American Schools of Oriental Research Centennial celebration April 14-16, 2000 Washington, DC back to Centennial page

 

 PROGRAM

Friday, April 14, 2000

Centennial Gala Reception and Dinner. Fee: $150.00
The Benjamin Franklin Room at the U.S. Department of State (see picture)
22nd and C Streets, Washington, DC

7:00PM - 10:00PM; Dress: Black Tie Optional

Master of Ceremonies - P.E. MacAllister, ASOR Chairman of the Board

Keynote Speaker - The Honorable Thomas R. Pickering

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs since May 1997, Thomas R. Pickering holds the personal rank of Career Ambassador, the highest in the United States Foreign Service. He has served as the President of the Eurasia Foundation, a Washington-based organization which makes small grants and loans in the states of the former Soviet Union in support of democracy and economic reform. He previously served as Ambassador to the Russian Federation from May 1993 until November 1996. He has also served as Ambassador to India from 1992-1993, Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1989-1992, Ambassador to Israel from 1985-1988, to El Salvador from 1983-1985 and to Nigeria from 1981-1983. He was Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs from 1978 to 1981. From 1974 until 1978, Ambassador Pickering was the United States Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

 Saturday, April 15, 2000

ASOR at 100 Lecture Program. Fee: $50.00
(In Cooperation with the Smithsonian Associates)
Department of Agriculture - Jefferson Auditorium
Independence Avenue between 12th and 14th Streets, Washington, DC

"Footsteps in the Dust: A Century of ASOR Discoveries in the Ancient Near East"
Moderator - Joe Seger, ASOR President, Mississippi State University
9:00am - 9:15am Opening Remarks

MORNING SESSIONS: Biblical Backgrounds Revealed

#1 Israelite Origins in Context - Abraham to Moses
The discovery of Near Eastern Bronze Age civilizations and the traditions of the Biblical patriarchs.
William G. Dever, University of Arizona, Tucson

9:15am - 10:05am Lecture
10:05am - 10:15am Question and Answer

#2 The Israelites and their Neighbors - Canaanites and Philistines
The archaeological evidence for the emergence of the Hebrew nation in complement and contrast to contemporary Ancient Near Eastern societies
Seymour Gitin, Director, W. F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research, Jerusalem

10:30am - 11:20am Lecture
11:20am -11:30am Question and Answer

#3 The Greek Emergence in the Eastern Mediterranean - Cyprus and Phoenicia
The discovery of ancient Cypriot cultures and their interactions with the developing civilizations of the Greeks and societies of the Eastern Mediterranean world.
Robert Merrillees, Director, Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute, Nicosia

11:45am -12:25pm Lecture
12:25pm - 12:45pm Question and Answer

#4 Judaism and Christianity: Origins and Transformations - A view from Qumran
The archaeological evidence for the development of Jewish and Christian Institutions in the Levant during the Greek and early Roman periods.
Eric Meyers, Duke University

2:00pm - 2:50pm Lecture
2:50pm - 3:00pm Question and Answer

#5 Byzantine Petra in Jordan - Churches and Scrolls
An examination of the development of the Christian Byzantine empire in the Near East as revealed by architectural and written remains recently recovered at Petra.
Pierre Bikai, Director, American Center of Oriental Research, Amman
Patricia Bikai, Associate Director, American Center of Oriental Research, Amman

3:15pm - 4:05pm Lecture
4:05pm - 4:15pm Question and Answer

 4:15pm - 4:30pm Closing
Near Eastern Archaeology in the 21st Century - New Perspectives and New Horizons

Joe D. Seger, President, ASOR, Mississippi State University

Saturday Evening Grand Buffet Reception and Program
Wyndham Washington Hotel
1400 M Street, NW, Washington, DC

7:00PM - 11:00PM; Dress: Casual

Master of Ceremonies: Joe D. Seger, President, ASOR, Mississippi State University

PROGRAM:

"Kicking up Some Dust: An Evening of Roasts, Toasts & Boasts"

This informal event is a chance to relax and have some fun with friends and colleagues. The evening will include an intriguing buffet with a variety of selections, a cash bar and an entertaining program.

Sunday, April 16, 2000

ASOR Centennial Special Program Sessions
Wyndham Washington Hotel
1400 M Street, NW, Washington, DC

9:00am - 11:00am

Session I
Bronze Age Archaeology in the Ancient Near East (3000 through 1200 BCE)
Al Leonard (University of Arizona), presiding

Theme: Canaan and its Neighbors in the Bronze Age: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Jonathan Tubb (British Museum), "Canaan"
James Weinstein (Cornell University), "Canaan's Relations with Egypt"
Ellen Herscher (CAARI), "Canaan's Relations with Cyprus"
Eric Cline (University of Cincinnati), "Canaan's Relations with the Aegean"
Elizabeth Stone (SUNY Stony Brook), "Canaan's Relations with Mesopotamia"

Session III
Hellenistic / Roman Archaeology in the Ancient Near East (Fourth Century BCE through Fourth Century CE)
Andrea Berlin (University of Minnesota), presiding

Jane Waldbaum (University of Wisconsin), "After the Return: Connections with the Classical World"
Sharon Herbert (University of Michigan), "Material Culture and Ethnic Identity in the Hellenistic Period"
Eric Lapp (American School of Classical Studies at Athens), "New Perspectives on Roman Palestine"
Elise Friedland (Rollins College), "Art as Cultural Artifact: Roman Sculpture in the Semitic East"

11:15 am -1:15 pm

Session II
Iron Age Archaeology in the Ancient Near East (1200 through Fourth Century BCE)
Elizabeth Bloch-Smith (Ashkelon Excavations), presiding

Theme: State Formation in the Iron Age

Rudolph Dornemann (ASOR), "Syria"
Dan Master (Harvard University), "Israel"
Bruce Routledge (University of Pennsylvania), "Jordan"
Ian Morris (Stanford University), "Greece"

David Schloen (University of Chicago), Respondent

Session IV
Byzantine / Islamic Archaeology in the Ancient Near East (Fourth Century CE through Modern Times)

Jodi Magness (Tufts University), presiding

Byzantine Period
1) Kenneth G. Holum, University of Marylan
2) James F. Strange, University of South Florida

Islamic Period:
1) Renata Holod, University of Pennsylvania
2) Donald Whitcomb, University of Chicago

Digs Reunion Luncheon
Wyndham Washington Hotel, 1400 M Street, NW, Washington, DC
1:00pm - 2:30pm

A buffet luncheon will be provided at the Wyndham Washington Hotel. A special invitation is extended to expeditions who have worked with ASOR over the years to use this opportunity to get together after the morning sessions. Come and reminisce with participants of ASOR digs old and new. The luncheon is included in the registration fee.