Archaeological Reports Series 32: The U-Shaped Building at Caesarea Maritima
Available from ISD 鈥� Distributor of Scholarly Books
ARS 32: The U-Shaped Building at Caesarea Maritima
Category Archives: 17吃瓜News
Fieldwork Report: Mandy Porter
Archaeology in Prehistoric Cyprus Rocks
Mandy Porter, 2025 Strange/Midkiff Families Scholarship Recipient
is a Bronze Age settlement on the western coast of Cyprus, 10km north of Paphos. The site was occupied from the Early Cypriot Bronze Age (c. 2500 BC) to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age (c. 1600 BC). This ASOR-affiliated project is directed by Lindy Crewe () and Ian Hill ( Archaeology). This is a remarkably interesting, and sometimes puzzling, site to excavate. The soil does not usually have distinct color changes, due to being baked in the sun, so it is important to pay attention to the soil鈥檚 texture. Additionally, the site is in a plow-zone, causing the different chronological layers and artifacts to be mixed together. While these aspects may seem daunting at first, they help archaeology students learn how to excavate meticulously.
This summer was my second season at Kissonerga-Skalia, and I happily returned to my old unit, Trench Q, to pick up where I left off last year. This trench features an intact pithos, querns as well as other ground stones, and metal artifacts. Trench Q is also riddled with several wall constructions and pits. These walls cut into each other from various directions, and they feature different concentrations and sizes of stones, suggesting that they are not contemporaneous with each other. Trench Q also has a large number of rocks, many of which form the circular boundaries of pits running parallel to the walls. In order to confirm the presence of a pit, we had to identify the pit edges by defining the rocks and lightly trowelling the surrounding area to find where the soil texture transitioned from being compact to soft.
Another part of my trench features a jumbled heap of rocks, which I worked with most of last year. This season we attempted to articulate the pile by removing smaller, loose rocks from the top to see if we could identify the edges of a pit. We discovered that with each rock removed, it felt like two more rocks were found underneath it. The rocks will ultimately keep their secrets, but we interpret them to be either a rubble pile or the filling of a pit. This part of my trench demonstrates how archaeologists sometimes come across features that are difficult to identify or study. I spent the second half of the excavation exposing a flat, compact surface, which was probably a floor, and defining one of the walls. As we were following this surface, we realized that it continued on the other side of the wall, suggesting that this wall was not associated with the surface but that it was constructed later, cutting the floor. We concluded the season by planning every excavated section of the trench to assist future excavations at Kissonerga-Skalia.
Alongside my role on the project, my personal goals were to increase my skills in photogrammetry, begin to delve into the use of digital modelling technology, and work on my instructional skills. I have only recently begun my journey in digital archaeology, but I am increasingly interested in the use of digital tools to enhance archaeological excavation and data collection. My use of digital modelling technology has been interesting. The feeling of creating an explorable model is wonderful but the process requires an incredible amount of patience. Teaching students in the archaeological field technique was a wonderful and amazing learning opportunity.
During post-excavation activities, I served as the Small Finds Registrar. In this role, I worked closely with prehistoric Cypriot material culture and studied the artifacts that my fellow students and I had excavated. The artifacts dated between the Late Chalcolithic and Middle Bronze Age. The range of small finds this season included juglets, ground stones, beads, and metal objects. I cleaned, measured, weighed, and catalogued these small finds firsthand. Some objects were too fragile to wash, so I dry brushed them to gently remove excess dirt and to articulate their shape. I researched these artifacts for typologies and comparable examples in site reports from other Cypriot sites, and I collaborated with the project鈥檚 specialists. Additionally, I made boxes for each artifact type so that the small finds could be securely transported to museum storage for future study. Through this unique opportunity, I gained experience handling artifacts as well as familiarity with various materials and object types that will be beneficial for future work in excavations or museums.
Mandy Porter is a master鈥檚 student at Columbia University studying Museum Anthropology. She has a master鈥檚 degree in Classical Archaeology from the University of Oxford and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Archaeology and Classical Studies from Dickinson College. She is also an active member of both ASOR鈥檚 Early Career Scholars Committee and Honors and Awards Committee.听
Want to help more students and early career archaeologists get into the field? Donate to the cause today by selecting 鈥淔ieldwork Scholarships鈥� as your gift purpose!
2026 Grant & Fellowship Awardees
2026 PROJECT GRANT AND RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP AWARDEES
Grants for Archaeological Projects: $70,000 awarded
Stevan B. Dana Project Grants: $25,000 awarded
- 脟a臒layan Bal (University of Chicago) Toprakkale Archaeological Survey Project
- Eva Amanda Calomino (University of Granada) Frontier Households at Tell el-Ghaba (North Sinai, Egypt): Domestic Production and Borderland Connectivity, 11th-7th centuries BCE
- James Fraser (Albright Institute of Archaeological Research) Tsaghkasar Archaeological Project
- James Osborne (University of Chicago) T眉rkemen-Kara枚y眉k Archaeological Project
- Anonymous
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Stevan B. Dana Project Grants for Israel: $15,000 awarded
- Sofia Avants (Duke University) Radiocarbon Analysis of Ritual Pool Plasters to Establish Household Use During the 2nd-3rd c. CE in Sepphoris, Galilee
- Ido Koch (Tel Aviv University) Tel Hadid Archaeological Project
- Omer Sergi (Tel Aviv University) Tel Shaddud Archaeological Project
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Charles Harris Project Grants: $10,000 awarded
- Carlo Cereti (University of California, Irvine) MAIKI: The Italian Historical-Archaeological Mission in Kurdistan
- Sharon Steadman (State University of New York, Cortland) Climate and Economy at Late Chalcolithic 脟ad谋r Hoyu虉k
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Joe D. Seger Grant: $5,000 awarded
- Lindy Crewe (Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute) Kissonerga-Skalia Bronze Age Settlement
- Luiza Osorio G. Silva听(University of California, Irvine) Kom Firin Archaeological Project
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Shepard Urgent Action Grants: $15,000 awarded
- Nick Ray (Ulster University) Torca Cliff Emergency Survey
- Hossam Abd El Azeem (Shaw膩hid Mi峁 “Witnesses of Egypt” Heritage Initiative) Sultan al-Ashraf Inal Complex: Emergency Stabilization and Safeguarding
- Amany Abd El Hameed (Penn Cultural Heritage Center/Penn Museum) Rescuing Egyptian Labor Archives: Emergency Stabilization of Foreign Excavation Records (1890s鈥�1970)
- Federico Cappella听(Sapienza Universit脿 di Roma) Carthage: Emergency Documentation and Conservation of Punic Structures Threatened by Environmental Degradation
Research Fellowships: $13,000 awarded in 2026
Study of Collections Fellowships: $4,000 awarded
- Sofia Kane (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco) Carpet Fragments Excavated from Ballana and Qustul, ISAC/Art Institute of Chicago
- Irene Romano (University of Arizona) Hellenistic Sculpture from Qalagta Darband, Blegen Library, ASCSA
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Mesopotamian Fellowship: $9,000 awarded
- Melania Zingarello听(CEPAM-French National Centre for Scientific Research) Sacred Waterscapes and Early Urbanism at Rejibah (southern Mesopotamia): Canals, cultic landscapes, and long-term urban memory
Fieldwork Scholarships: $86,000 (43 scholarships of $2,000 each)
Collections Fellowship Report: Laura Alvarez
Me and We in the Mirror. A Study of Self and Other from Mesopotamia to the Levantine Coast during the Fourth and Second Millennia BCE听
Laura Alvarez, University of Cambridge, 2025 Study of Collections Fellowship Recipient
From the beginning of the fourth millennium BCE, small circular mirrors in copper alloy started appearing in funerary and temple contexts across Mesopotamia and the Levantine coast. What might seem a banal object in fact marks a major milestone in the history of both technology and perception, as mirrors offer a means of accessing what would otherwise be invisible to us directly: the face, in a left鈥搑ight reversed and sometimes distorted image. Where reflections had previously been fleeting glimpses in water, mirrors now provided a more stable, manipulable, and portable medium.
For many years, I have wondered how mirrors may have altered perceptions of oneself and others, disrupted relational structures, or suggested new ways of conceptualising the world. A well-known historical parallel is the development of mirrors in seventeenth-century Europe, which coincided with the rise of the bourgeoisie, new notions of individuality, and the emergence of intimacy and personal comfort. But even earlier, in 12th Dynasty Egypt, Ipuwer evoked the image of a woman who once had to gaze at her reflection in water but now owned a mirror (Papyrus Leiden I 344 recto) as a way of expressing the upheaval of social revolution: access to self-awareness, once dictated by hierarchy, was shifting. Much like the performative nature of status at Versailles, this demonstrates how mirrors could become instruments of social and ideological transformation as far back as the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age periods.
In this project, my aim is to attempt to reconstruct the experiences of people interacting with mirrors, seeking insights into their perceptions of reflections and the symbolism attached to these objects. Since 2022 I have been building a dataset of mirrors from Syria, Palestine鈥揑srael, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and western Iran, and have studied numerous collections worldwide.
The 17吃瓜Study of Collections Fellowship provided the critical final support needed to complete the data collection phase of the project, which involved visiting the archaeological collections at the Louvre and the Baghdad Museum. The latter houses numerous mirrors from Agrab, Khafajeh and Kish-Tell Ingharra, Ur, Uruk, Khafajeh and Asmar, most of which remain unpublished. Although part of the work was hindered by the closure of regional airspace in mid-June, which forced the postponement of travel, I expect to conduct research in Iraq in the autumn or winter. The ultimate goal of this project is to produce a monograph, the Corpus Speculorum Orientis, restoring to this material a scholarly standing long minimised.
The 17吃瓜Study of Collections Fellowship provided the critical final support needed to complete the data collection phase of the project, which involved visiting the archaeological collections at the Louvre and the Baghdad Museum. The latter houses numerous mirrors from Agrab, Khafajeh and Kish-Tell Ingharra, Ur, Uruk, Khafajeh and Asmar, most of which remain unpublished. Although part of the work was hindered by the closure of regional airspace in mid-June, which forced the postponement of travel, I expect to conduct research in Iraq in the autumn or winter. The ultimate goal of this project is to produce a monograph, the Corpus Speculorum Orientis, restoring to this material a scholarly standing long minimised.
At the Louvre, I investigated ten mirrors from Sidon, acquired through the museum鈥檚 antiquities networks of Louvre curator Eug猫ne Ledrain, whom aimed to expand the French knowledge of Levantine culture with the institutional objective of enriching the museum鈥檚 collections. I also studied mirrors from the coastal site of Ugarit (Ras Shamra), brought to Paris in the course of French excavations during the colonial and Mandate periods of the early twentieth century. In examining these objects, I paid particular attention to any surviving traces of engraved decoration, similar to those I have observed on mirrors from the Diyala region in Iraq.
During this stay, I took the opportunity to consult the Coll猫ge de France archives, which preserve excavation documents of Claude Schaeffer, who directed work at Ras Shamra in the first half of the twentieth century, as well as to visit the National Museum of Archaeology at Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Mus茅e d鈥檃rch茅ologie nationale, MAN), located about an hour from Paris, which preserves material from Ugarit and its harbour, Minet el-Beida.
Fieldwork Report: Amiella Musser
A Summer in the Pit
Amiella Musser, 2025 17吃瓜Stevan B. Dana Fieldwork Scholarship
Though I often say I spent my summer 鈥渄igging in the dirt鈥� in a somewhat humorous way, the truth is I spent the summer learning that archaeology is more than a fascinating discipline to me鈥攊t is a lifestyle that I love. Waking up at 4:30 a.m. to be at the site by 5:00, we would get as much done as possible before our 7:30 鈥渃offee pause,鈥� a quick but necessary break. Afterward, we had a couple more hours of digging before breakfast, and then more digging until our day ended at 1:00 p.m. But that wasn鈥檛 really the end of the day, because then came pottery washing. Though tedious, it was an opportunity to hear from others about what was going on in their areas, what finds had been uncovered, and what they knew about the site鈥攐r others in the region.
A sunrise at Azekah, one of many.
A quick break to get some fresh air and water outside of the pit
I worked in what became known as 鈥淕adi鈥檚 Pit,鈥� named for the assistant supervisor who oversaw its excavation. The site is Tel Azekah in the heart of the Shephelah. It鈥檚 a large area with so much left to discover, even alongside everything already uncovered. I exposed the entrance to what we initially thought was a cistern, but as we dug deeper we realized it was more than that, despite the deceptively simple first week. The Tel has a water system that has not yet been excavated, but the area I was working in seems to have some connection to it. The work was addictive. Every morning I woke up looking forward to getting back into the pit, and even during breakfast you could hear me saying how much I wanted to return. Unfortunately, I wasn鈥檛 able to reach the bottom this season, but it was not for lack of effort. If you were to meet my field supervisors, they would probably tell you they were mildly concerned at times about me ever leaving the pit. Little did they know I was just avoiding the sun in the most effective way possible鈥攂eing two meters underground.
A sunset at Azekah while we were breaking down for the night, one of those days we tried to avoid the heat by working early morning and evening.
Buckets stacked triple high inside the pit while excavating. At this point it was about 2 Meters deep.
This summer had record-breaking heat day after day鈥攕o much so that we had to shorten and adjust our workdays in order to avoid it. Some days we left the site at 10 a.m. and returned at 5 p.m. to work into the evening, avoiding the harshest hours of the sun. The unusual schedule on those days made the work strangely more exhausting, even with the much-appreciated popsicle breaks meant to counteract the heat. Even then, I often found myself uninterested in truly taking a break. As strange as it may sound, among the many things I learned this summer (and there were many), the one I think is most important is how to take a break. Feeling the boost of energy it gave me鈥攁nd seeing it in the team around me鈥擨 realized how valuable a ten-minute pause is. Our work in the first hour after a break always seemed to be the most productive. In general, we were quite an efficient team, with complementary skill sets, a lot of good humor, and thankfully a relatively good taste in music.
Me coming out of the pit after passing up buckets, normally we would empty 20 at a time, but at one point it got up to as many as 60.
It is simply the truth to say that excavation is hard work. Pickaxes, as fun to wield as they are, get heavy. Heat is more than uncomfortable; it exhausts you in ways you don鈥檛 notice until later. Dumping hundreds of buckets a day into what becomes a mountain works muscles you didn鈥檛 even know existed. You would think all this might make you want to never return to a site, yet it has the opposite effect. The conversations you have while pickaxing away, the strength you feel at the end of a season, the information you learn every moment鈥攊t draws you in. It鈥檚 been a couple of weeks since I left Azekah, and I have to say, I miss it. Though it鈥檚 still months away, I look forward to future excavation seasons.
One of the days I was working above-ground, some days it was too hot to work inside the pit since it trapped the heat and humidity in.
Amiella is an undergraduate student double-majoring in Archaeology and International Studies at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. Archaeology is what she lives and breathes 鈥� she has known for a long time that this is what she wants to do with her life, and every year of learning and doing more with it only affirms that! As much as she loves the 鈥渄igging-in-the-dirt鈥� aspect of archaeology, Amiella hopes that she can build her career and make it more accessible to anyone who wants to learn more about our ancient past.
Want to help more students and early career archaeologists get into the field? Donate to the cause today by selecting 鈥淔ieldwork Scholarships鈥� as your gift purpose!
President’s Report to 17吃瓜Members
President鈥檚 Report to 17吃瓜Members
May 18, 2026
Dear 17吃瓜Friends,
May was an exceptionally busy month for ASOR鈥檚 Board and Committees. I write this letter as part of an on-going plan to keep you up to date on decisions made by the 17吃瓜Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, a request made by many of our members who wish to have a broader understanding of ASOR鈥檚 focus and accomplishments. Going forward, you can expect to hear from me on a regular basis.
One of the more important decisions we made was to adopt a Values Statement and a Strategic Plan, which were drafted by the Taskforce on the Strategic Plan and passed unanimously by the Board. In a complex and sometimes chaotic world, it is important to state our shared values and strategic direction as an organization. I really appreciate the members of the Taskforce and Trustees who worked creatively over the course of a year to crystallize our shared sense of purpose. While you can find both the Values Statement and the Strategic Plan prominently displayed on the website, you can get a sense of both below, even as I urge you to read the statements in full.
Values Statement
17吃瓜is a broad community of individuals who are committed to upholding the following values with integrity as we pursue ASOR鈥檚 mission.
Curiosity: To sustain ASOR鈥檚 intellectual vitality by advancing excellence, exploring new ideas, skills and methods of research, and disseminating evidence-based knowledge.
Collaboration: To create a welcoming, open environment that respects disparate viewpoints while fostering a sharing of opportunities and resources.
Stewardship: To work with all stakeholders with dignity, courtesy, and fairness; to maintain financial discipline; and to support the responsible management, preservation, and protection of cultural heritage and the communities we work with and within.
Transparency: To communicate openly and honestly; to share conscientiously and often with stakeholders across the scholarly and public landscape.
Strategic Plan 2026 鈥� 2030
ASOR鈥檚 Place in the World: 17吃瓜encourages the study of the past through archaeological, historical, art historical, linguistic, and cultural research, along with conservation by fostering conversations about our members鈥� research and the impact of our studies on the contemporary world. 17吃瓜members promote the preservation of cultural heritage as it relates to global history. Over the next five to ten years, 17吃瓜will undertake the following initiatives to demonstrate our conception of our role in the world.
1. Support high-quality academic research in various venues, giving space for innovative, paradigm-shifting contributions, for example in ASOR鈥檚 publications, annual meeting sessions and workshops, and early career scholars and Friends of 17吃瓜activities.
2. Cultivate partnerships in all educational and outreach efforts through the work of 17吃瓜committees and overseas centers.
3. Further develop relationships and collaborative research with local stakeholders and especially affiliated overseas centers, in order to enhance the understanding, preservation, and viability of cultural heritage related to our members鈥� research and local needs.
4. Assist members in the practical and financial aspects of international research through enlargement of our ongoing grants programs as well as creating and furnishing venues for providing expert information and counsel.
Looking Outward: We aspire to be a leader, communicator, and supporter of innovative, high-quality, forward-thinking scholarship, education, and partnerships related to the study of the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, from Europe to the African Sahel.
1. Strengthen existing platforms and media and activate new fora for scholars and the public alike to enlarge the impact of our members鈥� contributions to the study of the past as an essential aspect of solutions to issues of today.
2. Increase collaborative educational initiatives geared towards the public and primary and secondary education classroom settings.
3. Develop clear strategies and policies for public-facing outreach and clear communication strategies for access, including translations of materials, for members and other interested parties.
Preparation for the Future: 17吃瓜seeks to continue to expand the audience for its work beyond traditional academics to enhance public understanding of the past and its impact on the present. We aim to support question-based research in the production and preservation of knowledge in the world. 17吃瓜supports diversity that broadens the fields of archaeology, history, art history, linguistics, cultural research and conservation beyond traditional academic careers, by mentoring and supporting early career scholars and scholars in partner countries, and by providing archaeological and technical training for a broad range of interested individuals. 17吃瓜will continue to create and foster support from a broad range of sources to maintain ASOR鈥檚 financial stability and resources for our growing membership.
1. Continue expanding and engaging ASOR鈥檚 membership, including efforts to increase membership and engagement from groups underrepresented in the field.
2. Foster opportunities through mentorship and skills development to prepare members for diverse fields in a rapidly-shifting social and economic environment. Harness the experience of ASOR鈥檚 membership to guide members along their chosen paths.
3. Enhance funding relationships to accomplish our mission and strategic goals.
New Board Trustees
Kiersten Neumann, a Membership-Elected Trustee, was elected an Institutional Trustee, class of 2026, moving into a slot vacated by Eric Cline, President of the W.F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research (AIAR), who retained his other seat as Overseas Institute Trustee.
Sarah Costello became a Membership-Elected Trustee, class of 2026.
Cultural Heritage
17吃瓜has an extraordinary ability to bring together scholars from archaeology, art history, history, science and other fields to protect and study cultural heritage and share its importance with the public. This is especially important as sites are being threatened or destroyed.
17吃瓜has become an organization that our overseas partners look to as they seek to begin, enhance or find help for their cultural heritage work. Through the hard work of our CH staff, 17吃瓜has been the recipient of several grants, some through the US Department of State, to:
- partner with Libya鈥檚 Department of Antiquities to document and repair flood damage at the archaeological sites of Cyrene, Ptolemais and Tocra;
- work collaboratively with the Department of Antiquities of Sudan to strengthen site security and rebuild infrastructure at the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum;
- sign Memoranda of Understanding with the National Heritage Institute (INP) in Tunisia for work in-country, the University of Lausanne for work in Syria, and the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield for protection of cultural heritage world-wide.
Policy Discussions
Over the past year, the Programs Committee, the Committee on Archaeological Research and Policy, and the Committee on Publications have asked the Executive Committee and Board for guidance on issues outlined in ASOR鈥檚 current Code of Professional Conduct. The Board, after much deliberation and discussion, concurred that some of the language should be updated and revised. I have convened a taskforce to re-examine and rewrite the Code to provide clearer direction for members and committees. This taskforce is in the earliest stages of work, which will be complex and guided by ASOR鈥檚 recently approved Values Statement. Trustees would like to hear from you and I would appreciate your help by participating in a committee or contact me at president@asor.org.
As a corollary to this discussion, the Board affirmed that, as an apolitical organization, 17吃瓜will not publish political statements coming officially from the Board.
Committee Participation
To make your voice heard, please consider joining a committee to help shape ASOR鈥檚 future. Reach out to the chair of the committee you are interested in serving on; get to know committee members at the Annual Meeting; watch the announcements for committee openings. Much of ASOR鈥檚 work is accomplished through committees 鈥� 17吃瓜is you!
Best regards,
Jane DeRose Evans
President
Appeal from ASOR’s Board Chair
Appeal from ASOR’s Board Chair
May 15, 2026
Dear 17吃瓜Friends,
For 125 years, 17吃瓜has been at the forefront of research on the cultures and history of the Near East and wider Mediterranean鈥攕upporting fieldwork, mentoring emerging scholars, publishing rigorous scholarship, and helping safeguard cultural heritage in regions where it is most at risk. That mission feels more vital than ever, and it is sustained by a community of members and donors who believe this work matters. Thank you for being part of it.
In about 4 weeks, we will conclude another positive 17吃瓜fiscal year (June 30) with many accomplishments to celebrate.
Just a few months ago, we held our 125th anniversary celebration at the Annual Meeting. At that time, we announced the successful completion of the $5 million 17吃瓜2025 fundraising initiative, with final results now totaling $6.4 million, including $3.9 million in cash gifts along with $2.5 million in documented legacy gifts. The funds raised position 17吃瓜very well for the future, sustaining the investments we have made to increase our capacity and advance our mission.
More recently, at the spring Board of Trustees meeting, we adopted a new strategic plan to guide us for 2026鈥�2030, as we transition to our new President, Jane DeRose Evans. Alongside the听strategic plan,听we affirmed four core听values听for 17吃瓜鈥� curiosity, collaboration, stewardship, and transparency. You can find more on both the strategic plan and values at these links. A big thanks to the members who served on the task forces that shaped this work.
We are proud of our progress at ASOR, but real challenges remain. Ongoing conflict in the Middle East, including the most recent engagement involving the US, Israel, Iran, and other countries in the region, weighs heavily on our community and disrupts fieldwork, partnerships, and heritage we share with colleagues across the area. The environment for federal grants supporting cultural heritage work remains extremely difficult. We have also engaged more seriously in recent years with questions about how our professional conduct policy applies to research in contested territories鈥攄ifficult conversations that reflect a diverse community committed to thinking carefully about its responsibilities. And despite 17吃瓜maintaining a very healthy balance sheet, with growth overall in assets and endowments, we face another year of drawing on prior-year reserves to balance our operating budget.
With these challenges in mind, the Development Committee, with the support of the Board of Trustees, has committed to meet or exceed our Annual Fund goal of $150,000 for fiscal year 2026 and to increase the goal to $200,000 for fiscal year 2027. This increase reflects the reality that our fundraising needs to keep up with the investments we are making in the talented staff who support our members in carrying out our mission.
As we near the end of the fiscal year on June 30, I ask you to consider an听. We are currently about听$22,000听short of this year鈥檚 goal of $150,000. The Annual Fund is what allows 17吃瓜to deliver its programs year in and year out, and with fewer federal grants supporting our cultural heritage work and community outreach, your participation matters more than ever.
If you have already contributed this fiscal year, thank you. If you haven鈥檛 yet made a gift鈥攐r if you have given and are in a position to give again at this important moment鈥� I hope you will join me before June 30. I deeply appreciate your support.
Best regards,
Sheldon Fox
Chairman, Board of Trustees
ECS Research in Action: Dr. Leilani Lucas
Early Career Scholars Research in Action: Dr. Leilani Lucas
Archaeology in Action: Reconstructing Culinary Practices in Prehistoric Cyprus from Charred Food Remains
Join ASOR’s Early Career Scholars on May 29, 2026 at 12:00pm ET via Zoom for a virtual Research in Action talk from Dr. Leilani Lucas.
Please join the 17吃瓜Early Career Research in Action Series for a talk led by Dr. Leilani Lucas, Professor of Anthropology at College of Southern Nevada. This talk presents a case study from prehistoric Cyprus applying microstructural analysis to amorphous charred objects (ACOs) and integrating them with archaeobotanical evidence and material culture. Despite their frequent recovery in Cypriot archaeobotanical samples, charred amorphous or unidentifiable plant remains have typically been relegated to brief entries in archaeobotanical tables. This study demonstrates archaeological science in action by applying microstructural analysis to ACOs, enabling the reconstruction of past food preparation and consumption practices. Archaeobotanical research on the island has traditionally focused on the recovery and identification of plant taxa to reconstruct agricultural and subsistence patterns, leaving questions of food processing and consumption technologies underexplored. ACOs recovered from Feature 33 at Kissonerga-Skalia (Late Cypriot IA) are examined as direct evidence of past culinary practices. This study contributes to a growing body of research demonstrating the potential of microstructural analysis to enhance archaeobotanical interpretations of food preparation in the past, while providing the first applications of this approach in Cyprus.
The event is FREE for the 17吃瓜community, but registration is required.
2025 Dana Grant Report: Rediscovering Ancient Clay Landscapes
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2025 Dana Grant Report: Rediscovering Ancient Clay Landscapes: Geological Prospection for Pottery Making in the Mosul Dam Region
Silvia Amicone, University of T眉bingen
In November 2025, thanks to the generous support of the 17吃瓜Stevan B. Dana Project Grant, a geological prospection was conducted along the western shore of the Mosul Dam Lake in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This work forms part of the ReLand Project, which investigates the archaeological landscapes of the Upper Tigris region in Iraq through survey, environmental research, and laboratory analysis.
Pottery has been a fundamental element of daily life in northern Mesopotamia for thousands of years. Yet while archaeologists have studied ceramic vessels extensively, much less attention has been given to the natural clay sources that ancient potters relied upon. Today, the shores of the Mosul Dam Lake are undergoing rapid environmental change. Seasonal fluctuations in water levels expose fresh sediment profiles, while erosion threatens to destroy important geological deposits. This moment therefore offers a rare opportunity to document clay sources before they are altered or lost.
During one week of intensive fieldwork, we systematically surveyed wadi banks, and upland slopes. Using GPS mapping, stratigraphic recording, photography, and UAV-based aerial documentation, we identified and recorded clay-rich deposits suitable for pottery production. A total of 32 clays were collected from both residual deposits formed by weathering of local bedrock and fine-grained floodplain sediments associated with wadis (ancient Tigris channels).
These two types of deposits represent different possibilities for ancient ceramic production. Residual clays, often found on slopes and eroded outcrops, are variable in composition and would have required careful preparation by potters. Floodplain clays, in contrast, are finer and more homogeneous, potentially offering highly workable raw materials. Understanding the distribution and properties of these deposits helps us reconstruct how potters selected and managed natural resources. The collected samples will now undergo laboratory analyses, including petrography, X-ray diffraction, and geochemical characterization. Their mineralogical and chemical signatures will be compared with ceramic vessels previously excavated and analyzed at archaeological sites in the region. This comparison will allow us to identify local production, distinguish imported wares, and better understand technological traditions and exchange networks in the Upper Tigris.
By documenting endangered clay landscapes, this project not only advances archaeological science but also highlights the deep connection between environment and human creativity. The 17吃瓜Dana Grant has made it possible to preserve critical geological knowledge and to strengthen long-term research collaboration in the region.
Learn more about the project or follow the ReLand project on .
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Fieldwork Report: Joshua Feland
Adventure in a Nabatean Town
Joshua Feland, 2025 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient
In southern Jordan lies Humayma, an extensive archaeological site with a complicated history. The ancient village was home to the Nabateans, Romans, Byzantines, and Arab peoples, all of whom left their mark permanently in the village in the form of large and small structures. Humayma, or ancient Hawara, was initially a Nabatean settlement roughly equidistant between Aqaba and Petra in southern Jordan. The site is notable for its water collection infrastructure, Roman fort, Byzantine churches, and Islamic Qasr, to name but a few of the structural types on the site. Spread throughout the site are the everyday signs of life in the past: pottery sherds, ceramic building materials (CBM), faunal remains, and evidence of burials鈥攁ll of which is being mapped and documented.
In May 2025, I was presented with the opportunity to act as a supervisor on the University of Alberta鈥檚 Humayma Field School project. The field school aims to instill archaeological field technique and values in the next generation of archaeology students. For this season I was tasked with teaching photogrammetry techniques using the standing structures at Humayma and excavated materials from previous seasons.
Fifteen university students coming from Canada and the United States travelled to Jordan to conduct their first fieldwork in the Middle East. The overall goal of the field school in its inaugural season was to establish the state of the structures on the site, create a detailed site map, pinpoint key areas for further excavation and conservation, and instruct the students in archaeological field techniques, including photogrammetry and 3D modelling.
The photogrammetry for the site was conducted primarily by the students using both a traditional DSLR camera and the students鈥� own smartphones. Both pieces of capture technology produced excellent results, considering this was the students鈥� first time using them in the field. The process involved the students walking steadily around some of the notable standing structures on the site, taking photos as they went with as much overlap as possible. This allows for the processing applications to 鈥渕atch鈥� structures, creating an in-depth 3D model that can be georeferenced and measured. The technology is instrumental to modern archaeology, allowing for the creation of high-quality and often fully explorable 3D models of sites, structures, features, artifacts, etc. This can provide easy access to on-the-ground site data that may be a world away. Properly georeferenced, one can measure entire structures from one鈥檚 own office or laboratory.
Alongside my role on the project, my personal goals were to increase my skills in photogrammetry, begin to delve into the use of digital modelling technology, and work on my instructional skills. I have only recently begun my journey in digital archaeology, but I am increasingly interested in the use of digital tools to enhance archaeological excavation and data collection. My use of digital modelling technology has been interesting. The feeling of creating an explorable model is wonderful but the process requires an incredible amount of patience. Teaching students in the archaeological field technique was a wonderful and amazing learning opportunity.
The inaugural season of the University of Alberta Humayma Field school consisted entirely of survey work; as such, small finds were limited to rare instances of surface collections. Throughout Humayma, due to environmental exposures, looting, and other means, artifacts are observable on the surface all throughout the site. Some of my notable finds were a bronze coin of indeterminate age and a piece of marble.
My fieldwork participation in Jordan continues to be instrumental to the development of my career as an archaeologist and educator, and I could not be more thankful for the opportunities and connections this experience has provided.
Joshua Feland is a master鈥檚 student at the University of Alberta in Alberta, Canada. He is interested in Desert and Harbour archaeology, particularly where the two intersect. He has a specialization in Roman provincial archaeology. He has conducted fieldwork in Italy, Jordan, and the boreal forest zones of British Columbia and Alberta.
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