FOA Webinar: Preserving Cultural Heritage in Hisban and Umm al-Jimal, Jordan on April 24

FRIENDS OF 17勛圖WEBINAR

Preserving Cultural Heritage in Hisban and Umm al-Jimal, Jordan

Friends of 17勛圖presents a webinar on泭April 24, 2022 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm EDT, ��� Preserving Cultural Heritage in Hisban and Umm al-Jimal, Jordan,��� featuring ��ystein LaBianca, Elizabeth Osinga, and Darrell Rohl.泭This special event will focus on current work in Jordan through two projects���Hisban (part of the Madaba Plains Project) and the Umm al-Jimal Archaeological Project (UJAP). The program will include two presentations covering introductions to each site and the focus of the 2022 fieldwork season, in particular each project���s efforts to preserve cultural heritage through community engagement. Join us as we explore two of the exciting projects that 17勛圖members are currently participating in across Jordan.泭Barbara Porter, former泭泭Director and current ACOR Ambassador, will moderate the program and conclude the webinar with a live Q&A session with the audience and panelists. The full program is below.泭The event will be recorded.

17勛圖Sustaining Members: $0 | 17勛圖Members: $6 | Public: $12

Program Schedule

SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2022

6:00pm – 6:30pm

��ystein LaBianca

Andrews University

Jordan: Hisban (part of the Madaba Plains Project)

Read the Description

stands as a witness to global history and a window on daily life in Jordan through the ages. Here excavators have unearthed traces of multiple civilizations and empires; a thriving market town from the time of the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians; large quantities of amphora jars containing tiny fish bones attesting to strong local demand for garum���a fermented fish sauce condiment that was an essential flavor in ancient Greek and Roman cooking; the expertly shaped masonry foundations of a Roman public building; the apse, pillar foundations and partial sections of several mosaic floor panels of two Byzantine basilica churches; and the private residence and bath (Hamam) of the Mamluk governor of this part of Jordan during the 14th century AD. Just as important are evidence of daily life through the ages attested in the large number of pots used for storing and preparing food; the thousands of skeletal fragments of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, mules, poultry, and even fish; and the use and re-use of domestic buildings, courtyards, water channels, and cisterns. A major focus of the 2022 field season will be to explore connections between Greco-Roman Hisban (Esbus) and the cities of the Decapolis. about the history of the Madaba Plains and on the discoveries at Tall Hisban.

6:30pm – 7:00pm

Darrell Rohl

Calvin University

Elizabeth Osinga

Umm al-Jimal Archaeological Project (UJAP)

Jordan: Umm al-Jimal Archaeological Project (UJAP)

Read the Description

is the best-preserved example of a Late Antique town within the southern Hauran region of Jordan and Syria, featuring the upstanding ruins of more than 150 individual houses, nearly twenty places of worship representing paganism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as large imperial military and administrative structures, and community infrastructure of roads and water management, all enclosed within an intact ancient town wall. Previous archaeological fieldwork has focused on documenting the upstanding remains with limited excavation in order to answer specific research questions. In recent years, the site���s churches have become a particular focus of excavation activity, seeking a better understanding of the relationship between religious practice and domestic life across the site. The 2022 field season will continue this research focus, with a new open-area excavation methodology centered on the enclosed temenos/churchyard of the site���s extramural West Church, including within ancillary rooms attached to the church���s east end. Further fieldwork activities at the site will include on-the-ground inspection and documentation of 30+ potential structural features that have been identified from recent aerial photographs. In addition to fieldwork, there are several ongoing heritage-focused projects: completion of the Interpretive and Hospitality Center and the archaeological park; training of local guides and excavators; continued partnership with the local non-profit, Hand By Hand Heritage; and the completion of Umm al-Jimal’s UNESCO World Heritage Nomination file.

7:00pm ��� 7:30pm

Audience Q&A with all Panelists

17勛圖Sustaining Members: $0 | 17勛圖Members: $6 | Public: $12

To receive your 17勛圖member discount,泭. If you are new to ASOR, please click on the ������ link to register your e-mail address and choose a password for our online store. Once logged in, navigate to ���Meeting and Event Registration��� to register for the webinar and pay the fee. Each paid registrant will receive a confirmation e-mail when you pay for the webinar. If you do not receive this e-mail, then you are not registered. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues with registering.

You will be e-mailed the Zoom Webinar link in the week prior to the lecture on February 20, 2022. If you do not receive the link by the close of business on the Thursday before the webinar,泭please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭immediately. This webinar will be recorded and all paid registrants泭will be sent a link to view the recording.

All proceeds from this lecture are used to fund scholarships for members impacted by COVID-19 as well as increasing ASOR���s online resources, which are free to the public.

Sponsors will be acknowledged during the event. Sponsorships are available at the following levels:

  • Bronze Sponsor: $50
  • Silver Sponsor: $100
  • Gold Sponsor: $500
  • Platinum Sponsor: $1,000

Each sponsor will receive a confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive this e-mail, then we did not receive your sponsorship online. 泭If you prefer to register or sponsor over the phone, please call 703-789-9230. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues.

Speakers / Presenters

��ystein LaBianca泭is a Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Associate Director of the Institute of Archaeology at Andrews University. He is the Senior Director of the Hisban Cultural Heritage Project, a community archaeology project centered at Tall Hisban in Jordan. He holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and archaeology from Brandeis University. LaBianca���s research in Jordan began with studies of long-term human-animal-environment interactions as evidenced by changes over time in animal bone assemblages and related finds uncovered by his excavations and surveys at Tall Hisban. He has also been a leader in introducing community archaeology approaches to archaeological projects in Jordan. He is a long-time member of the boards of trustees of 17勛圖and ACOR in Amman, Jordan.

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Elizabeth Osinga泭is currently working full-time as a co-director of the Umm al-Jimal Archaeological Project (UJAP). A former student of the late UJAP director Bert de Vries, she has worked with the project since 2012 and her graduate work focused on a socio-economic approach to ceramic analysis at the site (University of Southampton, MA, PhD). When not involved in excavations, grant writing, or other essential projects, she is immersed in Umm al-Jimal���s archive, analyzing the backlog of excavation reports and materials in preparation for long-overdue publication.

泭

Darrell Rohl泭泭is an Assistant Professor of Archaeology, History, and Digital Humanities at Calvin University and is a co-director of the Umm al-Jimal Archaeological Project. A graduate of Andrews University (BSc) and Durham University (MA, PhD), his research has primarily focused on Roman and Late Antique periods in England, Scotland, and Jordan, as well as the application of place theories in archaeological and heritage contexts. He has co-directed excavations with Dr. Elizabeth Osinga at the Hisban North Church (2018) and Umm al-Jimal (2019), and has further fieldwork and research experience in the UK, USA, and Italy.

17勛圖is grateful for your support. Each registrant will receive an automated confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive this e-mail, please check you Spam folder and then contact ASOR. If you prefer to register over the phone, please call 703-789-9230. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues.

PAST WEBINARS

You can now purchase the link to the recording of any webinar. You can also purchase the bundle packages of all webinars from the泭2020-2022 seasons. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭for purchase details.

To see a printable pdf of the webinar titles from the 2020-2021 season, please泭click here. To see a printable pdf of the webinar titles from the 2021-2022 season, please泭click here.

Pricing:

Members: $6.00 per recording
Non-Members: $12.00 per recording
Bundle of 2020-2021 Webinars: $75.00
Bundle of 2021-2022 Webinars: $75.00
Bundle of 2020-2022 Webinars: $125.00

2021-2022 Season

A World at War: Protecting Cultural Heritage in Times of Conflict
Patty Gerstenblith (DePaul University), Lisa Ackerman (Columbus Citizens Foundation), Andrew Cohen (Government Professional and Cultural Heritage Expert) | May 12, 2022

Preserving Cultural Heritage in Hisban and Umm al-Jimal, Jordan
��ystein LaBianca (Andrews University), Elizabeth Osinga (Umm al-Jimal Archaeological Project), Darrell Rohl (Calvin University) | April 24, 2022

Back to the Field: Recent Discoveries & Summer Plans 2022
Lorenzo d���Alfonso (ISAW), Kathryn Grossman (NC State University), James R. Strange (Samford University) | April 3, 2022

Uncovering What is Nubian Beneath the Veneer of Egyptianness: Excavating the Archives
Debora Heard (University of Chicago) | March 20, 2022

Where Are They Now?: A Preview of 2022 ASOR-Affiliated Fieldwork Projects
Michael Given (University of Glasgow), Xenia-Paula Kyriakou (Florida Gulf Coast University), Stephen Batiuk (University of Toronto), Monique Roddy (Walla Walla University), Kent Bramlett (La Sierra University), Friedbert Ninow (La Sierra University), and Michael Hoff (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) | March 8, 2022

Excavations at Tel Gezer: A Personal Story
Sam Wolff (Tel Gezer Laboratory) | February 20, 2022

Tel Rehov: A Major Bronze and Iron Age City in the Jordan Valley
Amihai Mazar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Nava Panitz-Cohen ( Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Nota Kourou (Athens University), Naama Yahalom-Mack (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Robert Mullins (Azusa Pacific University) | February 10, 2022

The Not-So-Innocents Abroad: The Beginnings of American Biblical Archaeology
Rachel Hallote (Samford University) | January 20, 2022

Synagogues as Jesus Knew Them
James R. Strange (Samford University) | December 2, 2021

Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World���s Most Contested City
Andrew Lawler | November 4, 2021

Jesus and Jerusalem on TV: How Do Bible Documentaries Get Made?
Robert Cargill (University of Iowa) | October 17, 2021

Digging the Divine?: Judahite Pillar Figurines and the Archaeology of Israelite Religion
Erin Darby (University of Tennessee) | October 7, 2021

David, Solomon, and Rehoboam���s Kingdom���The Archaeological Evidence
Yosef Garfinkel (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) | September 19, 2021

From Standing Stones to Sacred Emptiness: Textual and Visual Portrayals of Israel���s God
Theodore Lewis (Johns Hopkins University) | August 29, 2021

2020-2021 Season

Making May Matter: Webinarathon to Endow Diversity
Multiple Speakers | May 21-23, 2021

Archaeogaming: Why Video Games Deserve Their Own Archaeology
Tine Rassalle (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Shannon Martino (Morton College), Matthew Winter (University of Arizona), Michael Zimmerman (Rhode Island) | April 18, 2021

How the Bible Became a Book
William Schniedewind (UCLA) | March 21, 2021

The Mysteries of Mithras in Caesarea: Exploring the Cult���s Rites and Remains
Jane DeRose Evans (Temple University), Alexandra Ratzlaff (Brandeis University) | March 11, 2021

Archaeology and the Hidden Religious Culture of Israelite Women
Carol Meyers (Duke University) | February 21, 2021

Meet the Directors���Fundraiser to Support ASOR���s Affiliated Overseas Research Centers
Matthew J. Adams (AIAR), Pearce Paul Creasman (ACOR), Lindy Crewe (CAARI) | February 11, 2021

Early Synagogues, Jesus, and Galilee���A Jewish Perspective
Eric Meyers (Duke University) | December 13, 2020

Home Sweet Home: Ancient Israelite Households in Context
Cynthia Shafer-Elliott (William Jessup University) | October 18, 2020

Priestesses in the Days of Solomon and Ahab
Susan Ackerman (Dartmouth College) | September 13, 2020

Digging Deeper: How Archaeology Works
Eric H. Cline (The George Washington University) | August 9, 2020

Stipend Report: Hanna Erftenbeck

Summer Research at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Hanna Erftenbeck, 2021 Strange/Midkiff Families Summer Stipend Recipient

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March Madness Challenge 2022: We Did It!

MARCH MADNESS CHALLENGE 2022: 泭WE FILLED THE POTS!

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

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Thank you to each and every one of the donors, members, and Friends of 17勛圖who helped ���fill the pots��� for the LCP!

The LCP���s mission

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

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

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

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

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

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

FOA Webinar: Back to the Field���Recent Discoveries & Summer Plans on April 3

FRIENDS OF 17勛圖WEBINAR

Back to the Field: Recent Discoveries & Summer Plans 2022

Friends of 17勛圖presents a free webinar on泭April 3, 2022 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm EDT, ���Back to the Field: Recent Discoveries & Summer Plans 2022,��� featuring Lorenzo d���Alfonso,泭Kathryn泭Grossman, and James R. Strange.泭This special event will preview the field seasons of three sites across Turkey (Kinik H繹y羹k Archaeological Project), Cyprus (Makounta-Voules Archaeological Project), and Israel (The Shikhin Excavation Project). The program will include three presentations covering such topics as introductions to each site in its historical context, current excavation and survey progress, and the research focus of the upcoming field season. Join us as we explore some of the exciting projects that 17勛圖members are currently participating in across the eastern Mediterranean region. The panelists will conclude their webinar with a live Q&A session with the audience. The full program is below. The event will be recorded.泭This event is free for everyone.

17勛圖Sustaining Members: $0 | 17勛圖Members: $0 | Public: $0

Program Schedule

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2022

6:00pm – 6:20pm

Lorenzo d’Alfonso

Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University

Turkey: Ni��de K覺n覺k H繹y羹k (N-KH) Archaeological Project

Read the Description

The site of is located in south Cappadocia, in the Ni��de province, on the Bor-Ere��li Plain at the foot of the Melendiz Mountains. Excavations at N-KH originated from a survey conducted by the University of Pavia in 2006���2009. Within the sites recorded in the 800 km2 survey of the southeastern slopes of the Melendiz Mountains, N-KH proved to be the largest site with the longest occupation history, from the Early Bronze Age to the Early Ottoman period. In this lecture, Dr. Lorenzo d���Alfonso, director of the project, will present the results of the last two site campaigns (2020-2021) with particular focus on the recent discoveries from the Middle Iron Age and the Hellenistic period, and on the archaeological evidence of cultic activities in first millennium BCE Anatolia. Furthermore, he will report on the design and creation of a showcase for a permanent exhibition at the Ni��de Archaeological Museum that includes restored votive statues and figurines from N-KH.

6:20pm – 6:40pm

Kathryn Grossman

North Carolina State University

Cyprus: Makounta Voules Archaeological Project

Read the Description

The Chalcolithic and Bronze Age site of Makounta-Voules-Mersinoudia is located on the northwest coast of Cyprus, near the town of Polis Chrysochous. Although research projects elsewhere on the island have frequently targeted Chalcolithic and Bronze Age sites, there have been few scientific excavations of prehistoric remains in this region. In 2017, the began with a program of intensive, systematic survey, which revealed Late Chalcolithic and Early-Middle Bronze Age ceramics, along with stone tools, slag, and wall stones spread across a hillslope overlooking the Makounta River. In 2018 and 2019, the MVAP team conducted excavations that revealed a series of Chalcolithic round buildings, a fire installation tentatively identified as a copper smelting furnace, and other stone-built features. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, excavations were put on hold in 2020-21. In 2022, the team will return to the field to continue excavations of the ancient settlement, as well as explore new areas that might be related to early copper mining activity. In this presentation, Dr. Grossman will show results from previous excavation seasons, describe plans for future work, and discuss some of the big-picture questions that guide the research at Makounta-Voules-Mersinoudia.

6:40pm – 7:00pm

James R. Strange

Samford University

Israel: Shikhin Excavation Project

Read the Description

The site of Shikhin sits less than a mile north of the acropolis of ancient Sepphoris. Evidence of activity on the hilltop dates as far back as the Late Bronze Age, but, like many Galilean settlements, the village appears to have been founded between the second and first centuries BCE (the Late Hellenistic period). In the 2022 season, the will resume its work in two areas: the remains of a large public building that was probably the village���s synagogue in the Roman period, and an adjacent ceramics industry set up in the courtyards of houses. The most exciting event of the season will be an exercise in experimental archaeology. Yeshu Dray and Ilana Gonen of Restoration of Ancient Technology are building two kilns based on construction methods used at Shikhin. During the 2022 season, Shikhin volunteers will make clay oil lamps that Yeshu and Ilana will fire in both kilns using fuel that would have been used in the ancient period.

7:00pm ��� 7:30pm

Audience Q&A with all Panelists

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17勛圖Sustaining Members: $0 | 17勛圖Members: $0 | Public: $0

If you are new to ASOR, please click on the ������ link to register your e-mail address and choose a password for our online store. Once logged in, navigate to ���Meeting and Event Registration��� to register for the webinar. Each registrant will receive a confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive this e-mail, then you are not registered. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues with registering.

You will be e-mailed the Zoom Webinar link in the week prior to the webinar on May 12. If you do not receive the link by the close of business on the Tuesday before the event,泭please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭immediately. This event will be recorded and all paid registrants泭will be sent a link to view the recording.

Sponsors will be acknowledged during the event. Sponsorships are available at the following levels:

  • Bronze Sponsor: $50
  • Silver Sponsor: $100
  • Gold Sponsor: $500
  • Platinum Sponsor: $1,000

Each sponsor will receive a confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive this e-mail, then we did not receive your sponsorship online. 泭If you prefer to register or sponsor over the phone, please call 703-789-9230. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues.

Speakers / Presenters

Lorenzo d���Alfonso泭is a Professor of Archaeology and History of ancient Western Asia at ISAW-NYU and Associate Professor of Archaeology of ancient Western Asia at Pavia University. He has published several books and papers on the history and archaeology of Anatolia and Syria, focusing on the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. His most recent publication is the volume泭Borders in Archaeology: Anatolia and the South Caucasus Ca. 3500-500 BCE泭(Peeters 2021) co-edited with K. Rubinson, which was published three months ago. Dr. d���Alfonso has excavated at different sites in Italy, Syria, and has directed an archaeological survey in south Cappadocia, Turkey from 2006-2009, before starting the excavations at Ni��de K覺n覺k H繹y羹k in 2011.

泭

Kathryn Grossman泭is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. She is an archaeologist and zooarchaeologist with expertise in the complex societies of the Near East and eastern Mediterranean. She earned her BA in Archaeology from Tufts University and her PhD in Near Eastern Art and Archaeology from the University of Chicago. Her current research focuses on resistance to state-making, the biographies of early cities, and human-animal relationships in early complex societies. She directs the Makounta-Voules Archaeological Project in Cyprus and has been a senior staff member on archaeological projects in Syria, Cyprus, Egypt, and Iraq. This summer, in addition to directing excavations at Makounta-Voules-Mersinoudia in Cyprus, she will spend two months as a CAORC fellow at the American Center of Research in Jordan, where she will be analyzing animal bones from Petra.

泭

James R. Strange泭has directed the Shikhin Excavation project since 2012, with Motti Aviam, Tom McCollough, and David Fiensy (2012) as Associate Directors. Dr. Strange is the Charles Jackson Granade and Elizabeth Donald Granade Professor in New Testament at Samford University. With David Fiensy, he is co-editor of the two-volume set泭Galilee in the Late Second Temple and Mishnaic Periods泭(Fortress, 2014 and 2015). His book,泭One Problem After Another: An Introduction to Archaeology, the Gospels, and First Century Roman Galilee泭is scheduled to come out in 2022.

17勛圖is grateful for your support. Each registrant will receive an automated confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive this e-mail, please check you Spam folder and then contact ASOR. If you prefer to register over the phone, please call 703-789-9230. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues.

PAST WEBINARS

You can now purchase the link to the recording of any webinar. You can also purchase the bundle packages of all webinars from the泭2020-2022 seasons. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭for purchase details.

To see a printable pdf of the webinar titles from the 2020-2021 season, please泭click here. To see a printable pdf of the webinar titles from the 2021-2022 season, please泭click here.

Pricing:

Members: $6.00 per recording
Non-Members: $12.00 per recording
Bundle of 2020-2021 Webinars: $75.00
Bundle of 2021-2022 Webinars: $75.00
Bundle of 2020-2022 Webinars: $125.00

2021-2022 Season

A World at War: Protecting Cultural Heritage in Times of Conflict
Patty Gerstenblith (DePaul University), Lisa Ackerman (Columbus Citizens Foundation), Andrew Cohen (Government Professional and Cultural Heritage Expert) | May 12, 2022

Preserving Cultural Heritage in Hisban and Umm al-Jimal, Jordan
��ystein LaBianca (Andrews University), Elizabeth Osinga (Umm al-Jimal Archaeological Project), Darrell Rohl (Calvin University) | April 24, 2022

Back to the Field: Recent Discoveries & Summer Plans 2022
Lorenzo d���Alfonso (ISAW), Kathryn Grossman (NC State University), James R. Strange (Samford University) | April 3, 2022

Uncovering What is Nubian Beneath the Veneer of Egyptianness: Excavating the Archives
Debora Heard (University of Chicago) | March 20, 2022

Where Are They Now?: A Preview of 2022 ASOR-Affiliated Fieldwork Projects
Michael Given (University of Glasgow), Xenia-Paula Kyriakou (Florida Gulf Coast University), Stephen Batiuk (University of Toronto), Monique Roddy (Walla Walla University), Kent Bramlett (La Sierra University), Friedbert Ninow (La Sierra University), and Michael Hoff (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) | March 8, 2022

Excavations at Tel Gezer: A Personal Story
Sam Wolff (Tel Gezer Laboratory) | February 20, 2022

Tel Rehov: A Major Bronze and Iron Age City in the Jordan Valley
Amihai Mazar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Nava Panitz-Cohen ( Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Nota Kourou (Athens University), Naama Yahalom-Mack (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Robert Mullins (Azusa Pacific University) | February 10, 2022

The Not-So-Innocents Abroad: The Beginnings of American Biblical Archaeology
Rachel Hallote (Samford University) | January 20, 2022

Synagogues as Jesus Knew Them
James R. Strange (Samford University) | December 2, 2021

Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World���s Most Contested City
Andrew Lawler | November 4, 2021

Jesus and Jerusalem on TV: How Do Bible Documentaries Get Made?
Robert Cargill (University of Iowa) | October 17, 2021

Digging the Divine?: Judahite Pillar Figurines and the Archaeology of Israelite Religion
Erin Darby (University of Tennessee) | October 7, 2021

David, Solomon, and Rehoboam���s Kingdom���The Archaeological Evidence
Yosef Garfinkel (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) | September 19, 2021

From Standing Stones to Sacred Emptiness: Textual and Visual Portrayals of Israel���s God
Theodore Lewis (Johns Hopkins University) | August 29, 2021

2020-2021 Season

Making May Matter: Webinarathon to Endow Diversity
Multiple Speakers | May 21-23, 2021

Archaeogaming: Why Video Games Deserve Their Own Archaeology
Tine Rassalle (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Shannon Martino (Morton College), Matthew Winter (University of Arizona), Michael Zimmerman (Rhode Island) | April 18, 2021

How the Bible Became a Book
William Schniedewind (UCLA) | March 21, 2021

The Mysteries of Mithras in Caesarea: Exploring the Cult���s Rites and Remains
Jane DeRose Evans (Temple University), Alexandra Ratzlaff (Brandeis University) | March 11, 2021

Archaeology and the Hidden Religious Culture of Israelite Women
Carol Meyers (Duke University) | February 21, 2021

Meet the Directors���Fundraiser to Support ASOR���s Affiliated Overseas Research Centers
Matthew J. Adams (AIAR), Pearce Paul Creasman (ACOR), Lindy Crewe (CAARI) | February 11, 2021

Early Synagogues, Jesus, and Galilee���A Jewish Perspective
Eric Meyers (Duke University) | December 13, 2020

Home Sweet Home: Ancient Israelite Households in Context
Cynthia Shafer-Elliott (William Jessup University) | October 18, 2020

Priestesses in the Days of Solomon and Ahab
Susan Ackerman (Dartmouth College) | September 13, 2020

Digging Deeper: How Archaeology Works
Eric H. Cline (The George Washington University) | August 9, 2020

March Madness Challenge: 3/23 Update

MARCH MADNESS CHALLENGE 2022: FILL THE POTS

Update: March 23, 2022

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

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

The LCP���s mission

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

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

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

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

泭

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

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

Table of Contents for NEA 85.1 (2022)

Table of Contents for泭Near Eastern Archaeology泭85.1 (March 2022)

You can receive泭NEA泭(and other泭17勛圖publications) through an泭17勛圖Membership.
Please泭e-mail泭the Membership office if you have any questions.

Pp. 4-11:泭���Flowing Rock, Dancing around Trees: Conviviality and the Landscape of Cyprus,��� by Michael Given

Rocks and trees are often central to the lives of human communities: their role is far more complex and meaningful than supplying resources, status, or symbolism. In a convivial landscape, rocks, trees, and people are deeply connected, showing elaborate and powerful interdependencies. In this article I explore the idea of conviviality through a series of examples from Archaic to early twentieth-century Cyprus. The Acropolis cliffs of Kourion show the fluidity of rock, constantly changing because of the effects of water, weather, and humanity. In the northern Troodos Mountains, trees and people have been highly interconnected: when human activities are relatively diverse and small-scale, the ensuing relationships are resilient and healthy for the whole socioecological community. Human societies can recognize and celebrate this conviviality through stories that grow up around particular rocks and trees, or through rituals focused on sacred stones or enacted by dancing around trees.

17勛圖Members with online access: navigate to the token link email sent to you (search for ���token link��� in inbox) before attempting to read this article. Once you have activated your member token,泭泭to access the above article on The University of Chicago Press Journals��� website.

Pp. 12-22:泭�����emka H繹y羹k, Late Epipaleolithic and PPNA Phase Housing Architecture: Chronological and Typological Change,��� by Yunus ��ift癟i

In recent studies carried out at the ��emka H繹y羹k settlement on the western flank of the Tigris River in Upper Mesopotamia (Mardin province, Turkey), new information has been obtained on the Late Epipaleolithic and Early Neolithic periods, defined as the Proto-Neolithic. Despite the short-term nature of the excavations, the settlement provides new data about these eras in the region; in particular, the settlement is significant in terms of the Late Epipaleolithic���Neolithic transition as well as of architectural finds belonging to both periods. The rise of permanent settlements and domestic architecture is a focus of examination.

17勛圖Members with online access: navigate to the token link email sent to you (search for ���token link��� in inbox) before attempting to read this article. Once you have activated your member token,泭泭to access the above article on The University of Chicago Press Journals��� website.

Pp. 24-32:泭���Through the Eye of a Needle: A Textile Perspective on the Chalcolithic���Bronze Age Transition in Cyprus,��� by Giulia Muti

This article argues that a renewed analysis of textile manufacture can bring a fresh perspective to approach the cultural transformations occurring in Cyprus during the mid-third millennium BCE and to investigate their significance. I present the main interpretations on the transition from the Chalcolithic to the Bronze Age as indicated by current archaeological research and explain the value of textile tools as archaeological indicators. Following this, the available data for selected textile activities (fiber exploitation and thread making) are analyzed and discussed. The final aim is to demonstrate how current narratives can be challenged when technology is not the only aspect considered, and productive purposes and raw materials are also included.

17勛圖Members with online access: navigate to the token link email sent to you search for ���token link��� in inbox)泭before attempting to read this article. Once you have activated your member token,泭泭to access the above article on The University of Chicago Press Journals��� website.

Pp. 34-43: ���Nude Awakenings: Early Dynastic Nude Female Iconography,��� by Stephanie Lynn Budin

This article considers the earliest examples of so-called Nude Female iconography that emerged in Mesopotamia in the Early Dynastic period, with a particular focus on the aspects of nudity and gesture. Rather than concluding that these images represent goddesses or concepts such as fertility, the data reveal that in the Early Dynastic period female nudity was no different than male nudity.

17勛圖Members with online access: navigate to the token link email sent to you (search for ���token link��� in inbox) before attempting to read this article. Once you have activated your member token,泭泭to access the above article on The University of Chicago Press Journals��� website.

Pp. 44-53:泭���From Excavation to Vitrine: The Afterlife of Late Hellenistic Bovine Terracottas from Ni��de K覺n覺k H繹y羹k,��� by Roberta Casagrande-Kim, Deniz ��癟er Erduran, Emily Frank, and Izel G羹ng繹r

In this article the authors present the preliminary results of the study, conservation, and display of a corpus of Hellenistic terracottas from Ni��de K覺n覺k H繹y羹k consisting of bovine figures ranging from small protomes to medium-sized bull statues, and to close-to-life-size hoofs and chests. Images of Greek divinities attached to the bulls��� necks suggest that the corpus was pertinent to a cultic tradition related to the Olympic pantheon. The ongoing work combines data collected through excavation, scientific analysis, conservation, and museum practices to understand this unique body of material and effectively present it to academic and museum audiences.

17勛圖Members with online access: navigate to the token link email sent to you (search for ���token link��� in inbox) before attempting to read this article. Once you have activated your member token,泭泭to access the above article on The University of Chicago Press Journals��� website.

Pp. 54-65:泭���Progress, Design, and Hyperreal Spectacle: The Ancient Near East in Nineteenth-Century Expos, Fairs, and Geographical Amusements,��� by Kevin McGeough

As Near Eastern archaeology developed into an academic discipline throughout the nineteenth century, it led to serious considerations on the relationships between those ancient civilizations and contemporary cultures. Issues of progress and decline were particularly paramount as citizens of the European and North American powers considered what the collapse of ancient civilizations implied about the present. Related to these concerns were interests in material and technological progress, and thus the materiality of the ancient Near East became a subject of debate in regard to contemporary design. Here are explored some of the ways that ancient Egypt and the Near East were presented in these hyperreal spectacles, why the past was so fundamental to discussions of the present and future in the nineteenth century, and why comparative geographical approaches to the topic have been so compelling for nonacademic audiences.

17勛圖Members with online access: navigate to the token link email sent to you (search for ���token link��� in inbox) before attempting to read this article. Once you have activated your member token,泭泭to access the above article on The University of Chicago Press

Pp. 66-73:泭���Archaeology in a Pandemic,��� by Claire Balandier, Ian Cipin, Britt Hartenberger, and Moni Islam

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020���2021 has disrupted life in just about every way imaginable. Many in the 17勛圖community have been hindered by the lack of access to collections, publications, and colleagues. For most archaeologists, fieldwork plans came to a screeching halt in spring 2020. While some were able to resume fieldwork in summer 2020 or summer 2021 with smaller teams and new precautions, many have not traveled overseas in nearly two years. While the long-term impact of the pandemic on the discipline in general and 17勛圖in particular will not be known for years, it is important to share our individual stories and document how our research lives continue to be affected now. In this essay, four archaeologists���two who were able to participate in archaeological fieldwork in 2020���2021 and two who were not���write about their experiences of archaeology in a pandemic.

17勛圖Members with online access: navigate to the token link email sent to you (search for ���token link��� in inbox) before attempting to read this article. Once you have activated your member token,泭泭to access the above article on The University of Chicago Press Journals��� website.

Pp. 74-77:泭���The Case for Digital Site Reports,��� by Jennie Ebeling and William Caraher

As 17勛圖looks ahead to another century of publishing booklength site reports and continues vigorously to support the thorough publication of archaeological sites, the authors, both editors of long-standing 17勛圖book series, recognize that a period of significant change is upon us. This change is more than simply making conventional paper books available in digital forms and extends to a fundamental rethinking of the publishing process, new ways of thinking about what constitutes a final publication, and new expectations for professional organizations, institutions, and individuals.

17勛圖Members with online access: navigate to the token link email sent to you (search for ���token link��� in inbox) before attempting to read this article. Once you have activated your member token,泭泭to access the above article on The University of Chicago Press Journals��� website.

Stipend Report: Christine Sylvester

From the Field to the Lab

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


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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

FOA Webinar: Debora Heard on March 20

FRIENDS OF 17勛圖WEBINARS

Uncovering What is Nubian Beneath the Veneer of Egyptianness: Excavating the Archives

Friends of ASOR泭present the next webinar in our monthly series on泭March 20, 2022, at 7:30 pm EST, featuring泭Debora Heard. During the Egyptian New Kingdom colonization of Nubia, Egyptian pharaohs built temples to their gods in the heartland of the Kingdom of Kush. Turning the tables in the 25th Dynasty reign of Egypt, the Kushite kings restored and expanded several of the Egyptian temples in Nubia while building more of their very own. While these temples used Egyptian religious ideology and exhibited Egyptian imagery, a closer examination of the texts and iconography reveals cultural differences that are hidden when viewed with an Egyptian lens. Through an examination of temple architecture, iconography, and inscriptions, this lecture will present a preliminary examination of three Upper Nubian temples ��� two dedicated to the Egyptian god Amun and one dedicated to the Nubian god Apedemak ��� in an effort to ���uncover what is Nubian beneath the veneer of Egyptianness.���

In the course of this lecture, Debora will share with us her process of excavating the archive of archaeological excavation and inscriptional material for her dissertation as well as provide an intimate look at some of the challenges that minority, first-generation, and working-class students face in pursuing archaeology as a career. Debora will conclude her webinar with a live Q&A session.

Debora Heard is a Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology specializing in the archaeology and history of ancient Nubia at the University of Chicago where she has also studied the history and language of ancient Kemet. She situates her research at the intersection of anthropology, archaeology, Egyptology, Nubian Studies, African Studies, and Africana Studies. Her dissertation research engages in a regional and temporal analysis of the inscriptions and iconography of the Upper Nubian Kushite temples dedicated to the gods Amun and Apedemak.

For more than fifteen years, she has given public lectures, taught courses, and participated in special programming dedicated to ancient Nubia and Egypt at the Oriental Institute, the Kemetic Institute, Chicago State University, and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Debora has served as an intern in the Department of Egyptian and Nubian Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and as a curatorial assistant in the installation of the Picken Family Nubian Gallery of the Oriental Institute Museum in Chicago. She has also excavated at sites in the Nile 4th Cataract region in Sudan. She serves as the organizer and founding member of the泭, which is committed to providing African-descended people with access, opportunity, and training in the fields of ancient Nile Valley and Northeast African Studies.

This webinar will be recorded and all paid registrants泭will be sent a link to view the recording.

17勛圖Sustaining Members: $0 | 17勛圖Members: $6 | Public: $12

To receive your 17勛圖member discount,泭. If you are new to ASOR, please click on the ������ link to register your e-mail address and choose a password for our online store. Once logged in, navigate to ���Meeting and Event Registration��� to register for the webinar and pay the fee. Each paid registrant will receive a confirmation e-mail when you pay for the webinar. If you do not receive this e-mail, then you are not registered. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues with registering.

You will be e-mailed the Zoom Webinar link in the week prior to the lecture on February 20, 2022. If you do not receive the link by the close of business on the Thursday before the webinar,泭please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭immediately. This webinar will be recorded and all paid registrants泭will be sent a link to view the recording.

All proceeds from this lecture are used to fund scholarships for members impacted by COVID-19 as well as increasing ASOR���s online resources, which are free to the public.

WHY SPONSOR A WEBINAR?

Several levels of support from $50-$1,000 are available. Proceeds go towards membership scholarships and towards increasing ASOR���s virtual resources. Each sponsorship is tax-deductible and you can give your friends free registrations to a webinar!

Bronze Level ($50): up to 2 guest registrations
Silver Level ($100): up to 5 guest registrations
Gold Level ($500): up to 20 guest registrations
Platinum Level ($1,000): up to 50 guest registrations

After you sign up for a sponsorship online or over the phone, email the names and email addresses of your guests to Felice Herman at泭membership@asor.org,泭who will send your guests a confirmation and the Zoom link before the webinar.

WANT TO SAVE $6.00 ON THE NEXT WEBINAR?

Join 17勛圖as a member!泭Click here for more details泭about discounts for events and other benefits of membership. Memberships start at $40 for the year as an泭Associate Member.

Not ready to join yet? Become a泭Friend of 17勛圖for FREE!

Click here for more details about our online resources.

PAST WEBINARS

You can now purchase the link to the recording of any webinar. You can also purchase the bundle packages of all webinars from the泭2020-2022 seasons. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭for purchase details.

To see a printable pdf of the webinar titles from the 2020-2021 season, please泭click here. To see a printable pdf of the webinar titles from the 2021-2022 season, please泭click here.

Pricing:

Members: $6.00 per recording
Non-Members: $12.00 per recording
Bundle of 2020-2021 Webinars: $75.00
Bundle of 2021-2022 Webinars: $75.00
Bundle of 2020-2022 Webinars: $125.00

2021-2022 Season

A World at War: Protecting Cultural Heritage in Times of Conflict
Patty Gerstenblith (DePaul University), Lisa Ackerman (Columbus Citizens Foundation), Andrew Cohen (Government Professional and Cultural Heritage Expert) | May 12, 2022

Preserving Cultural Heritage in Hisban and Umm al-Jimal, Jordan
��ystein LaBianca (Andrews University), Elizabeth Osinga (Umm al-Jimal Archaeological Project), Darrell Rohl (Calvin University) | April 24, 2022

Back to the Field: Recent Discoveries & Summer Plans 2022
Lorenzo d���Alfonso (ISAW), Kathryn Grossman (NC State University), James R. Strange (Samford University) | April 3, 2022

Uncovering What is Nubian Beneath the Veneer of Egyptianness: Excavating the Archives
Debora Heard (University of Chicago) | March 20, 2022

Where Are They Now?: A Preview of 2022 ASOR-Affiliated Fieldwork Projects
Michael Given (University of Glasgow), Xenia-Paula Kyriakou (Florida Gulf Coast University), Stephen Batiuk (University of Toronto), Monique Roddy (Walla Walla University), Kent Bramlett (La Sierra University), Friedbert Ninow (La Sierra University), and Michael Hoff (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) | March 8, 2022

Excavations at Tel Gezer: A Personal Story
Sam Wolff (Tel Gezer Laboratory) | February 20, 2022

Tel Rehov: A Major Bronze and Iron Age City in the Jordan Valley
Amihai Mazar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Nava Panitz-Cohen ( Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Nota Kourou (Athens University), Naama Yahalom-Mack (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Robert Mullins (Azusa Pacific University) | February 10, 2022

The Not-So-Innocents Abroad: The Beginnings of American Biblical Archaeology
Rachel Hallote (Samford University) | January 20, 2022

Synagogues as Jesus Knew Them
James R. Strange (Samford University) | December 2, 2021

Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World���s Most Contested City
Andrew Lawler | November 4, 2021

Jesus and Jerusalem on TV: How Do Bible Documentaries Get Made?
Robert Cargill (University of Iowa) | October 17, 2021

Digging the Divine?: Judahite Pillar Figurines and the Archaeology of Israelite Religion
Erin Darby (University of Tennessee) | October 7, 2021

David, Solomon, and Rehoboam���s Kingdom���The Archaeological Evidence
Yosef Garfinkel (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) | September 19, 2021

From Standing Stones to Sacred Emptiness: Textual and Visual Portrayals of Israel���s God
Theodore Lewis (Johns Hopkins University) | August 29, 2021

2020-2021 Season

Making May Matter: Webinarathon to Endow Diversity
Multiple Speakers | May 21-23, 2021

Archaeogaming: Why Video Games Deserve Their Own Archaeology
Tine Rassalle (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Shannon Martino (Morton College), Matthew Winter (University of Arizona), Michael Zimmerman (Rhode Island) | April 18, 2021

How the Bible Became a Book
William Schniedewind (UCLA) | March 21, 2021

The Mysteries of Mithras in Caesarea: Exploring the Cult���s Rites and Remains
Jane DeRose Evans (Temple University), Alexandra Ratzlaff (Brandeis University) | March 11, 2021

Archaeology and the Hidden Religious Culture of Israelite Women
Carol Meyers (Duke University) | February 21, 2021

Meet the Directors���Fundraiser to Support ASOR���s Affiliated Overseas Research Centers
Matthew J. Adams (AIAR), Pearce Paul Creasman (ACOR), Lindy Crewe (CAARI) | February 11, 2021

Early Synagogues, Jesus, and Galilee���A Jewish Perspective
Eric Meyers (Duke University) | December 13, 2020

Home Sweet Home: Ancient Israelite Households in Context
Cynthia Shafer-Elliott (William Jessup University) | October 18, 2020

Priestesses in the Days of Solomon and Ahab
Susan Ackerman (Dartmouth College) | September 13, 2020

Digging Deeper: How Archaeology Works
Eric H. Cline (The George Washington University) | August 9, 2020

FOA Webinar: Preview of 2022 ASOR-Affiliated Fieldwork Projects on March 8

FRIENDS OF 17勛圖WEBINAR

Where Are They Now?: A Preview of 2022 ASOR-Affiliated Fieldwork Projects

Friends of 17勛圖presents a webinar on泭March 8, 2022 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST, ���Where Are They Now?: A Preview of 2022 ASOR-Affiliated Fieldwork Projects,��� featuring Michael Given, Xenia-Paula Kyriakou, Stephen Batiuk, Monique Roddy, Kent Bramlett, Friedbert Ninow, and Michael Hoff.泭This special event will preview the field seasons of four sites across Cyprus (Kourion���s Amathous Gate Cemetery), Georgia (Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition), Jordan (Balu���a), and Turkey (Antiochia ad Cragum). The program will include four presentations covering such topics as introductions to each site in its historical context, current excavation and survey progress, the research focus of the upcoming field season, and discussion of past work and scholarship at each site. Join us as we explore some of the exciting projects that 17勛圖members are currently participating in across the eastern Mediterranean region. The panelists will conclude their webinar with a live Q&A session with the audience. The full program is below. The event will be recorded.

17勛圖Sustaining Members: $0 | 17勛圖Members: $6 | Public: $12

Program Schedule

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2022

6:00pm – 6:20pm

Michael Given

University of Glasgow

Xenia-Paula Kyriakou

Florida Gulf Coast University

Cyprus: Kourion���s Amathous Gate Cemetery

Read the Description

Kourion���s Amathous Gate Cemetery lies at the base of the limestone cliffs of Kourion, a well-preserved Greco-Roman port-city on the south coast of Cyprus. The tombs, features, and deposits are the result of a long and complex sequence of activities, from funeral processions and commemorative libations to quarrying limestone, burning marble, and herding goats. This talk will discuss the work of the original excavations at Kourion���s Amathous Gate Cemetery directed by Danielle A. Parks between 1995 and 2000, and the long analysis and writing phase of the project led by a team of her friends and colleagues after she died in 2007. This work has been virtually completed, with a draft of the two volumes of the final publication submitted to the Annual of ASOR. Owing to the pandemic, one more task remains to be done: the analysis and publication of the human remains. We will present our plans for one last field school in June 2022 to study this exciting material.

6:20pm – 6:40pm

Stephen Batiuk

University of Toronto

Georgia: Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition

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The Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition (GRAPE) is a joint venture between the University of Toronto, the Georgian National Museum (GNM) and the National Wine Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture (of the Republic of Georgia). The project aims to investigate the emergence of farming economies in the South Caucasus and the development of horticultural practices and the resultant secondary products, with a focus on viticulture and viniculture. We also aim to look at the influence of Near East societies on the development of local Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures of Caucasia and, conversely, the reciprocal influence on the Near East. GRAPE represents the archaeological component of a larger interdisciplinary project sponsored by the Georgian National Government entitled the Research and Popularization of Georgian Grape and Wine Culture. The excavations are directed by Mindia Jalabadze (GNM), Stephen Batiuk (University of Toronto), with Khaled Abujayyab (University of Toronto). GRAPE is an international multidisciplinary research project, but also an archaeological field school, which provides a unique opportunity to receive intensive training in archaeological field and survey methods at a series of rural settlements in the Middle Kura region of the Kvemo Kartli province south of the modern city of Marneuli, with a focus on the sites of Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora.

6:40pm – 6:50pm

Break

6:50pm – 7:10pm

Monique Roddy

Walla Walla University

Kent V. Bramlett

La Sierra University

Friedbert Ninow

La Sierra University

Jordan: Balu’a

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Khirbat al-Balu���a is located on the Karak Plateau in Central Jordan. In its location near the Wadi Mujib, Balu���a was able to control a major north-south route in the pre-Classical periods, acting as gatekeeper to the plateau. Balu���a spreads across nearly 16 hectares with some periods inhabiting distinct areas, such as an Iron Age settlement at the core of the site and medieval Islamic remains to the southwest. Given its size and position, Balu���a was likely a prominent site, especially in the Moabite kingdom of the Iron Age. The Iron II Period settlement at Balu���a covers approximately 13.5 hectares. Much of the architecture of this settlement is visible at the surface, including a casemate wall that defines the extent of the Iron Age settlement and structure walls with intact doorways. Excavations from 2012 to 2019 have focused on three main areas at the Iron Age site: the Qasr, a monumental structure at the highest of part of the site, the House, a well-preserved domestic structure, and the Wall, a segment of the fortification system that divided the core of the settlement from a later expansion. This talk will focus on the main discoveries of the Balu���a Regional Archaeological Project at Balu���a (BRAP), and explain the plans for the 2022 excavation season. (security forms due by March 1).

7:10pm – 7:30pm

Michael Hoff

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Turkey: Antiochia ad Cragum in Rough Cilicia

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The Roman-era city of Antiochia ad Cragum is located on the Turkish south coast, approximately 40 km southeast of Alanya. In antiquity, the city formed part of the region referred to as western Rough Cilicia. The city was founded by Antiochus IV of Commagene about 41 BCE and eponymously named. Previously the site had served as a base for the notorious ���Cilician Pirates,��� who raided throughout the Mediterranean from bases mainly situated along this coastline. Excavation began in 2005 with modest explorations of the Northeast Temple. After a few seasons, we expanded operations in the city center, and we have gained a wealth of information regarding the interplay between city and citizens over the past 15 years. We have revealed bath complexes, market shops, the bouleuterion, and several church complexes. Before COVID we had just begun to look at the domestic quarters and in near-future seasons, these will be the focus of our operations.

7:30pm – 8:00pm

Audience Q&A with all Panelists

17勛圖Sustaining Members: $0 | 17勛圖Members: $6 | Public: $12

To receive your 17勛圖member discount,泭. If you are new to ASOR, please click on the ������ link to register your e-mail address and choose a password for our online store. Once logged in, navigate to ���Meeting and Event Registration��� to register for the webinar and pay the fee. Each paid registrant will receive a confirmation e-mail when you pay for the event. If you do not receive this e-mail, then you are not registered. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues with registering.

You will be e-mailed the Zoom Webinar link in the week prior to the webinar on泭March 8. If you do not receive the link by the close of business on the Friday before the event,泭please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭immediately. This event will be recorded and all paid registrants泭will be sent a link to view the recording.

All proceeds from this webinar are used to fund scholarships for members impacted by COVID-19 as well as increasing ASOR���s online resources, which are free to the public.

Sponsors will be acknowledged during the event. Sponsorships are available at the following levels:

  • Bronze Sponsor: $50
  • Silver Sponsor: $100
  • Gold Sponsor: $500
  • Platinum Sponsor: $1,000

Each sponsor will receive a confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive this e-mail, then we did not receive your sponsorship online. 泭If you prefer to register or sponsor over the phone, please call 703-789-9230. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues.

Speakers / Presenters

Stephen Batiuk泭is a Senior Research Associate and Lecturer with the Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto, and co-director of GRAPE ��� the Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition (Republic of Georgia) as well as Director of Excavations for the Tayinat Archaeological Project (Turkey) and the Project Manager for the Computational Research on the Ancient Near East (CRANE) Project. He holds his degrees from the University of Toronto (Ph.D.) and the University of Ottawa, and his areas of specialization include Near Eastern archaeology with a focus in the Bronze and Irons Ages of Turkey, Syria and the Caucasus.

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Kent V. Bramlett泭is a Professor of Archaeology and the History of Antiquity at La Sierra University where he has taught since 2010. He is Chair of the Department of Biblical Studies and泭Archaeology and Director of Graduate Studies in Archaeology. He is Curator of the Archaeology泭Collections and Associate Director of the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology at La Sierra泭University. He earned a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Toronto,泭specializing in the Late Bronze Age. He is co-director of the Madaba Plains Project excavation at泭Tall al-���Umayri and the Balu���a Regional Archaeological Project, both in Jordan. At La Sierra, he泭teaches Akkadian, Hieroglyphic Egyptian, and other ancient languages in addition to archaeology classes.

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Michael Given泭is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology in the School of Humanities, University of Glasgow, Scotland. His research interests include archaeological survey and landscape archaeology, the historical periods in the Eastern Mediterranean, post-Medieval Scotland, the relationship between people and the environment, and conviviality theory. He has carried out fieldwork in Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Scotland and Turkey. From 2000 to 2012 he was co-director of the Troodos Archaeological and Environmental Survey Project, Cyprus, and he is currently director of the publication phase of the Excavations at Kourion���s Amathous Gate Cemetery, Cyprus. His books include泭The Archaeology of the Colonized泭(Routledge, 2004), and泭Landscape and Interaction: The Troodos Archaeological and Environmental Survey Project, Cyprus泭(with A.B. Knapp, L. Sollars, J. Noller and V. Kassianidou; 2 volumes; Council for British Research in the Levant, 2013).

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Michael Hoff泭specializes in Greek and Roman archaeology, particularly of Asia Minor in Turkey where he currently conducts research. From 1997 to 2004, Hoff co-directed the architectural survey team of the Rough Cilicia Archaeological Survey Project that documented ancient Roman sites in Turkey. Since 2005, Hoff has served as Project Director for the large-scale excavations of the ancient Roman-era city of Antiochia ad Cragum on the south coast of Turkey. Hoff has excavated previously at the Athenian Agora, Corinth, Crete, and at the Sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea, Greece. In addition to his work on the archaeology of Asia Minor, Hoff also conducts research on the history and topography of Roman Athens. Hoff has authored many articles in international journals and has co-edited several books, including泭Rough Cilicia: New Historical and Archaeological Approaches泭(Oxbow Press). Professor Hoff received his B.A. from the University of Missouri, M.A. from Florida State University, and Ph.D. from Boston University. Hoff joined the art history faculty at the University of Nebraska in 1989.

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Xenia-Paula Kyriakou泭is a Lecturer in Legal Studies in the Department of Justice Studies at Gulf Coast University, in Florida. Her research interests include the reconstruction of health and demography in ancient societies, paleoepidemiology, paleo-oncology, the development of standards and methods in forensic anthropology, humanitarian forensics, and necropolitics. She was involved in numerous archaeological excavations as a bioarchaeologist and worked on many forensic cases, including those that address violation of human rights, both in Cyprus and abroad. She is the director of Odyssey Field School, which has been running since 2014 to present day, and offers training and research opportunities to students in the disciplines of bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology.

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Friedbert Ninow泭(Ph.D. 2000, Andrews University) is the Dean of the Richards Divinity School, La Sierra University, and co-director of the Balu���a Regional Archaeological Project. He also directed the Wadi ash-Shkafiya Archaeological Survey as well as excavations at Khirbat al-Ma���mariyah.

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Monique D. Roddy泭is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy at Walla Walla University. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago with a dissertation on household archaeology in the Early Iron Age in the southern Levant. She worked with the Madaba Plains Project at Tall al-���Umayri in Jordan from 2004 to 2016 and continues to work as an editor on the final publication series for ���Umayri. She has co-directed the Balu���a Regional Archaeological Project at Khirbat al-Balu���a since 2017. She has also excavated at Zincirli in southeastern Turkey, Keros in the Cycladic Islands, and Cartagena in southern Spain.

17勛圖is grateful for your support. Each registrant will receive an automated confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive this e-mail, please check you Spam folder and then contact ASOR. If you prefer to register over the phone, please call 703-789-9230. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues.

PAST WEBINARS

You can now purchase the link to the recording of any webinar. You can also purchase the bundle packages of all webinars from the泭2020-2022 seasons. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭for purchase details.

To see a printable pdf of the webinar titles from the 2020-2021 season, please泭click here. To see a printable pdf of the webinar titles from the 2021-2022 season, please泭click here.

Pricing:

Members: $6.00 per recording
Non-Members: $12.00 per recording
Bundle of 2020-2021 Webinars: $75.00
Bundle of 2021-2022 Webinars: $75.00
Bundle of 2020-2022 Webinars: $125.00

2021-2022 Season

A World at War: Protecting Cultural Heritage in Times of Conflict
Patty Gerstenblith (DePaul University), Lisa Ackerman (Columbus Citizens Foundation), Andrew Cohen (Government Professional and Cultural Heritage Expert) | May 12, 2022

Preserving Cultural Heritage in Hisban and Umm al-Jimal, Jordan
��ystein LaBianca (Andrews University), Elizabeth Osinga (Umm al-Jimal Archaeological Project), Darrell Rohl (Calvin University) | April 24, 2022

Back to the Field: Recent Discoveries & Summer Plans 2022
Lorenzo d���Alfonso (ISAW), Kathryn Grossman (NC State University), James R. Strange (Samford University) | April 3, 2022

Uncovering What is Nubian Beneath the Veneer of Egyptianness: Excavating the Archives
Debora Heard (University of Chicago) | March 20, 2022

Where Are They Now?: A Preview of 2022 ASOR-Affiliated Fieldwork Projects
Michael Given (University of Glasgow), Xenia-Paula Kyriakou (Florida Gulf Coast University), Stephen Batiuk (University of Toronto), Monique Roddy (Walla Walla University), Kent Bramlett (La Sierra University), Friedbert Ninow (La Sierra University), and Michael Hoff (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) | March 8, 2022

Excavations at Tel Gezer: A Personal Story
Sam Wolff (Tel Gezer Laboratory) | February 20, 2022

Tel Rehov: A Major Bronze and Iron Age City in the Jordan Valley
Amihai Mazar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Nava Panitz-Cohen ( Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Nota Kourou (Athens University), Naama Yahalom-Mack (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Robert Mullins (Azusa Pacific University) | February 10, 2022

The Not-So-Innocents Abroad: The Beginnings of American Biblical Archaeology
Rachel Hallote (Samford University) | January 20, 2022

Synagogues as Jesus Knew Them
James R. Strange (Samford University) | December 2, 2021

Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World���s Most Contested City
Andrew Lawler | November 4, 2021

Jesus and Jerusalem on TV: How Do Bible Documentaries Get Made?
Robert Cargill (University of Iowa) | October 17, 2021

Digging the Divine?: Judahite Pillar Figurines and the Archaeology of Israelite Religion
Erin Darby (University of Tennessee) | October 7, 2021

David, Solomon, and Rehoboam���s Kingdom���The Archaeological Evidence
Yosef Garfinkel (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) | September 19, 2021

From Standing Stones to Sacred Emptiness: Textual and Visual Portrayals of Israel���s God
Theodore Lewis (Johns Hopkins University) | August 29, 2021

2020-2021 Season

Making May Matter: Webinarathon to Endow Diversity
Multiple Speakers | May 21-23, 2021

Archaeogaming: Why Video Games Deserve Their Own Archaeology
Tine Rassalle (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Shannon Martino (Morton College), Matthew Winter (University of Arizona), Michael Zimmerman (Rhode Island) | April 18, 2021

How the Bible Became a Book
William Schniedewind (UCLA) | March 21, 2021

The Mysteries of Mithras in Caesarea: Exploring the Cult���s Rites and Remains
Jane DeRose Evans (Temple University), Alexandra Ratzlaff (Brandeis University) | March 11, 2021

Archaeology and the Hidden Religious Culture of Israelite Women
Carol Meyers (Duke University) | February 21, 2021

Meet the Directors���Fundraiser to Support ASOR���s Affiliated Overseas Research Centers
Matthew J. Adams (AIAR), Pearce Paul Creasman (ACOR), Lindy Crewe (CAARI) | February 11, 2021

Early Synagogues, Jesus, and Galilee���A Jewish Perspective
Eric Meyers (Duke University) | December 13, 2020

Home Sweet Home: Ancient Israelite Households in Context
Cynthia Shafer-Elliott (William Jessup University) | October 18, 2020

Priestesses in the Days of Solomon and Ahab
Susan Ackerman (Dartmouth College) | September 13, 2020

Digging Deeper: How Archaeology Works
Eric H. Cline (The George Washington University) | August 9, 2020

17勛圖is grateful for your support. Each registrant will receive an automated confirmation e-mail. If you do not receive this e-mail, please check you Spam folder and then contact ASOR. If you prefer to register over the phone, please call 703-789-9230. Please e-mail泭membership@asor.org泭with any questions or issues.

March Madness Challenge 2022

MARCH MADNESS CHALLENGE 2022: FILL THE POTS

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

As of March 3, we have received泭$1,700泭in matching gifts, which translates into a total of泭$3,400泭for the LCP. Donate today to help us raise the additional泭$6,600泭to fill the pot for the LCP!

The LCP���s mission

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

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

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

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

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

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