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Farsi Translation Sponsored by AIIrS

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Farsi Translation Sponsored by AIIrS

Thanks to generous sponsorship from the American Institute of Iranian Studies (AIIrS), 17吃瓜will offer Farsi translation as part of the virtual component of the 2022 Annual Meeting for the Archaeology of Iran session on Sunday, October 23 at 10:00am ET. 听View the planned program for听听丑别谤别.

In addition to Farsi translation, the sponsorship will help support the meeting participation fees of Iranian paper and poster presenters.

17吃瓜is continuously working on ways to increase participation by making the Annual Meeting more inclusive and accessible to those who would not otherwise be able to attend. By limiting financial and language barriers, we hope that a greater number of scholars in Iran will be able to participate.

We invite members to recommend Iranian colleagues who would be interested in attending the virtual session. Please send your recommendations to Arlene Press at听meetings@asor.org听and include the scholar鈥檚 full name, professional affiliation, and their email address.

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Fieldwork Report: Bruno Barros

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Bringing Azekah鈥檚 Walls into the Light

Bruno Barros, 2022 G.E. Wright/Shirlee Meyers Fellowship Recipient


Sunrise in Area N1.

Yalla, Yalla!听That was the call to jump on the bus around 4:50 in the morning. Half awake and half asleep, we prepared ourselves for another day of excavating at Tel Azekah in Israel. The days that any volunteer or staff member spends on a dig are far from ordinary as there is always something to keep you occupied! After arriving at the site while it was still a bit dark, we would carry the tools all the way up to our area and get started on the day鈥檚 activities. Among all the areas of the site, I was selected to work in area N1, an extensive area where you can find Middle/Late Bronze walls and floors in some squares and Iron Age/Persian structures in others. In previous seasons, an olive oil press dating to Iron Age IIC was found in area N1. This olive oil press is the best preserved in Israel from this period. After 701 B.C.E. and Sennacherib鈥檚 invasion of the Shephelah region of ancient Judah鈥攚hich comprises the Judean mountains and the coastal plain鈥攎ore local installations for the production of olive oil are found. There are around three different periods of olive oil production in the Shephelah affected by the Assyrian Empire. In the period before the 701 invasion, production was private, and the olive oil went to the city of Lachish, which was the center for collecting olive oil and paying taxes. After 701, the production center was moved to Ekron, and after the Assyrians left, Judah returned to the Shephelah and redeveloped the Judean olive oil production centers. Our task in area N1 was to open a new square adjacent to the Iron Age IIC olive oil press so we could search for the continuation of the Iron Age walls and possibly also a new press.

The new square, opened this field season, after three weeks of work.

Dr. Lipschits supervising the volunteers.

Joining an archaeological dig is more than just 鈥渄oing science鈥�; it is also therapy. It is therapy because you do not have any option other than being patient about what will come out of your square, especially when you open a new one. During the first few days the big pickaxes dominated the scene without much result. Our group was a bit disappointed at first, but the rewards started to come during the second week. Big pickaxes began to be replaced by smaller ones, and the volunteers began excavating around the rocks in order to find possible contexts. Were those rocks part of the wall or part of its collapse? It took three weeks to expose most of the walls along with a few rooms that belonged respectively to the Iron Age IIC and Persian periods, not to mention a strange structure. We are still not sure of this structure鈥檚 exact function, but according to the directors it is most likely a silo from the Persian Period, though its construction and shape are unusual. The upcoming seasons hopefully will bring more answers for this particular square in N1

My primary goal this summer was to join the听听and look for answers for my Ph.D. research in the Neo-Assyrian expansion in the Southern Levant. I am grateful for many of the questions answered during the season and for being part of the 2022 team. I would like to express my gratitude to 17吃瓜and the scholarship鈥檚 donors. They made this exciting experience possible and have significantly contributed to my research. I also thank the Azekah administration and Prof. Oded Lipschits for having hosted me and clarifying many of my questions.

Bruno Barros is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Assyriology and Hebrew Studies at E枚tv枚s Lor谩nd University, Budapest. His research interests include Neo-Assyrian Art History and Levantine Archaeology particularly in the Iron Age.

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!

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Fieldwork Report: Rosemary Hanson

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The Colors of the Badia

Rosemary Hanson, 2022 Platt Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient

From the sky, the kites of the Jordanian Steppe are easy to spot. The low walls of piled basalt stone stand out against the tan landscape in vivid, dark lines that continue off into the distance. The theory goes that these are the remains of ancient animal traps, guiding prey along the straight lines of the two arms and into the danger of an enclosed area.

As we walked up to site each morning, I couldn鈥檛 help feeling a little bit like one of these ancient ruminants. Like unlucky gazelles, the members of the 鈥楰ites in Context鈥� project followed these arms across the basalt fields toward the excavation site. When I had been shown the landscape from above, I had assumed that this route would make for an easy journey 鈥� we were following a wall, after all. Yet to my surprise, the unmistakable lines of black on beige that I had seen in the aerial photographs were, on the ground, far less distinct. From ground level, the wall was an uneven gray line in a gray sea of stone. Looking up at the hill, it was only barely possible to pick up the darker shades of a low wall running along it 鈥� and even then, only once I was pointed in the right direction 鈥� but the closer we got, the more it seemed to vanish into the landscape around it. How on earth was I supposed to follow this every day?

Dusty trails across the basalt.
As your eyes adjust, gray stones suddenly look blue.

Truth be told, I never did get the hang of following walls, but in the end, I did not need to. As we walked the same paths every day, our shoes disturbed the fawn-colored dirt and tracked it across the pewter-colored stones, leaving a little ribbon of sepia across the landscape. Before long, these ephemeral lines of powdery dust criss-crossed the camp, the hills, and the kite enclosure where we were working. Paths between excavation sections, paths over walls to the sieve, paths off into the desert to the bathroom, straight, efficient paths to the tea tent for our afternoon break. Everywhere we went, we trailed dust behind us and this is how I came to know my way around, following the slippery footpaths like an ant follows a scent trail. Had it rained, I would have been totally lost.


Down in the section getting dustier and dustier. Photo credit Quinn Comprosky.

Indeed, it seemed like everything we touched was turning that same dusty-brown hue. When we arrived, everything was colorful. The truck pulled up full of reds and blues and yellows and greens. But in the onslaught of sun and sand and sweat, everything took on a decidedly desert patina. Our clothes were beige, our tents were beige, our notebooks, gear, and pens were beige. No matter how often we washed, our hair and skin were beige. When we sneezed, it was beige. In photos, we all look like the survivors of an explosion in a powder foundation factory.

But the more monochrome we became, the more I started to notice new shades in the world around me. My early sketches of the desert are all the same: blue streak, gray streak, tan streak. Above is a wide, expansive blue sky, below is the dusty tan of the local soil, and dividing the two is a line of basalt gray. It鈥檚 the same in the high-quality photographs taken by Chad:听 the world is black and tan and blue as far as the eye can see. But as my eyes adjusted to this new tritone palette, I began to see new colors in the landscape 鈥� shades that I had never imagined could be there. Against the warm tones of the everpresent dirt, the harsh tones of the basalt took on cooler notes.听 As we stamped across ancient lava fields, shimmering and shifting in the heat, the oppressive grays began to bloom into a spectrum of muddy blues and dusty purples. In the section, the buried stones seemed to emerge like dusty shards of hazy blue sky. Hot and filthy and tired, I saw the desert differently than when I had arrived, cool and clean and full of energy.

A landscape of blue on grey on tan. Photo credit Jennifer Feng.

For all the horrible heat and the terrible dirt and the wind that blows away anything not nailed down, I like being out in the desert. I like the way that this harsh place makes me see things differently 鈥� to see color where I had once seen sepia and trails where I had once seen empty plains of stone. It lets me see with the objective eye of a tape measure and a camera lens, but also with the fallible human eye of someone too hot, too tired, and too frustrated to spot the wall they鈥檙e standing on. Of course, it also helps me see the benefit of cold water and air conditioning, but that鈥檚 a useful lesson, too, I think.

Rosemary Hanson is a freelance archeological illustrator working out of Sweden. In her normal life, she does not like being hot, dirty, or outside, which is why it is so odd that she absolutely loves working in the Jordanian Desert. There鈥檚 just no helping some people.

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!

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Call for Trustee Nominations

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CALL FOR TRUSTEE NOMINATIONS 2022

The Trustee Nominations Committee announces an open call for (self) nominations for the 17吃瓜Board of Trustees (Class of 2025). There are three primary responsibilities of the members of the Board of Trustees:

  • Governance:听Being aware of issues brought forward to the Board, attending two meetings per year (at your own expense), and bringing issues of concern to the Board.
  • Fundraising and financial management: Leading in development by thinking of new opportunities, leading in giving, and providing oversight on the audited financial statements. We ask that individual trustees aspire to contribute $500 or more annually.
  • Strategic planning and policy development: Leading especially in measures that accord with听ASOR鈥檚 mission.

We anticipate听迟飞辞听openings for Membership-Elected Trustees. Any full 17吃瓜member may be considered for nomination as an Membership-Elected Trustee. If there is someone that you would like the committee to consider鈥攊ncluding yourself鈥攑lease send the person鈥檚 name and email address to听Marta Ostovich听in the 17吃瓜office. Please check with the nominee as to whether they are interested in serving on the 17吃瓜Board of Trustees before sending in their name. If you have any questions about the responsibilities and satisfactions of being a board member, please email听Jane DeRose Evans听(Chair of the Nominations Committee).

The 17吃瓜office, or a representative from the Nominations Committee, will contact all nominees to describe the responsibilities in greater detail, and to make sure that the nominee is willing to have his or her name discussed by the Trustee Nominations Committee. Please note that nominees will need to submit a brief biography and a mission (or vision) statement for what they would like to accomplish as a trustee to be considered by the Nominations Committee. A sample of these statements can be found in last year鈥檚 鈥�Meet Your Board Nominees鈥� webpage. Brief biographies and mission statements should be ca. 200 words each and submitted via e-mail to听Marta Ostovich听by noon EDT on September 19, 2022.

After the Committee selects individuals for nomination, the election will take place by electronic ballot during October. 17吃瓜is once again conducting online voting to ensure that more of our members are able to participate in this important process. The 17吃瓜office will work with any person who is not able to complete an electronic ballot to ensure that everyone is included.

In order to receive full consideration by the committee, nominations (including supporting documents) should be submitted to听programs@asor.org听by noon EDT on September 19, 2022.

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17吃瓜CHI Tutorials

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UPDATE: Tutorials for Cultural Heritage Survey

Over the past months, 17吃瓜Cultural Heritage Initiatives (CHI) and its partners have developed a series of tutorials and training modules aimed to help cultural heritage specialists perform surveys and condition assessments through open source tools and software, including QGIS, KoboToolbox, LibreCAD, and MetaShape. These tutorials are now available on the 17吃瓜website in English, French, and Arabic. Work on these resources has been made possible by a grant from an anonymous donor. While the goal of this project is to assist heritage professionals in documenting and mapping sites, these tutorials are also an excellent resource for anyone in the 17吃瓜community who is looking to learn new skills and take advantage of open source software. 17吃瓜remains committed to providing open-access online resources such as these for the benefit of the entire 17吃瓜community.

The 17吃瓜CHI Tutorials cover:

  • Site Documentation
    • KoBoToolbox and听KoBoCollect Application: open source software package for location and descriptive data collection听in the field can then be synched up with GIS software
  • Mapping Activities
    • QGIS:听free and open source Geographic Information System (GIS)
    • LibreCAD: free open source computer-aided design (CAD) application for 2D design
    • Photogrammetry using听Agisoft Metashape:听software that performs photogrammetric processing of digital images and generates 3D spatial data
17吃瓜Director for North African Cultural Heritage Projects Dr. Hanan Charaf conducting KoboToolbox training with members of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in Morocco.
Dr. Charaf leading on-site training with the HAF team at a synagogue in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Check out the full list of CHI Tutorials here.听

Stay tuned for tutorial videos for KoBoToolbox, QGIS, LibreCAD, and Photogrammetry on in the upcoming weeks.听

A detailed list of the tutorials available is below.

Tunisian scouts practicing photogrammetry image collection at the site of Oudna, Tunisia.
Creating a photogrammetry model
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Study of Collections Fellowship Report: Joseph A. Greene

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2022 Study of Collections Fellowship Report: Kelsey Museum Archives

Joseph A. Greene, Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East

An 17吃瓜Study of Collections Fellowship funded my travel to the University of Michigan to complete work in archives related the 1925 Michigan excavations in the Carthage Sanctuary of Tanit (tophet). The excavator, Professor Francis Kelsey, died before completing a final report, but he left behind an extensive archives, held both at the Kelsey Museum and at the Bentley Historical Library.

The 1925 expedition directed by Kelsey was the forerunner to the 1975鈥�1979 17吃瓜Punic Project, directed by the late Professor L.E. Stager (1943鈥�2017). Dr. Brien Garnand and I have now taken responsibility for publication of the Punic Project, and we are using the opportunity to include Kelsey鈥檚 unpublished results with those of the 17吃瓜Punic Project.

Francis Kelsey with his very smartly dressed Carthage excavation team. Kelsey is on the far right in dark three-piece suit holding white pith helmet. (University of Michigan, Kelsey Museum Archives)
Carthage Tophet under excavation in 1925 with stelae and cippi exposed in situ, view northwest. The flat, vertical wall on righthand side is an intrusive 4th c. A.D. Roman vault (see also plan, Fig. 3). (University of Michigan, Kelsey Museum Archives)

Dr. Garnand completed much work in the Michigan archive before 2022. For example, Kelsey鈥檚 1925 site plan had already been integrated into the 17吃瓜1979 site plan. Field notes and excavation diaries from 1925 have been scanned and edited, along with plans, sections, drawings, field photos and other documentation. The drawings and photographs have been edited and annotated so their format corresponds to that of the 17吃瓜Punic Project records. All of the annotated 1925 field photos and plans will be included in the digital publication, while a selection will appear in the printed version of the final report.

Certain other tasks planned for 2022 have also already been completed. Photography of 78 paper squeezes of Tophet stele excavated by Kelsey was undertaken by the University of Michigan Imaging Services. Likewise prints of the 1925 expedition photographs (the negatives are lost) have also been digitized. Thus, we now have a detailed inventory of squeezes and photographs.

With help of Kelsey Museum Registrar Michelle Fontenot, I was able to identify and organize a residue of 17吃瓜Punic Project large-format plans unaccountably co-mingled in the archives with those from Kelsey鈥檚 1925 expedition and the 1975鈥�1979 Carthage-Dermech Michigan excavations. The physical plans remain at Michigan, but digital copies will be deposited in the 17吃瓜Punic Project archives at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East (HMANE). Also digitized were 15 large-format plans and drawings from the 1925 and 1975鈥�1979 Carthage Tophet and Harbor excavations. This was completed with assistance from Kelsey Museum Collections Manager Sebastian Encina and undergraduate intern, Isabella Blanton, who accompanied me to the Clark Library where we scanned the material using a large-format scanner under the guidance of map librarian Karl Longstreth.

Plan of 1925 Carthage Tophet excavation area. The 鈥淰ault鈥� in upper lefthand side is an intrusive 4th c. A.D. Roman feature (also visible in the photo, Fig. 2). (University of Michigan, Kelsey Museum Archives)

Another unanticipated but helpful discovery was the archive of 1978 exhibit 鈥淐arthage Then and Now,鈥� originated at the Kelsey Museum, which then traveled to the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago and to the Semitic Museum at Harvard (now HMANE).

Finally, in the Bentley Library I completed the review of the relevant Francis Kelsey papers held there. Garnand had begun review 165 boxes of Kelsey papers on a previous visit, and it was necessary only for me to verify the box numbers which contained the relevant documents previously scanned.

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Stipend Report: Kacey Garcia

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Khirbet al-Balu鈥檃 2021 Study Season: Pottery and Figurines

Kacey Garcia, 2021 Shirlee Meyers-G. Ernest Wright Summer Stipend Recipient

I would like to thank the Shirlee Meyers-G. Ernest Wright Scholarship donors and 17吃瓜for providing me with an amazing opportunity to participate in the 2021 study season at听. I assisted in processing loaned, diagnostic ceramic samples for publication of 2012-2019 excavation seasons at Khirbet al-Balu鈥檃. I organized and sorted these samples according to occupational phases utilizing the data collected from the loci. Relying on my skills with Next Engine鈥檚 software ScanStudio and Meshlab, I was able to create plates for all of these diagnostic samples to prepare them for the Khirbet al-Balu鈥檃 publication. The next step will be creating a ceramic seriation for Central Jordan by applying C14 data.

Meshlab of an aligned diagnostic sample from 2017.

Scanning set up at La Sierra University.

I was also able to conduct research on the figurines found in the main occupational strata at Khirbet al Balu鈥檃 as part of a class on household archaeology. I discussed the figurines鈥� purposes while providing contextual evidence from Iron Age Khirbet al-Balu鈥檃. I read articles in household archaeology methodology and theory and applied what I鈥檝e learned to the archaeological dataset from Khirbet al-Balu鈥檃. A total of 19 figurines were found at Khirbet al-Balu鈥檃 during the 2012 to 2019 excavations. While both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines were found, the majority were zoomorphic (13 figurines). This assumes that the demonstrated figures are animals since many are difficult to interpret due to their poor condition.

When analyzing figurines there are 3 main categories: zoomorphic, anthropomorphic and theriomorphic. Zoomorphic figurines resemble an animal, anthropomorphic figurines resemble humans, and theriomorphic figurines are thought to have depicted gods in animal form. In the ancient near east, theriomorphic figurine can be either an animal with humanistic traits that identify with gods or as part animal and human. Phase 2 at Balu鈥檃 did not have any female depictions, despite female figurines being the most common anthropomorphic archetype. Female figurines are often correlated to fertility, and were possibly used to enhance the chances of bearing children or giving birth safely. Most of Balu鈥檃 figurines are zoomorphic, and the ones from the Iron Age II house are identified as bovine, birds, and horses. Two of the figurines were ceramic and another two were made of plaster and clay. For example, B190010 was a plaster, conical-shaped zoomorphic figurine with incised eyes, beak, feathers and wings. There is a line design originating from the center of the figure. It is thought to be a bird of some sort owl or a hawk. This figurine was a part of the Phase 2 post-collapse rubble layer located in room A4. While learning about these figurines I couldn鈥檛 help but feel connected to the occupants of the Iron Age II house. I wondered what I would leave behind in my home long after I am gone for others to find. Figurines are initially interpreted as cultic objects. This is my favorite theory because it shows that ancient peoples needed something to believe in when life got too unpredictable and difficult. There is an unspoken beauty and a sense of humanity to the concept of hope thriving through these figurines during what may have been a desperate time.

Zoomorphic figurine of a bird from Balu'a Iron II house. Artifact #B190010 (Used with permission of Balu'a Regional Archaeological Project, BRAP)

Kacey Garcia is a senior undergraduate at La Sierra University majoring in archaeology. She first encountered archaeology while studying classics in Italy and has since fallen in love with it. Kacey knew right away this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. For the past two years, Kacey has been working as a student research assistant at the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology on projects pertaining to Khirbet al-Balu鈥檃 and Tell al-Umayri.

During the summer of 2021, 17吃瓜supported 27 undergraduate and graduate students through the听Summer Stipend Program. These students undertook non-fieldwork archaeological research projects led by ASOR-affiliated project directors. They also took part in monthly cohort group meetings hosted via zoom.听Read a summary of听these cohort meetings here.

Stay tuned for more updates from the 2021 Summer Stipend recipients!

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New ASOR-Affiliated Projects

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NEW ASOR-AFFILIATED PROJECTS: MAY 2022

ASOR-affiliated projects adhere to 17吃瓜policies, most notably the听Non-Discrimination Policy,听Policy on Professional Conduct, and听Code of Conduct for the 17吃瓜Annual Meeting and Other 17吃瓜Sponsored Events. These policies affirm ASOR鈥檚 commitment to high standards for research integrity, academic mentoring and ethical professional behavior. Project Principal Investigators may听apply for 17吃瓜affiliation听for their projects through the听Committee for Archaeological Research and Policy (CAP). 听Principal Investigators of ASOR-affiliated projects are eligible to apply for听17吃瓜Project Grants听补苍诲听Shepard Urgent Action Grants. Students working on ASOR-affiliated projects are eligible to apply听for听Scholarships for Fieldwork Participation.

Currently,听98 projects are affiliated with ASOR. This includes 71 field projects and 27 publication projects. Nine field projects (seven new projects and two project renewals) have received 17吃瓜affiliation so far in 2022. Read more about these new ASOR-affiliated projects below!

New ASOR-Affiliated Projects

Birsama Exploration Project, Israel (Alexandra Ratzlaff and听Tali Erickson-Gini)

Birsama (Be鈥檈r Shema) is situated in the northwest quadrant of the northern Negev, approximately 21 km southeast of Gaza and 25 km northwest of Be鈥檈r Sheva. Interest in the site focuses on the presence of a Late Roman fort and associated structures, including the Byzantine church of St. Stephen, a Roman road, pottery kilns and a potential听vicus听(civilian camp adjacent to the fort). The site appears in the Notitia Dignitatum, distinguished as 鈥楤irsama鈥�, a provincial military base for the garrison of the Equites Thamudeni Illyriciani. The aim of this project is two-fold 1.) Exploration of the fort and its environs to elucidate new information on this important military and administrative site in relation to the larger late Roman army network in the Negev, 2.) test new digital imaging and modeling methodologies and equipment at the site. The initial 2022 summer season will be an intensive terrestrial and aerial survey of the site to provide key information on the topography and extent of the site. A minimum of five successive excavation field seasons will be carried out beginning in the summer of 2023, followed but a study season for publication preparation. Technological testing of new equipment and methodologies in digital imaging will also form a core component to the recording and exploration of the site. The Brandeis Techne Group, a research team based out of the Autodesk Boston Technology Center, plans to test applications such as multi-drone imaging and use of the Boston Dynamics 鈥淪pot the Robot Dog鈥� at the site for terrestrial survey imaging.

, Iraq (Rocco Palermo)


Gird-I Matrab: picture of the main mound

The Gird-I Matrab Archaeological Project (gMAP) investigates the daily life of a small rural settlement in Northern Iraq, its economy, and the impact of climate transformation on the site and its inhabitants from the age of Assyrians to the heirs of Alexander the Great. Gird-I Matrab (鈥渢he dusty mound鈥� in Kurdish) is located in the plain of Erbil, in North Iraq. It was already known by Iraqi archaeologists in the 1970s, but only systematically surveyed by the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey team in 2012 and 2020. The site consists of a group of five low mounds orbiting around a central 鈥� slightly higher 鈥� one. Geophysical survey carried out in October 2020 have revealed a large and architecturally complex building, whose spatial extent and architectural features indicate a potential administrative function, most likely dated to the last centuries of the 1st millennium BC.


Visit of local representetives with Project Director Dr. Rocco Palermo

While the buried remains have not been physically uncovered yet, the presence of such an articulated building on a relatively small site in North Mesopotamia, might directly provide new dimensions to our understanding of the rural communities of the region in the Hellenistic and following periods.

gMAP plans to investigate the site through and integrated, multi-scalar approach that combines traditional techniques with the use of state-of-the-art technology and scientific analyses.

, Israel (Michael Eisenberg and Arleta Kowalewska)

Hippos Excavations Project is one of the main continuously running Classical archaeology research expeditions in Israel. Since the year 2000 our international team has excavated the site of Hippos (Sussita) and its environs. Hippos is located upon Mt. Sussita just east of the Sea of Galilee, overlooking the lake and Eastern Galilee.

Hippos鈥� remains present a continuous sequence from its foundation as Antiochia Hippos in the Hellenistic period (2nd cent. BCE) until the devastating earthquake at 749 CE at the end of the Umayyad rule. As the regional polis and one of the Decapolis it reached its peak during the Roman period. At least seven churches were built in the city during the Byzantine period when it was the see of a bishop.

, Jordan (Chad Hill and Yorke Rowan)


Chad Hill and Yorke Rowan.

This project investigates the social and economic role of ancient animal hunting traps known as 鈥渄esert听kites鈥� during a time of dramatic changing land use, human migrations, and shifting economies. Located听in a hyper-arid, basaltic desert, these structures were built as mass-kill traps for ungulates in the later听prehistory of the region.


Aerial view of a kite taken by a drone. Photo credit: Chad Hill.

Each chain includes dozens to hundreds of individual traps, spanning tens of听kilometers, linked by intricate wall networks that functioned to create one enormous system. These听represent a remarkable ancient infrastructural investment in labor, significant social organization, and听the ability to generate subsistence surpluses in a marginal environment. This new study of desert kites,听in context, focuses on the economy of this desert infrastructure and the social organization of largescale听prey-manipulation strategies, to offer new insight into subsistence adaptations in marginal听environments. The results from this research have the potential to transform knowledge of human听responses and adaptations to arid environments in prehistory.

,听Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s,听Spain (Alexander Smith, Amalia P茅rez-Juez, and Paul Goldberg)


MAP team.

The Menorca Archaeological Project (MAP) is an interdisciplinary group of Spanish and American听collaborators that currently focuses on the diachronic investigation of the site of Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s on听the Balearic Island of Menorca. Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s is one of the largest prehistoric sites on the Balearic听Islands, having received international attention from archaeologists for decades. The site鈥檚 importance is听due both its size and temporal scope. Within the remains of Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s, one can see on display听the early indigenous inhabitants of the island, the impressive remains of the Talayotic culture from the听island鈥檚 Iron Age, and evidence of Carthaginian and Roman interactions well into the first centuries C.E.


听

Torre d鈥檈n Galmes, aerial view of SpU 9. Photo credit: Alexander Smith.

Long after the site was abandoned during the third or fourth centuries C.E., Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s was听settled once more by Islamic communities that made the island their home during the medieval period.听In 1287 C.E., the Islamic settlers were forced to leave the island by King Alfonso III of Aragon, and the听rapid depopulation saw the abandonment of sites across the island. Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s never again saw听significant occupation. What remains then is an incredible window into medieval Islamic life in this rural听part of Menorca, with dozens of structures preserved, exhibiting the daily life of this group. MAP is听dedicated to the archaeological study of the complex history of Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s, in particular the听Islamic medieval remains that have been largely overlooked on the site.

Iraq (Luca Colliva, Serenella Mancini, Fabrizio Sinisi, Domenico Andreucci, Veronica Castignani,听Mehrnaz Partow, and Paolo Severi)


https://misak.it/en/home-english/

MiSAK, the Italian Historical-Archaeological Mission in Kurdistan, was established in 2021 due to the听common interest of ISMEO 鈥� the International Association for Mediterranean and Eastern Studies, and听the International Institute of Kurdish Culture in Rome to contribute directly and effectively to the study,听preservation, and enhancement of the Kurdish historical, archaeological and cultural heritage.听MiSAK signed in December 2021 a three-year renewable agreement with the KRG General Directorate of听Antiquities for the implementation of an archaeological project concerning the historical-archaeological听study, protection and enhancement of the Sarqala site, which includes both the Parthian necropolis and听the Qalla Kon tell, a multi-phase site probably part of the settlement connected to the nearby necropolis.

Seeking Sultan Abad-e Chamchamal: Archaeological Excavation at the Site of Tepe Hala Bag, Iran (Mohammad Eghbal Chehri)

According to historical texts, Sultanabad Chamchamal (Sol峁乶膩b膩d) is the most important settlement of the Ilkhanid听period in the Bisotun region, which is mentioned in various contemporary historical books with the Ilkhanids due to its听great importance. Historical texts show that Sultanabad Chamchamal was built at the foot of Bisotun Mountain and in听the western part of Chamchamal plain. The construction of Sultanabad Chamchamal was on the side of the main听Khorasan-Baghdad road and in the same area of Bisotun. In fact, despite the efforts of various researchers, the听problem of locating and determining the exact location of Sultanabad Chamchamal has not been solved and can be听considered as one of the problems in archaeology of the region, and this issue clearly justifies the need for听excavation. Based on preliminary studies and archaeological survey, the location of Sultanabad Chamchamal can be听considered the same as Halah Bag Tepe. The certainty of this issue, the ability to adapt Tepe Hala Bag with听Sultanabad Chamchamal can be understood only by archeological excavation.

ASOR-Affiliated Project Renewals

,听Israel (Mark Letteney, Matthew J. Adams, Yotam Tepper, and Susan Cohen)

Legio is the site of the sprawling base of the Roman VIth Ferrata Legion. Established during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian (117鈥�138 A.D.), the base controlled imperial roads, with direct access to the Galilee and inland valleys of northern Palestine鈥攊mportant centers of the local, occasionally uproarious, Jewish population. Excavations so far have demonstrated clear ties to major political and cultural events in the formative years of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity and have provided an incredible new window into the Roman military occupation of the eastern provinces.

,听Turkey (Tim Harrison and Elif Denel)


Tell Tayinat from above: Photo by Murat Akar, courtesy of the Tayinat Archaeological Project.

The Tayinat Archaeological Project (TAP) is investigating the archaeological history of the Bronze and Iron Age site of Tell Tayinat, which served as the capital of a succession of small territorial states centered in the Amuq Plain in the North Orontes Valley, Turkey. During the Iron Age, Tayinat was called Kunulua, royal city of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Palistin/Patina/Unqi, and Kinalia during the Neo-Assyrian imperial period.

Interested in applying for 17吃瓜affiliation? Read more here.

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Stipend Report: Annissa Malvoisin

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Generating Jebel Barkal:听Metadata Organization from the Field Diaries of Dr. George A. Reisner at Jebel Barkal

Annissa Malvoisin, Archival Researcher for the Jebel Barkal Archaeological Project,听2021 Strange/Midkiff Families Summer Stipend Recipient

Jebel Barkal.

The听听directed by Dr. Geoff Emberling听investigates the royal听Egyptian鈥�Nubian听site of听Jebel Barkal听鈥�听a central religious听locality听that emphasized听the omnipresence of听Amun, linking Egyptian and Nubian ideological thought in one听dedicated听area.听The site was occupied first听by Egypt听in the New Kingdom and was established as the 鈥渃ultic duplicate鈥� of Luxor听in Nubia (Kendall,听2010).听It had since been听ruled by various Egyptian听and听Napatan kings,听who听also听contributed听to the听Temple of Amun听and administrative buildings up until the Meroitic period.听Prior to Dr. Emberling, and听Dr. Timothy Kendall, Dr. George A. Reisner excavated the site and did not听publish his findings in an听official site report.听Recordings of his听work听from听between 1916 and 1920,听sponsored听by theMuseum of听Fine Arts, Boston听where he served as听Curator of Egyptian听Art,听as well as Harvard University,听have since听been transcribed听(unpublished)听by听Dr. Emberling听and听Nami Kaneko.听Dows Dunham,听who became Curator听Egyptian Art听at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston听after Reisner,听has also published听a series of听5 volumes听covering the excavation of royal Kushite cemeteries听upon which they worked together. Much of the听information听on the听objects听discovered听at these sites, including photography, contextual findspot, and听provenance,听are accessible on the richly comprehensive Museum of Fine Arts, Boston website.

The section of the project that I听oversaw听as an archival researcher听involved听reading through the听transcription听from his archaeological excavations at听Jebel Barkal and Nuri between 1919 and 1920.听The听purpose of this research was听to听locate,听organize, and import听the information听recorded听in the field diaries听into an online metadatabase听titled听Omeka. Omeka organizes the metadata into a searchable website听which aids听scholars and researchers听to听easily听search interrelated individuals, terms,听materials, and听buildings that relate to the site of听Jebel Barkal which have not been听previously听organized听or transcribed.

Prepping for import into Omeka required working with directly with Reisner鈥檚 field diaries, the transcription and a detailed spreadsheet with specialized fields according to specific data.
The metadata is relational, by which the spreadsheet helped to organize different sets of information in a way that efficiently connected it all together.
The backend of Omeka required the organization of the metadata from the spreadsheet into readable pages that will appear on the site.

The process of learning Omeka was a fantastic experience which challenged and heightened my knowledge of online data processing on a parallel level, in addition to building expertise in curating the site for both the specialized and general public. Led by the Information Technology team at the University of Michigan, Joe Bauer and Matthew Carruthers, once the data from the transcription is organized by the desirable entry format was decided, it was imported and organized according to Omeka translation. The process is ongoing. This was a seamless experience which contributed to what will become a valuable resource for current and future archaeology at the site.

听

Annissa is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto and the Bard Graduate Center/Brooklyn Museum Postdoctoral Fellow in the Arts of Africa. Her doctoral thesis investigates the ceramic production and trade industry during Meroitic Nubia and its potential far-reaching networks linking the Nile Valley to Iron Age West African cultures.

During the summer of 2021, 17吃瓜supported 27 undergraduate and graduate students through the听. These students undertook non-fieldwork archaeological research projects led by ASOR-affiliated project directors. They also took part in monthly cohort group meetings hosted via zoom.听Read a summary of听these cohort meetings here.

Stay tuned for more updates from the 2021 Summer Stipend recipients!

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Stipend Report: Hanna Erftenbeck

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Summer Research at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Hanna Erftenbeck, 2021 Strange/Midkiff Families Summer Stipend Recipient

The term fieldwork is mostly associated with working on excavations, but this summer I spent three weeks conducting my fieldwork at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA. There I worked with the groundstone tool assemblage from the Early Bronze Age (EBA) site of Numayra, located in modern day Jordan, which is one of the early proto-urban settlements in the region. Numayra was excavated as part of the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain Project (EDSP) in the 1970s and 1980s. The goal of EDSP is to investigate how people lived and died during the EBA to study the emergence of the regions earliest small-scale urban society. As part of my dissertation project, I am investigating how the people at Numayra prepared their food in their day to day lives, and how their food practices connected them to their new urban community. This summer I was able to catalogue, describe, draw, and photograph the stone objects in the Numayra collection.

Measuring and describing groundstone objects before drawing them.
Taking detailed pictures of the groundstone objects.

Inspecting the groundstone objects under a microscope for possible use-wear.

While I did not get my hands dirty 鈥� at least not as dirty as I usually do when I excavate 鈥� I was able to learn so much about EBA daily life by working with the Numayra collection, almost fifty years after these objects were excavated. Legacy collections are often underutilized in our efforts to understand the past, but they are a treasure trove of information, and working with them is part of an ethical and sustainable archaeological practice. I would like to thank 17吃瓜and the generous donors who supported the summer stipend program for making this research possible, and the project directors Meredith Chesson and Morag Kersel for their support and providing me with access to the material. I am deeply grateful to Deborah Harding, Amy Covell-Murthy, and Gretchen Anderson at the Carnegie Museum for Natural History for welcoming me this summer and providing me with the support and access I needed to successfully conduct my research.

Hanna is a PhD candidate at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. In her dissertation research she investigates the role of food related practices in the creation and transmission of early urban communities during the Early Bronze Age in the southern Levant. Hanna holds a BA and MA degree in Near Eastern Archaeology from Freie Universit盲t Berlin and a MA degree in Anthropology from the University of Notre Dame. Since 2012 she have participated in archaeological projects in Germany, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and the United States.

During the summer of 2021, 17吃瓜supported 27 undergraduate and graduate students through the听Summer Stipend Program. These students undertook non-fieldwork archaeological research projects led by ASOR-affiliated project directors. They also took part in monthly cohort group meetings hosted via zoom.听Read a summary of听these cohort meetings here.

Stay tuned for more updates from the 2021 Summer Stipend recipients!

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