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.
泭
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

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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.


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.

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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.