Category Archives: 17吃瓜News

March Madness Challenge 2022: We Did It!

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MARCH MADNESS CHALLENGE 2022: 听WE FILLED THE POTS!

ASOR鈥檚 2022 March Madness Challenge was a success and we 鈥渇illed the pots鈥� for 听(LCP)! We met our goal of听$10,000听for the ongoing maintenance and hosting of the LCP鈥� an 17吃瓜open-access publication. This incredible resource has been an 17吃瓜publication since 2016. The LCP is an open, interactive website focused on ceramics produced in the Levant from the Neolithic era through the Ottoman period. Thanks to the generosity of three 17吃瓜donors, we received a $5,000 challenge gift that has been fully earned by raising another $5,000 for a total of听$10,570听in March to keep the LCP running!

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Thank you to each and every one of the donors, members, and Friends of 17吃瓜who helped 鈥渇ill the pots鈥� for the LCP!

The LCP鈥檚 mission

The LCP, an 17吃瓜open-access publication and research project, is a sustainable research tool designed to pull the study of archaeological ceramics into the 21st century.

Why ceramics? Because they comprise the most abundant category of remains found throughout the Near East, and because every excavator must contend with identifying and publishing them, yet the mode by which that is done has not changed in a substantive way since William Flinders Petrie began working in 1880. Constant excavation since then has created unthinkable quantities of data, all disseminated via print (and now digitized versions of print) publications. Print is excellent for many things 鈥� but it is remarkably ill-suited for fast exchange of information, collaborative study, and especially the rapid recording of new or changing ideas. Archaeology is a field that is always in a mode of discovery; we need tools that can keep up, that allow us to bring new material into dialogue with that long known, are easy to use, foster sharing, and enable us to readily learn from one other. The LCP is such a tool.

The LCP inspires new questions, and gives us the tools to answer them: Hard borders, civil wars, intractable terrain 鈥� these are facts on the ground across the landscapes of the Levant. Swaths of territory that are invisible or inaccessible today were zones of habitation and connection in the past. Archaeological survey and fieldwork fill in the blanks, allow us to see what was, imagine different realities. This is why we pursue such work; this is one of the best rationales for its value now and in the future. The LCP helps deliver on that lofty promise. Four examples of regions, activities, lives able to be seen, mapped, and linked to a wider world via pottery on the LCP:

  • the eastern desert of Egypt:听>200 vessels from 25+ already on the LCP with another 1000+ from 200 sites, thanks to integration with the EU/CNRS Desert Networks Project (scheduled for submission this summer).
  • the Hauran of southern Syria:听>1000 vessels from 50+ sites, dating from 1200 BCE-200 CE, from the Laj膩示 survey (2003鈥�2009), the Qarr膩峁 excavations (2008鈥�2011), plus published and unpublished data from the French Archaeological Mission to Southern Syria, thanks to J茅r么me Rohmer鈥檚 2020 Hauran VI. D鈥橝ram 脿 Rome. La Syrie du Sud de l鈥櫭e due Fer 脿 l鈥檃nnexion romaine (XIIe si猫cle av. J.-C. 鈥� Ier si猫cle apr. J.C.).
  • Rough Cilicia, Turkey:听~200 vessels from 40+ sites, from Nicholas Rauh鈥檚 Rough Cilicia Archaeological Survey Project (1996-2011).
  • the maritime networks linking northern and southern Cyprus with the northern Levant:听400+ vessels dating from the Middle Bronze 鈥� Iron Ages, from Cyprus and sites in Cilicia and coastal Syria, including 250+ vessels from Tell Tweini in northern Syria, excavated by the University of Leuven from 1999-2007.

听

The LCP advances 17吃瓜Strategic Plan and Goals by providing easy and open access to new information: The LCP provides quick access to new finds and current ideas, and helps American researchers connect with foreign scholars. Most LCP contributors are based in Europe, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt, and are affiliated with foreign research universities or institutes. Not all users are are members of ASOR, yet their enthusiastic embrace of the LCP helps 17吃瓜members stay abreast of work they would otherwise have a hard time accessing or even knowing about in the first place. Keeping the LCP free and open access is critical; if there was a members-only access policy, we would lose the input of most of these foreign contributors. The LCP provides assistance for ASOR-affiliated excavators: LCP interns work with ASOR-affiliated excavators to prepare and submit their pottery to the site. Using the LCP, interns also regularly make connections with material from other sites that excavators had not known about. This has the double benefit of deepening knowledge from excavated material as well as disseminating new information to scholars and students around the world.

The LCP brings disparate, hard-to-find data together, able to be mapped, studied, arranged and re-arranged for connections, ideas, insights. It is worth emphasizing that much of this material crosses borders and links regions that are currently impassible. All appear on the LCP thanks to ASOR鈥檚 neutrality as an American-based organization. In this way, 17吃瓜helps frame a vision of the Levant that rises above the current political fray, and enables a new generation to ask and answer new questions, to understand the past 鈥� and perhaps therefore also the future 鈥� in different ways.

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Stipend Report: Alexis Greene

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Tell al-Judaidah Publication Project听

Alexis Greene, 2021 Summer Stipend Recipient

In May, I was awarded a grant to allow me to join the Tell al-Judaidah Publication Project which is directed by Lynn Dodd at the University of Southern California. Tell al-Judaidah is notable among excavated sites in the agricultural region around Antioch /Antakya. It鈥檚 a tall site that has a water source at the foot of the mound, and there are traces of occupation from the 7th millennium BCE into the 1st millennium CE. Our project is focused on the levels of the site dating from about 2000 BCE and later. We have roughly 3000 years to analyze and document.

Working on this project has allowed me to expand my knowledge of archaeology, stratigraphy, ceramics, and artifacts, and database use. When I started working on this project, I did not have any experience in archaeology, but I had a high degree of interest in the ancient world from which biblical traditions emerged. My involvement in this project allowed me to gain skills and to explore new possibilities for my future.

Our team includes the project director, Lynn Dodd, a faculty member at USC, and post-doctoral scholar Michael Johnson. Mike has extensive field experience working at Tell Atchana/Alalakh, a site with Bronze Age palaces (and much more), and that site is an easy day鈥檚 walk from Tell al-Judaidah. Another team member, Onur Hasan Kirman, is a doctoral student of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Akar of the Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey. He brings expertise in the material culture of the region and is contributing to the analysis of the Bronze Age pottery. Also, I am working in collaboration with undergraduate students at USC, including Lauren Malkoun. All last year, Lauren worked to find solid comparisons for some of the finds that are located in the collection of the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago. Now, I have joined her in this effort and I continue to learn the ins and outs of this database system that organizes all the details from Tell al-Judaidah that were brought to light by the 1930s era excavation team from Chicago鈥檚 Syro-Hittite Expedition.

The records, drawings, photographs and other material from that field project are now physically stored and cared for at the University of Chicago Oriental Institute Museum. All data about the excavation and its finds are coordinated in OCHRE, a relational, hierarchical database system that is accessible by team members around the world. Via the Internet, I have access to the records of that storied expedition鈥檚 work at Tell al-Judaidah, including its black and white photos, field notebooks, pottery drawings, and more.

Through reading and discussions with team members, I have learned about key concepts in archaeology. The treasures of the past relate less to gold and more to the clues that a wide range of left-behind materials preserve as we try to piece together the human story (Renfrew & Bahn, 2018). I鈥檝e learned the basics of听typology,听which听refers to the study, analysis, or classification of categories of things, and this can apply to symbols, people, religions, or any category of material culture (Horowitz, 2015). An example of a typological category is simple ware听(or plain ware), which is one of several terms used for the Bronze Age plain wheel-made pottery that was produced and consumed in the coastal regions of the Cilician and Amuq Plains and in parts of north-west inland Syria (Pucci, 2019). Another pottery category that I encounter has a distinctive temper and form, as shown in this image of a cook pot with its folded external rim.

Folded external rim. Photo credit: Michael Johnson and Onur Hasan Kirman.

My work on this project has allowed me to become more familiar with the region of Tell al-Judaidah, which includes its听relations to neighboring sites and resources (rivers, springs, trade routes, agriculture, and bridges), and broader regimes of political control. For instance, in the late Bronze Age (latter half of the second millennium BCE) the changes that occurred from the 16th to 13th centuries at Alalakh likely would have had an impact on Tell al-Judaidah which was strategically located along trade routes leading to and from the inland cities. During part of this time, the Egyptians and the Hittites vied for control and influence over the smallish kingdoms that were located across the region now known as Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Gaza, with names that evoke places such as Tyre and Jerusalem, and others names such as Mukish that refer to the area around Tell al-Judaidah.

After my Summer, 2021 17吃瓜fellowship ended, I decided to accept the invitation to continue working on this project. Lynn Dodd was able to find a way to extend my participation, and I was hired for a part-time research position through USC. My fellow researcher at USC (Lauren) and I are working systematically through each stratigraphic level, identifying available information, finding comparative examples for Judaidah artifacts, noting missing information, and recording errors. We will create a draft report that summarizes our preliminary research and submit this for inclusion in a cited, online publication that continues to grow. I am very grateful to 17吃瓜for supporting me in my first steps on this path of learning about the past and contributing to the creation of new information and understanding.

17吃瓜 Alexis: she moved from her home state of Alabama to San Diego in 2019 after working as a teacher for seven years in private schools in the United States and international schools in Ghana, Macau, and Saudi Arabia. Alexis received a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of South Alabama in 2010 and a Master of Science in Education from Spring Hill College in 2012. In May 2021, Alexis received a Master of Arts in International Higher Education from Boston College. Alexis鈥� research interests center around the internationalization of higher education in American society and economics of human capital theory. Through her experiences as an expatriate, Alexis developed a passion for helping international students navigate the waters of higher education. Alexis is a member of the听听and Women on Course San Diego.听

References

Horowitz, M. T. (2015). The Evolution of Plain Ware Ceramics at the Regional Capital of Alalakh in the 2nd Millennium BC. In听Plain Pottery Traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East 1st Edition听(pp. 1鈥�30). Routledge.

Pucci, M. (2019).听Excavations in the Plain of Antioch III: Stratigraphy, Pottery, and Small Finds from Chatal H枚y眉k in the Amuq Plain. OIP 143. Oriental Institute Press.

Renfrew, C., & Bahn, P. G. (2018).听Archaeology essentials: theories, methods, practice. Thames & Hudson Ltd.

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!

Browse the News Archive

March Madness Challenge: 3/23 Update

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MARCH MADNESS CHALLENGE 2022: FILL THE POTS

Update: March 23, 2022

ASOR鈥檚 Annual March Madness Challenge continues! This year we are 鈥渇illing鈥� a different need: supporting the ongoing cost and maintenance of . This incredible resource has been an 17吃瓜publication since 2016. The LCP is an open, interactive website focused on ceramics produced in the Levant from the Neolithic era through the Ottoman period. Thanks to the generosity of three 17吃瓜donors, we have received $5,000 in challenge gifts that can be fully earned by raising $5,000 in matching gifts for a total of $10,000 to keep the LCP running. All gifts will support the ongoing maintenance and hosting of the Levantine Ceramics Project (LCP)鈥� an 17吃瓜open-access publication.

As of March 16, we have received听$3,245听in matching gifts, which translates into a total of听$6,365听for the LCP. A huge thank you to everyone who has helped fill the pot for the LCP thus far! If you have not made a gift, please consider a gift to help us raise the remaining听$1,755听needed to earn all the challenge dollars.

The LCP鈥檚 mission

The LCP, an 17吃瓜open-access publication and research project, is a sustainable research tool designed to pull the study of archaeological ceramics into the 21st century.

Why ceramics? Because they comprise the most abundant category of remains found throughout the Near East, and because every excavator must contend with identifying and publishing them, yet the mode by which that is done has not changed in a substantive way since William Flinders Petrie began working in 1880. Constant excavation since then has created unthinkable quantities of data, all disseminated via print (and now digitized versions of print) publications. Print is excellent for many things 鈥� but it is remarkably ill-suited for fast exchange of information, collaborative study, and especially the rapid recording of new or changing ideas. Archaeology is a field that is always in a mode of discovery; we need tools that can keep up, that allow us to bring new material into dialogue with that long known, are easy to use, foster sharing, and enable us to readily learn from one other. The LCP is such a tool.

The LCP inspires new questions, and gives us the tools to answer them: Hard borders, civil wars, intractable terrain 鈥� these are facts on the ground across the landscapes of the Levant. Swaths of territory that are invisible or inaccessible today were zones of habitation and connection in the past. Archaeological survey and fieldwork fill in the blanks, allow us to see what was, imagine different realities. This is why we pursue such work; this is one of the best rationales for its value now and in the future. The LCP helps deliver on that lofty promise. Four examples of regions, activities, lives able to be seen, mapped, and linked to a wider world via pottery on the LCP:

  • the eastern desert of Egypt:听>200 vessels from 25+ already on the LCP with another 1000+ from 200 sites, thanks to integration with the EU/CNRS Desert Networks Project (scheduled for submission this summer).
  • the Hauran of southern Syria:听>1000 vessels from 50+ sites, dating from 1200 BCE-200 CE, from the Laj膩示 survey (2003鈥�2009), the Qarr膩峁 excavations (2008鈥�2011), plus published and unpublished data from the French Archaeological Mission to Southern Syria, thanks to J茅r么me Rohmer鈥檚 2020 Hauran VI. D鈥橝ram 脿 Rome. La Syrie du Sud de l鈥櫭e due Fer 脿 l鈥檃nnexion romaine (XIIe si猫cle av. J.-C. 鈥� Ier si猫cle apr. J.C.).
  • Rough Cilicia, Turkey:听~200 vessels from 40+ sites, from Nicholas Rauh鈥檚 Rough Cilicia Archaeological Survey Project (1996-2011).
  • the maritime networks linking northern and southern Cyprus with the northern Levant:听400+ vessels dating from the Middle Bronze 鈥� Iron Ages, from Cyprus and sites in Cilicia and coastal Syria, including 250+ vessels from Tell Tweini in northern Syria, excavated by the University of Leuven from 1999-2007.

听

The LCP advances 17吃瓜Strategic Plan and Goals by providing easy and open access to new information: The LCP provides quick access to new finds and current ideas, and helps American researchers connect with foreign scholars. Most LCP contributors are based in Europe, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt, and are affiliated with foreign research universities or institutes. Not all users are are members of ASOR, yet their enthusiastic embrace of the LCP helps 17吃瓜members stay abreast of work they would otherwise have a hard time accessing or even knowing about in the first place. Keeping the LCP free and open access is critical; if there was a members-only access policy, we would lose the input of most of these foreign contributors. The LCP provides assistance for ASOR-affiliated excavators: LCP interns work with ASOR-affiliated excavators to prepare and submit their pottery to the site. Using the LCP, interns also regularly make connections with material from other sites that excavators had not known about. This has the double benefit of deepening knowledge from excavated material as well as disseminating new information to scholars and students around the world.

The LCP brings disparate, hard-to-find data together, able to be mapped, studied, arranged and re-arranged for connections, ideas, insights. It is worth emphasizing that much of this material crosses borders and links regions that are currently impassible. All appear on the LCP thanks to ASOR鈥檚 neutrality as an American-based organization. In this way, 17吃瓜helps frame a vision of the Levant that rises above the current political fray, and enables a new generation to ask and answer new questions, to understand the past 鈥� and perhaps therefore also the future 鈥� in different ways.

Browse the News Archive

Stipend Report: Christine Sylvester

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From the Field to the Lab

Christine Sylvester, 2021 G.Ernest Wright/Shirlee Meyers Summer听Stipend Recipient


Dr. Foran and I in the Near Eastern Lab at Wilfrid Laurier University, sorting through digitizations of diagnostic pottery pieces.

As is required of most university students majoring in some form of Archaeological studies in Canada, I have had the pleasure to attend field schools both within Canada and internationally. Specifically, in the last couple years, I have been working under Dr. Debra Foran as both a student, attending her field school in Jordan, and as a lab technician working in the Near Eastern Lab at Wilfrid Laurier University.

This has let me experience both the physical and scholarly aspects of archaeology as a profession. ASOR鈥檚 Summer Stipend program has given me the opportunity to delve deeper into the laboratory side of archaeology. Last summer I worked on the 2001 survey artifacts found at the site of Khirbat al-Mukhayyat in Jordan.

Diagnostic pottery sherd from 2001 Survey Material being drawn for recording.

While working in the lab, I鈥檝e been introduced to methods of grouping and organizing the pottery found on site and analyzing it based on age, material, and type. I have also been able to see into what it takes to put together a paper for scholarly publication and the amount of collaboration and expertise that goes into understanding the past.


Basalt grinder from the 2001 Khirbat al-Mukhayyat Survey. Object drawing being completed for records.

I鈥檓 very grateful for being given this opportunity, and believe that it鈥檚 important for students and aspiring archaeologists to have the chance to work in the field and in the lab. Being able to be out there physically digging up the past is a whole experience. It is hands on, there鈥檚 a strong sense of community with those that you are working with, and anyone whom I鈥檝e met that has had that opportunity always wishes to be able to go back.

However, working in a lab setting is an entirely different experience. You are able to take what you have found and attach meaning and context to it. I have learned more about what I want to do in these past few months, working alongside Dr. Foran, than I have in a classroom setting until now, and I will strive to continue to work on my interests in the archaeological field!

Christine is a fifth-year university student double majoring in Archaeology and Heritage Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has always been interested in archaeology since she was a kid and has gotten the opportunity to pursue her studies in this topic. Christine has developed a particular interest in bio-archaeology and looks forward to advancing her research in this field.

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!

Browse the News Archive

Stipend Report: Jane Holmstrom

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Noble Networks?: Visualizing Urartian Expansion into Adjacent Territories Using Least Cost Paths

Jane Holmstrom, 2021 Platt Summer Stipend Recipient

Lacking archaeological remains of roads used by the Urartians, we do not always have a clear idea of the routes they took to various places across the landscape. For this project, I mapped commemorative inscriptions from the Corpus dei Testi Urartei using least cost analysis and Tobler鈥檚 hiking function to important centers, including the capital of Urartu as well as other forts and fortress sites. From this I was able to visualize a potential networks of paths utilized for trade and mobility, specifically, expanding the Urartu empire into Armenia.

Urartian Stone Inscription at Tsovinar. Image credit: Tiffany Earley-Spadoni.
View of Countryside, Vayots Dzor, Armenia. Image credit: Tiffany Earley-Spadoni.

It has been really interesting, and sometimes frustrating, to learn and manipulate various tools within ArcGIS. One of the more challenging situations I faced was to figure out how to remove lakes in the region from the analysis, since our models were pedestrian. I tried a lot of ways that did not work, but eventually was able to figure out a solution, warranting an afternoon of celebration. It was also useful to read the translations of each of the stone-carved inscriptions to get a more thorough understanding of what was happening in these places during this period of time. From gaining control of an area or improving infrastructure through new buildings, canals, or vineyards, the kings were often quite boastful, while thanking or dedicating their achievements to specific Gods.

It is argued that computer-based algorithms may oversimplify mobility and omits human decision making; however, I think that a visualization component to research, even as an estimation, really adds a humanistic element to understanding ancient history. Through the mapping of least cost paths, it is fascinating to see how people potentially moved throughout the landscape and provides information that can be further explored in the field.

Jane is a PhD candidate in the Integrative Anthropological Sciences Program at the University of Central Florida. Her research interests are diet and mobility, status, and identity, using isotope analysis and geospatial analysis. Her temporal geographical focus is the Ancient Near East and Medieval West Europe.

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!

Browse the News Archive

Call for Honors and Awards Committee Member

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Call for Honors and Awards Committee Member

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The Honors and Awards Committee seeks nominations to serve on the Frank Moore Cross Book Award sub-committee. 17吃瓜invites nominations, including self-nominations, from 17吃瓜members who are interested in being considered by the committee for this opening. Committee members will serve a three-year term with the possibility of two consecutive terms. Nominees must fill out the by February 28, 2022.听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� award, 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听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.

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.)

In order to receive full consideration by the committee the online form must be submitted by听noon EDT on February 28, 2021. For questions and concerns, please contact听Marta Ostovich (programs@asor.org)听

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Call for Nominations: DEI Committee

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Call for DEI Committee Nominations

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At its November 21, 2021, meeting, the 17吃瓜Board of Trustees established a standing committee to work on fostering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in our organization. The Board appointed Erin Darby of the University of Tennessee as the chair of the newly formed DEI Committee. This committee grew out of DEI Task Force established by President Sharon Herbert in the fall of 2020, and several members of that Task Force will serve on the Committee. We are now seeking volunteers and nominations for additional members of the Committee. Its responsibilities as envisioned by the Board are described briefly in section 5.21 of ASOR鈥檚 by-laws as advising 17吃瓜leaders 鈥渞egarding initiatives 17吃瓜might undertake either individually or jointly with other bodies to reach out to and include diverse communities in 17吃瓜activities in meaningful and sustainable ways. In North America, these communities include, but are not limited to, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved groups. Overseas, 17吃瓜will focus on serving its international membership and working with local archaeological communities to promote public engagement in 17吃瓜activities.鈥� Further information on ASOR鈥檚 DEI initiatives can be found in section 3 of the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. Once its full membership is determined, the DEI Committee will work on an expanded charge. Nominations and applications should be sent to Erin Darby听and Marta Ostovich. Nominations close Friday, March 11.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

A17吃瓜73: Tel Jezreel

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New Annual of 17吃瓜Publication

An Examination of the Stratigraphy and Neolithic-Iron Age Pottery from Tel Jezreel, Area A

by听Charlotte Whiting and Gloria London

This volume presents the results of the Tel Jezreel Post-Excavation and Publication Project, directed by Charlotte Whiting on behalf of the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL). The project analyzed the Tel Jezreel excavation archive stored at the CBRLs Kenyon Institute in Jerusalem. The current volume presents the stratigraphic sequence (by Charlotte Whiting) and the Neolithic to Iron Age pottery (by Gloria London) excavated during the 1995-1996 seasons. The Tel Jezreel stratigraphy and ceramics have been deemed relevant to determining Iron Age chronological and social issues, two topics that are highly debated in the literature. Despite the fragmentary nature of the deposits, they are published here in order to address these questions. In addition, the study of the ceramics revealed an unanticipated abundance of highly varied pre-Iron Age pottery. Social and technological aspects of the manufacturing techniques, including burnish practices, are discussed.

Annual of ASOR, Volume 73, Series Editor William Caraher, April 2021, 304 pages, 90 b/w figures, 3 tables, ISBN 978-0-89757-111-1, $84.95.

Special Offer for 17吃瓜Members

17吃瓜members (with a mailing address in the USA) can purchase a copy of A17吃瓜73 at the discounted price of $25.00 (75% discount + $5.00 US shipping) through February 15, 2022, while supplies last. Purchases are restricted to one volume per member. We are unable to offer this discount to members without a US mailing address due to international shipping costs, but you can purchase and ship a copy through the ISD link below. Please contact听programs@asor.org听with any questions.听

Available from ISD 鈥� Distributor of Scholarly Books

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Find One 鈥� Fund One

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FIND ONE 鈥� FUND ONE

17吃瓜plans to celebrate our 122nd year (2022) by awarding more than $222,000 in fellowships, scholarships, and grants!听This extraordinary commitment to our members has been made possible by donors who have established endowments or made annual contributions to these programs.

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($112,000)
  • 听($50,000)
  • 听($40,000)
  • 听(at least $20,000鈥攚e need more donations)

The deadline to apply for fieldwork scholarships and grants is听a little over a month away (February 18 for scholarships, February 28 for grants).

17吃瓜is only able to provide these scholarships with the partnership of our many donors. We are pleased听with the progress that听17吃瓜is making to establish new scholarships and grants through endowed funds, but we also need annual support from our friends and members to send these eager students and early-career scholars into the field.听Please support archaeology鈥檚 next generation by making a gift today. Because of the ongoing pandemic, we especially need gifts to fund听. Gifts to the听听(unrestricted) will help defray the costs of administering and distributing the grants. We also invite you to make a听听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 [703-789-9229]).

-The 17吃瓜Team

Scholarships for Fieldwork Participation
Grants for Archaeological Projects
Research Fellowships for Members
Membership and Annual Meeting Scholarships
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Stipend Report: Julian Hirsch

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Using Experimental Wear to Study Early Bronze Age Wearers

Julian Hirsch, 2021 Eric and Carol Meyers Summer Stipend Recipient


The cemeteries of the Dead Sea Plain (Map by Austin 鈥淐had鈥� Hill).

During the Early Bronze Age I (c. 3700-3100 BCE), the eastern Dead Sea Plain was home to three massive cemeteries at Bab adh-Dhra鈥�, es-Safi, and Fifa. The Bab adh-Dhra鈥� cemetery in particular has been extensively studied by scholars who have elucidated mortuary rituals carried out at the site and discussed the origins and potential functions of objects found in its tombs. While certain object categories such as pottery and basalt bowls have been extensively studied, research on the hundreds of beads found at each of the Dead Sea Plains cemeteries sites has been far more limited. My research employs a use-wear approach to better understand the use of beads found in different family鈥檚 tombs at Fifa. These beads appear to primarily be made out of carnelian and glazed steatite.

Tombs excavated at Fifa by Mohammad Najjar under the auspices of the Department of Antiquities in Jordan. (All photos by author).

Photo of the author reducing a bead blank to the proper size on a basalt slab (Photo by Author).

Use-wear analysis uses optical microscopy to look for regularly appearing patterns on archaeological objects. These patterns might say something about how the object was made, how it was used, or even how long it was used for. To understand these patterns however, it is crucial that use-wear analysts conduct a variety of archaeological experiments that focus on reproducing the same types of patterns found on archaeological examples. Since carnelian has already been the subject of several use-wear studies, I decided to focus my research this summer on reproducing steatite beads of the size and shape of those found at Fifa, and then wearing those beads to see if I could observe any changes over time.

Starting with a chunk of steatite, I used flint and metal blades to fashion a long cuboid. I then rolled the cuboid on grinding slabs made of basalt and sandstone. This transformed the steatite cuboid into a long tube. From there, I used either a flint or metal blade to saw off thin bead blanks. These were then drilled with either a bone drill, a flint drill, or a drill made out of copper wire. Lastly, I reduced the diameter and length of my bead to the size of those found in the archaeological record the same grinding stones. Each material I used to create my steatite beads was carefully chosen to be similar to ones that could have been used to produce the beads during the Early Bronze Age.

After creating my beads, I began wearing a group of them in a necklace, regularly observing how their surfaces changed over time. As steatite is very soft, it did not take long for manufacturing marks left behind from their slicing, grinding, and perforation to disappear.

A set of newly made unworn steatite beads.
The same set of beads after being worn for two months.

Once I established a baseline for understanding the development of wear on unglazed steatite beads, I turned my attention towards conducting a new set of experiments focused on replicating glazing techniques used in predynastic Egypt. To ensure I cast a wide enough net to replicate the patterns found on the beads found at Fifa, I used several different glazing recipes and methods. Despite following already published recipes, I unfortunately was only able to achieve success with one glazing method. In the coming months, I will observe the development of wear on this set of beads that I believe most closely correlate to those found at Fifa.


Beads covered with glazing mixture made of natron and malachite prior to being placed in a kiln (photo by author).

Bead prior to glazing.
Bead after glazing.

A strand of partially glazed beads that will be worn and observed in the coming months (photo by author).

My experimental research this summer, made possible by ASOR鈥檚 generous summer stipend program, has given me a chance to explore experimental archaeology, something entirely new to my archaeological toolkit. Despite the challenges posed by numerous broken beads, unsuccessful glazing attempts, and all too much time alone in a windowless room accompanied by only a kiln and large blocks of steatite, the experimental work I鈥檝e done this summer will without a doubt allow me to better understand Fifa鈥檚 excavated bead assemblage. In turn, I believe that it will allow me use to use wear to better understand the bead鈥檚 wearers.

Julian Hirsch is a master鈥檚 student in Anthropological Archaeology at Trent University. His current research focuses on using use-wear to better understand the life histories of ornaments found in Early Bronze Age tombs. Julian also maintains an active research interest in the history of Biblical Archaeology.听听

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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