At Tall Hisban, support from the Geraty Endowment has helped make possible the Hisban Heritage Festival, student-led community history projects, and the Madaba Region Heritage Internship. Its impact is visible in renewed partnerships, expanded educational opportunities, and a deepened sense of shared stewardship between archaeologists and the people of Hisban.

On a warm June afternoon in 2025, the courtyard of the Hisban Women’s Association overflowed with song, laughter, and the aroma of traditional Jordanian sweets. Villagers, students, and dignitaries gathered to celebrate the Hisban Heritage Festival, marking more than five decades of partnership between the people of Hisban and the Madaba Plains Project (MPP). The festival opened with greetings from the Department of Antiquities, the Hisban Women’s Association, and Andrews University.

In his keynote remarks, Øystein S. LaBianca, Senior Research Professor of Anthropology, reflected on the evolution of archaeology at Hisban—from excavation to collaboration: “Archaeology here is no longer about extraction. It’s about relationships, about listening, and about telling stories together—stories that include shepherds and schoolteachers, potters and farmers, grandmothers and grandchildren.”

A highlight of the festival was the public display of archival photographs from the original Heshbon Expedition (1968–1976). For many families, these were the only surviving photographs of fathers and grandfathers. This “visual repatriation” returned history, dignity, and memory to the community whose labor shaped the early excavations.

Research by Andrews University undergraduate students featured prominently. Spencer Chase, Nicole Lombard, Laurel Renner, and Julia Whitcomb, presented work on Hisban’s relationship to the Roman Decapolis, utilizing archaeological data, literary sources, and GIS visualization. Melani Dubon and Nathalie Gonzalez conducted oral history interviews with descendants of workers from the early expeditions, linking archival field notes to living memory.

Stacie Hatfield, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, emphasized that “the next generation of archaeologists must be facilitators—connecting academic rigor with community engagement.” This participatory model is now central to the MPP approach.

The Madaba Region Heritage Internship, coordinated by Al Raqeem for Services and Training, Sela for Training and Protection of Heritage, Andrews University, and the University of Liverpool, extends this commitment regionally. The Pottery Internship trains young Jordanians in ceramic analysis and conservation, while the Archaeotrail Internship prepares them to create bilingual (Arabic–English) content for the Madaba Archaeotrail app. Interns graduate with certification and a professional portfolio, contributing to a new generation of Jordanian heritage leaders.

Together, these initiatives demonstrate what ASOR has long championed: that archaeology is most meaningful when it builds bridges between past and present, research and renewal, local voices and global audiences. As one participant at the festival remarked, “We used to think archaeology was about the foreigners who came to dig. Now we know—it is about us, our stories, and our future.”

These ongoing efforts—including the Hisban Heritage Festival, the Madaba Region Heritage Internship, and the proposed Learning through Heritage initiative—reflect meaningful partnerships supported by the ASOR Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Endowment and Andrews University.