2025 PROJECT GRANT AND RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP AWARDEES
: $61,650 awarded
Stevan B. Dana Project Grants: $15,000 awarded
Silvia Amicone (University of Tu虉bingen) Rediscovering Ancient Clay Landscapes: Geological Prospection for Pottery Making in the Mosul Dam Region
Kathryn Grossman (North Carolina State University) Makounta-Voules Archaeological Project
Elise Laugier听(Utah State University) Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey
Stevan B. Dana Project Grants for Israel: $15,000 awarded
Zachary Dunseth (University of California San Diego) Early Desert Cities: An Investigation into 3rd Millennium BCE Urbanism at the Macro- and Microscales
Gregg Gardner (University of British Columbia) and Orit Peleg-Barkat (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) The Horvat Midras (Israel) Archaeological Project
Kathryn Gleason (Cornell University) and Barbara Burrell (University of Cincinnati) Promonotory Palace Project at Caesarea Maritima
Charles Harris Project Grants: $10,000 awarded
Jacob Lauinger and Zeynep T眉rker (Johns Hopkins University) Tell Atchana/Alalakh Excavations
Claire Padovani (CNRS Arch茅orient) Crafting Landscape: Resources Exploitation and Production Strategies in Iraqi Kurdistan during Urbanisation and State Formation (CraftLand)
Joe D. Seger Grant: $2,500 awarded
Hanna Erfetnbeck (Colgate University) and Natalia Handziuk (University of Notre Dame) Tall al-Handaquq South Archaeological Project
Shepard Urgent Action Grants: $11,150 awarded
Khaled Abu Jayyab (University of Toronto) The Tell 鈥楢rna Site Preservation Initiative
Tiffany Earley-Spadoni (University of Central Florida) Conservation of Middle Bronze Age Cuneiform Tablets from Kurd Qaburstan
Julia Nikolaus,听Nick Ray (Ulster University), and Ahmad Emrage (University of Benghazi) 听The Al Haniyah Emergency Documentation Project
Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeological Grants: $8,000 awarded
Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project
Tourism Development at Tall Hisban
: $22,000 awarded in 2025
Study of Collections Fellowships: $4,000 awarded
Laura Alvarez听(University of Cambridge) 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
Erin Darby (University of Tennessee) Missing Ritual Objects from the Nelson Glueck Excavations of Kheleifeh
Herbert Warren Mason Fellowship: $5,000 awarded
Nicholas Gill (Universit脿 Ca鈥� Foscari Venezia) The Celestial Scorpion: A Renegade Constellation in Early Mesopotamia
Mesopotamian Fellowship: $13,000 awarded
Ella Egberts (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) The Iraqi Western Desert PLACES Project: Pleistocene LAndsCapes and Early human behavior in the Shbicha region
Currently, 152 projects are affiliated with ASOR. This includes 122 field projects and 30 publication projects. Twelve new projects have received 17吃瓜affiliation since last summer. Read more about these new ASOR-affiliated projects below!
The S鈥橴rachi Project investigates how the Indigenous Nuragic inhabitants of Iron Age Sardinia coped with Phoenician and subsequent Carthaginian influence, trade and colonization across the first millennium BCE. Long-term excavation at nuraghe S鈥橴rachi on the central west coast of Sardinia offers detailed insights into how Indigenous communities and local households coped with these changes and adapted innovations to their own preferences.
The S鈥橴rachi Project operates with a renewable three-year permit of the Italian Ministry of Culture and in close coordination with its regional office (Soprintendenza archeologica) in Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy). The project works closely with the town of San Vero Milis, who hold the project鈥檚 permit and appoint the project鈥檚 co-directors, Dr. Alfonso Stiglitz (director of the local Museo Civico) and Prof. Peter van Dommelen as the academic directors (direttori scientifici). The project is committed to prompt publication and public dissemination in multiple languages. is bi-lingual and hosts (under 鈥榬eports鈥�) both yearly annual reports in Italian and a full list of its publications since 2012; the latter are mostly in Italian and Spanish and open access.
Crafting Landscape: Resources Exploitation and Production Strategies in Iraqi Kurdistan during Urbanisation and State Formation (CraftLand), Iraq (Claire Padovani)
Landscape of the Qara Dagh foothills (Iraqi Kurdistan) 漏 CraftLand
The CraftLand project investigates resource exploitation and production networks in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, focusing on a clay-rich area between Sulaymaniyah, Chamchamal and Sangaw. Recent excavations in this area revealed large-scale pottery workshops dating to the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE. Moreover, the region has witnessed recurrent developments of intensive ceramic productions up to the present day, suggesting the presence of natural and social conditions favorable to the establishment and sustainability of a pottery-based economy.
The project adopts a bottom-up approach to the study of early economies in a 鈥渞ural鈥� region, offering a fresh perspective on local impacts of Mesopotamian urbanisation and State formation. It will reconstruct production networks and resource exploitation strategies, in order to assess patterns of landscape use that supported the operation of extensive pottery production. Craftland integrates multiple disciplinary perspectives, combining environmental, archaeological, and ethnographic studies. The research methodology includes geomorphological and geological surveys, satellite imagery, targeted field interventions (micro-surveys and test excavations), archaeometric analyses, and interviews with local potters. In addition, CraftLand contributes to cultural heritage preservation by documenting endangered artisanal traditions and fostering local engagement in the study and conservation of ancient craftsmanship.
Humayma Excavation Project,听Jordan (Craig A. Harvey, Sarah E. Wenner)
Aerial view of Humayma. Photo by Jane Taylor
The archaeological site of Humayma is located in southern Jordan, approximately equidistant between Petra and Aqaba. Founded by the Nabataean peoples in the 1st century BCE to control communication and trade in the heartland of the Nabataean Kingdom, Humayma became home to the earliest Roman fort in the region following the kingdom鈥檚 annexation in 106 CE. The site thrived economically throughout the Roman and early Byzantine periods, as demonstrated by the presence of no less than five churches from this time. In the early Islamic period, Humayma rose to global significance as home to the Abbasid dynasty before its overthrow of the Umayyad Caliphate in the 8th century. The sustained prosperity of this site throughout its occupation demonstrates the proficiency of local inhabitants to effectively exploit their surrounding landscape and leverage the strategic location of Humayma as a nexus of regional and long-distance trade and communication.
This project represents a renewal of archaeological investigation at Humayma, which will build on the success of previous work at the site. Preliminary goals of the first three seasons will be the creation of a high-resolution map of the site and investigation of its economic development from the Nabataean to Islamic periods, particularly regarding local resource extraction and use at the site.
What happens to people and communities when empires 鈥渇all鈥�? The 鈥淏ioarchaeology of Syedra鈥� project seeks to understand how the political transition from the Roman to Byzantine Empires impacted the sociobiological, cultural, and epidemiological landscape of ancient Syedra, Turkiye. A vital coastal economy in the Roman period (2nd-4th c. CE), this city transformed during the Byzantine period (11th-12th c. CE). Current excavations of the site have revealed multiple Byzantine burial grounds as well as extramural Roman tombs. Implementing methods and datasets from ancient DNA, paleopathology, and mortuary archaeology, the broader bioarchaeological research project aims to identify: 1) (dis)continuity in population structure between periods, as assessed through genetic diversity and kinship; 2) analyze transitions in cultural beliefs, as assessed spatially and materially in Roman and Byzantine period cemeteries; and 3) contextualize biological stress and resilience, as assessed through demographic and paleopathological data. Bioarchaeological fieldwork will include the excavation of Roman and Byzantine graves, processing of human skeletal remains post-excavation, and preliminary osteobiographical analyses of skeletons. The 鈥淏ioarchaeology of Syedra鈥� is part of the larger Syedra Antik Kenti Archaeological Site, under the auspices of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. This excavation seeks to 1) uncover the Roman period city to better understand its place in the Roman and later Byzantine Empires; 2) increase local and international interest in archaeology and history; and 3) preserve the site for local and global cultural heritage.
, Greece (John Papadopoulos)
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Overview of the current excavation area in the northern section of the Agora
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Students excavating in the field
The Agora of Athens, located immediately north of the Athenian Acropolis, was the central marketplace of the ancient city. In addition to its commercial activities, the Agora was also a major religious, political, administrative, and legal center for Athens, and the site of the world鈥檚 first democracy. Excavations at the site have been conducted by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) since 1931. Since then, workmen and volunteers have uncovered a history that spans from the Late Neolithic period (ca. 4000 BCE) to the modern period.
Most recently, the Agora excavations are focused in the northern area of the site, directly above part of a Middle Byzantine neighborhood, as well as the central portion of the Classical Stoa Poikile, or Painted Stoa. In addition to continuing the traditional program of field excavations, we have implemented new collection strategies related to material artifacts and faunal and archaeobotanical remains, as well as programs of geophysical survey, LiDAR modeling, and photogrammetry. Work in the field is conducted by a team of volunteers that are selected annually after an open call for applications, as well as supervisors and specialists who typically return for multiple seasons. Volunteers are typically undergraduate or graduate students of archaeology and while many have experience already, for some this is their first experience in the field.
Nineveh East Project, Iraq (Timothy Harrison, Khaled Abu Jayyab)
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An overview of eastern Nineveh
The Nineveh East Project, a collaboration between the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC), University of Chicago, focuses on assessing damage, restoration, and scientific excavations at Nineveh following extensive destruction during ISIS鈥檚 occupation of Mosul (2014-2017). Efforts are centered on eastern Nineveh, which includes the city鈥檚 expansion under King Sennacherib (705-681 BCE). The project began work at the Shamash Gate in 2020 under the Joint Iraqi-Italian Expedition to Nineveh. One of the largest gates along Nineveh鈥檚 eastern wall, the Shamash Gate sustained severe damage due to tunneling by ISIS, which destabilized its structure. While the core structure of the gate remained largely intact, ISIS tunneling within the gate has led to its destabilization.
Between 2021-2024, operations that encompassed stabilization, excavation, and restoration took placed led by Dr. Timothy Harrison and field director Dr. Khaled Abu Jayyab. The primary objectives included stabilizing the gate by reinforcing and filling the tunnels, the systematic removal of debris from the 612 BCE destruction of Nineveh, and the delineation of tower chambers within the gate. Starting in 2025, work will expand across eastern Nineveh to investigate post-Sennacherib urban development while continuing restoration efforts. This new phase includes collaboration with the local municipality to develop public spaces, reinforcing Nineveh鈥檚 significance as a landmark in East Mosul. Additionally, these efforts aim to support tourism infrastructure by integrating archaeological heritage into the city鈥檚 cultural and economic future.
Israel (Barbara Burrell, Kathryn Gleason)
The Promontory Palace. Photo by Barbara Burrell
The Promontory Palace, first identified by Ehud Netzer as that of Herod the Great, is built out into the Mediterranean Sea, just west of the theater in the SE area of Caesarea Maritima. Initially, the lower palace was constructed for Herod to plan and supervise the great harbor, and the palace was extended later in his reign to provide reception space for guests at spectacles and official functions. On his death, the palace served as the official praetorium of his heirs and subsequent Roman officials for centuries. Lower Promontory Excavations in the 1970s by Netzer and Lee I. Levine in the lower area of the palace revealed a series of luxurious reception rooms and heated chambers centering on a large (35 x 18 m.) rock-cut swimming pool enclosed by a colonnade. Cuttings in the bedrock between the columns suggested to Netzer that planters had been built between the columns, offering a pluteus around the pool, as well as the effect of a garden for swimmers in the pool. The Upper Palace Excavations were undertaken by K. Gleason and B. Burrell for the University of Pennsylvania Museum (1990-1996), in collaboration with Netzer and Hebrew University.
The project is now in the final stages of publication by Burrell and Gleason for the University of Cincinnati and Cornell University, respectively, together with Lisa Kahn, co-editing the Finds Volume. Although the building was thoroughly looted over the centuries, the project is providing an exceptional insight into the transition of an official residence from Hellenistic basilaea to Roman praetorium in terms of architecture and material culture. The project has also made contributions to the environmental archaeology of maritime villas, to the study of ceramic building materials, to the corpus of defixiones (curse tablets). The publication will comprise two volumes and an open access database of the excavation鈥檚 stratigraphy and finds.
, Cyprus (Pamela Gaber)
Fieldwork in the Lower City of ancient Idalion
Idalion was the first in the ancient Assyrian lists of Copper trading cities in Cyprus. Help us apply the latest digital methods to piece together the history of this fascinating and important ancient metropolis. The 2025 season of the American Expedition to Idalion will be a short season focused on removing baulks in two of the previously excavated fields not dug since Covid. There will be much orientation, and strict stratigraphic attention to aligning visible soil changes with legacy data, while employing digital recording techniques in the field using OCHRE, the University of Chicago鈥檚 platform for digital research. Associate Director Andrew Wright will oversee this aspect of the work. Associate Director Valerie Woelfel will conduct the GIS aspects of the project. All volunteers and students will be introduced to all techniques. Director Pamela Gaber will be overall excavation coordinator and presenter of Idalion鈥檚 place in history.
This excavation and survey of a large house and garden at Pompeii investigates relationships between domestic material culture, social performance, and historical change. Pompeii is central to any account of Roman daily life, but much of its archaeological record results from early excavations conducted before modern field practices. This project combines innovative archaeological and environmental field methods with a rigorous approach to legacy data, applying new detection and recording techniques while also salvaging and synthesizing information from early excavations to investigate the relationship between the 鈥渕acro-scale鈥� of ancient historical change and the 鈥渕icro-scale鈥� of daily domestic experience. Scholars have historically treated changes in household material culture as a reaction to developments that 鈥渞eally鈥� took place in other spheres, such as the political or military events that dominate traditional historical narratives. However, recent research questions such assumptions, suggesting that domestic material culture wielded an agency of its own. The Casa della Regina Carolina site spans multiple periods of occupation, with at least two pre-Roman (2nd/1st century BCE) houses underlying the Roman-period standing architecture. By investigating change over time in the material conditions of life at this site, we explore relationships between domestic material culture, social performance, and historical change.
, Jordan (Hanna Erftenbeck, Natalia M. Handziuk)
Tall al-Handaquq South Archaeological Project (HAP) is investigating the earliest cities in Jordan, dating to the Early Bronze Age (EBA, 3800鈥�2000 BCE). As one of the larger EBA sites in the Levant, Tall al-Handaquq South (THS) offers significant insights into the earliest urban phenomenon in the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean. Our research project engages with key transformations brought on by the first cities, including how people fed, organized, and housed a rapidly growing community.
Understanding the visibility of archaeological sites in satellite imagery through the analysis of soils and their reflectance, Jordan Valley (Sayantani Neogi)
The potential of satellite imagery as a technique of archaeological site prospection, particularly in the Middle East, has been widely recognised since the beginning of the 21st century (e.g., Donoghue, 2001; Donoghue et al., 2002; Philip, Donoghue, et al., 2002; Pournelle, 2003). However, while traditional extensive desk-based survey methods have proved effective in locating the morphologically distinctive nucleated tell sites characteristic of settlement in the Bronze and Iron Ages, they have been less successful in recognising the smaller, dispersed settlements common during prehistoric and Graeco-Roman and Medieval occupation 鈥� especially in landscapes where mudbrick was the main building material and/or where topographic features have been reduced by ploughing. Many such sites can only be distinguished from background soils by differences in soil reflectance (colour, texture). While multispectral satellite imagery can reveal areas of differential reflectance, not all such features are sites, and the relationship between surface reflectance and the composition of archaeological deposits indifferent environments is poorly understood.
This project seeks to address this gap by investigating and comparing the field-observed and image-derived reflectance properties of the soils/sediments from a sample of archaeological sites, of different types, located in several geomorphological units within Jordan, thus increasing the ability of researchers to identify anthropogenic despots when reliant upon satellite imagery.
T眉rkmen-Karah枚y眉k Archaeological Project (TKAP), Turkey (Michele Massa, James Osborne)
The T眉rkmen-Karah枚y眉k Archaeological Project excavates a Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Hellenistic urban center in the Konya Plain, T眉rkiye.
Tell Tayinat 2024: A Season in the Shadow of an Earthquake
Rubar Yavuz, 2024 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient
Tell Tayinat is a mound located 18 km west of Reyhanl谋 district in Hatay and 1.5 km east of the Orontes River. Southeastern Turkey experienced a major earthquake in 2023, which significantly impacted and damaged the Hatay province. Our excavation house was also severely damaged by the earthquake. This is why our excavation house consisted of containers and portables for the 2024 season.
Archaeology is not just about digging the soil. It is a space where human relationships are strengthened, where people come together to work towards a common research goal, and where individuals from different cultures meet. Even though this earthquake has caused major losses for people we know from the region, I still feel that we were able to reconnect, help each other while having a productive season.
The Iron Age layers have always fascinated me and have been an important focus of my thesis research. I would like to thank our excavation director for allowing me to excavate and study the Iron Age layers.
First day of excavations
The Tell Tayinat excavation site was identified in 1933 by a team from the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, led by Robert J. Braidwood. In 1999, the mound was re-examined by a team led by Timothy P. Harrison, and excavation began in 2004. During these excavations, Early Bronze Age and Iron Age layers were identified.
During the 2024 season, we woke up at 4:00 a.m., and the vehicle departed at 4:30. Of course, these times shifted based on the sunrise. I was excavating a square in the Iron Age layers, following a stone pavement that had already been exposed in the 2022 season. From the moment it was uncovered, this stone layer indicated the extent of its damage. The surface soil extended to a depth of approximately 0.35 m. I was aware that I was conducting an excavation of surface soil, yet I was still careful not to miss any artifacts. Over the course of about a month, ceramic and basalt fragments were uncovered.
Iron Age Stone Pavement that has been disturbed
Our excavation used the locus-lot system, which meant we divided the area into square sections and excavated piece by piece. The main objective in the area I was working on was to follow a specific pavement. The most striking aspect for me was the artifacts located just above the floor. One seal, dated to the Assyrian period, was found directly on this stone pavement. After documenting the artifact, it was removed. Archaeology, in a sense, is about concealing all emotions, I managed to calm the excitement I felt inside though I was very happy that it was uncovered. After cleaning in the dig house it was confirmed to be an Assyrian seal with the image of a quadruped. There was some discussion of what animal it could be; many thought it was a lion, though some thought it was a type of composite animal. After this find, it was decided that expanding the excavation area further would be beneficial. While doing so, a bulla was found on this stone floor. This artifact was also dated to the Assyrian period.
End of season photo of my square
So, this floor was either built during the Assyrian period, or it predates them, with the Assyrians having walked on it. Despite the damage in the area I was excavating, this layer belonged to the Assyrians.
A gravelly layer made of hard soil and nari was encountered in the north of the area. This layer indicated that we had transitioned to a second phase. This gravelly layer extended beneath the stone floor. After documenting two stones from the stone pavement, they were removed, and a bronze armor scale was found beneath the stone floor. The Neo-Assyrian artifacts and related late Iron Age ceramics suggest that this layer was part of the Neo-Assyrian settlement in Tayinat, which was incredibly exciting to excavated and reveal.
Me while doing a section drawing
n conclusion, this season鈥檚 excavations were both enjoyable and tiring, but that is archaeology! I would like to express my gratitude to 17吃瓜and Eric and Carol Meyers for providing this fellowship. Thanks to this fellowship, I was able to attend Tell Tayinat excavations, expand my research on the Iron Age, and make new friends.
For more information about the Tayinat Archaeological Field School visit .
Working on a square plan
Rubar was born in 1995 in the province of Mersin. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Mersin. In 2017, he enrolled in the Archaeology department at Van Y眉z眉nc眉 Y谋l University. He graduated with honors in 2021. He was accepted into a master鈥檚 program at the same university, where he is currently continuing his studies. He participated in 17 different excavations focused on the Iron Age. He has conducted research on burial traditions of the Iron Age and is writing his master鈥檚 thesis on these burial practices.
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!
Summer Days in Bazyan 鈥� My Involvement in the Kani Shaie Archaeological Project
Brady Hill, 2024 G. Ernest Wright Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient听
As a budding archaeologist researching ancient Mesopotamia, saying my opportunity to excavate in Iraqi Kurdistan was a 鈥榖ig deal鈥� is an understatement. Indeed, after being accepted for a Masters in Archaeology at Cambridge, I contacted my to-be supervisor Dr. Steve Renette to enquire about the university鈥檚 archaeology department and my potential dissertation topic. After discussing the discovery of Parthian period (2nd century BC 鈥� 2nd/3rd century AD) remains during his summer of 2023 excavations at Kani Shaie, Dr. Renette offered me the chance to work on this material during the project鈥檚 2024 field work season. This was an offer I could not refuse given my strong interests in Parthian period Mesopotamia, so I quickly began applying for grants to enable my participation in the Kani Shaie Archaeological Project.
Fortunately, 17吃瓜generously awarded me the G. Ernest Wright Fieldwork Scholarship, securing my opportunity to go to Iraqi Kurdistan. Their assistance supported my living expenses on the dig, allowing me to work at the site for the entirety of the 5-week season running from late August to late September.
After 4 months of eagerly waiting for the fieldwork season to begin, my daily fantasies of visiting and working in Iraqi Kurdistan were finally brought to fruition once we exited Erbil International Airport and were greeted by the blistering heat of the region鈥檚 morning sun. It felt as if my countless hours of studying and researching had led up to this moment, and as we began strolling to the project driver鈥檚 car and I heard the Kurdish people speaking their beautiful language, it hit me that I was finally in this fascinating land.
Given Kani Shaie is located in Sulaymaniyah Province in the eastern half of Iraqi Kurdistan, we had a 3-hour drive from Erbil to the village of Bazyan where our accommodation was located. Once we arrived, we had to prepare the house for the next 5 weeks and the rest of the project team joining us over the coming days. After completing our preliminary tasks, it was time to begin excavating.
Looking south towards Kani Shaie. The Lower Town trench can be seen in the foreground in front of the main settlement mound.
Now, despite its small size, Kani Shaie is no ordinary one or two period site but possesses a settlement history ranging from the 6th millennium BC to the Ottoman period. Therefore, the project team worked in two excavation trenches this season, one on the main settlement mound which focused upon the site鈥檚 Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age (4th and 3rd millennium BC) occupations, and one in the 鈥楲ower Town鈥� focused on Kani Shaie鈥檚 later occupations (the Hellenistic, Parthian, and Islamic periods). With my aforementioned interests, I worked in the Lower Town and was given the task of processing and recording the plethora of ceramic finds from the trench.
Our schedule was intense but manageable, digging from 5 am to half past noon 6 days a week, and doing post 鈥� excavation processing for the rest of the day. This consisted of pottery washing, drawing and photography, recording the daily small finds (glass bracelets and sherds, grinding stones, miscellaneous metal pieces, etc.), making sure the contexts sheets were up to date, and a whole plethora of other tasks carried out by the project鈥檚 team members. I was very fortunate to learn many new skills related to pottery recording and analysis thanks to the patience of Dr. Renette and our ceramics specialist Dr. Mike Lewis (University of Coimbra). This included my introduction to drawing pottery profiles by hand, a necessary task for archaeological publications. Though quite difficult for me at first, this work was eventually highly rewarding once I gained sufficiency in the skill, transforming me into a proper 鈥榩ot nerd鈥� by the end of the season.
Posing with one of the washed pottery baskets. After being cleaned by the Kurdish students on the project team, it was my daily task to sort through these baskets of pottery, counting each sherd and keeping those that were diagnostic.
Nevertheless, some interest ing small finds emerged from these levels, including a Neo-Assyrian period (10th 鈥� 7th centuries BC) cylinder seal! Though its location within a Parthian and Islamic period context further attests to these occupation layers鈥� highly disturbed nature, the seal鈥檚 presence at Kani Shaie suggests a Neo-Assyrian period occupation remains to be discovered. Despite this amazing find, these initial weeks of our excavation were still rather disappointing due to the poor preservation of our trench鈥檚 archaeology, leading us to push onwards with the hope of finding more preserved Parthian period remains.
The Neo-Assyrian period cylinder seal found during our excavations in the Lower Town. It was spotted by Hawre, one of our dedicated Kurdish workmen helping us in the trench.
Eventually, we found something to write home about. Indeed, two linear parallel stone walls running southeast to northwest within the trench began to poke out of the ground as we dug downwards. With curiosity and great excitement, we meticulously exposed the walls, eventually revealing a substantial rectangular stone building. We had found a well-preserved pre-Islamic period level! However, there was something different about the pottery styles and shapes from the building鈥檚 associated layers, and after studying the finds in the afternoon it became apparent that this was likely not Parthian, but a Hellenistic period construction.
For those readers who are unaware, the Hellenistic period precedes the Parthian period and is characterized by the conquests of Alexander the Great between 333 BC and his death in 323 BC, and the subsequent establishment of the Seleucid Empire in Mesopotamia by one of the deceased king鈥檚 companions, Seleucus I Nicator. Along with the Parthian era, I have a great interest in Hellenistic period Mesopotamia and the Seleucid Empire, so you can imagine my excitement once we realized the building鈥檚 (rough) dating!
As typical with all field seasons, we had only a few days to excavate the structure before wrapping up the project for the year. Consequently, we were unable to fully excavate the building, but its discovery indicates a substantial Hellenistic period occupation remains to be uncovered in the coming seasons at Kani Shaie.
Drone photo of the Lower Town鈥檚 Hellenistic period stone building. Taken towards the end of the excavation season.
Outside of the excavation, we took team trips to archaeological sites and scenic areas of Sulaymaniyah Province during our days off, which for the most part was always a Friday. These included the Achaemenid rock cut tombs of Qizqapan and the beautiful Lake Dokan, the Paleolithic caves of Hazar Merd, and the Parthian period mountain fortress of Rabana-Merquly. Our visits served as an excellent way for the project team to relax and appreciate the lands in which we worked, finishing the afternoon with a wonderful Kurdish lunch consisting of a kebab, warm bread, and the fermented yogurt drink 鈥榙ogh鈥�. I particularly enjoyed the opportunities we had to immerse ourselves in Kurdish culture and their hospitality, learning new words through conversation and exploring their ways of living.
Group photo of the project team visiting the University of Heidelberg鈥檚 excavations at Rabana-Merquly. Led by Dr. Micheal Brown, the excavations focus upon the large-scale military fortifications at the site and its religious sanctuary.
Beyond this being a fantastic field work and learning experience for myself, the plethora of Hellenistic and Parthian period pottery recovered from Kani Shaie this year has provided me with a dissertation topic for my ongoing studies at Cambridge. These periods are historically under-researched within Mesopotamian studies, in particular their ceramic forms and styles. Therefore, with all of this material and the discovery of the stone building, the 2024 season presents an excellent case study for Hellenistic and Parthian period archaeology in Iraqi Kurdistan. My original intention when applying for the Ernest G. Wright fieldwork scholarship was to use the material found at Kani Shaie for my dissertation research, however archaeology is always full of surprises and therefore nothing is guaranteed once the trowel hits the dirt. So, I am beyond elated to research a dataset that I myself was involved in uncovering.
Posing with the largest pottery sherd I have yet to encounter on the last day of excavations. It came from a sunk storage jar in the northwest corner of the trench.
In conclusion, I would like to thank Dr. Steve Renette and the Kani Shaie Archaeological Project鈥檚 co-director Andr茅 Tom茅 (University of Coimbra) for their generosity and leadership over the course of the 2024 excavation season, as well as Dr. Mike Lewis for his insights and encouragement as I stumbled through pottery recording, and Dr. Glynnis Maynard for her excellent supervision of the Lower Town trench. I would also like to thank the Slemani Antiquities and Heritage Directorate and the devoted service of our Kurdish supervisor Zana Abdullkarim Qadir. Lastly, I must emphasize again that it is with ASOR鈥檚 generosity that I was able to participate in this excavation without worrying about financial barriers, and it is through them that I and many other emerging archaeologists have been empowered to take those precious fieldwork opportunities offered to them.
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Brady Hill is currently studying for a master鈥檚 degree in archaeology at the University of Cambridge. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, his research interests have taken him 鈥榓cross the pond鈥� to study the archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia during both his undergraduate degree at Durham University and now in Cambridge. Alongside the region鈥檚 ancient past, he possesses a strong interest in modern Middle Eastern cultures, studying Arabic and Sorani Kurdish in his free time alongside his archaeology coursework.
Learn more about the Kani Shaie Archaeological Project through their instagram:
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!
Annual of 17吃瓜78: Ethics in Archaeological Practice
Ethics in Archaeological Practice
ed. by Sarah Kielt Costello and Sarah Lepinski
with articles from听 Sarah Kielt Costello, Sarah Lepinski, Beth Alpert Nakhai, Laura E. Heath-Stout, Grace Erny, Dimitri Nakassis, Debby Sneed, Mason Shrader, Nadhira Hill, Maggie Beeler, Tu臒ba Tanyeri-Erdemir, Christopher Thornton, Annelies Van de Ven, Louise A. Hitchcock, and Benjamin W. Porter.
Ethics in Archaeological Practice explores urgent topics and issues in archaeology as currently practiced in the classroom, the field, the museum, and the public sphere. While addressed primarily to archaeologists working in western Asia, the eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa, the volume raises contemporary ethical questions around race, gender, disability, climate change, and cultural heritage that are pressing and relevant to archaeology students and professionals worldwide. The fifteen contributors offer fundamental case studies and practical guidance for best practices and models of high standards of ethical practice in professional conduct. Together, they offer new approaches to advocacy and the responsible stewardship of heritage sites, collections, and the environment. These compelling and generative discussions make the case for a 21st century archaeology that is proactive and engaged with discourses addressing equity, social justice, anti-colonialism, and climate change.
, Volume 78, Series Editor William Caraher, December 2024, 208 pages听(7 b/w figs & 2 tbls.). ISBN 9780897571227, $74.95.
Special Offer for 17吃瓜Members
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This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in the Vigla Archaeological Field School, a sub-project of the Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project, based in Pyla, Cyprus. These excavations help to gain information about the history and exchange between Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean. The site was a military fortification from the Hellenistic period. The main purpose of excavation in this site is to better understand the purpose of this fortification site and its structures during this period. From the previous findings, it has been determined as a fortification site, but more information is still to be found on the daily life and activities of Vigla, as well as the previous structures that existed there. This experience was my first archaeological dig which was a truly unforgettable experience that deepened my understanding of the field.
Before this dig, my mental image of archaeology was somewhat stereotypical, but now, pottery sherds and layers of soil are what immediately come to mind. I never imagined I鈥檇 find myself sweeping dirt off of dirt or using a Munsell book to precisely match shades of soil, yet these became daily routines.
Me using the Munsell book for the first time.
At the dig, along with two other students, I excavated a trench from start to finish, which gave me a comprehensive understanding of the archaeological process. This included the paperwork, the specific excavation techniques applied at different stages, and the importance of understanding the context of artifacts and their surrounding environment.
One of the techniques I learned was photogrammetry, a process that involves taking a series of photographs to create a detailed 3D model of the area. In the trench where I worked, we uncovered two distinct pottery deposits on separate floor surfaces. After carefully excavating around the artifacts, my peers and I meticulously cleared the surrounding area to ensure the best possible images could be captured. One of our project directors, Dr. Brandon Olson, then photographed the trench from every angle to build the 3D model.
My two trench mates, Mason Ross and Laila Maidenberg, cleaning up around the pottery deposit.
Photogrammetry presented its own set of challenges, particularly with lighting. We could only take the necessary photos early in the morning when we arrived at 5:30 a.m. or when the sun was directly overhead. On one occasion, we had to rush to complete the process before the British military began their exercises at 7:30 a.m., as the site is located within a British military base. With the clock ticking, we managed to finish just in time, pack up, and evacuate the area.
Another time, as we prepared for photogrammetry, we noticed a thick wall of fog rolling in. We scrambled to clean the trench and take the necessary photos before the fog obscured the area. It was a race against nature so we could keep on digging.
Very foggy morning, Dr. Brandon Olson getting the pictures done for the photogrammetry just in time.
All in all, we managed to capture the necessary photographs despite the challenges we faced along the way. My trench mates and I, all first-time diggers, began and completed our trench together in just one month. The early mornings and relentless heat were tough, but I鈥檓 incredibly proud of the work we accomplished and deeply grateful for the unforgettable experience. A special thanks to 17吃瓜and its donors for providing me with the opportunity to participate in this dig鈥擨 couldn鈥檛 have done it without their support.
For more information about the Vigla Archaeological Field School visit听.
Me, Mason Ross, and Laila Maidenberg on the last day in our completed trench!
Riley Stockton is a junior at Reed College where she majors in Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean studies with a concentration in history and archaeology.
Read about other student experiences on the Vigla Archaeological Project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!
Thank you to everyone who was part of ASOR’s 2025 March Fellowship Madness. Your generous donations raised $4,725 this year and 17吃瓜can now fund 2 additional fieldwork scholarships.
Each year, 17吃瓜sponsors many Fieldwork Scholarships for students and volunteers to take part in ASOR-affiliated projects. , we aim to raise $6,000 to send three more students into the field during Summer 2025. Right now, 17吃瓜is able to award 47 fieldwork scholarships in 2025 and with your help, we’ll make it to 50!
We’re looking forward to celebrating our 125th anniversary with you and planning the future (hopefully another 125 years at least!) to provide a bright future for the next generations of archaeologists.
17吃瓜provides these scholarships with your partnership. You are enabling 17吃瓜to establish new scholarships and grants through endowed funds, but your annual support (i.e., gifts this year) will allow 17吃瓜to send more eager students and early career scholars into the field. You may also make a designated gift by choosing any category from the drop-down menu on the donations module.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner css=”.vc_custom_1706024108985{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The past 125 years owe so much to our generous members; even a small of just $10 adds up to make a big difference. 100% of your gift will go toward Fieldwork Scholarships for students. Keep track of our March Fellowship Madness 2025 donation progress here — with each $1,000 donated, we’ll excavate more of the 17吃瓜jar![/vc_column_text][vc_wp_text][/vc_wp_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/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_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”ca-sidebar-99363″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Sarah 鈥淕igi鈥� Konecki-Brazeal, 2024 P.E. MacAllister Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient听
First surveyed in the 60s and left untouched for decades, Antiochia ad Cragum is a first-century Roman city founded by Antiochus IV of Commagene around 44 CE. Perched on the 鈥渃ragus鈥� roughly 300M above the Mediterranean, the city has yielded many great finds over the past 20 years, including two bathing complexes and a plethora of questions about the evolution of this city from a bustling polis to a site of extensive industry. At some point in this city鈥檚 lifespan, many of the buildings, including both bath complexes, were converted to industry. Evidence of wine and oil production, as well as ceramic, glass, and metal production, have been found throughout the site.
A view of the Mediterranean from Antiochia ad Cragum.
Excavations began on the Small Bath in 2018 and will continue for the foreseeable future. This type of bath is known as a hall bath and might be a bit unfamiliar to those already versed in Roman bathing complexes. The architecture of the bath situates a great hall with mosaiced floors through the center of the building with tepidaria (cold rooms) and caldaria (hot rooms) on either side. The hall leads to a large wading pool on the west end of the complex, and the building itself has one main entrance on the east end. To date, three frigidaria and one caldarium have been excavated. In addition, the cistern for the bathing complex was uncovered entirely during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. It is suspected that two more caldaria exist along the southern side of the complex, and there is the hope of locating the praefurnium there as well.
Me, perched on a rock digging in an area precariously peppered with finds. A great way to avoid artifact breakage!
In the summer of 2022, I came to Antiochia ad Cragum as an undergrad, looking to fulfill my field school requirement and find out if I had what it took to work in the field of archaeology. I was sent to the small bath to work under the direction of Dr. Leticia Rodriguez, and I had no idea what to expect. It was A LOT of digging, and A LOT of giant rocks, and A LOT of wheelbarrows. In the second week Dr. Rodriguez decided to open up Frigidarium 4 on the westside of the Small Bath and asked for volunteers. Frigidarium 4 was almost entirely full of fill that had washed down the mountainside and into the now roofless room. It looked like an impossible task, and nobody really wanted to start at the beginning again, especially when the trenches that had been opened the previous week were starting to look like something. So naturally, I volunteered. Again, it was nothing but dirt and large rocks which had fallen from the wall or ceiling. It was hot, it was dirty, my legs and arms felt like noodles at the end of the day鈥nd I couldn鈥檛 wait to go back.
Frigidarium 4 at the end of the 2024 season
What should have taken a couple of weeks to clear and document has now taken us three seasons to uncover, with no sign of a floor at the end of the 2024 season. Since removing surface fill, Frigidarium 4 has yielded many spectacular finds owing to its conversion to a trash pit sometime (we think) in the fifth century. They say you can learn much about a man by going through his trash, and I agree. Everything these people were doing, using, making, participating in, and ultimately discarding have been found in my trench. We have learned so much about what these people were doing and what they found valuable by examining the findings from Frigidarium 4. Detritus from industry, personal items, evidence of what people ate, and the animals they raised 鈥� not only for food but for textile production 鈥� have all been found in Frigidarium 4, which still has more to tell us.
Digging a sondage in a last-ditch effort to locate the floor before covering Frigidarium 4 up for the off season.
The connection one feels to the people of the past when finding and carefully preserving their once-lost history isn鈥檛 easy to put into words, but it keeps me coming back year after year. Every season, we get a little closer to uncovering these peoples鈥� stories and piecing together the lives of those who were, up until now, forgotten. There is a beauty in unearthing something that once sat in the hands of a person over 1500 years ago, a strange intimacy with someone whose name you can never know and whose face you will never see. Additionally, there is an overwhelming sense of civic duty that comes with uncovering these items and sending them home to a conservation lab or museum where they will find new life. These things belonged to people once, and those people have been forgotten. But with our work in Antiochia ad Cragum, they live again, and the Turkish people reclaim a piece of their heritage that they may not have realized they鈥檇 lost.
Ultimately, archaeology is a profoundly human endeavor that contributes to a sense of connection: connection to our past and to each other. A connection that bridges borders, cultures, and time. A connection that I hope, brings us all closer to one another on the most fundamental of levels.
The humans of the Small Bath 2024.
Sarah 鈥淕igi鈥� Konecki-Brazeal is a graduate student at Arizona State University studying Art History, Archaeology, and Studio Art. She is a practicing artist who merges her artistic work with her academic research. In addition to being a trench supervisor and field assistant and Antiochia ad Cragum, Gigi also works as an illustrator and lithic analyst for the Bandafassi Regional Archeological Project. She plans to write her dissertation on ancient tattooing practices and go on to teach at the university level while continuing her fieldwork in Turkey and beyond.
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!
Early Career Scholars Research in Action: Rennan Lemos
Archaeology Under Fire: The History of Sudan Between Water and War
Join ASOR鈥檚 Early Career Scholars on听April 4, 2025 at 12:00pm ET via Zoom for a virtual Research in Action talk from Dr. Rennan Lemos about cultural heritage in Sudan.
Abstract: The history of archaeology in northern Sudan is, to a large extent, a history of salvage excavations. Successive dam projects in Lower Nubia have posed a tremendous threat to the region鈥檚 archaeology, resulting in significant losses but also producing one of the most comprehensive records of archaeological heritage in a single area. Drawing on archival materials and recent fieldwork, this talk will explore how Sudan鈥檚 archaeological heritage has been endangered鈥攆irst by the flooding of Lower Nubia and now by war鈥攁nd how a history of major threats has shaped the region鈥檚 heritage.
Presenter: Rennan Lemos teaches Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology at the University of Cambridge. He co-directs the Djehutyhotep Project and is assistant director of the Sanam Temple Project in Sudan. In 2024, he was a recipient of the Annual Prize 鈥溍� la m茅moire de Jean Leclant鈥�, awarded by the Michela Schiff Giorgini Foundation.
The event, a part of our 鈥淩esearch in Action鈥� series, is FREE for the 17吃瓜community, but registration is required.
2024 Harris Grant Report: Menorca Archaeological Project (MAP), Spain
Alexander Smith, SUNY-Brockport
The Menorca Archaeological Project (MAP) received the 2024 Charles Harris Project Grant for their ongoing work at the site of Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s in Menorca, Spain. MAP was established in 2020 as a project dedicated to the lesser-known histories of the island of Menorca, including the medieval Islamic period from the 10th to 13th centuries C.E. Since 2020, MAP鈥檚 team has been excavating a series of medieval houses at the site of Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s. Although known for megalithic Iron Age houses, monuments, and ceremonial centers, the site was also settled from the 11th to 13th centuries as part of an influx of Muslim groups from Mallorca and mainland Iberia. These people set up an alquer铆a or rural farming village at the site until their forced removal by the Kingdom of Aragon in 1287 C.E.
Drone footage of Galm茅s. Excavation of SPU 7 in the bottom right corner, north is to the right. Photo credit J. Deya
Torre d'en Galm茅s facing north. Photo credit J. Deya
In 2024 with the generous support of 17吃瓜and the Harris Grant, the MAP team focused on the excavation of SPU or Spatial Unit 7, which is a large medieval house complex. Measuring at over 200 square meters with at least four distinctive rooms and a central patio, the house has proven to be one of the largest rural examples yet encountered on Menorca. As part of our excavation campaign, the team discovered a wealth of information on the daily life of the Muslim medieval residents of Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s, including consumptive patterns and spatial arrangements of the house that reflect trends seen on Mallorca and the mainland.
Drone photo of SPU 7 at the end of excavation. Photo credit J. Deya
Kathleen Forste managing flotation samples in lab. Photo credit A. Smith
The team midway through the season. Photo credit A. Smith
Over the course of four weeks, our team cleared the SPU 7 area of over 30 metric tons of stone, outlined architectural features and room boundaries to further our understanding of the complex鈥檚 shape, and excavated areas of the central patio for micro-environmental sampling. The team took paleobotanical and phytolith samples through out the complex to reconstruct work and cooking spaces of the house.
Jose Maria Moreno Narganes moving stones in SPU 7. Photo credit A. P茅rez-Juez
Kathleen Forste and Marta Blanco Noel excavating in the patio of SPU 7. Photo credit A. P茅rez-Juez
The crew taking a break next to SPU 7. Photo credit A. P茅rez-Juez
The highlight of the 2024 season came in the last days of excavation with the discovery of a preserved room in the northern section of the house structure. In 2023, the entrance to the area was thought to be the threshold of an outer door, but upon further excavation this past summer, we discovered a room with a clear roof collapse deposit and what we hope will be well-preserved stratigraphy underneath. We were able to recover intact roof tiles with mortar attached, as well as promising indications of material culture beneath. We will return to the space in 2025 to excavate and sample the space thoroughly.
Newly found room with roof collapse. Photo credit A. Smith
Roof tile and mortar excavated in the newly found room. Photo credit A. Smith
The future of MAP is currently centered on the completion of the SPU 7 complex excavation, which is changing our understanding of Torre d鈥檈n Galm茅s, as well as medieval settlement and domestic complexity in the rural spaces of Menorca more generally. What we once thought were relatively simple, standalone dwellings repurposed from a long-abandoned Iron Age site, have turned into a complex arrangement of interrelated structures that showcase a large agricultural village with indications of urban planning and impressive family compounds. In 2025, we will return to complete our analyses of SPU 7 and will move to publication and museum exhibition of our findings on Menorca in subsequent years.
Menorca Archaeological Project team at Torre d'en Galmes in 2024. Photo credit A. Smith
Our Open Doors Day for the Public celebration. Photo credit J. Deya
Learn more about the Menorca Archaeological Project (MAP) on their or their !
Ethics in Archaeological Practice explores urgent topics and issues in archaeology as currently practiced in the classroom, the field, the museum, and the public sphere. While addressed primarily to archaeologists working in western Asia, the eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa, the volume raises contemporary ethical questions around race, gender, disability, climate change, and cultural heritage that are pressing and relevant to archaeology students and professionals worldwide. The fifteen contributors offer fundamental case studies and practical guidance for best practices and models of high standards of ethical practice in professional conduct. Together, they offer new approaches to advocacy and the responsible stewardship of heritage sites, collections, and the environment. These compelling and generative discussions make the case for a 21st century archaeology that is proactive and engaged with discourses addressing equity, social justice, anti-colonialism, and climate change.
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