UNEARTHING THE PAST SINCE 1900
Elise Laugier, Utah State University
Each year at the Annual Meeting, 17吃瓜recognizes individuals who have performed outstanding service for the organization, those who have published exceptional academic work, and those who made significant contributions to our field. The following award recipients were honored at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Boston and during the Members鈥� Meeting on November 21st. Awards were presented by Lynn Welton, co-chair of ASOR鈥檚 Honors and Awards Committee.
The Richard J. Scheuer Medal. This award honors an individual who has provided truly outstanding, long-term support and service contributions to 17吃瓜(this medal is awarded when such an individual is identified).
Awarded to Sharon Herbert, for her exceptional contributions and guidance during her two terms as both Vice President and President of ASOR.
The Charles U. Harris Service Award. This award is given in recognition of long-term and/or special service as an 17吃瓜officer or Trustee (one award is given annually).
Awarded to Charles E. Jones, Tombros Librarian for Classics and Humanities at Pennsylvania State University, for his time as 17吃瓜Vice President from 2020-2025, most prominently his work with the Chairs Coordinating Council (CCC).
The P. E. MacAllister Field Archaeology Award. This award honors an archaeologist who, during his/her/their career, has made outstanding contributions to ancient Near Eastern and eastern Mediterranean archaeology (one award is given annually).
Awarded to Yorke Rowan, Research Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago, for his impactful contributions to the archaeology of Eastern Badia, Wadi al-Qattafi, and major Chalcolithic sites.
Community Engagement and Public Outreach Award. This award recognizes individuals, teams, and organizations who have initiated outstanding educational, informational, or practical projects (including but not limited to classes, programs, exhibits, resources, events, and platforms) with the goal of making subjects and information about the ancient world accessible to wider (particularly non-academic) audiences.
Awarded to Chad Spigel (Trinity University) and Paul Flesher (University of Wyoming), for their development of the website for the which makes publicly available all of the original field records for the 1970-1981 excavations of four synagogues of Upper Galilee: Meiron, Gush Halav, Khirbet Shema, and Nabratein. The database provides a searchable presentation of all field notes: from locus sheets and top plans to pottery readings and object lists, from daily notes to weekly and end-of-season reports.
17吃瓜Membership Service Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made special contributions on behalf of the 17吃瓜membership, through committee, editorial, or office services.
Awarded to: Theodore W. Burgh, Professor, University of North Carolina Wilmington, has been an exemplary leader for ASOR鈥檚 Membership and Outreach Committee during his two terms as its chair, from 2020 through 2025.
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Awarded to Allison Thomason, Professor, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, for her work as Co-Chair of the Program Committee for the last six years and compassionate approach to her service to ASOR.
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Awarded to Vanessa Workman, University of Pennsylvania, who has served on the Early Career Scholars (ECS) Committee since 2017 and became its Co-Chair in 2023.
The W. F. Albright Service Award. This award honors an individual who has shown special support or made outstanding service contributions to one of the overseas centers (AIAR, CAARI), or to one of the overseas committees 鈥� the Baghdad Committee and the Damascus Committee. This award is given when such an individual is identified.
Awarded to Matthew J. Adams, Director of the Center for the Mediterranean World, who served as Director of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research from 2014 to 2022, revitalizing its facilities, programs, finances, and global reach.
The G. Ernest Wright Award. This award is given to the editor/author of the most substantial volume(s) dealing with archaeological material, excavation reports and material culture from the ancient Near East and eastern Mediterranean. This work must be the result of original research published within the past two years (one award is given annually).
Awarded to Kevin D. Fisher, Associate Professor of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology, University of British Columbia, for his substantial contribution to the archaeology of Cyprus in
The Frank Moore Cross Award.听This award is presented to the author/editor of the most substantial volume(s) related to the history and/or religion of the ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean. Primary consideration will be given to historical, epigraphic, textual, and comparative literary studies; or to works that advance and/or evaluate new methodological approaches to the literary record(s). This work must be the result of original research published during the past two years (one award is given annually).
Awarded to Tiffany Earley-Spadoni, Associate Professor, University of Central Florida, for the novel analysis of Urartu as a decentralized non-urban empire with a political organization constructed around a dispersed fortified regional network in
The Nancy Lapp Popular Book Award. This award is presented to the author/editor of a book published in the last two years that offers a new synthesis of archaeological or textual evidence intended to reach an audience of scholars as well as students and the broader public (one award is given annually).
Awarded to Tate Paulette, Associate Professor at North Carolina State University, for , which synthesizes the long and colorful history of Mesopotamian beer.
The Joy Ungerleider Poster Award. This award is conferred upon the author(s) of the poster presenting the results of a study about ancient Near Eastern societies in a clear, legible fashion using original graphic content. Subject matter may be based in archaeological sciences, history, anthropology, epigraphy, ethnography, heritage or other scholarly approaches to understanding ancient people in the areas covered by 17吃瓜(one award is given annually).
Awarded to Defne Bilgili, Johns Hopkins University, for the poster: 鈥淧reservation and Public Engagement at Tell Atchana, Alalakh: A Digital Reconstruction of the Middle Bronze Age Gate Complex.鈥�
Student Paper Award. This award is conferred upon the author(s) of a paper presented during the Annual Meeting that conveys the results of a study about ancient Near Eastern and wider Mediterranean societies in a clear, understandable, and convincing fashion. The first author and presenter of the paper must be a registered student at the time of presentation in order to be eligible for consideration for this award.
Awarded to Aaren (Zhengfang) Zhou, New York听 University, for her paper 鈥淐ooking Pots and Negotiating Identity: Material Culture and Adaptive Agency During the Egyptian Occupation of Beth She鈥檃n.鈥�
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听SHARE
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17吃瓜is gearing up for our 125th Anniversary Celebration at this year’s Annual Meeting in Boston on Saturday, November 22nd, and we can’t wait to see you there! A silent auction will be held as part of the festivities, and this is your chance to make a unique contribution to this very special milestone.
All proceeds from the silent auction will go towards Membership and Annual Meeting Scholarships. 17吃瓜has already awarded over $15,000 in scholarship funds this year and we need your help to make sure we can continue to support those members of our 17吃瓜community with financial need.
Not able to make it to the celebration Boston this November? 17吃瓜will be hosting the auction on-line through December 31, so that you can still bid on these one-of-a-kind items and experiences.
Auction items can include:
Do you have a great idea for an auction item? Fill out to make your mark on the festivities.
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Aleyna Uyanik, 2025 Katherine Barton Platt Fellowship Recipient.听
Spending the summer in Marmaris with the Phoenix Archaeological Project has been nothing short of incredible.
The people I worked with in the project are more than just colleagues. For me, this is one of the most beautiful aspects of our discipline. Every summer, people from different corners of the world come together in one place: Taslica. While we have scientific goals, we also share daily challenges, laughter, and mutual support under often demanding conditions. Looking back, I realize that the moments from the summer that stay with me most are the ones with the Phoenix Project team in Marmaris. It might sound clich茅, but it is here that I learned the most. It was not only about archaeology, it was about so many other things. Even something as simple as a song playing on the radio on our way to the field became part of that shared memory, one that I value just as much as the ancient press stones and pottery finds we documented.
Life in the Field
Community and Camaraderie
Aleyna Uyanik is a Classical Archaeology and Philosophy student at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. She has worked in archaeology and museum projects in Turkey and Germany, with a focus on Greek and Roman material culture.
Phoenix Archaeological Project Website:
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!
Each year, 17吃瓜offers a series of fascinating Friends of 17吃瓜webinarsthat are free to the public. In order to keep this program running and make sure webinars stay free and accessible for all, 17吃瓜needs to raise $10,000 every fiscal year. This year, two anonymous donors have generously pledged $3,000 in matching gifts to support the webinars. That means for every gift you make between now and November 26th, these generous donors will match your gift one-to-one until we hit $3,000.
Thanks to everyone who has donated thus far. As of November 24, we are at $1,865 of our $3,000 goal. There鈥檚 still time for you to have an impact by making a gift today.
Be a part of ensuring webinars like these continue to be available for all. 100% of your gift will go towards supporting FOA Webinars.
| DONATE BY PHONE | DONATE BY MAIL | MAKE A PLEDGE (DONATE LATER) |
|---|---|---|
| Call ASOR: 703-789-9229 | ASOR 209 Commerce St. Alexandria, VA 22314 |
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Andrew Victor Rivadeneira, 2025 Katherine Barton Platt Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient听
After 3 years of excavations at the hillfort Gradina Rat on Bra膷 Island in Croatia, this year was a study season. The site is about an hour ferry ride from Split on the mainland. Gradina Rat has a long history of occupation from the Bronze Age through the 19th century. The focus this season was on analyzing and cataloging artifacts previously excavated, instead of on uncovering new material. As researchers, we focused on the processing of the finds and started to build a clearer picture for the function of the site for reports and publication. This was my third year as part of the project and second as a staff member. My role was to aid in processing archaeobotanical samples and help with the field reports.
Flotation is a key archaeological method for recovering small scale artifacts such as seeds, charcoal, and fish bones from sediment. These smaller materials are hard to see during excavation of the deposits. Yet their low density allows them to float and become more visible in water, hence the flotation method. Samples were taken from each context after the modern layers and kept separated throughout the process. We used a full-sized metal water sieve device that was loaned from the University of Zadar for the last two field seasons. The drum was filled with water near the bottom, and then soil was poured from the top over the mesh in the drum. The mesh allowed the dirt to pass through while keeping larger material on the top of the mesh, and for the smaller material to float. The floating material and water then were slowly pushed out of an opening near the top of the drum. There were two different sized micro mesh trays that would then catch the material while allowing the water to filter through and out of the device. Afterwards the collected micro material was dried and later sorted.
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!
Erin Darby, University of Tennessee, 2025 Study of Collections Fellowship Recipient
Paul Flesher, American Heritage Center
Tell el-Kheleifah is only one of several sets of excavation records in the AHC鈥檚 17吃瓜archives. The collection also holds materials from: Khirbet et Tannur, Dibon, Issawiya, Jerash, Nippur, Beth-Zur and Carthage, as well as small holdings of records from Jerash, Lehav and Tell Hesban, and others. (In general, note that artifacts, as opposed to records, are held by Harvard University鈥檚 Museum of the Ancient Near East.)听 There are several collections of Middle East photographs, with the earliest from 1875. Other sections of the collection hold records of past 17吃瓜presidents, including those of W.F. Albright, Nelson Glueck, G. Ernest Wright, Carl Kraeling, Paul Lapp and William Dever. And of course there are 17吃瓜administrative materials from across the decades, including records of 17吃瓜committees and awarded grants. Overall, the American Society of Overseas Research collection holds 180 cubic feet of materials plus 155 GB of digital copies.
The American Heritage Center is an excellent home for the 17吃瓜collection. Even though it is one of the ten largest non-government public archives in the USA and so is large enough to have the resources to look after the collection, it is small enough to care about all its collections and to look after each patron personally. The AHC has a number of services that enable scholars to access the 17吃瓜collection. Laramie, Wyoming, the home of the American Heritage Center, is less than a three-hour drive north of Denver, or just 30 minutes by plane. Start planning a trip by consulting the finding aid for the 17吃瓜collection, readily available online, and then request materials ahead of time from the Reference Services Department (, 307-766-3756).
Collection materials can also be accessed remotely. The Center鈥檚 Reference Services department can easily be contacted to answer remote inquiries. (Recently, we looked up old municipal records for the Albright Institute in Jerusalem.) The AHC has a large digitization lab and can digitize collection materials at cost. Finally, the Center has the RRAD program (Remote Research and Discovery) that matches a researcher with a research assistant via Zoom and document camera for a nominal cost. This enables researchers to look through collection materials remotely and identify materials they wish to study. These can then be digitized for more careful examination. The AHC looks forward to helping archaeologists and other scholars from around the world to research its historic 17吃瓜collection.
The URL for the 17吃瓜collection finding aid is:
Trustee Nominations Committee has selected six highly qualified members to stand for election for four open positions on the Board of Trustees. The Board sets the direction for 17吃瓜and provides oversight for our organization. Among other responsibilities, members of the Board agree to attend two meetings each year, to participate thoughtfully in the governance process, and to contribute financially to ASOR.
There are four candidates running for two openings as Membership-elected Trustees for 3-year terms (Sarah Kielt Costello, Ido Koch, Nadine Panayot, and Yorke Rowan). There are two candidates for two openings as Institutionally-elected Trustees for 3-year terms (Kathryn Grossman and Michael Hasel). All 17吃瓜members are eligible to vote in the Membership-elected Trustee Election, while only Institutional Representatives of the 60 ASOR-member schools may vote in the Institutionally-elected Trustee Election. Missions and brief biographies of the nominees will be available in the ballot.
17吃瓜will conduct the elections by online ballot, and all members and Institutional Representatives will receive the appropriate ballot(s) via email on or around October 16, 2025. We will send out two reminders, and all ballots must be completed by 12:00 PM Eastern Time on Monday, November 17. If you have difficulties completing the online ballot (once they are distributed), please contact Marta Ostovich at programs@asor.org.
Sarah Kielt Costello (MA Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, Bryn Mawr College; Ph.D. Anthropology, Binghamton University) is Professor of Art History at the University of Houston 鈥� Clear Lake, a Hispanic-serving regional university dedicated to educating a broad community of scholars, including first-generation, working-class and incarcerated students. She has won two University-wide teaching awards and a University Faculty Fellowship in recognition of exemplary teaching, research and service. At UHCL, she has served in leadership roles including Department Chair and Faculty Senate Executive Committee, in which she oversaw the creation of an equitable workload policy for faculty. She has been active in archaeological fieldwork since 1995, working in Israel, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. In her research, Costello specializes in seals and related artifacts; ethics and museum practices; Neolithic imagery; and archaeological theory. Her recent publications include Ethics in Archaeological Practice (A17吃瓜2024) and Object Biographies, Selections from the Art of the Ancient World in the Menil Collection听(Menil/Yale 2021), a volume that takes on the ethical challenges of unprovenienced museum collections.
Mission Statement:听In the nearly 30 years that I鈥檝e been involved with ASOR, I鈥檝e seen its membership grow significantly and its members develop far-ranging research agendas. In recent years, 17吃瓜members have forged research pathways into areas such as cultural heritage, sensorial archaeology, climate, bioarchaeology, and ancient dress, and have been on the forefront of developing cutting edge digital and technological approaches to archaeology. Geographically, 17吃瓜has had the opportunity to expand beyond its traditional emphasis on the archaeology of the Bible Lands as its members have engaged in projects in Central Asia, Kurdistan, Egypt, and the Gulf states. It is vital that 17吃瓜continue to embrace new areas of research, and at the same time, confront the ethical challenges of our time by setting agendas and policies that support best practices. Challenging political times put 17吃瓜members in the middle of contentious issues; as a Trustee, I would help maintain our focus on our shared interests in research and stewardship of the past, and the important relationships that sustain that work.
Ido Koch is Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University. A field archaeologist of the southern Levant, his research explores interregional connectivity, colonial encounters, visual language, craft, and material religion. He is the author of several monographs, dozens of articles, and co-editor of ten volumes. Koch co-directs the Tel Hadid Archaeological Project, the renewed excavations at Tel Qasile, and the final publication of the Tel Arad excavations鈥攁ll of which place strong emphasis on innovative documentation strategies, community outreach, and the dissemination of archaeological knowledge to diverse audiences. He is co-PI of several collaborative ventures, including the historical鈥揳rchaeological study of the depopulated Palestinian village of al-Haditha (one of the few academic archaeological projects addressing the recent past of Israel/Palestine), and the Stamp Seals from the Southern Levant Project together with its comprehensive open-access online companion database. Koch also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Tel Aviv: Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv Universityand sits on several international editorial boards. Through his research and teaching, he integrates advanced digital tools with inclusive, community-based approaches, engaging both Jewish and Arab students, to help build inclusive and forward-looking connections between academic, archaeological, and wider communities in the study of the southern Levant.
Mission Statement: I have been a member of 17吃瓜since 2009, have attended nearly all annual meetings since then, and have interacted with scores of 17吃瓜members of all ages and backgrounds. 17吃瓜has been my professional cradle and the place where I learned to appreciate the value of an international network, a value I hope my students will inherit.
As a scholar based in the Middle East, I believe 17吃瓜must strengthen the representation of voices from the regions it studies. The societies who live in the lands whose pasts we uncover deserve a place in shaping how that past is researched, understood, and represented. As an Israeli archaeologist working on the remote and recent past of the southern Levant, I am acutely aware of the region鈥檚 diversity and complexity. Based on my experience, 17吃瓜and its sister institutions (such as the W.F. Albright Institute) are uniquely positioned to foster dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian scholars, a dialogue urgently needed now more than ever. I see my role as a bridge: between 17吃瓜and local scholarly and cultural communities, and between those communities themselves. In times of deepening divisions, we must hold fast to both our professional and human ties. In my fieldwork and collaborations, I strive to create spaces where Jewish and Arab students, alongside colleagues from different backgrounds and perspectives, can work together toward shared understanding. Archaeology can and should serve as a medium of dialogue, and as a reminder of our intertwined pasts and shared humanity.
Drawing on my experience directing and co-directing field projects, I recognize the need for 17吃瓜to advance ethical, inclusive, and community-oriented archaeology. I propose developing a collaboratively produced 鈥渇ieldwork toolkit,鈥� drawing on the collective knowledge of ASOR-affiliated projects. This toolkit would guide projects that prioritize community engagement, the dissemination of results to local institutions, and accessible digital platforms for sharing data. Through such initiatives, I hope to help 17吃瓜lead by example鈥攎aking archaeology both academically rigorous and socially meaningful.
Nadine Panayot is an archaeologist currently serving as Curator of the Archaeological Museum and Associate Professor of Practice at the American University of Beirut. A graduate of Paris 1 Panth茅on-Sorbonne, she specializes in the heritage of the Classical Mediterranean, with over three decades of fieldwork across Lebanon and Southwest Asia. Her work focuses on the intersection of archaeology, cultural preservation with a growing emphasis on digital technologies, and community engagement.
Previously, she chaired the Archaeology and Museology Department at the University of Balamand, where she established a Master鈥檚 program in Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage Management and co-founded the Ethnographic Museum. She has curated numerous exhibitions and interdisciplinary events, both locally and internationally, emphasizing inclusive practices, accessibility, and cross-cultural dialogue. Following the 2020 Beirut port explosion, she led the restoration of AUB鈥檚 shattered glass collection, recognized with the 2023 Nigel Williams Conservation Award (Runner-Up).
A committed advocate for community-led conservation, she directs the Hima Anfehreserve and serves on several scientific and advisory boards. A member of ICOM since 1992, she has held leadership roles in national and regional committees and currently presides over the working committee of the UNESCO National Commission while also serving on the Scientific Committee of ALIPH. In 2023, she was named Chevalier des Arts et Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. Through her teaching, curating, and policy work, she positions museums and heritage sites as agents of resilience, healing, and social cohesion.
Mission Statement: I am committed to advancing ASOR鈥檚 mission of promoting inclusive and rigorous scholarship, safeguarding cultural heritage, and sustaining open, evidence-based inquiry that transcends political and ideological boundaries.
The protection and study of cultural heritage is not only an academic responsibility but an essential ethical imperative. The recent and ongoing destruction of heritage, represents an irreparable loss to humanity, erasing material witnesses to identity, history, and memory. Acknowledging such losses, and working collectively to prevent them, aligns with ASOR鈥檚 foundational mission to document, preserve, and interpret the human past. Upholding this principle reaffirms our shared commitment to dignity, justice, and cultural continuity, and reminds us that heritage protection is inseparable from the recognition of our common humanity.
Equally vital is ASOR鈥檚 dedication to intellectual integrity and freedom of thought. Scholarship reaches its highest potential when guided by evidence, methodological rigor, and openness to diverse perspectives. When inquiry becomes constrained by ideology, it compromises its ability to engage with complexity and nurture genuine understanding. ASOR鈥檚 continued vitality will depend on its capacity to sustain spaces where thoughtful analysis and open dialogue can thrive, uniting scholars and institutions across diverse traditions.
As a Membership-Elected Trustee, I would work to broaden equitable participation, re-engage scholars from Southwest Asia, and Africa and strengthen collaborative and digital initiatives that enhance accessibility, exchange, and trust; ensuring that 17吃瓜remains a beacon of principled, inclusive, and forward-looking scholarship.
Yorke Rowan is an anthropological archaeologist and Research Professor at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (formerly the Oriental Institute) at the University of Chicago. He focuses on later prehistory (Late Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Early Bronze), with thematic research interests in death, prehistoric ritual performance, and material objects mediating these human actions. He is a Fulbright Scholar to Jordan and a NEH Fellow at the W.F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research in Jerusalem and the American Center of Research in Amman. His most recent publications include The Social Archaeology of the Levant: From Prehistory to Present (2019, Cambridge Press, co-edited with A. Yasur-Landau and E. Cline), 鈥淒esert Kites: Neolithic Infrastructure in the Margins鈥� in Infrastructure in Archaeological Discourse: Framing Society in the Past (2024, Routledge, co-authored with A. C. Hill) and 鈥淭he Black Desert Drone Survey: New Perspectives on an Ancient Landscape鈥� in the journal Remote Sensing (2022) with A.C. Hill. He co-directs the NSF funded Kites in Context and Eastern Badia Archaeological Projects, two projects in the Black Desert of Jordan.
Mission Statement: Since the 1990s, 17吃瓜has been fundamental to my development as a professional scholar and field archaeologist. The first grant I received for field research was an 17吃瓜travel scholarship, and the first national professional paper I delivered was at 17吃瓜in New Orleans. I have a long dedication to the success of ASOR, serving on the editorial boards of Bulletin of the American Schools of Overseas Research and Near Eastern Archaeology, co-chairing the Program Committee after for two previous terms on the committee, serving on the Honors and Awards Committee, and the Committee on Archaeological Policy. In addition, I co-chaired and co-organized various sessions such as the standing session 鈥淧rehistoric Archaeology鈥� (2015, 2019-2021) and the member organized 鈥淎rchaeology of Religion and Ritual鈥� (2005-2006). My involvement with 17吃瓜is complemented by extensive engagement with communities on the ground in different countries, emphasizing my commitment to creating more collaborative opportunities with colleagues based abroad.
The organization has grown tremendously since I joined as a graduate student, with a welcome expansion to include a broader range of topics, geographic regions, and chronological periods. This growth is not limited to scholarly interests but includes increased worldwide accessibility through a hybrid meeting format. I believe it is important to sustain and build on this positive trend to build membership, engage with members at different career stages, and seek to find new collaborative partnerships that will only strengthen ASOR. As 17吃瓜faces new challenges like complicated funding realities, regional civil unrest, and climate change, the organization must mount new initiatives and endeavors to respond to member needs. As a member of ASOR鈥檚 Board of Trustees, my goal will be to promote its mission to disseminate knowledge of western Asia and Mediterranean ancient societies, and to make that scholarship more accessible to the public. Finding creative ways to promote our research, particularly those of our research partners, to a variety of audiences is a challenge that will strengthen our organization and continue to interest future generations of students, the public, and scholars.
Kathryn Grossman is Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. She is an archaeologist with expertise in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age cultures of Cyprus and Mesopotamia and a methodological specialty in zooarchaeology. She is Director of the ASOR-affiliated Makounta-Voules Archaeological Project (Cyprus), as well as zooarchaeologist for the Kani Shaie Archaeological Project (Iraqi Kurdistan), the Wadi el-Hudi Expedition (Egypt), and the Petra North Ridge Project (Jordan). She is currently co-editing, with Jesse Casana and Eric Jensen, the final report on the excavations at Tell Qarqur, Syria.
Mission Statement:听I have been involved with 17吃瓜for seventeen years. I began attending and presenting at the annual meeting as a graduate student, and my engagement has deepened over time. I served on the Committee on Archaeological Policy for two terms, and during that time I also chaired the CAP Fellowships Subcommittee. In 2018, I presented the work of the Fellowships Subcommittee at that year鈥檚 Legacy Dinner, and in 2023 I received an 17吃瓜Service award for my work on the CAP Fellowships Subcommittee. I chair the Archaeology of Syria sessions at the Annual Meeting, am a member of the Damascus Committee, a member of the Executive committee, the chair of the Trustees Nominations Committee, and I serve as the institutional representative for 17吃瓜at North Carolina State University. In my time as an 17吃瓜member, I have watched the organization grow dramatically in its geographic scope and evolve to meet the demands of 21st-century scholarship. In serving as an Institutionally-elected member on the 17吃瓜Board of Trustees, I look forward to helping 17吃瓜move forward with the issues that loom before us, including increasing our outreach to diverse audiences at home and abroad, and promoting the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Michael G. Hasel is Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum at Southern Adventist University, where he also serves as Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology since 1998.
Hasel has participated and served in administrative capacities on eleven different excavations in the Middle East, including Gezer, Ashkelon, Dor, Miqne-Ekron, Masada, and Hazor, in Israel; Idalion, Cyprus; and Jalul in Jordan. He has directed excavations and surveys at Khirbet Qeiyafa and Socoh and currently is co-director of The Fourth Expedition to Lachish. As curator of the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum, Hasel was responsible for planning and displaying art and objects from the ancient Near East in a state-of-the-art exhibit entitled 鈥淰essels in Time: A Journey into the Biblical World鈥� and several temporary exhibits including 鈥淧eace and War: The Assyrian Conquest of Lachish鈥� (2023-2025) and 鈥淭he Ivory Comb: Lice and Literacy at Lachish鈥� (2025).
Hasel, an 17吃瓜member since 1989, has chaired several 17吃瓜sessions and served on the Agenda Committee. He held the Samuel H. Kress Fellowship at the W. F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research (AIAR) in 1995-96 and a Fulbright at the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI) in 2005 and the NEH Fellowship at the Albright Institute in 2025-26. He is also a fellow of the Institute for Biblical Research and Tyndale House, Cambridge.
Hasel joined the 17吃瓜Board in January 2014.
Mission Statement: Over the past 36 years of my involvement with ASOR, I听have watched 17吃瓜grow into a strong society representing a wide variety of interests and research foci in the ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds. During that same period, I have been actively involved in excavations in Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus while also engaged in Egyptological research.听As an excavator I am interested in encouraging the archaeological interplay between text and material culture.听This integration has been one of the historic strengths of 17吃瓜and I believe it remains vital as 17吃瓜continues to position itself as听an important and relevant voice to a large segment听of听North America.听As a museum director part of my vision is to make our field relevant for future generations听through popularizing archaeological discoveries and making it accessible to a larger segment of society. This would include encouraging听young听scholars听who are听searching for direction and belonging听to get involved in听ASOR听while fostering connections听in听the regions it serves.听To accomplish these goals, I听would听welcome the opportunity听to continue to support and serve as a member of the Board of Trustees听for another term.
The Carolyn Midkiff Strange Committee on Growth, Innovation, and Visibility (GIV) serves as a resource for and leader in engaging and broadening the professional community of ASOR, in order to expand access to the 听history and cultures served by ASOR. For more information about the committee, click here.
GIV Committee members volunteer to serve a three-year term (January 1, 2026鈥擠ecember 31, 2028) with the possibility to renew for a second term. Committee members are expected to attend monthly hour-long Zoom meetings during the academic year and to contribute to ongoing committee initiatives. If the time is not right for you now, this open call will be held every year.
, by Saturday, November 1, 2025 to be considered for the GIV Committee Class of 2028. Your responses and materials will be reviewed and considered by the current members of the GIV Committee, the Chairs Coordinating Council, and select 17吃瓜Staff.
Tiffany Earley-Spadoni (University of Central Florida)
Thanks to ASOR鈥檚 support, cultural heritage was preserved, conservation skills were shared, and the story of ancient Kurd Qaburstan became a little clearer. The excavators also thank the University of Central Florida College of Arts and Humanities for co-funding the conservation endeavor, and the National Science Foundation for supporting broader research at Kurd Qaburstan.