able to access its various landscapes. Through ASOR鈥檚 generous support, we were able to temporarily relocate to work in the southern areas of Polatl谋 we could not work before. We discovered 19 new sites, substantially increasing our dataset and putting the results of our previous seasons to test. As this was our last season for this first phase of the PLAS project, we are grateful to 17吃瓜for helping us expand our research area for better understanding the borderland dynamics in this region.
M眉ge Durusu-Tanriover, Director of PLAS
(Temple University and Bilkent University)
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Learn more about the听Polatl谋 Landscape Archaeology and Survey Project (PLAS)听on their听听or their听!
John Rinks, 2023 Stevan B. Dana Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient
When I was a young boy, I dug holes in my parent鈥檚 backyard. I鈥檓 pretty sure I wasn鈥檛 expecting to find anything. I just liked to dig. I also read books about pirates and buried treasure. When asked, I would say my plan when I grew up was to find pirate treasure buried on remote Caribbean islands.
John holding two tourias.
Being a volunteer on an excavation in Israel is the grownup version of that young boy鈥檚 dream. Spoiler alert: the experience surpassed my expectations, and I am obsessed with it.
Going on 鈥渁 dig鈥� starts way before the long plane ride. For me, it meant going to the gym every day after work to get (and stay) in shape. I鈥檓 63-years old, with a desk job, and didn鈥檛 want to be that 鈥渙ld guy鈥�. I wanted to pull my weight and show the young grad students what hard work looks like. To wield a pickaxe and turia tirelessly for extended hours in 95-degree F heat. To 鈥渂ucket-chain鈥� over 1,000 buckets of dirt out of the excavation area every day without breaking a sweat (that鈥檚 an exaggeration 鈥� I sweated plenty).
Not everyone on the dig team started out as gung-ho as me. Some of the college kids didn鈥檛 have manual labor experience. But it didn鈥檛 take long for them to ramp up. It鈥檚 pretty awesome to see twenty-something guys and gals quickly learn how to dig. How hard can it be? Of course, anybody can 鈥渄ig鈥�. What I鈥檓 talking about is next level. Like, listening to the sound the pickaxe head makes when it hits the ground. Or feeling that difference flow up through the shaft handle to your hands. Was that soft dirt, hard dirt, mudbrick, pottery, stone, or an artifact? I鈥檓 totally serious. It鈥檚 a real thing.
One surprise is the focus of the dig director and supervisors at my site to make everyone鈥檚 experience a great one. Volunteers get training, mentoring, and meaningful assignments. First timers are not relegated to menial tasks. One of my roommates was in his thirties and has a desk job like me back in the States. He used his entire three weeks of annual vacation time to be a volunteer on the dig. He loved it.
John in his square with dig director Dr. Shlomit Bechar.
John inspecting a stone mace head he uncovered.
John standing above his
square after 6 weeks of digging.
There are side benefits too. Being on a dig isn鈥檛 just that three week or six-week session. It turns into a life experience. Not just the memory aspect of it. It can motivate you to care more about your physical condition and health. You make friends from all over the world and stay in contact on social media. It makes you more interesting to your family and friends, having unique stories to tell and pictures to share. If you read the Bible or history books it gives you 鈥淚 was there鈥� pictures in your mind of the real thing.
Did we find cool stuff? Of course. Ancient walls and plastered floors 鈥� from thousands of years ago. A 3,500-year-old bronze axe head. Ceramic jugs and bowls. A pottery sherd with an Egyptian hieroglyph. A cylinder seal. Large threshold stones leading into a temple 鈥� carved from volcanic basalt. And on and on.
One of my favorite pictures from this summer at Tel Hazor Lower City is of me standing above the 鈥渉ole鈥� I helped dig in six weeks. By itself, the picture isn鈥檛 amazing. But when I tell the people I show it to that we started at ground level in the year 2023, and six weeks and nine feet later it was the year 1750 BC more than 3,700 years ago 鈥� it becomes amazing! Lots of people like movies and books about time travel; sitting comfortably watching a movie or reading a book. I was there. I touched the stones and artifacts. I time traveled. Words cannot adequately express this phenomenon. You鈥檒l just have to go to a dig one of these summers and see for yourself.
Today I鈥檓 writing this report back home in Colorado. When I finish it, I鈥檒l be heading to the fitness gym to work out because the countdown app on my phone says 299 days from now I will be flying from Denver to Tel Aviv because I鈥檓 going back. I can hardly wait to see what our team is going to find next summer. Maybe I鈥檒l see you there.
John Rinks is development director at a large Christian high school in Denver, Colorado. Prior to that he was an economics teacher for 18 years and in the defense industry for 15 years in southern California. John is married and has three children and eight grandchildren.听
For more information about the Hazor Lower City Excavations visit:
The Honors and Awards Committee seeks nominations to serve on the G. Ernest Wright Book Award and Frank Moore Cross Book Award sub-committees. 17吃瓜invites nominations, including self-nominations, from 17吃瓜members who are interested in being considered by the committee for these openings. Committee members will serve a three-year term with the possibility of two consecutive terms. Nominees must fill out the by February 23, 2024. The Honors and Awards Committee takes responsibility for determining the awardees for the three book awards, the field archaeology award, the 鈥渂est poster鈥� and 鈥渂est student paper鈥� awards, and the multiple membership service awards that 17吃瓜gives annually; conducting the awards ceremony during the Members鈥� Meeting at the 17吃瓜Annual Meeting; and discussing and advising the 17吃瓜Board of Trustees about ASOR鈥檚 awards, including recommending to the Board the creation of new awards as deemed appropriate.听
One candidate is sought for the G. Ernest Wright Award sub-committee. This award is given to the author/editor 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.) This candidate will also serve on the Joy Ungerleider poster sub-committee.
One candidate is sought for the Frank Moore Cross Award sub-committee. 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.) This candidate will also serve on the Student Paper Award sub-committee.
Preference will be given to candidates who complement the research specialities of the existing committee members.
In order to receive full consideration by the committee the must be submitted by noon EST on February 23, 2024. For questions and concerns, please contact Marta Ostovich (programs@asor.org)听
Find One 鈥� Fund One: 2024 17吃瓜Scholarships and Grants
This year 17吃瓜is awarding more than $250,000 in fellowships, scholarships, and grants!听This extraordinary commitment to our members has been made possible by you, our members and donors, who have established endowments or made annual contributions to these programs.
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We invite you to听听(a scholarship, fellowship, or grant) or to help听听(designated gifts to enable us to award even more, or unrestricted gifts to help with the costs of administering and distributing the awards).
17吃瓜plans to make four types of awards:
听($86,000)
听($130,000)
听($15,500)
听(at least $20,000鈥攚e need more donations)
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Syeda Sukena Zehra working with the Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition in Georgia.
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The deadline to apply for fieldwork participation scholarships and grants is a little over a month away (February 26听for grants,听February 28听for scholarships). We invite you to apply and to share the word through your social media and other networks (please share this post).
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Ashley Jemmott excavating at Tel Abel Beth Maacah.
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17吃瓜is able to provide these scholarships with the partnership of you, our many members and donors. You are enabling 17吃瓜to establish new scholarships and grants through endowed funds, but your annual support (i.e., gifts this year) will allow 17吃瓜to send more eager students and early career scholars into the field.听You may also make a designated gift by choosing any category from the drop-down menu on the donations module.
Please spread the word and don鈥檛 hesitate to contact us if you have any questions (e-mail听or call [703-789-9233]).
2023 Seger Grant Report: The Middle Cypriot Hilltop Site at Kalavasos-Laroumena, Cyprus
Dr. Mara T. Horowitz, Director, Kalavasos-Laroumena and Arkhangelos Archaeological Research Project
With the assistance of the Joe D. Seger Grant, the first season of excavations took place at听Laroumena听as part of the听.听 The excavation was sponsored by Purchase College SUNY, and further supported by the Rust Family Foundation, the Curtiss T. & Mary G. Brennan Foundation, and the University of Western Washington.听 Crucial support and logistics were provided by the Cyprus-American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI).
Drone photo of Laroumena from the northwest, Kalavasos village in the background (K-LAARP archive)
The Kalavasos area is famous for its rich archaeological record and history of excavation. The K-LAARP project targets the poorly known Middle Cypriot (MC, c.2000-1650BC) period in the valley.听 Our goal is to study the transition from simple to complex societies on Cyprus that may have originated with prestige competition and communal surplus storage among local families.听Laroumena听is a clifftop promontory adjacent to a 60-hectare terrace complex above the Vasilikos River with many MC surface finds indicating a large settlement.听 Abundant surface finds of exceptionally large Red Polished storage jar fragments on听Laroumena, also seen in our excavations, indicate significant storage capacity.
We placed two 4x4m squares on a terrace above a bulldozed road cut where multiple large drystone walls were visible in a section originally cleaned by Ian Todd of the Vasilikos Valley Project survey in 1993.听 Both squares yielded secure deposits.听 Items of domestic character, probably related to food production and stone tool-making, were recovered alongside shell beads and a stone pendant.听 Square 4N-4b quickly revealed multiple walls and a small room filled with burn deposits.听 Square 4M-25b passed through a deep deposit of slopewash and reached a dense, unstable layer of gravel and pebbles rich in MC artifacts, likely indicating more MC activity on the adjacent uphill terrace.听 Below the stone later was revealed a single large wall of unusual thickness (up to 0.9m) and associated floors.听 An exciting find is a small black stone ground into a trapezoid, possibly a balance pan weight. 听A single piece of bronze was also recovered.听 Ceramic finds date these deposits to the MC.
In future seasons we will work to determine the character and function of these features and how they may relate to the adjacent settlement鈥檚 social organization and economic basis. We are particularly interested in the possibility of public architecture and boundary walls of the type that mark the late MC at other sites. The 2023 season鈥檚 assistant director was Christine Johnston and the field director was Enrico de Benedictis.
17吃瓜plans to award two听Seger Project Grants听of $2,500 each during 2024.听听by February 26, 2024 for consideration.
The听听aims to trace Georgian cultural roots back to their Neolithic ancestors by examining cultural markers on the land. The 2023 excavation season was divided into periods and culture groups to further unravel the region鈥檚 complex history.
Initially, I began work with a team of 5 at the site of Khait-Maze, which dates to the Early Bronze III. Evidence from the site points to a melding of cultures at the crossing of the rivers Kura and Araxes. Cultures of Mesopotamia and the Caucuses acted as reciprocal partners, building a material and cultural kinship. The idea of grasping history literally within one鈥檚 palms is transcendent. This year, the team expected to find funerary features because of burial pits which had been revealed during prior excavations north of the site. After preliminary topsoil removal within the 5x5m trench, 5 potential feature outlines were identified, and these were inferred to be burials, similar to the previous excavation. Archaeological context was reached at about 2m depth in a 2x5m probe started in the north in the trench. The team excavated a plaster-like floor, possibly within a building, which was an exciting find. This plaster lays on top of a caramel-y clay surface and can be seen throughout the loci.
Current interpretation suggests the excavation square is on top of a building surface rather than a burial site. This is further supported by a post hole made of wood excavated within the probe, which may indicate that the team has reached the bottom surface of the Early Bronze III architecture. Ceramic evidence also points to an Early Bronze age context with the excavation of black and red ceramics that are smooth and burnished on both sides. The team encountered very dense Roman and Late Antique ceramic deposits above the archeological horizon. These deposits were very informative in cementing the continued use of the large site as both a burial ground to the far north and as a a potential domestic area, located along a transit route throughout its history. Larger ceramic finds within the possible architectural feature showcase the Khirbet Kerak cultural influence of incised patterns and motifs on black burnished ware. Overall, the finds reveal great Levantine coastal influence on the society within this region.
In the final two weeks, I began supervising excavations of a new site estimated to date to the Neolithic along with the project鈥檚 Georgian co-director. This site, newly-named Imirchala, is located on a mound about a 10-minute drive to the west of Khait-Maze at relatively higher elevation. Initial surface survey showed a high density of obsidian micro artifacts and refuse dating to the Neolithic, but excavations did not reveal any archaeological features. The team then focused on a 4x4m trench where multiple mudbrick features, possibly storage units, were revealed. This trench also contained a fire feature in the northwest corner along the wall of the trench, which was very interesting. Although we could not confirm a Neolithic archaeological context at Imirchala during the short excavation period, the ceramic finds do point to a Bronze Age domestic setting.
Evidence from these two sites could serve to indicate the social composition of Kura-Araxes societies and the layout of mortuary and domestic areas. This is only a preliminary interpretation, but as I continue to research, we can find the changes in cultural practices that emerge when these Mesopotamian and Caucasian-Levantine cultures cross-pollinate. At both sites, ceramic bases are essential in testing for wine making or preserving activities during the Bronze Age III. These finds could greatly inform Georgian cultural roots, pointing to an amalgamation of cultures which influences modern practices. Testing these ceramics can reveal not only the possible importance of wine culture, but also how dietary practices and material culture are influenced by the interaction of multiple groups.
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Syeda Sukena Zehra is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto specializing in archaeology with a keen interest in South-Asian and Near and Middle Eastern civilizations. Sukena aims to explore the transnational interrelationships which build culture and politics.
Want to help more students and early career archaeologists get into the field? Donate to the cause today by selecting 鈥淪tudent Support鈥� as your gift purpose!
Cultural Heritage Education and Site Conservation in Madaba, Jordan (2023): An Update on the Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Endowment
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By Douglas R. Clark, Suzanne Richard, Andrea Polcaro, Marta D鈥橝ndrea, and Basem Mahamid
As part of a two-year distribution (2023 and 2024) from the ASOR/, the Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project (MRAMP鈥揳n American, Italian, and Jordanian collaboration co-directed by Doug Clark of La Sierra University in Riverside, CA; Suzanne Richard of Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania; Andrea Polcaro of Perugia University in Perugia, Italy; and Marta D鈥橝ndrea of Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; along with in-country coordinator Mr. Basem Mahamid of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan in Amman) set out to accomplish two objectives. These included: 1) continued maintenance of the archaeological/architectural remains in the Madaba Archaeological Park West (II) where the proposed new museum will be constructed and 2) a unique and exciting new partnership focused on the education of children about their cultural heritage and how to care for it.
Fig 1: Architectural Concept Design
1) Nestled in the center of a city block which is adjacent to the King Hussein Mosque, Saint George鈥檚 Greek Orthodox Church, shops and businesses tied to daily life and tourism, and accessed directly from the Madaba Heritage Trail which brings hundreds of thousands of tourists annually (300,000+ in 2022) from the Visitors Center to St. George鈥檚 Church, the Madaba Archaeological Park West (II) is extremely well located to help locals and tourists learn about the preservation of cultural heritage (Fig. 1). The Park itself contains architectural remains from the 2nd century (large paved Roman street), the 6th century (the Martyrs Church and the Burnt Palace), the early Islamic Period, and the late Ottoman Period (settlement of several buildings constructed by three tribal, Christian migrant groups arriving from Karak in the 1880s).
Since the first excavation season at the site in 2016 (focused less on vertical digging and more on horizontal clearing and cleaning down to the most recent excavations 20 years earlier), a season funded in part by a Charles Harris grant managed through ASOR, MRAMP excavated again in 2017, 2018, and 2022. The project also maintained a year-round presence from 2016 to the present to facilitate various technical investigations, training workshops, and ongoing maintenance of the site; this was possible, beginning in 2017, through collaboration with SCHEP (Sustainable Cultural Heritage Engagement through Local Communities Project), implemented by ACOR, and the US Ambassador鈥檚 Fund for Cultural Heritage Preservation (AFCP) and the Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF), components of the US Department of State, in addition to private funding.
Fig 2: Albara
One of the first hires of the MRAMP team in 2017 (and also a laborer onsite in 2016) was Mr. Albara, whose work to maintain the site continues to this day, partially subsidized by MRAMP (Figs. 2, 3, 4). This partial support (a supplement to the limited wages he earns from the Department of Antiquities) to keep the site protected and pre
sentable to the thousands of annual visitors who see the spectacular and recently restored mosaics of the Burnt Palace and the Martyr鈥檚 Church was funded by the ASOR/Geraty grant in 2023.
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Fig 3: Albara at work
Fig 4: Albara at work
2) From the early planning stages of the proposed new Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum, MRAMP initiated a collaboration with the Italian architectural firm of Studio Strati in Rome in order to create a concept design of the structure (Fig. 5). We have consistently envisioned a children鈥檚 education lab as part of the building; this has always been an integral component to the museum design and mission. In 2022 we were in conversation with the Petra National Trust (PNT) which operates under the auspices of Her Royal Highness Princess Dana and is run by a small group of highly qualified staff. The mission of PNT is primarily an educational one, education of children in treasuring, preserving, protecting, and promoting the cultural heritage of Jordan, so the resulting MOU between MRAMP and PNT was an ideal outcome. Because of this new and exciting collaboration, MRAMP and Studio Strati doubled the physical space allocated to children鈥檚 education in cultural heritage to two floors instead of one in the northern extension of the new museum.
Fig 5: Aerial photo of historic downtown Madaba, courtesy APAAME
While incredibly exciting and innovative, implementing this new development is a few years away, when the new museum will hopefully be completed. In the meantime, all partners agreed to set up a pilot program to test curricula, trainers, supplies and equipment, and organizational structure, in a space created in the current museum. In preparation for this pilot program, MRAMP had already purchased the necessary tables and chairs for 15 students, as well as a wall-mounted, 60-inch smart TV, now in place in one of the recently renovated display rooms (folklore) of the current Madaba museum.
The year of 2023 witnessed four separate age-specific classes鈥�(7-9), (10-12), (13-15), and (16-18)鈥攅ach tailored to age skill sets and interests. Topics covered interactively include the following: for 7-9 year-olds鈥擬y Timeline, Once upon a Time in the Stone Age, Clay Shaping our Ancient Heritage; for 10-12 year-olds鈥擧abitat Components, Water Management, Reflection Session; for 13-15 year-olds鈥擜rchaeology as an Avenue for Employment in Jordan, The Role of an Archaeologist in Heritage Preservation, Reflection Session; for 16-18 year-olds鈥擟ollaborative Research on Cultural Heritage, Introduction to World Heritage Sites: Children Engage in Collaborative Learning, World Heritage Sites (Diorama).
Fig 6: Class photo with, from right, Suzanne Richard, second from right; Huda Amarin, center kneeling; Doug Clark, fifth from left
Having attended three of the four classes in person (Fig. 6), we found them engaging, exciting, high-energy, incredibly interactive, rewarding, and, in the end, entirely successful (see below). The teacher, Ms. Huda Amarin, exhibited best-practices teaching techniques across all of these age groups (Fig. 7). The program came off so well due in large part to Ms. Huda鈥檚 role, the vision of PNT for training students in cultural heritage preservation, and the envisioning, logistical, and cheerleading functions of MRAMP, all of this funded by the ASOR/Geraty grant.
Fig 7: Huda Amarin, teacher par excellence for PNT classes
What follows are italicized direct quotes (except for figure numbers) from various parts of the official PNT narrative report of the program in 2023, accompanied by illustrative charts and photos. With plans to continue the classes into the future, we are off to a grand start.
MRAM Workshops Narrative Report
Executed by: Petra National Trust
MRAM- Madaba
25 February鈥�4 May 2023
PNT advocates and executes sustainable management approaches for heritage sites, multifaceted projects that enhance heritage sites preservation, and implements a pioneering children education program based on cultural heritage values. PNT aims to fulfil the urgent need to protect, preserve, and conserve cultural heritage sites while promoting sustainable community benefits, including job creation and specialized capacity building programs.
The multifaceted approach of PNT and its team included involvement in projects related to archaeological conservation, ecotourism development, socio-economic development, and education. Through its Education Outreach & Awareness Programs, PNT aims to build a cadre of tomorrow鈥檚 community leaders who can work towards and advocate for effective and sustainable cultural heritage management and preservation.
The Education and Engagement Program (EEP) provides a wide range of opportunities and experiences that introduce children to the rich history of different civilizations that inhabited Jordan. This approach contributes to instilling a sense of pride in their identity and heritage as the heirs of past cultures and civilizations. The EEP introduces the culture (peoples, traditions & practices) and history of Petra, specifically and Jordan. It also introduces ecology, the importance of protecting biodiversity, and tackling threats facing cultural heritage. The program is engaging and pleasurable, and employs a student-centered and hands-on learning approach for children. It guides them to realize how to contribute to and value cultural heritage preservation.
The vision for the new museum is aligned with the principles outlined by the International Councils for Museums (ICOM) that museums must play a role in the development of contemporary society and with ICOM鈥檚 definition of the museum:
鈥淭he museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.鈥�
To that end, the whole project in terms of community archaeology; that is, as a collaborative endeavor between MRAMP (the Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project) and the community, with the ultimate goal of promoting local stewardship of cultural heritage, as well as providing economic benefits.
PNT Successfully implemented four half day workshops, targeting 4 different age groups (7-9), (10-12) (13-15 and (16-18) with 15 participants in each group, with a total number of 53 female and male children from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Schools Girls (Fig. 8).
The workshops also focused on instilling positive characteristics and embed specified skillsets within the students, with a focus on
Identity
Good citizenship
Civic-mindedness and social responsibility
Commitment
Critical thinking and learning skills
Team work
Problem solving skills
Communication skills
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Fig 8: School kids lined up to enter class.
Workshops Highlights
All participants were active and attentive during the workshops and had a great time participating in the activities (Figs. 9 and 10). Based on the positive responses made by participants鈥� post evaluation responses compared to the pre-evaluation of the workshops as indicated in the graphs below (Figs. 11, 12, 13, and 14).
The headmistress and teachers of the (Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Schools Girls 鈥擬adaba) were very cooperative.
The museum staff and their cooperation contributed to the success of the workshops.
The hands-on activities created an interactive learning environment among children.
The presence of Professor Douglas as an archaeologist had a positive impact and provided the participants鈥� depth understanding about cultural heritage and the importance of museums.
The venue as a museum serve as an educational tool for the participants, they learnt about the heritage that all
Fig. 9: Projects being completed for class in museum.
Fig 10: School kids working with clay in class.
Fig 11: PNT Report Teacher Eval
Fig 12: PNT course evaluation questions
Fig 13: PNT course evaluation scores before class
Fig 14: PNT course evaluation scores post class
Challenges
No male students in the school within the age group of (16-18)
The Venue capacity was limited to 15 participants only
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Recommendations
PNT and MRAM will expand their outreach and will implement a 3-year program for all age groups
AS a trainer, I noticed that the educational environment in the museum stimulates students to integrate with cultural activities and encouraging them to connect with the heritage around.
Interactive learning spaces must be found in all museums, where the trainer can observe the direct impact on the participants.
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Participants鈥� Quotes
Hiba Saidat: 鈥淚t was great fun and the people who were there were very nice鈥�
Tia Kildani: 鈥淚 liked the place, had fun and learnt a lot of information.鈥�
Noor Alfayez: 鈥淚 liked the museum very much, and I enjoyed Dr. Douglas and Ms. Huda Al-Amarin鈥�
Fig. 15: First of four classes with (in the back row from the right) Huda Amarin (teacher) Khaled Hawawreh (DoA district director) and Doug Clark.
The American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) seeks candidates for a full-time Office Coordinator. This in-person position is located at The James F. Strange Center鈥攈eadquarters of ASOR, 209 Commerce St., in historic Old Town Alexandria, VA.
Founded in 1900, the 17吃瓜is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to initiate, encourage, and support research into, and public understanding of, the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world, from the earliest times. Please visit听www.asor.org听for more information.
Primary Responsibilities:
Maintain high-quality customer service for our 2,200 members and 16,500 Friends
Answer the general 17吃瓜telephone and information e-mail account
Assist with ASOR鈥檚 off-site Annual Meeting (in November of each year) by providing general administrative support including but not limited to, processing payments, answering questions, and making all attendees feel welcome. Travel to the meeting may be required (once per year)
Provide general office support (e.g., scanning, copying, ordering supplies, and processing mail, orders, and bills)
Process membership dues, donations, and event registrations in organizational database (Rhythm)
Assist with membership and donation mailings
Perform other office duties as assigned; direct report to ASOR鈥檚 Director of Programs (Marta Ostovich)
Qualifications / Skills Needed:
Associate Degree or equivalent work experience; Bachelor鈥檚 Degree preferred
2 years of office experience preferred
Experience with databases, Microsoft Office, WordPress (or similar), and general office management software required. Experience with social media platforms and website management (using WordPress or similar) strongly preferred
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Attention to detail; ability to multitask and to prioritize
Compensation and Benefits:听Hourly pay between $20鈥�24/hr based on experience and qualifications. Benefits include paid vacation, holidays, and sick time; employer retirement contribution after vesting period (currently 6%); and benefit dollars (currently $750 per month).
How To Apply:听E-mail letter of interest, resume, and contact information for three references to Marta Ostovich at听programs@asor.org. The letter of interest should discuss how 17吃瓜as an organization fits into the applicant鈥檚 training and career goals. Please include your name and 鈥�17吃瓜Coordinator鈥� in the subject line.
Review of applications will begin January 11, 2024, and continue until the position is filled.
17吃瓜is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other class protected by federal or state law (EEO/AA).
Syeda Sukena Zehra is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto specializing in archaeology with a keen interest in South-Asian and Near and Middle Eastern civilizations. Sukena aims to explore the transnational interrelationships which build culture and politics.
