Message From ASOR’s Board Chair

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Jared Koller

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MESSAGE FROM ASOR’S BOARD CHAIR, RICHARD COFFMAN

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June 17, 2020

Dear ASOR Friend:

I usually begin my annual fiscal year-end fundraising missive with a pithy observation about life in the world of ASOR. But not this year. There’s too much uncertainty and unrest.

So, I will gratefully report that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, ASOR has stayed on course and on mission. To our members and donors who have already made gifts this fiscal year, thank you. Your generosity has enabled us to continue to operate at a high level.

For example, we have continued to publish and distribute our journals without interruption. Their quality is at an all-time high—to the point that they are now receiving external rankings and impact factors, a new development in 2020.

We also have continued to preserve and protect cultural heritage as an ideal uniting peoples and promoting diversity—such as digitizing manuscripts of the trans-Saharan trade, assessing Jewish heritage in Iraq and Syria, and conducting cultural heritage education and stewardship programs in Libya.

But we have another financial gap to close. Early in the pandemic, we shifted our focus to you. We zigged when others zagged. We pledged to support our members by dramatically increasing online resources and providing membership scholarships to anyone financially impacted by the coronavirus. While we’ve lived up to our commitment in a big way, there is much work to be done. And we need your help to do it.

Any gift will be gratefully accepted and wonderfully acknowledged—$25, $50, $100, or even $1,000. In fact, the more individual donations we receive, regardless of the amount, the better positioned we will be to attract gifts from donors and foundations. So, please join me in standing in the gap for our members who need ASOR the most during the current prevailing madness.

Best regards,

Richard L. Coffman
Chairman of the Board of Trustees

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ASOR Awards Spotlight: Scribes and Scrolls at Qumran

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Jared Koller

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ASOR BOOK AWARD SPOTLIGHT: SCRIBES AND SCROLLS AT QUMRAN

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At the 2019 ASOR Annual Meeting in San Diego, Sidnie White Crawford was awarded the Frank Moore Cross Award for her book, Scribes and Scrolls at Qumran (Eerdmans). This award is presented to the author/editor of the most substantial volume(s) related to the history and/or religion of the ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean. Primary consideration will be given to historical, epigraphic, textual, and comparative literary studies; or to works that advance and/or evaluate new methodological approaches to the literary record(s). This work must be the result of original research published during the past two years.

Sidnie White Crawford receives the Cross Award in San Diego.

In Scribes and Scrolls at Qumran, Sidnie White Crawford, the Willa Cather Professor of Biblical Studies Emerita at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, offers an innovative and compelling theory that Qumran functioned as a scribal center and a central Essene library. Drawing from decades of research, Crawford builds her case thoroughly and meticulously, examining first scribes and libraries across the Mediterranean and the ancient Near East, including ancient Israel, and then reassessing the archaeological evidence from Qumran. The result is a synthesis of archaeology and text of remarkable breadth and depth, one that places the Qumran collection within the broader context of scribes and libraries in the ancient world. Scribes and Scrolls at Qumran is an invaluable contribution to the fields of Biblical, Ancient Near Eastern, and Qumran Studies from a leading international expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls, one that will become a standard reference for the next generation of scholars.

“I was particularly pleased and proud to receive this award, as Frank Moore Cross was my teacher and dissertation director. To him I owe my research career, and the book is dedicated to his memory.”

-Sidnie White Crawford

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Learn more about ASOR Awards

Nominate a book for the Frank Moore Cross award. The deadline for book award nominations September 18, 2020. The deadline for service award nominations is September 11, 2020.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

A History of ASOR: The Jerusalem School

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Jared Koller

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A History of ASOR: The Jerusalem School

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]In the previous post on ASOR’s history, we concluded with the incorporation of ASOR as an organization in the United States. It was in 1921 that ASOR received its name as the American Schools of Oriental Research. This name change signified that the scope of research, both geographically and historically, was greatly expanded from the original goals of the organization in the Levant. To mark this change, ASOR adopted a new seal that was in use until 2017.This seal consisted of the “Egyptian ankh hieroglyph, the symbol of life, containing within it the Babylonian dinger, the eight-pointed star formed by four cuneiform wedges, signifying deity.” (Meyers 2001; 11).

ASOR’s original seal, circa 1921.

ASOR’s incorporation was soon followed by the construction of a permanent facility in Jerusalem. In 1917, Mrs. James B. Nies gave a gift of $50,000 to construct a building on land that had been acquired in 1909. Construction finally begin in 1924 under the direction of William F. Albright, ASOR’s Director until 1929. The design of the school was selected from submissions to a contest held at Yale School of Architecture. Under supervision of Elias T. Gelat, the first of three buildings was completed in 1924. The Annual Professors building, the Main Building, and the Director’s House were all completed by 1931. These new structures provided housing for members of ASOR’s staff and an additional 10 rooms to host scholars (Meyers 2001; 11).

The new Jerusalem School was only able to operate for a few years before the outbreak of World War II. The conflict ceased all travel and research based out of the Jerusalem School. ASOR faced further difficulties to scholarship with “the establishment of the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan” in 1948 (Meyers 2001; 22). With the Jerusalem School now within the area under Jordanian jurisdiction, ASOR resumed its research activities with multiple archaeological projects throughout the Levant. The multitude of projects undertaken by ASOR from 1950 to 1967 include, “Dhiban, Tell-es Sultan, Khirbet Qumran, Bethel, the Buqe’ah, Petra, el-Jib Shechem, Beth-Zur, Pella, Ghassul, Araq el-Emir” and many others (Meyers 2001; 23). Perhaps the most famous of ASOR’s research activities was the identification of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948.

Despite ASOR’s prolific research based out of the Jerusalem School, plans were made to sell the property due to its increased value. This plan was an attempt to solve financial difficulties that ASOR faced in the Spring of 1967. However, this never came to pass as the Six-Day War broke out and the Jerusalem School was now under the jurisdiction of the Israeli State. The aftermath of the Six-Day War saw an “Arab boycott of all scholars working in Israel” (Meyers 2001; 30). This meant that researchers who chose to work in Israel could not also work in Jordan or Syria.

The Jerusalem School, circa 1930

This led to a very serious dilemma facing ASOR scholars who had previously worked throughout the entire region. In 1970 it was decided the best course of action was to create two separate institutions, one in Jordan and the other in Israel. From this resolution, the American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR) was established in Amman. Subsequently, in 1970 the Jerusalem School was reincorporated as the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research (AIAR). This saw the end of the Jerusalem School as administered by ASOR and the buildings were fully turned over to AIAR in the 1990’s. Today you can visit ASOR’s former home in Jerusalem by visiting the Albright. AIAR and ACOR continue to thrive as institutions with whom ASOR has continued close ties and working relationship.

Stay tuned for the next installment on the history of ASOR! Thank you to Joe Seger for his continued input to this series on ASOR’s history.

Sources:

Meyers, Eric M. and Joe D. Seger. 2001. ASOR: A History of the American Schools of Oriental Research. In An ASOR Mosaic, edited by Joe D. Seger, pp. 2-103. American Schools of Oriental Research, Boston.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Fellowship Report: Marcella Barbosa

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Jared Koller

THE EDGE OF THE LATE BRONZE AGE CULT?

Marcella Barbosa, 2019 Eric and Carol Meyers Fellowship Recipient

Archaeologists have always been fascinated by the cult and made it the subject of study throughout their examination of human history. This examination is usually manifested through the study of things like temples, shrines, icons, and other enigmatic objects. The same is true for the Late Bronze Age in Canaan, especially when it comes to temples. Much work has been done on the subject; one only need to look at the information on individual sites, where excavators are always sure to highlight the temple, if there is one, or at other comprehensive works like Amihai Mazar’s chapter in The Architecture of Ancient Israel.

Me excavating by a Late Bronze wall in Area B3.

So far, when it comes to cultic architecture of the Late Bronze Age, most of the emphasis has been put on temples and shrines, which are, no doubt, fascinating. But the excavations in Area B1 at Tel Burna brought something different to the table.

Tel Burna is a site in the southern Shephelah that was occupied in the Bronze and Iron Ages. The site is dominated by the remains of an Iron Age Judahite fortress at the very top of the tel, but a shelf-like lower protrusion on the west side of the tel is what interests us when speaking about the Late Bronze Age. Here, on this lower shelf, is where the project opened Area B1 and discovered what the excavators interpret as a large open-air cultic enclosure, which was built on bedrock in many places. Its cultic nature is demonstrated by its assemblage of finds that include ceramic masks, seals, figurines, zoomorphic vessels, votive vessels, imports that included two large Cypriot pithoi, and several standing stones. Also, the analysis and distribution of bones and organic matter within the enclosure, along with the ceramic finds, seem to indicate that this was possibly a place for ritual feasting.

Area B3 at the end of the 2019 season.

The enclosure measured at least 25 meters by 25 meters, and obviously held a prominent place in Late Bronze Burna. The years of excavation uncovered much of this enclosure and its inner units, including the northern, western, and likely eastern outer walls. But much of the shelf that it sits on still remained unexcavated and the southern extent of the enclosure had yet to be found. For this reason, in the 2019 season, the project decided to open the new area B3 on this lower shelf just to the south of Area B1 with the goal of furthering our understanding of Late Bronze Age Burna and with the hopes of discovering the southern extent of the cultic enclosure. Due to my interest in Late Bronze Age Canaan and previous work at another Shephelah site, I was fortunate to supervise our new small area.

Due to the bedrock being so close to the surface, we can often see bits of possible architecture sticking out above the surface, and it was one of these areas that we chose to place the first square of Area B3, as it also intersected with where we thought the southern end of the LB cultic enclosure might be. We quickly came down on architecture, revealing two two-row walls, built with large stones, that were built into an integrated corner. The north-south wall also looks like it might have an extension built off the north end of the corner, though we cannot be certain of this without excavating the square to the north. Whatever the case might be, it was obvious that we had architecture with rooms the continued at least north, west, and south of this first square, and probably east as well. From this first square alone, we uncovered a large portion of a room/unit that produced an earthen floor and a good amount of restorable pottery. On the opposite side of this room/unit, to the south, was a small corner of another room/unit that also provided a relatively large amount of restorable pottery underneath tumbled stone.

As this room continued south into the baulk, and our shade cloth was already set up accordingly, we decided to open our second square to the south. We hoped that this would give us the rest of the room whose small corner we had excavated in the first square, as well as provide a clearer understanding overall for the complex, whether it be through continuation/alignment of walls and/or the finds uncovered within the units. We discovered that the south end of the north-south wall from the first square tapered off as it sat directly on a high point of bedrock. We also discovered two more walls, both single-row and built perpendicular to each other. This gave us the rest of the room whose corner we first discovered in the first square, though its boundaries to the south and southeast are somewhat ambiguous due to a high peak of bedrock. This room, though smaller than the other units uncovered in Area B3 so far even while being the only unit with its layout fully uncovered, provided a relatively large amount of restorable pottery, a few complete vessels, and a fragment of a plaque figurine. Its entrance lay to the west, and it appears there was quick access to the room to the north and another room to the south, though this intersection needs clarifying through excavation to the west.

Area B3 Foundation Deposit.

The room to the south, of which more than two by two meters was uncovered, was interesting in that no surface was found preserved and there was no obvious large amounts of restorable pottery, as there was in neighboring rooms. Yet, it did yield two lamp-and-bowl foundation deposits, which were collected carefully for possible organic material and possible residue analysis. The area to the south of the east-west wall revealed a layer of mudbrick collapse, where the shape of a few of the mudbricks were mostly preserved. Underneath this mudbrick layer, we uncovered the remains of at least two smashed storage jars in situ, with perhaps a third mixed in. Samples were taken from the storage jars for residue analysis and to search for remaining organic matter. These storage jars and mudbrick collapse lay on top of a hard-packed earthen surface, much like the one found in the first square. The nature of this particular unit is uncertain as we only have its northern wall, while the rest of it continued into the west, south, and east baulks. It might be part of a large room or an unroofed area or the outside of the complex; only further excavation will enlighten us.

What did strike the team is that while architecture was plentiful for the excavation of two squares, none of the walls seemed to absolutely line up with the cultic enclosure of Area B1 as we had expected, though we were only a few meters away from it. Also, the finds of Area B3 were not of the same ilk as those of Area B1, which helped identify that enclosure as cultic in nature. Thus, our preliminary interpretation is that the complex uncovered in Area B3 is not part of the cultic enclosure of Area B1, as we originally had thought it might be; rather, it appears that we reached and moved beyond the edge of the cultic enclosure to find a new, contemporary complex. Whether this new complex of Area B3 is residential or something else remains to be seen as we continue to excavate Area B3 and analyze the finds.

Marcella Barbosa is a Ph.D. student of the Tandy Institute for Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. She has been pursuing archaeology all of her life and has excavated in Menorca, Cyprus, and Israel, with the majority of her time so far spent in nine seasons with the Tel Gezer Project. She spent five years as the Collections Manager for the Tandy Archaeological Museum and is currently working on her dissertation/Gezer publication research in Israel thanks to a scholarship from Ariel University.

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ASOR Announces Membership Scholarships

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Jared Koller

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ASOR ANNOUNCES MEMBERSHIP SCHOLARSHIPS

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]The ASOR family is a strong and close one, and that fact has never been more evident than in these challenging and stressful times. Please know that we at ASOR are doing all that we can to serve our constituents, while keeping the safety and health of our members, volunteers, officers, and employees as our highest priority.

As part of our ongoing efforts to support our members, we are pleased to announce membership scholarships that are available for any current or lapsed ASOR member. Thanks to several anonymous donors, we have received pledges to pay the membership fee for those who have experienced a financial hardship related (directly or indirectly) to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The application process is simple—if you have a membership that expired on December 31, 2019, March 31, 2020, or one that will expire on June 30, 2020, please send a confidential e-mail to Felice Herman or Andy Vaughn with a brief statement. We have enough pledged funds to cover all requests from these dates. If you previously had a print-delivery only membership, but would like both print delivery and online access, please let us know. We will provide both options for scholarship recipients if requested in order to assist members during this time when online content is needed more than in the past.

If you had a membership that expired on September 30, 2019 (or earlier), please send Andy or Felice a brief note explaining why the support is needed. We will do our best to support those requests on a case-by-case basis.

If you have any questions or suggestions, or if you would like to make a donation to support these scholarships, please e-mail Andy Vaughn.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Annual Meeting 2020—Paper Proposal Decisions

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Jared Koller

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ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE: PAPER PROPOSAL DECISIONS ISSUED

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]Paper proposal decision notifications were issued on May 1, for the 2020 ASOR Annual Meeting. A record number of paper proposals were accepted, and the 2020 academic program is the largest and broadest to date. Notifications were auto-generated from ASOR’s online abstract management system powered by Oxford Abstracts and sent to the e-mail address associated with the abstract submission. Co-authors should check with the person who submitted the abstract to find out if their paper was accepted. Please check your spam folder for an e-mail from “ASOR 2020” if you submitted an abstract and have not yet received a decision notification.[/vc_wp_text][vc_single_image image=”55592″ img_size=”full”][mk_padding_divider][vc_wp_text]Please contact Arlene Press, ASOR’s Director of Meetings and Events, if you submitted an abstract and have not received a decision notification, or if you have any questions about the 2020 ASOR Annual Meeting.

Because of the uncertainty of travel during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and because of the changing situation for many of our members, ASOR extended the Early Bird registration rate until July 8, 2020. In late June, we will re-evaluate the situation and see if a further extension seems warranted.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

ASOR Awardee Spotlight: Randy Old

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Jared Koller

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AWARDEE SPOTLIGHT: RANDY OLD

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]At the 2019 Annual Meeting in San Diego, Randy Old (President of ACOR’s Board of Trustees) received the W. F. Albright Award. This award honors an individual who has shown special support or made outstanding service contributions to one of the overseas centers, ACOR, AIAR, CAARI, or to one of the overseas committees.

Randy Old receives the Albright Award at the 2019 Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Randolph B. Old, President, ACOR Board of Trustees, has been involved with ACOR since he and his family initially moved to Amman in 1975, when he met then ACOR Director Jim Sauer, thus beginning his long dedication to ACOR. This relationship was sustained even after they moved away from Jordan in the 1980s. Due to Randy’s expertise and commitment to the cultural heritage of Jordan, he was invited by the board to become a trustee in 1990, and by 1992 he assumed the role of Treasurer, overseeing the Board’s fiduciary responsibility for a full decade. Upon the retirement of Artemis Joukowsky from the Board Presidency in 2011, Randy was elected as Artie’s successor and has served in that role ever since. Randy presided over the Board during a period of expansion, as well as for ACOR’s 50th Anniversary Year in 2018. Randy’s enduring loyalty to ACOR has been manifested in many ways, including his almost 30 years of Board service, his close ties to individuals involved with ACOR, and particularly through his support for the library. Most noteworthy has been his constant commitment to the well-being of the institute as a vital part of Jordanian intellectual life and as an important cultural bridge between Jordan and the United States.

While he did not make a speech at the meeting, Old made this statement in reaction to receiving the Albright Award.

“Of course I am honored to have received the Albright Award, but I feel the real reward for being a member of ACOR’s Board for the last 30 years has been the friendships, the site visits, the projects, the meetings, dinners, celebrations, and problem solving in the world of archaeology that people with a lay background like me do not get a chance to be part of. The ACOR/ASOR family is wide, talented, fun and very different from my stodgy banking background. I feel my wife, our three children and their five children have benefited immensely from our ACOR relationship. We have deep roots in Jordan, calling it a second home, and it has been a significant part of our lives and growth.”

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Learn more about ASOR Awards

Nominate someone for an award. The deadline for service award nominations is September 11, 2020. The deadline for book award nominations September 18, 2020.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

A History of ASOR: The First Decades

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Jared Koller

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A HISTORY OF ASOR: THE FIRST DECADES

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]ASOR celebrates 120 years in 2020. In honor of this anniversary, throughout the year we will be posting a history of ASOR, from its foundation to the present. This will include the many accomplishments and activities of ASOR members and ASOR as an organization. Join us as we delve deeper into ASOR’s history with images and anecdotes from the ASOR archives.

Imperial Firman issued to the American Schools of Oriental Research by the Ottoman Empire.

The foundation of ASOR can be traced to the late Nineteenth Century, when multiple academic organizations recognized the need for “establishing an overseas research center in the Near East” (Meyers 2001; 4). With the help of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), American Oriental Society (AOS), and the Society for Biblical Literature (SBL), ASOR was founded as the American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine. Originally intended as an organization to study scripture in the Holy Land, its parameters were expanded to include “linguistic, archaeological, historical, and other kindred studies and researches” within the Levant (From Founding Resolutions, 1900 in Meyers 200; 3). With support from 21 academic institutions, the scope of the American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine began to include research from different time periods and cultures throughout the Near East.

With the research goals established, ASOR needed a physical home from which to conduct business and research. Under leadership from the first Director, Charles C. Torrey, an Imperial Firman from the Ottoman Empire was granted for the formation of offices in Jerusalem. Beginning at the Grand New Hotel near the Jaffa Gate, the American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine led a nomadic existence for the next 24 years. There was no permanent home for the organization until 1924 when under the direction of William F. Albright, the Jerusalem School was constructed.

Sarcophagus from excavation at Sidon.

Throughout the first two-decades of ASOR’s existence, research took place at an inconsistent pace due to the instability of the region, the First World War and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Despite this, the first archaeological excavation, led by Torrey, began in 1901 at the tombs at Sidon. Further excavations were led to Samaria in 1908 through the funding of Reverend James B. Nies, PhD., a regular and generous donor to ASOR during its first years. A significant step for ASOR was the publication of first issue of Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research (BASOR) in 1919. Publication of this annual journal has occurred for the past 101 years, detailing research in the Near East.

The most significant moment in ASOR’s early decades was the legal incorporation of the organization in the United States in 1921. These articles formally changed the name to the American Schools of Oriental Research, which “was suggestive of the expansion of geographical interests and the development of other research institutes” (Meyers 2001; 11). This marked a turning point for ASOR in which the organization broadened its research interests and capabilities.

Sources:

Updated Letter on ASOR’s Responses to COVID-19

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Jared Koller

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UPDATED LETTER ON ASOR’S RESPONSES TO COVID-19

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April 22, 2020

Dear Fellow ASOR Members,

The ASOR family is a strong and close one, and that fact has never been more evident than in these challenging and stressful times. Due to the rapidly changing situation with the COVID-19 crisis, we plan to update this letter at least bi-monthly.

Please know that we at ASOR are doing all that we can to serve our constituents, while keeping the safety and health of our members, volunteers, officers, and employees as our highest priority.

First, we want to share (and in some cases repeat) the things we are doing to ensure that everyone is as safe as possible:

Health and Safety of ASOR members and staff—To date, no ASOR full-time staff have experienced a COVID-19 illness. One former part-time staff member was presumptively positive, and fortunately that person has now recovered. Related, we learned that one member contracted the virus, and fortunately that member also has recovered. We are sad to report that one parent of a member passed away from a COVID-19 illness. If you are aware of anyone who has experienced an illness and if ASOR might provide assistance, please e-mail Andy Vaughn.
The ASOR Office—The James F. Strange Center—in Old Town Alexandria is operating on remote-only work schedule. The staff is staying in touch with frequent messaging and video conferencing. No layoffs have occurred, and we have received word that we have been approved for a SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan that was made available through the CARES Act. Pending finalization of the loan and receipt of funds, we anticipate that much of this loan will be forgiven and effectively become a “grant.” Our dedicated staff has been, and continues to be, outstanding.
Physical Mail Delivery—ASOR’s ability to receive and to process physical mail has been greatly reduced. Please consider making membership payments and gifts via our secure online store. Please e-mail info@asor.org if you have questions or need help. You may also send us a phone number by e-mail if you would like us to call you to make a credit card payment over the phone (please do not send credit card information by e-mail).
The ASOR Board Meeting: We have rescheduled the meeting for May 14th, and it will be held as a virtual meeting. ASOR continues to test our new Zoom subscription, which we are using this platform more and more to carry out essential business.
Dig Scholarships, Excavation Grants, and Research Fellowships—After much consideration, ASOR decided to postpone all dig scholarships for excavation participants until 2021. We did not reach this decision lightly. We heard that more than 80% of ASOR-affiliated excavations have canceled their summer field work, and the remainder of the projects will most likely cancel as well. We anticipate deciding about excavation grants and research fellowships in late April or early May. We will segregate endowment distributions and gifts already received for awards in 2021, if necessary. Calendar year 2020 was shaping up to be our largest year ever for scholarships, grants, and fellowships, for which we are grateful to all of our supporters. We hope that the segregated funds will enable a 50% increase in funding over 2019 levels in 2021.

Second, we want to share some of the things that we are doing to support you, our members, while many are practicing social and physical distancing:

Membership Scholarships Available—If you have experienced a financial challenge because of the COVID-19 crisis (or if you know of an ASOR member who has a need), please ask about a membership scholarship. Some generous members of the ASOR family have pledged funds to pay the membership dues for anyone who has lost employment or substantial income because of this crisis. To date, we have awarded four such scholarships, and have pledges to support the anticipated need through June. Please contact Felice Herman or Andy Vaughn for more information.
Online Resources—The ASOR office staff (led by Marta Ostovich) has launched webpages to share resources supporting students, professors, and teachers at all levels who are participating in online education with little advance notice. These pages are expanding daily; we invite you to participate so that we can help each other by sharing ideas and expertise.
Online access to ASOR journals—The full-text and enhanced online access to ASOR journals have never been more important. Members with online access to journals can not only view the full text of articles, but all illustrations and figures may be downloaded seamlessly into Powerpoint. Click here for a webpage that outlines all of these features. Please e-mail Felice Herman if you have questions.
Publications—Thanks to the excellent work of our editorial teams, the ASOR staff, and our partnerships with University of Chicago Press and ISD, the production and distribution of ASOR journals and books continue without interruption. Everyone is working remotely as much as possible, and we do not anticipate any interruptions in fulfilling this vital member service.
Annual Meeting—We continue to prepare for our largest and best Annual Meeting in Boston in November. We expect more than 1,200 attendees; as of April 20, 2020, we already have 700 registrants. Because of the uncertainty of travel, we have extended the Early Bird registration rate until July 8, 2020. In late June, we will re-evaluate the situation and determine if a further extension is warranted. The Program Committee and ASOR staff are working remotely to ensure that the Annual Meeting program will be the strongest ever. We, of course, will keep the health of all participants as our highest priority.
General Operations—The ASOR staff and our volunteers continue to respond to e-mails and phone calls. With our staff working remotely, answering phones and voicemail may be delayed. Please consider sending an e-mail if you are able.
Shepard Urgent Action Grants—In the midst of so many things being postponed, we are thrilled to announce a new initiative that we hope to implement in spite of social distancing and self-quarantining efforts. Launched on April 2, 2020, these new grants are designed to address urgent needs for cultural heritage site mitigation and stabilization. Funding may be available in as little as 4-6 weeks following an application. Please check out the webpage and announcement.

Third, we need to share some challenges. We will continue to update you on these items. If you are aware of other issues that we should communicate in subsequent member correspondence, please let us know.

The programs at our Overseas Research Centers in Amman, Jerusalem, and Nicosia are suffering from travel restrictions and cutbacks in fieldwork. Significant portions of their income derive from visits to and work on ASOR field projects and other research, for which they provide essential support and services. For the most part, these projects have been cancelled for 2020. We have been in touch with all the directors. They are coping effectively with the changing circumstances. The Albright in Jerusalem has been particularly hit hard.
ASOR’s Endowment Accounts—Like many institutions, ASOR has invested our endowment accounts using an 80/20 allocation—80% in equities and 20% in bonds and cash. We have thus experienced a significant correction over the first quarter of 2020. As of March 31, 2020, most of our endowment accounts were down 12.1% for the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). Because we maintain a 20% allocation in bonds and cash, we re-balanced our portfolios in April 2020, per our investment guidelines. We also make quarterly distributions based on averages from the last 12 quarters, so we will continue to be conservative in distributing funds from endowments. In addition, the Finance Committee voted unanimously to forego distributions from endowment accounts for excavation grants and dig scholarships for the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2020 in order to allow our accounts to recover some of their market losses. We have taken our normal distribution from our endowment for operations account, and we continue to use a conservative 3.5% withdraw rate.
ASOR’s Annual Fund (unrestricted giving)—While ASOR remains in sound financial shape, while we anticipate receiving a Paycheck Protection Program Loan to assist with staff salaries, and while we have modest accumulated funds to see us through a challenging year, we need members to consider unrestricted contributions and gifts. To date in this fiscal year (ends June 30, 2020), we have received less than half of the $125,000 that we budgeted for unrestricted giving. Click here to make a gift online.

Finally, we want to conclude as we began—your health and well-being is our highest concern. We are grateful for your continued support of ASOR and of your fellow members. You are, and continue to be, amazing.

Best regards,

Sharon Herbert, ASOR President (president@asor.org)
Richard Coffman, ASOR Board Chair (RCoffman@coffmanlawfirm.com)
Andy Vaughn, ASOR Executive Director (executive-director@asor.org)[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Annual Meeting 2020: Early Bird Rate Extended

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Jared Koller

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DEADLINE FOR EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION EXTENDED TO JULY 8

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]The ASOR staff and our many volunteers continue to prepare for our best Annual Meeting to date. At this point, we expect more than 1,200 attendees, and we are thrilled that we already have more than 700 registrants. Additionally, we are exploring ways that we might enhance the Annual Meeting with prerecorded online presentations and discussions.

Because of the uncertainty of travel during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and because of the changing situation for many of our members, we have extended the Early Bird registration rate until July 8, 2020. In late June, we will re-evaluate the situation and see if a further extension seems warranted. The Program Committee and ASOR staff are working remotely to ensure that the program will be the strongest ever.

During a time when so much is uncertain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone at ASOR will do our best to provide information and answers in a timely manner. We, of course, will keep the health of all participants as our highest priority. If you have any questions, please contact Arlene Press, ASOR’s Director of Meetings and Events, at meetings@asor.org.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]