Category Archives: Uncategorized

2022 Cultural Heritage Committee

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2022 CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE

Archived webpage for the 2022 Committee Members; This page has been replaced
The Cultural Heritage Committee advises the President, the Executive Director, the Board, and other ASOR leaders regarding initiatives ASOR might undertake, either individually or jointly with other bodies in the field of cultural heritage, to help protect and preserve the cultural heritage of the Near East. Pre-eminently, the Cultural Heritage Committee advises the President, the Executive Director, the Board, and other ASOR leaders regarding the ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives program (ASOR CHI), regarding both current and prospective ASOR CHI projects. The Cultural Heritage Committee also advises the President, and ASOR’s leadership more generally, regarding ways ASOR might interact with bodies such as the AIA Cultural Heritage Policy Committee and the SAA International Government Affairs Committee in formulating proposed policy positions or responses to various cultural heritage issues that the ASOR, the AIA, the SAA, and the AAA may jointly wish to champion and by helping draft statements or suggesting ASOR’s participation in actions initiated by others that work to safeguard cultural heritage. This committee reserves one line of membership for an Early Career Scholar and three lines of membership for ASOR members from outside of North America, in countries where ASOR promotes Cultural Heritage Initiatives.

Jane DeRose Evans, Chair (2nd term, until December 31, 2024)

Class of 2022

Mohammed Alazaizeh (1st term)
Michele Stopera Freyhauf (1st term)
Sarah Graff (1st term)

Class of 2023

Andrew Cohen (1st term)
Barbara Anglisz (1st term)

Class of 2024

Andrew Creekmore (2nd term)
Lynn Swartz Dodd (2nd term)
Emily Hammer* (2nd term)
Shelley Peleg (2nd term)
Fred Winter (2nd term)

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GRANTS FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECTS

GRANTS FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECTS

In the summer of 2007, ASOR renewed its emphasis on providing funding grants and fellowships that allow individuals to participate in excavations in the Eastern Mediterranean. Since 2007, ASOR has awarded more than $986,000 to 740 researchers and students through scholarships for fieldwork participants, grants for archaeological projects, research fellowships for members, and membership and annual meeting scholarships. The grants below support archaeological projects and project directors (see Scholarships for Fieldwork Participation for funding opportunities for those wishing to participate in an archaeological fieldwork).

Application Deadline:
February 23, 2026

Universal Grant Application (for all grants)

Sample blank grant application (PDF)

Members of the Menorca Archaeological Project during their "Open Doors Day" for the public.
Members of the Menorca Archaeological Project during their “Open Doors Day” for the public. Photo credit: A. Smith.

Grants to Support Archaeological Projects

  • Stevan B. Dana Project Grant: This grant is made possible by an endowment established in 2021. Three grants of $5,000 are available for 2026.
  • Stevan B. Dana Project Grant for Israel: Three grants of $5,000 is available for 2026. These funds support ASOR-affiliated projects in Israel.
    Figure 1 The project team in front of al-Khazneh (the Treasury) in Petra (from left to right, Dr. Björn Anderson, Dr. Jennifer Ramsay, Dr. Craig Harvey, Dr. Amanda Harman, Josh Feland and Abdullah al-Saket).

     The “Exploring Continuity and Transition in Southern Jordan”project team in front of al-Khazneh (the Treasury) in Petra (from left to right, Dr. Björn Anderson, Dr. Jennifer Ramsay, Dr. Craig Harvey, Dr. Amanda Harman, Josh Feland and Abdullah al-Saket).

  • Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Grant: One grant of $4,500 is available for 2026. These grants are designed to support projects that will incentivize local engagement with protection, preservation, and presentation of archaeological sites in Jordan.
  • Denise L. Gold Project Grant: Pending the receipt of funds, one grant of $2,500 will be available for 2026. This grant was made possible by annual gifts beginning in 2017.
  • Charles Harris Project Grant: Two  grants of $5,000 each will be awarded for 2026. This grant is made possible by a generous endowment given by the late Rev. Charles Harris.
  • Joe D. Seger Project Grant: One grant of $2,500 (match required) is available for the summer of 2026. This grant is made possible in 2016 through generous gifts made by an anonymous donor and by friends and students of Joe D. Seger.
  • Shepard Urgent Action Grants: Begun in 2020, Shepard Urgent Action Grants are intended for emergency documentation, stabilization or excavation at an archaeological site in the greater Mediterranean region. Grant amounts range from $2,500-$10,000. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and successful applicants can expect a response within four to six weeks of application submission.


Apply for ASOR Affiliation for a Project

List of Previous Recipients

General Project Grant Guidelines

1. Applications should be submitted by directors of ASOR-affiliated projects or senior staff members of affiliated projects. Applications by staff members other than the director must be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from the project director, which should be emailed to programs@asor.org.

2. Only one application from a project or site will be funded in any given year. In addition, the Committee will give preference to projects that have not received an ASOR Project Grant (Dana, Gold, Harris, or Seger) in the past three years.

3. Project Grants are not designed to fund travel for student volunteers or junior staff members (see Scholarships for Fieldwork Participation).

4. Funds will be made available from the ASOR office, and recipients may receive a Form 1099 for the funds received. In order for ASOR to distribute funds to an institution, certain restrictions may apply. Only direct expenses are permitted, and no indirect or overhead may be charged.

Disclaimer: If for any reason many archaeological excavations cannot take place during 2026, ASOR may at its sole discretion decide not to offer project grants. If ASOR deems such a decision as necessary, applicants may reapply for non-fieldwork funds if ASOR can offer them for 2026. Regrettably, applicants and successful applicants may not postpone project grants to another year if the applicant or ASOR decides that grants will not be awarded in 2026. If the pandemic or any other reason causes a cancellation of fieldwork in 2026, applicants must reapply for funding in 2027 (or for stipends if they can be made available in 2026).

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2019 Finance Committee

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2019 FINANCE COMMITTEE

Archived webpage for listing of the 2019 Committee Members; This webpage has been replaced

The Finance Committee (a) advises the Executive Committee on matters related to the financial management of ASOR and supervision of bids for the annual audit; (b) supervises the investments of ASOR’s funds; and (c) oversees the preparation of the annual budget and monitors compliance with the final budget approved by the Trustees to assure that expenditures do not exceed budgeted amounts.

  • Heather McKee, Chair (Treasurer, until December 31, 2020)
  • Susan Ackerman (President, until December 31, 2019)
  • Geoff Emberling (Co-chair of Programs Committee, until December 31, 2019)
  • Helen Dixon (Co-chair of Programs Committee, until December 31, 2022)
  • Kevin McGeough (Chair of Publications Committee, until December 31, 2021)
  • At-large: Vivian Bull (until December 31, 2019)
  • At-large: Richard L. Coffman (until December 31, 2019)
  • At-large: Emily Miller Bonney (until December 31, 2021)
  • At-large: Lynn Swartz Dodd (until December 31, 2021)
  • At-large: Eric Welch (until December 31, 2021)
  • Andrew G. Vaughn (ex officio, non-voting)

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Call for Publications Committee Nominations

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Call for Publications Committee Nominations

ASOR’s Publications Committee seeks new members to serve renewable, three-year terms (January 2022-December 2024). All ASOR members are welcome to apply, though the committee is particularly interested in new members who have experience working in publishing. The committee is currently chaired by Kevin McGeough. The ASOR Bylaws state, “the Publications Committee shall appoint an editorial board for each ASOR publication. The Publications Committee also shall make recommendations to the Executive Committee and the Board regarding matters pertaining to ASOR publications.” The committee makes recommendations regarding ASOR’s journals (ANE Today, BASOR, JCS, and NEA) and ASOR books (AASOR and ASOR-ARS). The committee also makes recommendations regarding the Levantine Ceramics Project (LCP). Committee member responsibilities include attending committee meetings and recommending actions to the Chairs Coordinating Council.

Interested individuals should contact Kevin McGeough via email. All Committee members must be Individual Members of ASOR.

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PAST & FUTURE ANNUAL MEETINGS

PAST & FUTURE ANNUAL MEETINGS

Future Annual Meetings

2026: Chicago, IL (Hilton Chicago)
2027: Arlington, VA (Hyatt Regency Crystal City)
2028: Boston, MA (Hilton Boston Park Plaza)

Past Annual Meetings

2025: Boston, MA (Hilton Boston Park Plaza) – Hybrid

Academic Program in PDF
Poster Gallery

2024: Boston, MA (Hilton Boston Park Plaza) – Hybrid

Academic Program in PDF
Poster Gallery

2023: Chicago, IL (Chicago Hilton) – Hybrid

Academic Program in PDF
Poster Gallery

2022: In-person (Boston) and Virtual Component

Academic Program in PDF
Poster Gallery

2021: In-person (Chicago) and Virtual Component

Academic Program in PDF
Poster Gallery

2020: First ever Virtual Meeting

Academic Program in PDF.
Poster Book in PDF.

2019: San Diego, CA

Program Book in PDF.

2018: Denver, CO

Program Book in PDF.
Projects on Parade Posters

2017: Boston, MA

Program Book in PDF.

2016: San Antonio, TX

Program Book in PDF.

2015: Atlanta, GA

Academic Program Schedule in PDF.
Business Meetings Schedule in PDF.

2014: San Diego, CA

Academic Program Schedule in PDF.
Business Meetings Schedule in PDF.

2013: Baltimore, MD

Academic Program Schedule in PDF.
Business Meetings Schedule in HTML.
Schedule At-A-Glance in PDF.

2012: Chicago, IL

Academic Program Schedule in PDF.
Business Meetings Schedule in PDF.

2011: San Francisco, CA

Academic Program Schedule in PDF.
Business Meetings Schedule in PDF.

2010: Atlanta, GA

Academic Program Schedule in PDF.
Business Meetings Schedule in PDF.

2009: New Orleans, LA
2008: Boston, MA
2007: San Diego, CA
2006: Washington, DC
2005: Philadelphia, PA
2004: San Antonio, TX
2003: Atlanta, GA
2002: Toronto, ON
2001: Boulder, CO
2000: Washington, DC (centennial celebration)
2000: Nashville, TN
1999: Cambridge, MA
1998: Orlando, FL
1997: Napa, CA
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HOTEL & CITY

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HOTEL RESERVATIONS

Boston Park Plaza
50 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116

The in-person component of ASOR’s 2022 Annual Meeting will take place at the Boston Park Plaza located at 50 Park Plaza in downtown Boston. Steps away from the Public Garden, Theater District, and many of the city’s best shopping, restaurants, and historical sites, the Boston Park Plaza is an ideal location to enjoy ASOR sessions during the day and explore the city during the evening.


Reservations: ASOR has negotiated the discounted rates of $174 single/double, $194 triple, and $214 quad for reservations in ASOR’s block at the Boston Park Plaza. You are encouraged to make your reservation early as ASOR’s block of rooms sells out before the meeting. In the past, Boston has been our most popular location, and rooms have sold out early. Cancellations may be made until 3:00pm EST, 72 hours prior to arrival.

Make your reservation online in ASOR’s group block or call the hotel reservations department at 1-617-379-7129 and reference the 2022 ASOR Annual Meeting.

*Note: The hotel destination fee is waived for ASOR attendees. The auto-generated hotel confirmation may show a destination fee, but this fee will not show up on your bill. 

Parking: Valet parking is available for $62 per night. Self parking is available at the Motor Mart Garage, which is across the street from the hotel (entrance at 201 Stuart Street).

Public Transportation: The closest T stops are the Arlington Street (Green Line) and Back Bay (Orange Line) Stations.

Dining: Enjoy the Starbucks within the hotel, or some of the local and sustainable lunch and dinner options at the Boston Park Plaza’s signature restaurant, Off The Common, located in the hotel lobby. Strega Italiano is a modern steakhouse just off of the hotel lobby and M.J. O’Conner’s offers classic Irish pub food right next door.

Travel Information: As part of ASOR’s commitment toward carbon neutrality, we encourage all attendees who can to consider traveling to Boston by train or bus. Visit our travel page for more information and savings on travel to and around Boston.

Boston Highlights: Did you know that the Boston Common, which dates to 1634, is the oldest public park in the country, or that the first subway in the US was built in Boston? We will be updating this page regularly with fun facts about Boston and links to some of the city’s best attractions.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1490571214409{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_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_1490225688999{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 30px !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] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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FOA Webinar: Rachel Hallote on Jan. 20

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FRIENDS OF ASOR WEBINARS

The Not-So-Innocents Abroad: The Beginnings of American Biblical Archaeology


1873 map of Jerusalem

Friends of ASOR present the next webinar in our monthly series on January 20, 2022, at 7:00 pm EST, featuring Prof. Rachel Hallote. When scholars recount the story of the birth of “biblical archaeology,” the British are usually credited as the moving force while the Americans are all but ignored. The British, who were led by their deep political and religious interests in the Holy Land, carried out the first modern archaeological projects in second half of the nineteenth century, with great success. The Americans on the other hand, when mentioned at all, are portrayed as bumbling and incapable.

This webinar will redeem the image of American archaeological exploration in the Holy Land, and put endeavors into their own political, religious, and academic contexts. Not only were American archaeologists active in nineteenth century Palestine, but they were innovative in their techniques and applied a practical, no-nonsense approach to their endeavors. From the founding of the American Palestine Exploration Society to the famous Samaria Expedition of 1908, we will explore the considerable influence of American scholars on the archaeology of the Holy Land.​ Dr. Hallote will conclude her webinar with a live Q&A session.

Rachel Hallote is Professor of History at Purchase College SUNY. An archaeologist, she is also the author of several books and numerous articles about biblical archaeology and the history of archaeology. Her research involves British and American archaeologists who excavated in Ottoman-controlled Palestine in the 19th century. She has worked at numerous archaeological sites in Israel, including Tell Miqne and Megiddo. Her publications include Bible, Map, and Spade: The American Palestine Exploration Society, Frederick Jones Bliss, and the Forgotten Story of Early American Biblical Archaeology and the co-authored volume, The Photographs of the American Palestine Exploration Society. She currently co-hosts an archaeology podcast called This Week in the Ancient Near East.

ASOR Sustaining Members: $0 | ASOR Members: $6 | Public: $12

To receive your ASOR member discount, log into the online store. If you are new to ASOR, please click on the “New Visitor Registration” link to register your e-mail address and choose 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 membership@asor.org with any questions or issues with registering.

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

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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 2020-2022 seasons. Please e-mail membership@asor.org for purchase details.

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

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Stipend Report: Olivia Golubowski

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Archaeology From Behind the Computer Screen

Olivia Golubowski, 2021 Platt Summer Stipend Recipient

Most people who envision the practice of archaeology find themselves imagining what is colloquially called “the field:” perhaps a desert, perhaps a jungle, perhaps even underwater, but most certainly some aspect of the natural world in which one would hope to find material remains of the human past. Very few, I imagine, would picture the blinding artificial brightness of a computer screen—yet this summer, this was exactly where I found myself practicing the discipline, with my cat sitting in my lap and the comfort of air conditioning close by.


Aerial view of Arad Early Bronze Age town from the southwest. (Courtesy of Matthew J. Adams, ASOR Photo Collection)

I was lucky enough to be able to work with Dr. Zachary Dunseth on the site of Tel Arad, Israel, all the while from behind my computer screen in Marlton, New Jersey. Instead of a trowel in my hands, my trusted tools were a variety of geographic information system programs, including ArcMap and QGIS. I wasn’t uncovering artifacts, but rather evaluating that which had already been excavated, and my work was like nothing I had expected out of archaeology. Rather than recording finds as they were discovered, I took such records and processed them into something which could be interpreted, manipulated, and above all, accessible.

My work started with plans—lots, lots, and lots of plans, all incredibly large and detailed. Physical copies stretched longer across than I was tall, and together, Zach and I began the tedious process of scanning portions of the plans into digital images and then ‘stitching’ the images together via Photoshop to incorporate them once more into the massive plans they physically were. This process might’ve been a bit grueling, especially when a scan didn’t go well or just the tiniest sliver of one portion was missing—but the real challenge, I soon learned, was yet to come.

I was lucky enough to have taken a class in geographic information systems about a semester before beginning my work with Zach, and in that class, I had discovered the joys of georectification, along with the sweet satisfaction of getting a file in just the right spot, with every feature accurately represented spatially. I was about to discover the other, uglier side of georectification: endless calculations, fighting with numbers, and, worst of all, dealing with that one most excruciating aspect of legacy archaeological plans—hand-drawn human error.

Examples of Olivia’s work georectifying the Tel Arad plans.

Needless to say, the process of georectification was not a perfectly smooth one—yet in the end, despite the headaches the computer screen caused and the agony of thinking ‘maybe it will work this time’ only to find that it certainly did not work, I don’t think I would have had it any other way. The work I did was difficult. I balanced human error, miscalculated calculations, stubborn software, and my computer’s ever-decreasing storage space—but by the end of my work, when I was able to upload each and every archaeological plan, georeferenced to the very best of my ability, to our shared Dropbox folder, I felt like the happiest archaeologist on the face of the earth. I had done something which, at times, seemed impossible—and despite my own preconceptions about the way archaeology was ‘supposed’ to work, I had done it all from behind a screen.

Olivia is currently a junior studying biological anthropology and archaeology at Brown University. Her academic interests include mortuary archaeology, geographic information systems, and paleoanthropology. Outside of academics, she enjoys spending time with her little brother, dancing, watching Star Wars, and above all else, her cat.

 
 

During the summer of 2021, ASOR supported 27 undergraduate and graduate students through the 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. Read a summary of these cohort meetings here.

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

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ASOR Annual Fund Appeal

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ASOR Annual Fund Appeal

December 14, 2021

Dear Fellow ASOR Member,

Please consider a gift to ASOR before the end of 2021. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have expanded our programs and outreach. You, our members, have volunteered and contributed in so many ways to keep ASOR moving forward and carrying out our mission. Thank you.

Here is a highlight of some accomplishments achieved during the pandemic (2020–2021):

  • 1100 Annual Meeting participants from 38 countries and 6 continents: Participants in the in-person and virtual components. More than 400 presentations available in the online library.
  • 559 Scholarships: 270 membership and 289 Annual Meeting scholarships = more than $55,000.
  • 26 FOA Webinars: Launched in August 2020, Friends of ASOR (FOA) has hosted 26 webinars (including a “webinarathon”) and raised almost $36,500 for scholarships and DEI.
  • 27 Summer Stipends: Summer research funds, including six for BIPOC students.
  • 4 Major Cultural Heritage Grants: Thanks to Department of State and anonymous funding, ASOR expanded our work in North Africa to Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
  • More than $270,000 for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: More than 220 members established a $200,000 endowment to support BIPOC scholarships. We also invested $70,000 in special projects and scholarships, including videos to help recruit high school students to archaeology.
  • 3 Journals and 2 Book Series: ASOR continues to carry out our mission of disseminating research through our established publications.
  • More than 750 photos and maps: We added hundreds of images to the ASOR Photo Collection so that our members can confidently use them for teaching and research.
  • We will award more than $200,000 in 2022: 50 dig participation scholarships; 7 grants to dig directors / projects; $20,000+ in heritage mitigation grants; $10,000+ in research grants for members; and $18,000 for Mesopotamian research.
  • Continuation of membership and Annual Meeting scholarships in 2022: We want to continue to support the involvement in ASOR for all members with a financial need.

 

Thus, our request—all the above is made possible because of gifts and endowments. We ask that you join us in a year-end gift or pledge to support our organization so that we can continue to give back to our members in even more ways than listed here.

Warm regards,

Andrew G. Vaughn, Executive Director             Lynn Swartz Dodd, Chair, ASOR Development

Click here for a printable donation form. 

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Stipend Report: Lilly Hickox

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Casting Light on Humayma’s Roman Town

Lilly Hickox, 2021 Eric and Carol Meyers Summer Stipend Recipient


Hickox studying the lamps of Humayma’s vicus. (photo courtesy of M. Schwenteck)

Humayma, located in the northwest corner of Jordan’s Hisma desert, is a site with a long history of permanent settlement with Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic periods. Excavations at the Roman town (vicus) have been carried out since the 1990s under the direction of Dr. J.P. Oleson from 1991 to 2005 and Dr. M. Barbara Reeves from 2008 to present.

This summer, I researched the ceramic oil lamps and fragments from the vicus at Humayma remotely. The vicus emerged concurrently with the nearby Roman Fort, shortly after the conquest of the Nabataean Kingdom in 106 CE by Emperor Trajan. This research was made possible through ASOR’s Summer Stipend program and funding supported by the Eric and Carol Meyers Scholarship Fund.

The question driving my research was sparked by the findings from my 2020 undergraduate thesis project, Shedding Light on an Ancient Past: The Analysis of Ceramic Oil Lamps from the Roman Fort at Humayma. During this project, I identified a paucity of Roman-style lamps at the Roman Fort, while Nabataean and South Jordan lamps were prevalent. In order to understand why this was happening at the Fort and how the absence of Roman identity in the lamps relates to the activity of the overall settlement, I specifically looked at the corpus from the vicus this summer.

Map of Humayma. (adapted from Reeves 2019, 117 fig 2)

The methodology of this project involved visually examining photographs of lamps, lamp fragments, and mixed pottery fragments. Looking at attributes of shape, discus, shoulder pattern, nozzle, and filling hole, allowed me to identify and catalogue the lamps. These photographs and artefact descriptions were provided by Humayma’s excavators from the 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2012 field seasons. Neither a comprehensive catalogue nor analysis of the lamps had been carried out until now. This summer, I identified fourteen complete lamps and over 170 lamp fragments.

A sample of pottery from area E128. Can you spot a lamp fragment? (photo provided by Dr. M. Barbara Reeves, director of the Humayma Excavation Project)

A Nabataean rosette lamp, one of the most prolific types at the vicus. (photo provided by Dr. M. Barbara Reeves, director of the Humayma Excavation Project)

In this project, I investigated the ceramic oil lamps from three different areas of the vicus. The first area (E077) contained first century CE Nabataean structures that were built over by a bath-house in the Roman period. The Nabataean rosette lamp, dating to the first century CE, likely corresponds to the phase preceding the early second century destruction. Many early Byzantine lamps and some late Roman lamps signify the later occupation of the area.

The second area (E128), a Nabataean or Roman mudbrick structure, contained a majority of Nabataean-style lamps. This structure, made of eclectic materials, was built between the late first century and the middle of the second century. Remarkably, a figural lamp and a boot-shaped lamp were identified in this location, which are both rare for the corpus of the vicus. The boot-shape lamp may align with the later function of the structure in which the area was used as pottery dump until the sixth century CE.


A Roman discus lamp with a gladiatorial combat scene. (photo provided by Dr. M. Barbara Reeves, director of the Humayma Excavation Project)

The final area that I examined was E125, an area possessing a Nabataean-Roman shrine, and various domestic structures, such as a Roman insula. This area yielded the greatest number of lamp fragments, the vast majority being the Nabataean rosette lamp, while fewer were Roman in style. At least three figural lamps were identified, including a symplegma and gladiatorial combat scene. Overall, the lamps from the vicus show a strong parallel with those from Petra.

While this project did not constitute typical field work, it nevertheless presented its own unique challenges. For instance, I relied only on photographic media that was sometimes supplemented by artifact descriptions in order to make an assessment.


Lamp fragments from the E125 shrine. (photo provided by Dr. M. Barbara Reeves, director of the Humayma Excavation Project)

This project contributed to the understanding of the civilian activity at Humayma and may be used to help develop stratigraphic phasing for these areas in the vicus. My next steps will be to look more closely at several anomalous items in the corpus and their parallels. I presented a critical analysis of my findings, considering the corpus from the Fort, at the virtual component of ASOR’s Annual General Meeting in December 2021 (Click here to view the poster).

I would like to personally thank Dr. Reeves for her ongoing support, supervision, and expertise, as well as the Humayma Excavation team for their work, Carol and Eric Meyers for making this possible, and M. Schwenteck for assisting me in translations.

Lilly Hickox is an MA student of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of British Columbia. She has been researching the ceramic oil lamps from various locations at Humayma since 2020.

References:

Reeves, M. B. 2019. “The Nabataean and Roman Towns at al-Ḥumayma: an Urban Design Perspective.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 13: 115-127.

During the summer of 2021, ASOR supported 27 undergraduate and graduate students through the 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. Read a summary of these cohort meetings here.

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

Browse the News Archive