A Seminar on The History and Material Culture of Ottoman Palestine at the Kenyon Institute, Jerusalem

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Jared Koller

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A SEMINAR ON THE HISTORY AND MATERIAL CULTURE OF OTTOMAN PALESTINE AT THE KENYON INSTITUTE, JERUSALEM

By Micaela Sinibaldi, Cardiff University, UK

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]On the 9th and 10th of February 2013 I had the great pleasure of organizing a seminar entitled: The History and Material Culture of Ottoman Palestine at the Kenyon Institute in Jerusalem. The seminar consisted of a day of papers and a roundtable discussion at the Kenyon and a day of tours of the Old City led by some of the seminar scholars.

As an archaeologist who works on the Islamic period, I know from my fieldwork and research, which has been especially focused on Petra (Jordan), that it is particularly the later periods which are still largely unexplored by archaeology, particularly the Ottoman period. During my recent work for Brown University, for example, as a co-director of excavations at Islamic Bayda (Petra region), a village whose occupation spans the whole Islamic period, it appeared from my preliminary research that the latest and most extensive phase is Ottoman; however, almost no material is currently available in the region for providing the excavation results with some archaeological parallels. One of the reasons for a very recent interest in the archaeology of the Ottoman period is that, partly because of the wealth of both documentary and monumental architectural sources available, the study of material culture has naturally focused on buildings such as the impressive ones preserved in Jerusalem in the al-Haram al-Sharif and in other areas of the Old City of Jerusalem, rather than on rural sites or on the use of archaeology to help solve chronological questions. The study of monumental architecture has often been supported by documentary sources allowing the reconstruction of its history in detail. I therefore started developing an interest in organizing a meeting of specialists of the Ottoman period to discuss how their work makes use of the different kinds of sources and to hear their perspectives on future research in this field, which still holds much potential for many years to come.

During my stay at the Kenyon Institute as a fellow in 2012, I approached the director, Dr. Mandy Turner, suggesting that the Kenyon host a seminar on this topic. She approved enthusiastically. The Kenyon has an important tradition of supporting research on the archaeology and architecture of Jerusalem of the Islamic period, and eminent scholars have used it as a base for their fieldwork in the region. The Kenyon itself is located in a beautiful Ottoman-period building, an ideal setting for the seminar.

I was fortunate to be able to spend two days with distinguished scholars expert of the history, architecture and archaeology of the Ottoman period of Jerusalem and Palestine, to discuss with them these important topics, and learn to about their recent research. Dr. Yusuf Natsheh, the Director of the Department of Tourism and Archaeology at al-Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem, presented a paper on Architectural Stylistic Trends of Ottoman Jerusalem, the subject of his well-known research contributing to the volume Ottoman Jerusalem: The Living City: 1517-1917 (edited by S. Auld and R. Hillenbrand, 2000). Mohammad Ghosheh, an independent scholar and currently Fellow at the Albright Institute in Jerusalem, talked about The Haram al-Sharif under the Ottomans, presenting to the audience illustrations from his recently published monograph (Qubbat al-Sakhrah al-Musharrifah, 2012, whose English language edition, The Dome of the Rock, will be published in 2013). Khader Salameh, until January 2013 the Director of al-Aqsa Mosque Library and of the Islamic Museum in al-Haram al-Sharif, offered his recent research results on The Restorations of Sultan Mahmoud II in Jerusalem, object of his forthcoming publication. Dr. Robert Schick, an independent scholar well known for his wide experience of Jerusalem where he has lived and researched for many years, gave for the first time in Jerusalem the lecture Everyday Life in the Masjid al-Aqsa Compound in the Ottoman Period, which focused on the analysis of a selection of documentary sources showing some practical aspects of running the compound. Two more speakers also presented their research for the first time at this seminar: Dr. Mahmoud Hawari, research associate at the University of Oxford whose best known work is the book Ayyubid Jerusalem (1187-1250), illustrated his research in progress for his forthcoming monograph on the Citadel of Jerusalem: The Citadel (Qal’a) of Jerusalem in the Ottoman Period: An Overview, and Susynne McElrone, an advanced Ph.D student at New York University, presented the subject of her thesis research with the paper Hebron in the Long Nineteenth Century: the Historiography and the History.

The roundtable discussion focused on the use of sources for the study of the Ottoman period and stimulated important research topics, such as the need for more collaboration between historians, art historians, and archaeologists; the desire for future research to focus more on rural architecture rather than be limited to the better known monumental architecture and on the peripheral areas to integrate with research on urban centres; and the issue of access to archival sources and how to solve them.

The seminar day was a success with over fifty participants, and the roundtable and panel discussions saw the active participation of the audience, which included scholars from different institutions and individuals from the Jerusalem community. Moreover, much appreciated and important for our discussion was the presence of scholars and participants from the seminar Recent Advances in Islamic Archaeology, organized under the auspices of the Albright Institute the previous day. On the seminar day, we had an excellent Maghloube lunch in the Kenyon garden, kindly offered by Dr. Mandy Turner.

On Sunday, for the tours in the Old City, we were lucky to have a great sunny day. The speakers (along with Mandy and me) had the privilege to meet Yusuf Natsheh, who gave us a full tour of al-Haram al-Sharif, including the Dome of the Rock, al-Aqsa Mosque, the Centre for the Restoration of Islamic Manuscripts, and the underground areas of the compound. We then proceeded to meet Mahmoud Hawari and the other participants at the Citadel for a detailed tour of the area, illustrating the several phases of the Citadel, as reconstructed by his work on historical and archaeological sources. After a lunch in the Old City with all the participants, our day ended at sunset after a fantastic two-hour tour led by Robert Schick on the Mamluk and Ottoman buildings of the Old City.

It was a great pleasure to receive emails from the audience commenting on how much they enjoyed the whole event and to know that the speakers found this a very welcome opportunity for research discussion and further collaborations with each other.

I am grateful to Dr. Mandy Turner, Director of the Kenyon Institute, for hosting, supporting, and funding the event and for all her precious suggestions; the speakers for making the event such a success by accepting my invitation, by generously discussing with me aspects of the organization and by being so flexible with all my requests; and finally, the audience for their welcome presence and active participation in the discussions, which really made the event a collaborative effort.[/vc_column_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]

Why I Attend the ASOR Annual Meeting

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Jared Koller

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WHY I ATTEND THE ASOR ANNUAL MEETING

By Jennie Ebeling, Vice President (Membership), ASOR

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]This November 20-23, ASOR will hold its Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD, close to my hometown. The Program Committee expects great attendance at this meeting, hopefully topping last year’s record-setting Annual Meeting held in Chicago with 90 academic sessions and over 920 registered attendees. The ASOR Annual Meeting is the yearly coming-together of ASOR’s vibrant academic community, and it attracts scholars and enthusiasts in archaeology, linguistics, geography, epigraphy, anthropology, and other fields related to the study of the ancient Near East. But why do individuals, including students, scholars, and laypersons, choose to attend the ASOR Annual Meeting?

For me, the ASOR Annual Meeting offered the first opportunity to hear archaeologists working in the Near East present the results of their excavation seasons while I was an undergraduate student. As a graduate student at the University of Arizona, I was given the opportunity to take part in Annual Meetings through the generous support of the Lindstrom Foundation and the Dorot Foundation. During those years, the Annual Meeting was the place to meet friends I’d made the previous summer in the field, keep current with my colleagues’ research, and learn about opportunities for the next summer and beyond. Although now I attend more business meetings than academic sessions, the ASOR Annual Meeting remains the single best forum for learning about current research in my areas of interest and the premiere networking event for Near Eastern archaeologists. It is one of two annual opportunities (the other is summer fieldwork) to spend time with people who “speak my language” and share interests that seem so foreign to those living in my small corner of Indiana.

Why do others attend the ASOR Annual Meeting? On behalf of ASOR’s Membership Committee, I wrote to some recent attendees to find out.

LeeAnn Barnes Gordon

Sherman Fairchild Fellow in Objects Conservation
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The ASOR meeting is one of my favorite professional conferences because there are thought-provoking presentations and an inviting atmosphere that encourages dialogue. As an archaeological conservator, I’ve found the meeting to provide high-quality programming that is relevant to my work, including sessions that are region-specific as well as topic-based, such as Cultural Heritage Management and Technology in Archaeology. I also co-chair a member-organized session with Suzanne Davis called Conservation and Site Preservation in the Near East that appeals to archaeologists and conservators alike. I would love to see the ASOR annual meeting become a regular place for conservators who work in the Near East and on Near Eastern materials come together to discuss present-day issues with archaeologists and other specialists. By attending this meeting, networking, and participating in sessions I hope to stay connected with colleagues and keep up with current research, as well as to raise the profile of conservation within the archaeological community.

Ram Kossowsky

Pittsburgh, PA

My interest in archaeology and history goes back a few decades. For the past twenty five years, I have traveled north and south, east and west; most of these tours were three to four weeks events led by a practicing archaeologist. As a native Israeli who is versed in Jewish history and culture, I sought archaeological information related to the ancient Near East. This included a number of extensive tours of the British Museum, Israel Museum and the Cairo Museum. Six years ago I participated in a comprehensive archaeological tour of Israel. That did it. I came home and bought all the books that I could handle that were published after 2000 – by Finkelstein, Dever, Mazar, Faust and others. The archaeology of the Near East is one of the most active scientific endeavors. I soon realized that waiting for books is counterproductive. As a retired scientist, I was familiar with the power of research-in-progress. Since I became the President of the Biblical Archaeology Society of Pittsburgh, the venue of the ASOR meeting is an essential source of information and of potential speakers for our annual lecture series.

Steve Ortiz

Associate Professor of Archaeology and Biblical Backgrounds
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

I have been coming to the ASOR Annual Meeting for over twenty five years, first as a graduate student and now as a professor. As a student, the ASOR meeting was a great place to hear and meet the top scholars in the field as well as network with other students. It continues to serve that purpose. Now, as a co-director of a field project, it provides an outlet to report on our results from the field and get feedback from other scholars. It also helps as all of our staff members are ASOR members and we are able to have meetings to plan our research design and get updates on research face-to-face. As a professor, the ASOR Annual Meeting helps me to facilitate these same benefits for my students as I help them network with senior scholars and they get to meet other students who will be their future colleagues.

Hamed Salem

Associate Professor of Archaeology
Birzeit University

The ASOR Annual Meeting is the second largest conference, after ICAANE, that gathers scholars together working in the Near East. Every year, ASOR participants present reports of recent field work results, including new theories and methods. Although some sessions maintain a focus on traditional archaeology and biblical narratives, the increasing number of young, emerging scholars is noticeable each year and new ideas and technologies are always presented. For researchers living in isolation and buried behind teaching and other responsibilities, like myself, attending the ASOR meeting is an opportunity to refresh and be open to new discussions. It also allows me to share my own work and develop connections and relationships with colleagues from America and around the world.

Inbal Samet

Graduate Student
University of Haifa

I attended my first ASOR Annual Meeting nearly four years ago, fresh out of grad school. It was a first chance to present my MA thesis before such a wide, diverse audience, and to make the acquaintance of scholars that had until then been a last name and an initial on my reference lists. I have since participated in two more meetings to present intermediate conclusions from my ongoing Ph.D. research. With a dissertation examining the palatial economy of western Galilee Kabri, many of the sites relevant to my comparative study are located on the Lebanese coast. Regrettably, while Israel- and Lebanon-based archaeologists excavate sites that once shared a cultural horizon, today’s political barriers do not facilitate the desired interaction and discussion between them, let alone mutual work. The ASOR Annual Meeting is an academic venue where reciprocation is made possible.
Beyond this, the Annual Meeting is a unique opportunity for the entire cross-Atlantic Kabri expedition team to meet and discuss leisurely the upcoming season and to catch up. In our discipline, where academic and personal lives have no choice but to brush, and friendships are forged through summers of joint hard labor, these off-site reunions are of special importance.

Monique D. Vincent

Graduate Student
University of Chicago
(Photo credit: Friedbert Ninow)

I started attending ASOR’s Annual Meetings my second year in graduate school, interested in hearing firsthand the excavations results that eventually become the kind of evidence upon which complex theories of social life in the ancient world are built. I eagerly opened my ASOR program book after registering and sat down with a highlighter to note each talk of even remote relevance to my own studies of the past year. That first Annual Meeting was a blur of talks, in each of which I took copious notes, excited to follow up with some of the speakers later. I’ve returned to the Annual Meeting each year, anticipating the visit to new cities and continuing to absorb and engage with excavation reports and the progress of various research studies. I enjoy meeting so many other people involved in archaeology and Near Eastern studies and reconnecting with excavation teammates. ASOR’s meetings, for me, are a great way to stay linked with the people and research that are important to stimulating my own research, and provide a place where I can begin to contribute to the larger conversations in the field.[/vc_column_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]

Southwest Regional ASOR Meeting Report

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Jared Koller

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SOUTHWEST REGIONAL ASOR MEETING REPORT

By Eric Mitchell, President, ASOR-SW

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The annual spring meeting of the Southwest Regional ASOR took place at the Southwest Commission of Religious Studies (SWCRS) in Dallas, TX on March 9-10, 2013. SWCRS is a joint meeting sponsored by southwest regional AAR/SBL/ASSR/ASOR. Eight ASOR members and eleven student ASOR members presented papers in five sessions (New Testament Archaeology, Iron Age Archaeology, Excavation Reports, Archaeology in Text and Classroom, and a Special Joint ASOR/SBL session). The student papers were presented in the main by PhD and Master’s students from the Tandy Institute of Archaeology at Southwestern Seminary, with one paper from a Baylor University doctoral student. The average attendance for our sessions was twenty six. Our annual joint ASOR/SBL session had thirty four in attendance for two papers: Steve Ortiz (The Tandy Institute) presented the ASOR paper Archaeology and the Gospels: Recent Trends and Research and William Warren (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) presented the SBL paper Text Criticism and the Gospels: Recent Trends and Research.

Our annual Eisenbrauns Student Paper Award was won by R. Adam Dodd, a doctoral student at Southwestern Seminary. Southwest Regional members voted to plan an Archaeology and History of the Second Temple conference for our 2014 regional meetings to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the SWCRS and our participation therein. During the meeting, the SWCRS board of directors elected Steve Ortiz to be the SWCRS vice-president; he will then be president for the year following.[/vc_column_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]

The ASOR Regional Societies

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Jared Koller

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THE ASOR REGIONAL SOCIETIES

By Suzanne Richard, Chair, ASOR Regional Associations Committee

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Everyone knows about ASOR’s Annual Meeting, where scholars, students, and interested laypeople gather to indulge themselves in the excitement of learning about the latest discoveries in the history and archaeology of the Near East. Indeed, the 2012 Annual Meeting in Chicago was a roaring success with close to 1,000 ASOR members in attendance. (Read about it on the ASOR blog). However, did you know that ASOR has a number of regional conferences across the country that take place every spring, usually between February and May? At the regional meetings, ASOR partners with other scholarly organizations, such as SBL, AAR, AOS, and CBA. There are eleven well-established SBL regions (Central, Eastern Great Lakes (EGL), Midwest, Upper Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, New England/Eastern Canada, Pacific Coast, Pacific Northwest (PNW), Rocky Mt/Great Plains, Southeast, and Southwest). Currently, ASOR has a presence in eight of the eleven regions.

Like the ASOR Annual Meeting, the regional conferences offer a venue for ASOR members to present and learn about Mediterranean and Middle Eastern studies, including excavation reports, synthetic cultural or historical studies, art historical topics or combined archaeological, biblical, and literary papers. For example, recent ASOR plenary speaker Jodi Magness gave a paper on the archaeology of Jerusalem at the Eastern Great Lakes meeting, while I had the opportunity to give the presidential address on cultic miniatures at Khirbat Iskandar; Joe Seger speaks on the Early Bronze Age this year at the Pacific Northwest regional meeting, while the Southeastern region meeting includes a session on the work of Joe Callaway. Some of the regions actively pursue outreach opportunities to the general public. Outreach is one of the signature goals of ASOR.

This is an exhortation to all ASOR members, students, and interested laypeople alike to become involved in your region! More papers means more archaeology sessions, which means more participants drawn to the conference. Become an ASOR member in order to give papers. Bring your students! They will have a forum in which to present their research and, if accepted, be able to publish it in a peer-reviewed regional journal such as Proceedings.

To coordinate the regional societies, ASOR established the Regional Affiliations Committee which reports to the ASOR Chairs Coordinating Committee, which in turn reports to the Executive Committee and, ultimately, to the President of ASOR. Suzanne Richard is the Chair of the Committee, which is comprised of representatives from the various ASOR regions. This committee has for many years had its own time-slot for a business meeting at the ASOR Annual Meeting. Although each of the regional societies is autonomous, the purpose of the committee from the beginning was to strengthen relations among the various regions in order to have a forum to exchange ideas, to promote a more active role for ASOR at the local level and to enhance ASOR’s visibility, membership, attendance at the Annual Meeting. The formation of the committee helped to recognize local (and tireless) unacknowledged ASOR supporters who were working to maintain an ASOR presence at the regional meetings. The ASOR reps were delighted to hear that ASOR was trying to organize, coordinate, and help the regions. Perhaps this might be a good place to review a little history.

The Regional Affiliations Committee began as a consultation (Committee on ASOR Regions) among regional ASOR leaders at the ASOR Boulder 2001 annual meeting. Doug Clark, as Chair of CAMP, set up the meeting in order to (1) discuss the status of ASOR participation at Regional Meetings, (2) improve links between the Regionals and ASOR National; (3) consider instituting a new subcommittee of CAMP to open lines of communication with ASOR Regionals; and (4) nominate a chair to the new subcommittee. Part of the rationale to encourage regions to be officially affiliated with ASOR was to open up lines for financial support for the regions, which was a major concern of committee members from the beginning. I was chosen to chair the subcommittee with a directive to research the status of and to write a summary of ASOR representation in the 11 regions. In the process, more of the regions opted for affiliation with ASOR, new reps were appointed, and at one point there was a full complement of 11 ASOR representatives. Thanks to the new initiative, financial support was forthcoming from ASOR. We first experimented with various means to stretch available moneys, sometimes dividing the pot equally among the regions, at other times, funding special programming, such as ASOR plenary speakers or extraordinary sessions at the regions. In 2012, the Regional Affiliations Committee and the Lectures Committee decided to collaborate by pooling their financial resources in order to offer ASOR funding to a broader audience. Be sure to look for the email blast on the ASOR blog for 2013 details.

Research on the various regions did uncover a great diversity among the regions (still today). Although the larger regions (Southeast, Southwest, Central, Pacific Northwest) were organized with by-laws, a set of officers, and rules for nominations, other groups were more informally organized, often with only one person serving as the ASOR representative. This situation obtains until today. There were no stand-alone ASOR regions then and there are none today.

Find your region below:

Regional Geography
1. Pacific Northwest Region (defined as Alaska, Western Canada, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho)

2. Pacific Coast Region (defined as California and Arizona)

3. Southwest Region (defined as Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri)

4. Rocky Mountain/Great Plains Region (defined as Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, and Montana)

5. Central Region (defined as those states contiguous with the state of Missouri).

6. Upper Midwest Region (defined as Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territory, and Nunavut)

7. Midwest Region (defined as Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana)

8. Eastern Great Lakes Biblical Society region (defined as Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia)

9. Southeast Region (defined as Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina)

10. Mid-Atlantic Region (defined as West Virginia, Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey)

11. New England/Eastern Canada Region (defined as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Quebec, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island,and Nova Scotia)

In conclusion, the regional societies and their ASOR representatives and officers are working tirelessly to bring good programming and a forum for ASOR members to present their research each spring. The whole organization benefits by greater participation and diversity of papers. Many of the smaller regions, in particular, need more people to help out, even if on an ad-hoc basic. If you are interested in playing a role and providing much-needed support for your local ASOR region, please contact me, Suzanne Richard. The regional societies provide an essential service to regional ASOR networks, to people who perhaps cannot make it to the ASOR Annual Meeting, to professors who can bring and mentor their students in the fine arts of presenting at scholarly meetings, to authors wishing feedback in a book review panel, to scholars who wish a “dry-run” and feedback on a new paper to deliver at one of the major conferences; of course, there is ample opportunity to plan workshops and discussion groups on special topics. Finally, maintaining a high ASOR visibility and presence across the country is in the self-interest of this most premier of all archaeological organizations.[/vc_column_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]

P. E. MacAllister’s “ASOR Valediction”

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Jared Koller

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P. E. MACALLISTER’S “ASOR VALEDICTION” UPON ELECTION TO BOARD CHAIR EMERITUS

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Most members of ASOR cannot remember a time when P.E. MacAllisterwas not an integral part of the organization. Mr. MacAllister has been involved in ASOR since the early 1970’s, and he has been ASOR’s board chair since 1994.

Mr. MacAllister decided that, as he will turn 95 this summer, the timing was right to transition to Chairman Emeritus. However, this does not mark the end of Mr. MacAllister’s work with ASOR. He is ASOR’s only life trustee, and will remain a member of the Executive Committee. Dr. B. W. Ruffner, a physician from Chattanooga, TN, and past ASOR treasurer, will become ASOR’s new board chair on July 1, 2013. The entire ASOR family is thankful to P.E. for over four decades of service, and we are appreciative that he will continue to be active in our organization.

The April 2013 board meeting was held in P.E.’s home town of Indianapolis, and a gala to honor him was held on Saturday night following the board meeting. Future news articles will provide highlights and photos from that festive event. The following are remarks that Mr. MacAllister gave to the ASOR board at the end of the meeting on April 16, 2013.

An ASOR Valediction

by P. E. MacAllister

Although you have allowed me to assault you with my rhetoric and Republicanism through the course of the years, enduring same with patience and grace, these valedictory remarks prove to be a real challenge. I do not vacate the chair by leaving a “to do” list for my successor. Any recommendations I have to suggest will go through the appropriate channels. So rather than any message, maybe you will allow me a few reflections.

I came on the ASOR board under curious circumstances, with tangential connections which might be familiar to some. For an unaccountable reason, in the late 1960’s someone nominated me to serve on the McCormick Seminary Board to complete an unfinished term. I had served as the Moderator of my presbytery, and then served as Moderator of the Synod, so I had some familiarity with Presbyterians and the church. In time I got re-elected and served faithfully by nodding acquiescently through the meetings but told the Seminary president I had no interest in continuing for another stint. I was kind enough to withhold the reasons for departing, and rotated into anonymity.

Almost. Because a sort of acquaintanceship was formed with an Old Testament professor named Ted Campbell, important because it was he who forged the ASOR connection. You can guess how. He phoned one evening and chatted about the dig at Caesarea in which McCormick was a participant. The seminary share of the cost was $5,000, and they were $600 short. So would I contribute the money? “Sure.” Next year: Second verse, same as the first, same $600. After the second digging season closed, Ted came to Indy with one of his diggers and about 300 slides to show us what they were doing. I had a dozen friends into the office, spread some cold cuts and beer and we all enjoyed the evening.

Not long after, another call: “How would you like to serve on the ASOR board?” After explaining what it was, I agreed. I was teaching the Old Testament to an adult church class; gathering data for a book; knew the difference between Assyria and Syria; knew that ‘UR of the Chaldees’ was a scribal blunder since the Chaldeans do not appear ‘til the 9th century while my dating for Abram was coincident with Hammurabi. (What‘s a mere thousand years among friends?) Ted’s reasoning to me was “ASOR has too many academics and not enough business people.” Conclusion to all this: I bought my seat on the ASOR board for 1,200 dollars. I then attended regularly since Becky and I used to listen to dig reports, which were far more interesting than board meetings. I do remember Phil King becoming the President the year I started; recall Mrs. Bechtel but never knew she had purchased the photos of The Scrolls; recall a distinguished lady with a long name ending in Ungerleyer-Meyerson; the furtive Mrs. Pat Moynihan; the irreplaceable Dick Scheuer; Gough Thomson, Kevin O’Connell.

I don’t think I missed many meetings, but did not find this is an easy group with which to become acquainted. The lack of any experience on ASOR’s committees was somewhat of a handicap when Charles Harris decided I ought to be the next Chairman. I first learned about it at the meeting when the change took place. Not much of a search process here. “What does the Chairman do?” “All you have to do is run some meetings and help them raise a little money.” The job description is still not all that specific, which is a good or a bad thing depending on how you operate. The uneasy person likes to see it all spelled out since that directs what he/she will do. The leader tends to like vague or imprecise descriptions since he has much more leeway to deal with events than inhibiting rules that block actions or change. I was most fortunate to start my meteoric career when Eric Meyers was president because he simply pulled me into the shaping and determining process. He was clear, aggressive, and open. He allowed me to help look at options, at issues, at needed changes and kept me in the game. Joe followed and I had the same good luck. He became a close friend and working with him was a lesson in patience and refitting. Joe Seger’s leadership was critical and his judgments correct as he handled the SBL flare up which could have blown us out of the water. So early on I had two good guys to break me in and became part of the movement to see ASOR quasi-independent and relevant to changing circumstances. Through the course of the years, I also had a great relationship with Rudy Dornemann, developed a close friendship with B.W. Ruffner, whose sub rosa work for ASOR was monumental. Simultaneously we had characters on the Board from time to time who created more problems than they solved including some roll over in the Boston staff. I got acquainted with Andy Vaughn during our fiscal crises and during the change in administration. His work the last two years have put ASOR in the best fiscal status it has ever achieved. Shake all this up we made some enemies, flunked on the “passing the torch” campaign, had a lot of grinding to do, but take a look at current status of ASOR. I might be stretching, but I have never seen it in better shape, publications-wise, dollar support-wise, nor has it had Annual Meetings, or more quality people working to see it even stronger.

I am delighted that B.W. Ruffner has agreed to accept this post [of Board Chairman], this challenge, this tribute and pledge him all-out support. I shall stay out of his hair and have no intention of proffering unneeded advice or second-guessing. And I have to tell you, as I amble off into the sunset, it has been a great honor to have held this office the past 19 years. You have treated me kindly and with respect; have been relatively easy to moderate in the rambling meetings; have submerged personal convictions in order to do what each thought was best for the order, win or lose stay loyal to the ASOR cause. I have a long lasting interest and affection for the ancient world and what I have learned about it and continue to learn about it comes from the work you have performed and are performing.

I will remember my association with you the past couple decades with great fondness and much pleasure. Thank you sincerely for permitting me to have been ASOR’s Chair and for the variety of experiences that has provided. Thank you for the associations, the memories, the roller coaster ride and the great pride all this has provided.

To each of you: God bless and good luck.[/vc_column_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]

Reserve Your Hotel Room for the 2013 Annual Meeting!

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Jared Koller

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RESERVE YOUR HOTEL ROOM FOR THE 2013 ANNUAL MEETING

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Rooms at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel are filling up fast! The ASOR conference hotel has sold out for the last seven years, and we anticipate to have an even higher demand for rooms this year. Not only do we expect to have more attendees than every before, but the ASOR hotel is located very near to the convention center. This location will result in even more demand because of the AAR/SBL conference that immediately follows the ASOR meeting.

Please make your hotel reservations as soon as possible to ensure that you have a room. While the room block is technically open until October 19, 2013, the rate ($145 / night for singles and doubles) is subject to availability. In other words, the hotel will not sale rooms after the ASOR block is sold out. Please also remember conference registration and hotel reservations are two, separate steps.[/vc_column_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]

BASOR Gets Bigger and Better

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Jared Koller

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BASOR GETS BIGGER AND BIGGER

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ASOR is proud to announce that BASOR (The Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research—ISSN: 0003-097X) will be switching to bi-annual production in 2013. A production schedule change that allows for the following enhancements:

The page-count of BASOR will expand by more than 25%.
The journal will be published in color throughout and not just in plates.
The journal will appear twice a year (May and November) with 256 pages in each issue.

These enhancements follow an extensive self-study. The editorial board determined that color photographs throughout the journal would better complement the content. Our research also revealed that some peer journals were reducing their page count, and thus reducing the page length allowed for each article. Our reviewers concluded that longer articles are often required for synthetic historical studies and for archaeological articles, but there were few highly respected options for these articles. We expanded the page count by more than 25% so that we could consider longer articles. The move to a bi-annual publication will give us even more flexibility. As a result of these changes, we have already seen a 50% increase in article submissions by authors.

The new look will include increased use of vibrant color, a new cover, a new font appropriate for both print and online media, and a more streamlined and user-friendly table of contents. The redesign will also make use of premier graphic design technologies to deliver a visually superior print and e-journal product that is easy for readers to navigate.

BASOR has been one of the premier journals in the field for almost 100 years, and we are are excited to enhance a publication, which is already considered to be of the highest quality. BASOR is available in print or electronic format. To purchase an individual subscription, print and mail a subscription form, or contact the ASOR publications department by phone (617-236-0408) or email. To purchase a subscription for an institution, contact JSTOR.[/vc_column_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]