Ad Hoc Climate Impact Committee Seeks Members

ASOR Forms Ad Hoc Climate Impact Committee

Nominations (including self-) sought for committee members

It has long been recognized that climate degradation in the form of air pollution, fire, and flooding poses serious threats to cultural monuments central to ASOR’s mission. The accelerating climate emergency calls for ASOR to uphold this mission by addressing the contribution of its own activities to this global problem, and the ASOR Board has engaged in conversations about this issue over the past two years. During its meeting in December 2020, the Board received a proposal from President Sharon Herbert and Executive Director Andy Vaughn that ASOR investigate the feasibility of achieving carbon neutrality for the Annual Meeting by 2025. Prior to the Board discussion, this proposal had been strongly endorsed by the Annual Meeting Program Committee. The Board did not take a vote last December, but the general sentiment was that the formation of an ad hoc committee would be the appropriate next step.

Thus, ASOR is now seeking volunteers for an Ad Hoc Climate Impact Committee to study the impact of its activities on climate change and to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees on how to mitigate these, particularly as regards our Annual Meeting. This ad hoc committee will be comprised of 6-8 ASOR members. Virginia Herrmann, who presented with Lucas Stephens a poster on “Mitigating the Climate Impact of the ASOR Annual Meeting: A First Appraisal” at our 2019 meeting in San Diego, has agreed to chair the committee along with our Executive Director, Andy Vaughn. We will ask the committee to present a report on directions to take at the Fall 2022 Board of Trustees’ meeting.

Those interested in serving on Ad Hoc Climate Impact Committee should contact the Chairs, Virginia Herrmann and Andy Vaughn. Early career members are particularly encouraged to apply. We hope to have the membership determined by Nov 10, 2021.

2021 Annual Meeting Student Paper Award

2021 ANNUAL MEETING STUDENT PAPER AWARD

ASOR is accepting applications for the 2021 Student Paper Award. This award is conferred upon the author(s) of a paper presented during either component (In-Person/Chicago, Nov. 17-19; Virtual, Dec. 9-12) of the Annual Meeting that conveys the results of a study about ancient Near Eastern and wider Mediterranean societies in a clear, understandable and convincing fashion. The first author and presenter of the paper must be a registered student at the time of presentation in order to be eligible for consideration for this award. Students will need to complete the following steps to be considered for the award. Applications are due November 8.


Students and Early Career Scholars at the 2019 Annual Meeting

1.  Please complete this Google Form in order to apply for the Student Paper Award.

2.  Submit your pre-recorded paper presentation (mp4 video, 20 minutes maximum) by November 8 to Jared Koller (jaredkoller@asor.org) using a DropBox link or other file sharing method. Even students who will present their papers live in Chicago still need to submit the presentation recording to be considered for the award.

Applications and Papers are both due by November 8

Please note that this award is independent of the Sean Dever Memorial Prize, which is conferred by the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research. To learn more about Awards presented at the Annual Meeting, please visit the Honors and Awards page. For questions and inquiries please email info@asor.org.

ASOR Board Nominees (2019)

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NEWS@ASOR E-NEWSLETTER

ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY E-NEWSLETTER

PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH

FY19 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

ASOR ANNUAL MEETING

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ASOR BOARD OF TRUSTEES NOMINEES (2019)

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]ASOR is pleased to announce that the Trustee Nominations Committee has selected seven highly qualified members to stand for election for five open positions on the ASOR Board of Trustees (two openings for Member-elected Trustees and three openings for Institutionally-elected Trustees). The ASOR Board sets the direction for ASOR and provides oversight for our organization. Among other responsibilities, members of the Board agree to attend two meetings each year at their own expense, to participate thoughtfully in the governance process, and to contribute financially to ASOR.

There are four candidates running for two openings as Member-elected Trustees for 3-year terms. There are three candidates (running unopposed) for three openings as Institutionally-elected Trustees (one opening for a 2-year term, two openings for 3-year terms). All ASOR members are eligible to vote in the Member-elected Trustee Election, while only Institutional Representatives of the 70 ASOR-member schools may vote in the Institutionally-elected Trustee Election.

ASOR will conduct the elections by online ballot, and all members and Institutional Representatives will receive the appropriate ballot(s) on or about October 22, 2019. We will send out two reminders, and all ballots must be completed by 2:00PM Eastern Time on Friday, November 15. If you would like to receive a paper ballot or if you have difficulties completing the online ballot (once they are distributed), please contact Marta Ostovich at programs@asor.org.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]

Nominees for Membership-elected Trustees
(two to be elected)

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Paul V.M. Flesher

My primary training is in the history of ancient Judaism and its texts, but I have always seen archaeological research as an important source for understanding the ancient Near East. I began studying Judaism of the land of Israel during the Roman and early Byzantine periods at the University of Rochester, and then undertook an M.Phil. with Geza Vermes at Oxford University (1982) and a Ph.D. with Jacob Neusner at Brown University (1988).

During my undergraduate days, I also studied computer programming and for the last 40 years have used computers in my research. When I was on the staff of the Tel Miqne excavations in 1995, I was responsible for designing a pottery database and recording finds. More recently, I served on the Huqoq staff for four years, first designing their database, and then guiding recording. Currently, I help lead a project to create an online database archive of the excavation records from the four upper-Galilean synagogues and the Jewish quarter at Sepphoris which Eric and Carol Meyers excavated and published.

When I served as the Seymour Gitin Distinguished Professor at the Albright in 2016, I began a multi-disciplinary project investigating how Jewish ritual took place in now-excavated Galilean synagogues. And, unable to stay away from excavation, I served as an area supervisor at Legio (part of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project) this past summer, under the directorship of Matt Adams and Susan Cohen.

Finally, part of what I can bring to the Board is a broad expertise in public outreach that could help ASOR promote Near Eastern archaeology more effectively. I have been an associate editor of the Bible and Interpretation website from its founding, written a bi-monthly newspaper column called Religion Today for 20 years, and for the last decade have organized and promoted a faculty-based lecture series across my state called Saturday University.

Mission Statement: The heart of ASOR is archaeological excavation. Indeed, fieldwork provides the fastest growing body of knowledge of the ancient Near East. For more than a century, ASOR has provided support structures and a strong disciplinary environment that have advanced and enhanced American archaeological work in the region.

Today excavations and their results need to reach audiences beyond the archaeological community. In this era of fewer academic positions and dwindling resources, ASOR needs to make a strong case for the relevance of archaeology and the ancient world more broadly, for the understanding of ancient peoples continues to be relevant today. ASOR’s Strategic plan lays out a multi-pronged strategy to accomplish that, focusing on outreach, publication and education. If elected to the Board, I would work to guide ASOR’s strategy for accomplishing those goals.

Outreach is more than splashy newspaper headlines. Effective outreach requires a variety of digital and internet platforms, supported by networking social media; it requires marketing to the general public and to students—to say nothing of face-to-face interaction in local communities.

Education is another area where ASOR needs to renew its approach. As archaeologists retire, positions are disappearing. We are losing access to our undergraduates, to our future. We need to work with our cognate disciplines to strengthen each other’s position in the academy. We need to make our case now to persuade our institutions that Near East archaeology is an area they should hire.

ASOR needs to continue and even expand its traditional publications, but it also needs to move solidly into digital publication. Lots of experimentation with digital and internet publication has taken place over the last two decades; it is time to assess what has worked, what has not, and then develop our own outlets in a methodical and persistent manner.

Digital publication modes are needed for both new and old research. In current excavations, many new technological techniques require innovative forms of dissemination. For past excavations, ASOR should promote the publication of data archives. While final reports are necessary, their limitations are increasing clear. For proper scientific debate, all excavation data needs to be available for both further analysis and teaching.

If elected an ASOR trustee, I will use my experience in these three areas to help promote the importance of excavations to broader audiences for the benefit of ASOR and its constituents.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1503684320408{padding-right: 15px !important;}”][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SuziHeadshot2.jpg” image_width=”150″ image_height=”250″ hover=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

Suzi Wilczynski Keehn

Suzi Wilczynski Keehn is the founder and CEO of Dig-iT! Games, a world leader in social studies gaming. A self-taught designer, Suzi’s games have won multiple accolades for educational value and design, including Common Sense Media’s ON for Learning Award, and Apple AppStore Game of the Day. Suzi oversees all game design and educational integration at Dig-iT! Games. She is responsible for setting learning goals for games, designing gameplay, and creating historical content for Dig-iT! Games products. Suzi brings a background as a middle-school educator, degrees in Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology from Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania, and extensive research on games as learning tools to her game-based learning products with a proven methodology that starts with identifying learning goals and translating inquiry- and object-based learning into fun, interactive game experiences.

Suzi founded Dig-iT! Games with a mission of engaging all types of learners and enhancing middle-school education with high-quality, standards-based learning games. Kids who play her games walk away with a wealth of knowledge, and they’re having fun doing it. She also cares deeply about exposing kids to new ideas and opportunities and getting them to see the world in new and exciting ways. Through her games, Suzi seeks to raise awareness about the importance of preserving our ancient heritage and the value of archaeology as primary tool for cultural exploration. Suzi believes that by educating players about the need to protect and preserve our past, the dangers of looting and destruction, and the value of cultural preservation, we will create culturally aware global citizens dedicated to preserving our shared history. For many students (and teachers and parents), Dig-iT! games are their first opportunity to see and interact with real artifacts, and their only chance to experience archaeological sites. Through her game designs, Suzi has exposed hundreds of thousands of kids and teachers worldwide to archaeology, ancient life and the imperative of protecting cultural heritage.

Mission Statement: Although I have been out of the field for far longer than I care to admit, I continue to value my connection to ASOR. It has been exciting to watch as ASOR moves into the digital world and I am eager to contribute as that process continues. Our world has changed dramatically in just the last decade, due in large part to the ubiquitous presence of a smartphone in every pocket and purse. Today, ideas spread worldwide in a matter of hours, sometimes minutes, crossing political, cultural and language barriers. I was honored to have the opportunity at the 2017 meetings in Boston to begin a discussion of how archaeologists can leverage the power of digital media, and especially games, to influence societal views and behaviors to spread the message of the urgent need for preservation of archaeological material worldwide. I look forward to working with the ASOR Board and membership to explore new, creative ways to expand ASOR’s impact and relevance through both digital and traditional outreach.

I believe that I will bring a new perspective to discussions around engaging new members, increasing financial support, and exposing a broader audience to the need to preserve archaeological sites, support archaeological projects and protect our history. Good game design centers on the capacity to step outside your understanding and see your product from the player’s perspective. Educational game design requires understanding of the needs of multiple stakeholders and the ability to translate complex information into easy to grasp concepts. I welcome the prospect of using the skills I have developed over a decade of game design–communication, creative problem solving, the ability to analyze large amounts of information and the desire to search for answers to complex questions—to help ASOR grow and continue to be a strong voice for scholarship, advocacy and cultural understanding.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1503684320408{padding-right: 15px !important;}”][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SEM.jpg” image_width=”150″ image_height=”250″ hover=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

Sheila McGinn

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D. (Northwestern University, 1989), serves as Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at John Carroll University, the Jesuit university in Cleveland.

A frequent lecturer and author of numerous articles and books, her main areas of interest concern the development of the earliest churches (including “dissenting” movements) and of early Christian writings in their social and cultural environments. Her central provenance for research is ancient Anatolia, including the highlands of Phrygia, and her range of works include commentaries on the Gospel According to Matthew, the Montanist Oracles, and the Acts of Thecla; a comprehensive bibliography on the Book of Revelation; and studies on several letters in the Pauline corpus. She also contributes to the scholarship on “engaged” methods of adult pedagogy.

Her most recent works include The Jesus Movement and the World of the Early Church (Winona, MN: Anselm Academic Press, 2014), and By Bread Alone: The Bible through the Eyes of the Hungry (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014; coedited with Lai Ling Elizabeth Ngan and Ahida Calderón Pilarski). She currently is writing a socio-rhetorical commentary on the Acts of Thecla.

Mission Statement: ASOR’s mission to support and promote archaeological excavation, scholarly research, student training, and the dissemination of information about the cultures and history of the Near East, is even more important today that it has been in the past. ASOR provides a strong voice to counter cultural “looting” and destruction of cultural heritage artifacts and sites. I would like to broaden members’ and prospective students’ awareness of significant challenges to cultural-heritage preservation, and would support efforts make our corporate voice heard in light of these contemporary challenges.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1503684320408{padding-right: 15px !important;}”][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/9997-ROBERT-MULLINS-APU2.jpg” image_width=”150″ image_height=”250″ hover=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

Robert Mullins

Robert Mullins is a professor of Biblical Studies at Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles where he is also Chair of the Department of Biblical and Religious Studies. He received his Ph.D. in Archaeology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he supervised areas at Tel Beth Shean and Tel Rehov under the direction of Prof. Amihai Mazar with whom he also worked with as a research assistant. Outside of Israel, he worked for two projects in southeastern Turkey at Tell Atchana (Alalakh) and Zincirli Hoyuk (Samal) under the auspices of the University of Chicago. Bob currently co-directs the archaeological project at Abel Beth Maacah in northern Israel together with two long-time friends and colleagues from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research interests encompass Egyptian-Canaanite interaction during the Late Bronze Age, the Late Bronze/Iron Age I transition, Canaanite and Israelite religious cult, and cross-cultural interaction in the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean. Two recently published works are “The Late Bronze Age” with Eli Yannai in Volume 3 of The Pottery of Ancient Israel and Its Neighbors and the Atlas of the Biblical World (Fortress Press, 2019) with Mark Vitalis Hoffman.

Mission Statement: I have been a regular member of ASOR since 1996. In the past, I have served as an ASOR trustee and I would like to renew that commitment. I believe in ASOR and I will continue to support its mission regarding the history, people, and cultures of the Near East. I want to see us continue to move in the direction of a creative, vibrant, and diverse organization that serves the needs of its members and instills a greater appreciation of our profession to the public. I want us to continue to foster a culture of inquiry, scholarship, and collegiality that engages students and encourages international involvement, especially among students and professionals from underrepresented regions. With all that is going on in Syria and other war torn regions, we need to support heritage documentation and preservation as a professional responsibility. As the co-director of an archaeological project that has benefited from students having access to ASOR-funded excavation scholarships, I want to ensure that our ASOR membership does not lessen its financial commitment. Finally, I would like to see ASOR take the lead in reaching out to students and other scholars who normally attend SBL to have at least one joint session since everyone benefits from peer interaction and informed dialogue. I believe that ASOR has much to gain from a vision that articulates a clear purpose, demonstrates a high level of integrity, maintains fiscal stability, and promotes organizational structures and processes that effectively fulfill its purposes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]

Nominees for Institutionally-elected Trustees
(three to be elected)

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Erin Darby

Erin Darby is an associate professor of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee and the co-director of the CAP-affiliated ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project in southern Jordan. She graduated with her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Duke University in 2011. Erin is an expert in the Hebrew Bible, archaeology, and ancient Near Eastern history and literature. Her publications, including her book, Interpreting Judean Pillar Figurines: Gender and Empire in Judean Apotropaic Ritual (Mohr Siebeck 2014), focus on the archaeology of ancient religion and the interpretation of religious iconography. As the co-director of the ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project, she is excavating a Nabataean-Islamic period site and leads the UT Dig Jordan study abroad program. At the University of Tennessee, she is one of the founding members of the Partnership for the Academic Study of Early Judaism, the Knoxville ArabFest cultural festival, the UT Archaeology Day outreach event, and the Tennessee Initiative for Middle East Studies. Erin also works closely with the UT Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement, the Center for Global Engagement, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Office of Experience Learning, and the Office of Development.

Mission Statement: I have been an active ASOR member since 2008 and have had the privilege of serving in a variety of ways. I was the co-chair of the Junior Scholars Committee (now ‘Early Career Scholars’) for seven years, overseeing its transition to a standing committee and representing the committee on the Chairs Coordinating Council. In this capacity, I also collaborated with the Ethics Working Group and the Initiative on the Status of Women. I have served as the program chair for the Archaeology of the Near East: Bronze and Iron Ages and as co-chair for a number of member-organized sessions. Most recently, I served on the ASOR Ad Hoc Committee for the Location of the Annual Meeting, and I was honored to receive an ASOR Membership Service Award in 2017. I have been the ASOR institutional representative for the University of Tennessee since encouraging the university to join ASOR in 2014.

Serving on the Board of Trustees is a new way for me to demonstrate my gratitude for how central ASOR has been in my professional life and in the lives of my students. My work with ASOR and with university administration has impressed upon me the importance of supporting ASOR in this time of transition in higher education. Alongside all of our current initiatives, I am particularly interested in thinking creatively about the value we bring to institutional members, ways we can articulate that value to institutions, and how we can maximize our connection to students in their classrooms and through ASOR-affiliated field schools. The challenges that are affecting higher education will certainly have an impact on scholarly societies like ASOR, but I believe that the type of learning encouraged through our programs is unique in the field of higher education and has the potential to yield new development initiatives.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1503684320408{padding-right: 15px !important;}”][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/foran.jpg” image_width=”150″ image_height=”250″ hover=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

Debra Foran

Debra Foran is Assistant Professor in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research focuses on pilgrimage and trade during the Late Byzantine period (5th to 8th centuries CE) in Jordan.

From 2006 and 2012, Dr. Foran directed the Tell Madaba Archaeological Project. Currently, she is the Director of the Town of Nebo Archaeological Project, which is investigating the role of landscape in the religious and economic development of the site of Khirbat al-Mukhayyat (Jordan). This project is part of a larger regional research effort designed to investigate the development of centralized institutions and state-ordered societies in central Jordan. Dr. Foran has also participated in archaeological field projects in Syria and Tunisia.

Foran has chaired several ASOR sessions on the archaeology of Jordan and the Byzantine and Early Islamic Near East. She served as Vice-President and Treasurer of ASOR-Canada (CASOR) from 2004 to 2007, at which time she was elected President, a position she still holds.

Foran joined the ASOR Board in January 2017.

Mission Statement: As a member of the Board of Trustees, I will uphold ASOR’s mandate to promote research into and public understanding of the cultures and history of the Near East. As an institutional member of the Board, I would like to seek out ways for ASOR’s current Institutional Members to become more active participants in ASOR’s programs and initiatives. I would also work on strategies to recruit more Institutional Members. I also wish to foster collaboration with the local communities that are directly affected by the archaeological research of ASOR members. One way of encouraging this collaboration that is of particular interest to me is the integration of national cultural heritage into school curricula. I would like to explore how, as a foreign researchers, the work of ASOR members can contribute to this. Finally, I want to explore innovative ways of incorporating undergraduate education into active excavation and research projects. The inclusion of both North American students and students from local communities will nurture their appreciation for the cultural heritage of the Near East and help safeguard the continuation and future of our discipline.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1503684320408{padding-right: 15px !important;}”][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/hasel.jpg” image_width=”150″ image_height=”250″ hover=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

Michael Hasel

Michael G. Hasel is Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum at Southern Adventist University, where he has also served as Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology since 1998.

Hasel has participated and served in administrative capacities on ten different excavations in the Middle East, including Gezer, Ashkelon, Dor, Miqne-Ekron, Masada, and Hazor, in Israel; Idalion, Cyprus; and Jalul in Jordan. He has directed excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa and currently is co-director of the Fourth Expedition to Lachish. As curator of the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum, Hasel was responsible for planning and displaying art and objects from the ancient Near East in a state-of-the-art exhibit entitled “Vessels in Time: A Journey into the Biblical World.”

Hasel, an ASOR member since 1989, has chaired several ASOR sessions and served on the Agenda Committee. He held the Samuel H. Kress Fellowship at the W. F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research (AIAR) in 1995-96 and a Fulbright at the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI) in 2005. He is also a fellow of the Institute for Biblical Research. He has served two terms on the Board of Trustees since 2014.

Mission Statement: I have served as an active participant of ASOR since 1989 while still an undergraduate student and have missed one meeting in 30 years. I have watched ASOR grow into a strong society representing a wide variety of interests and research foci in the ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds. During that same period, I have been actively involved in excavations in Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus while also engaged in Egyptological research. I have co-directed projects at Khirbet Qeiyafa, Socoh and Lachish. As a director of an Institute of Archaeology and museum, part of my vision is to make our field relevant to this and future generations. Over the years I have noticed an increased separation in our field from an interdisciplinary historical approach as witnessed in the roots of ASOR. My concern is that without that connection we are at risk of losing an important and relevant voice to a large segment in North America. It seems that as we have grown, we have also experienced an increased fragmentation which leaves our younger scholars searching for direction and belonging. ASOR has been an important force in facilitating work in the modern Middle East and I would be happy to continue to support and serve as a member of the Board of Trustees.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/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] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

2019 Annual Fund Appeal Letter

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ANNUAL FUND APPEAL LETTER FROM ASOR PRESIDENT SUSAN ACKERMAN

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Dear ASOR colleague,

It’s been a big year for ASOR. Indeed, this past year has surely been one of the most eventful in ASOR’s 119-year history, as we finalized our move from our Boston offices of 22 years to our new location in Alexandria, VA. This relocation culminated in April with our purchase of a permanent and enduring home for ASOR!

This new facility, named the James F. Strange Center in honor of one of ASOR’s most dedicated and long-serving members, is a beautifully renovated 1880 townhouse located in the heart of Alexandria’s historic Old Town. By the time of purchase, we had raised nearly $1 million to acquire our new building, and we have also raised all but $50,000 of funds we need to secure a final $450,000 challenge gift offered to us by an anonymous donor. Once all these monies are in hand, we can pay back the funds we borrowed to buy the James F. Strange Center, plus establish an endowment to finance its ongoing maintenance. We could not be happier to be resident in the James F. Strange Center, nor could I be prouder of our members, who have given so generously in order to make possible this important investment in ASOR’s future.

And the record-setting 461 of you who made a donation to ASOR by the end of 2019 fiscal year, on June 30, helped us do so much more. We continue to enhance our Annual Meeting, and we are thrilled that the 2019 Annual Meeting at the Westin San Diego will have an even richer and more dynamic program—with 60 additional papers and posters—than we presented last time we were in San Diego, in 2014. We have established a new fellowship, the Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Endowment, to fund conservation projects at archaeological sites, which is the sixth endowed fellowship and grant fund we have put in place since 2013. As of January 1, 2019, we have a new editor for Near Eastern Archaeology, Stephanie Budin, and she’s off to a great start. And our Cultural Heritage Initiatives program has, most recently, helped coordinate a program for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides at iconic Libyan archaeological sites, featuring “pop-up” museums with temporary displays about the sites and jamboree-style workshops.

ASOR could not do all this—and everything else we do—without your help. To the record-setting 461 of you who gave to ASOR in FY 2019, I offer my deepest and most sincere thanks. And I thank all our members in advance for your gifts that will help support ASOR in the year to come. ASOR will thrive because of you!

With gratitude,
Susan Ackerman
ASOR President[/vc_column_text][mk_divider divider_color=”#000000″][vc_column_text]

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OTHER WAYS TO DONATE

Donate By Phone Donate By Mail Make A Pledge
(Donate Later)
Call ASOR:
703–789–9229
ASOR
James Strange Center
209 Commerce Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
E-mail ASOR

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Luncheon in Honor of Lawrence T. Geraty

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LUNCHEON IN HONOR OF LAWRENCE T. GERATY

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Thursday, November 21 from 12:45 to 2:00pm

The Westin San Diego
400 W Broadway, Midway II
San Diego, CA 92101

*Midway II is on the 3rd floor of the office building that is connected to The Westin San Diego via the hotel lobby. 

The Madaba Plains Project and ASOR are hosting a luncheon to honor past ASOR President, Lawrence T. Geraty and the establishment of the ASOR Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Endowment.

Luncheon Tickets are $50 and will be on sale until November 13 in the ASOR Online Store or by calling the ASOR Office at 703-789-9233. Please email Arlene Press for more information.

The Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Endowment was established last year at the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), based in Alexandria, Virginia. The main purpose of the endowment is to prevent damage to excavation sites in the Middle East and spur local ownership of cultural heritage while creating economic opportunity. Geraty, the endowment’s namesake, is a past president of ASOR, president emeritus of La Sierra University, and a long-time archaeologist who co-founded the Madaba Plains Project (MPP), a collection of three major excavation sites in Jordan—Tall Hisban, Tall Jalul, and Tall al-‘Umayri.

If you would like to make a donation to the Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Endowment, please use this link and select Geraty Endowment Fund from the drop-down menu.[/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] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Exclusive Funding for ASOR-Affiliated Digs

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ASOR-AFFILIATED PROJECTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR EXCLUSIVE GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_column_text]Is your excavation project ASOR-affiliated? Are you thinking about participating in an ASOR-affiliated excavation this summer? Good news! ASOR affiliation now means that your project and participants in your project are eligible for all of our grants and fellowships.

And new for 2020: all dig scholarship recipients must participate in ASOR-affiliated excavations. If you are a dig director and your dig is not yet affiliated, there is still time to join the ASOR team. Any ASOR member can affiliate, regardless of nationality. Click here for information about affiliating.

Dig Scholarships for Participants on ASOR-Affiliated Archaeological Projects:

Grants to Support ASOR-Affiliated Excavation Projects:

  • Denise L. Gold Grant: Established in 2017 with annual contributions, the Denise L. Gold Fund was created to support ASOR-affiliated excavation projects. There will be one award of $2,500 for the summer of 2020, and the application deadline is January 15, 2020.
  • Harris Grant: This grant was made possible by a generous endowment given by the late Rev. Charles Harris. These funds support excavation work of ASOR-affiliated projects. There will be two awards of $5,000 for the summer of 2020, and the application deadline is January 15, 2020.
  • Seger Grant: This fellowship was established in 2016 through generous gifts made by an anonymous donor and by friends and students of Joe D. Seger. These funds support excavation work of ASOR-affiliated projects. There will be one award of $2,500 (to be matched with $2,500 from another institution) for the summer of 2020, and the application deadline is January 15, 2020.

Research Fellowships for ASOR Members

  • Dever Fellowship: Established in 2015 by annual contributions from an anonymous donor, a two–month travel-study award of $7,000 will be made available in the summer of 2020 to a qualified American or American-based non-tenured faculty member in the field of biblical studies who wants to acquire elementary, first-hand experience in field archaeology and research in Israel on an ASOR-affiliated project. The application deadline is January 15, 2020.

Why seek ASOR affiliation for your project?

ASOR affiliation means that your project is part of a dynamic network of scholars carrying out research in the Middle East region. Currently there are 73 ASOR-affiliated projects (48 field projects and 25 publication projects) overseen by ASOR’s Committee on Archaeological Research and Policy (CAP). CAP supports excavations and related research in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean regions by encouraging high standards for excavations and fostering deliberate and ethical practices for research. Scholars, project directors, and academic institutions are encouraged to apply for ASOR affiliation for their projects through CAP, and more information may be found here. ASOR-affiliated archaeological projects all adhere to the principles set forth in the ASOR Policy on Professional Conduct and the CAP Standards and Policies. The CAP Fellowship Committee is responsible for disbursing a number of grants to field projects, particularly to newer and smaller projects to help them get started, as well as other ASOR-affiliated projects to give support for research and analysis leading to the publication of materials. The Fellowship Committee also awards fellowships to students and individuals wishing to participate on an ASOR-affiliated project, and a full list of fellowships available is provided here.

The application deadline for all ASOR fellowships and grants is January 15, 2020. Please email programs@asor.org with any questions.
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Meet Meagan Shirley- New Office Coordinator

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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1487276122024{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 responsive_align=”left”]

ASOR Welcomes Meagan Shirley as New Office Coordinator

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1570457884703{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”54487″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1571075375103{padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1570458530117{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Meagan Shirley joined ASOR as the Office Coordinator on October 1, 2019. Meagan will be assisting the office staff at the James F. Strange Center in Alexandria, VA, with all administrative tasks. Meagan comes to ASOR from George Washington’s Mount Vernon, where she was employed as a Collections Technician. She helped curators and visiting scholars access objects formerly owned by George and Martha Washington.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Prior to this, Meagan worked as a commercial archaeologist with various CRM companies in the greater Washington, D.C., area. She worked on a range of sites, including a Prehistoric quartzite quarry along the Potomac River and a nineteenth-century cemetery in Maryland.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Meagan received her B.A. from The College of Wooster in 2015. Her thesis was titled “Anglo-Saxon and Viking Ship Burials as Indicators of Status and Power.”  She continued her studies at the University of Sheffield, UK, where she received her M.A. in Medieval Archaeology in 2016. Meagan focused on the Viking presence in England in the Early Middle Ages, particularly the Great Heathen Army. Her graduate thesis, “An Examination of the Dress Accessories from Torksey,” examined the Viking winter camp at Torksey where members of the Great Heathen Army collected and altered dress accessories. She examined a broad assemblage of dress accessories, including Anglo-Saxon, Merovingian, Irish, and Scandinavian, to hypothesize that the range of multi-cultural accessories along with alterations and secondary usage suggested an occupation by the Great Heathen Army in 872 C.E.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1570457884703{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/10561679_10152319350868779_3372774781209231048_n.jpg” hover=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1570458530117{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_image src=”http://www.asor.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/10576906_10203516263979991_2126709758489479762_n.jpg” hover=”false”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Meagan excavated at the Thornton Abbey Project in Lincolnshire, UK, for several seasons with the University of Sheffield. The twelfth-century Abbey and surrounding precinct were studied for evidence of occupation after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. However, an Early Medieval church and cemetery were discovered outside of the former Abbey walls. Meagan helped to excavate the cemetery, and subsequent analysis showed 48 people had been the victims of the Plague when the Black Death swept through Europe beginning in 1347. Meagan also helped to conduct GIS work at the Anglo-Saxon site of Little Carlton with a team from the University of Sheffield.

Meagan is extremely excited to be working with the ASOR team. She first heard of ASOR during her undergraduate studies from her professors who attended the Annual Meetings. Meagan is happy that she now gets the opportunity to work officially for ASOR and to assist its members and visitors with any questions or concerns.[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][/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] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Dever Fellowship Report: Heath Dewrell

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NEWS@ASOR E-NEWSLETTER

ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY E-NEWSLETTER

PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH

FY19 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

ASOR ANNUAL MEETING

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2018 WILLIAM G. DEVER FELLOWSHIP FOR BIBLICAL SCHOLARS FIELD REPORT: HEATH DEWRELL

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_column_text]For four weeks, just moments before sunrise, I’d file off the bus, march up the tel, and take my position next to one of the poles by my square. Once everyone was in position, we would all raise the poles in unison spreading the shade cloth over the site that would keep us cool enough to work despite the hot Israeli summer sun. Most of the volunteers would then take their places in their assigned areas and begin excavating, carefully scraping away layer after layer of earth and uncovering the material remains of Persian period and late Iron Age Tell Keisan, a Phoenician site a bit inland from Akko. While I did have the opportunity to get my trowel dirty, most mornings I continued to set up while others scraped away. I was serving as assistant square supervisor, which meant that I got to do a lot of the organizational work for our square. After the shade cloth was up, I would set up and calibrate the total station, which we used to record the coordinates of the finds as we excavated. Then I would set up our square’s laptop and printer, which we used in the field to print tags for pottery buckets and labels for small finds, bones, soil samples, etc. As finds came out of the ground, I was responsible for recording their locations, tagging them, and uploading the information into the computer right there on the tel.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1570457884703{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”54248″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1570458530117{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”54244″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_padding_divider size=”20″][vc_column_text]Then, in the afternoon, in addition to the normal work of washing pottery, I worked with my square supervisor to write up the report for the day. This was by far the most educational aspects of my time at Keisan. I got to see the work of interpreting our finds done in real time, and by the time that I was a week in, I was even contributing to the conversation. We would discuss how various installation were related to another stratigraphically. I got to work through the problem of pits from later periods cutting through architecture from an earlier period, resulting in the unusual circumstance of later material below earlier material. It was a puzzle to be solved in real time, with each day offering a few more pieces of data as we tried to reconstruct the history of our portion of the site. Having participated in both the work of excavation and interpretation in real time, I’ll never read a site report the same again.

Then, for four weeks more weeks, I woke up bright and early at the Albright Institute in Jerusalem and decide where my workspace would be for the day. Most days, after a quick breakfast in the dining room, I’d pack my laptop into my satchel and head out either to the Albright’s library or to the library at the École Biblique just around the corner, although on especially pleasant days the balcony outside my apartment served as a lovely makeshift office. Together, these two libraries provided me with all the tools that I needed to make substantial progress on my second monograph. The most enjoyable part of my stay at the Albright was afternoon tea, where I typically enjoyed a strong cup of Israeli coffee and talked with scholars doing archaeological work all over Israel from the Neolithic to the Roman periods. Week by week my conversation partners changed as people left the Albright and new people arrived to take their places. The opportunity to speak so many scholars working in such a variety of specialties and subspecialties was among the most valuable aspects of my time in Israel.

Neither the hands-on experience at Tell Keisan nor the cross-disciplinary dialogue that the Albright provided would have been possible without the William G. Dever Fellowship for Biblical Scholars. Understanding the work of both excavation and interpretation that goes into archaeological fieldwork deepens my ability to incorporate archaeological evidence into my own work. I thank the William G. Dever Fellowships for Biblical Scholars for this incredible opportunity, as well as Elizabeth Bloch-Smith, who brought the fellowship to my attention in the first place and who serves as field director at Tell Keisan. She and my square supervisor, Leann Pace, were generous and patient teachers from whom I learned an enormous amount in four short weeks. I also thank Keisan’s co-directors David Schloen and Gunnar Lehmann, for allowing me to participate in the excavation, as well as and especially the generous donors who make the fellowship and all the good work that it makes possible.[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_column_text]Want to help more students and early career archaeologists get into the field? Donate to the cause today by selecting “Excavation Scholarships” as your gift purpose!

If you want your gift to count towards the Steinmetz challenge, please send us an email after you make a gift.

[/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] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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Dever Fellowship Report: Heath Dewrell

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[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-fb-icon4.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://www.facebook.com/ASOResearch/” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-tw-icon4.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://twitter.com/ASOResearch?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-in-icon4.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-schools-of-oriental-research” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-ml-icon_7.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”mailto:info@asor.org” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/blog-icon3.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”http://asor.org/blog” margin_bottom=”0″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496683923840{margin-right: 20px !important;border-left-width: 2px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;border-left-color: #99422f !important;}”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” thickness=”1″ margin_top=”3″ margin_bottom=”3″][vc_column_text]

NEWS@ASOR E-NEWSLETTER

ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY E-NEWSLETTER

PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH

FY19 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

ASOR ANNUAL MEETING

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1487276122024{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 responsive_align=”left”]

2018 WILLIAM G. DEVER FELLOWSHIP FOR BIBLICAL SCHOLARS FIELD REPORT: HEATH DEWRELL

[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_column_text]For four weeks, just moments before sunrise, I’d file off the bus, march up the tel, and take my position next to one of the poles by my square. Once everyone was in position, we would all raise the poles in unison spreading the shade cloth over the site that would keep us cool enough to work despite the hot Israeli summer sun. Most of the volunteers would then take their places in their assigned areas and begin excavating, carefully scraping away layer after layer of earth and uncovering the material remains of Persian period and late Iron Age Tell Keisan, a Phoenician site a bit inland from Akko. While I did have the opportunity to get my trowel dirty, most mornings I continued to set up while others scraped away. I was serving as assistant square supervisor, which meant that I got to do a lot of the organizational work for our square. After the shade cloth was up, I would set up and calibrate the total station, which we used to record the coordinates of the finds as we excavated. Then I would set up our square’s laptop and printer, which we used in the field to print tags for pottery buckets and labels for small finds, bones, soil samples, etc. As finds came out of the ground, I was responsible for recording their locations, tagging them, and uploading the information into the computer right there on the tel.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1570457884703{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”54248″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1570458530117{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”54244″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_padding_divider size=”20″][vc_column_text]Then, in the afternoon, in addition to the normal work of washing pottery, I worked with my square supervisor to write up the report for the day. This was by far the most educational aspects of my time at Keisan. I got to see the work of interpreting our finds done in real time, and by the time that I was a week in, I was even contributing to the conversation. We would discuss how various installation were related to another stratigraphically. I got to work through the problem of pits from later periods cutting through architecture from an earlier period, resulting in the unusual circumstance of later material below earlier material. It was a puzzle to be solved in real time, with each day offering a few more pieces of data as we tried to reconstruct the history of our portion of the site. Having participated in both the work of excavation and interpretation in real time, I’ll never read a site report the same again.

Then, for four weeks more weeks, I woke up bright and early at the Albright Institute in Jerusalem and decide where my workspace would be for the day. Most days, after a quick breakfast in the dining room, I’d pack my laptop into my satchel and head out either to the Albright’s library or to the library at the École Biblique just around the corner, although on especially pleasant days the balcony outside my apartment served as a lovely makeshift office. Together, these two libraries provided me with all the tools that I needed to make substantial progress on my second monograph. The most enjoyable part of my stay at the Albright was afternoon tea, where I typically enjoyed a strong cup of Israeli coffee and talked with scholars doing archaeological work all over Israel from the Neolithic to the Roman periods. Week by week my conversation partners changed as people left the Albright and new people arrived to take their places. The opportunity to speak so many scholars working in such a variety of specialties and subspecialties was among the most valuable aspects of my time in Israel.

Neither the hands-on experience at Tell Keisan nor the cross-disciplinary dialogue that the Albright provided would have been possible without the William G. Dever Fellowship for Biblical Scholars. Understanding the work of both excavation and interpretation that goes into archaeological fieldwork deepens my ability to incorporate archaeological evidence into my own work. I thank the William G. Dever Fellowships for Biblical Scholars for this incredible opportunity, as well as Elizabeth Bloch-Smith, who brought the fellowship to my attention in the first place and who serves as field director at Tell Keisan. She and my square supervisor, Leann Pace, were generous and patient teachers from whom I learned an enormous amount in four short weeks. I also thank Keisan’s co-directors David Schloen and Gunnar Lehmann, for allowing me to participate in the excavation, as well as and especially the generous donors who make the fellowship and all the good work that it makes possible.[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_column_text]Want to help more students and early career archaeologists get into the field? Donate to the cause today by selecting “Excavation Scholarships” as your gift purpose!

If you want your gift to count towards the Steinmetz challenge, please send us an email after you make a gift.

[/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] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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