UNEARTHING THE PAST SINCE 1900
  • BECOME A MEMBER
  • RENEW
  • GIVE NOW
  • SEARCH
  • ONLINE PORTAL
  • American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)
  • ABOUT
    • WELCOME FROM ASOR OFFICERS
    • FACTS & FIGURES
    • MISSION, BYLAWS, & STRATEGIC PLAN
    • HISTORY OF ASOR
    • COMMITTEES
    • POLICIES
    • FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS
    • ARCHIVES
    • AFFILIATED PROJECTS
    • AFFILIATED RESEARCH CENTERS
    • ASOR’s Honors and Awards
    • CONTACT US
  • CULTURAL
    HERITAGE
    • ABOUT CULTURAL HERITAGE INITIATIVES
    • UPDATES
    • TUTORIALS
    • Who We Are
  • ANNUAL
    MEETING
    • REGISTRATION
    • HOTEL RESERVATIONS
    • ANNUAL MEETING SCHEDULES
    • SPONSOR & EXHIBIT
    • ASOR Online Library
    • HONORS & AWARDS
    • ANNUAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIPS
    • PAST & FUTURE ANNUAL MEETINGS
  • MEMBERSHIP
    & RESOURCES
    • INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS
    • INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
    • NEWS@ASOR
    • PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH
    • ONLINE RESOURCES
    • PHOTO COLLECTION
    • EARLY CAREER MEMBER RESOURCES
  • FELLOWSHIPS
    & GRANTS
    • SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FIELDWORK PARTICIPATION
    • GRANTS FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECTS
    • RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS FOR MEMBERS
    • MEMBERSHIP & ANNUAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIPS
    • ASOR-AFFILIATED RESEARCH CENTERS FELLOWSHIPS
    • OTHER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS
  • PUBLICATIONS
    • BOOK SERIES & MONOGRAPHS
    • BULLETIN OF ASOR
    • JOURNAL OF CUNEIFORM STUDIES
    • MAARAV
    • NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY
    • THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY
    • LEVANTINE CERAMICS PROJECT
  • FRIENDS
    OF ASOR
    • Webinars
    • TOURS
    • THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY
    • ASOR ONLINE LIBRARY
  • Donate
    • FY25 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
    • LIFETIME HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
    • ASOR LEGACY CIRCLE
    • WAYS TO DONATE
Aerial view of the island of Motya, Sicily, Italy.

 SHARE

 
 
 
 
 

NEWS@ASOR E-NEWSLETTER

ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY E-NEWSLETTER

PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH

ASOR LEGACY CIRCLE MEMBERS

LIFETIME HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

FY25 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

ASOR ANNUAL MEETING

2024 Dana Grant Report: Modeling Punic Space at Motya

Jason Herrmann, University of Pennsylvania and Paola Sconzo, University of Palermo

Ancient Motya (modern Isola San Pantaleo, Sicily, Italy), founded in the late 8th century BCE by Phoenician wayfarers, was a significant hub in the central Mediterranean, serving as a crucial point of contact between Carthage and Sicily at the city’s height in the 5th century BCE. Unlike many other Phoenician-Punic urban centers, Motya has remained largely undisturbed by subsequent occupations, offering archaeologists a rare and valuable opportunity to study Punic urban planning in its original context.

Since 2017, we have been conducting comprehensive geophysical surveys on the island for the Space and Identity at Ancient Motya project. Our goal is to map the layout of the city’s structures and to use their configuration to interpret Motya’s social organization and expressions of ethnic identity. This project is a collaboration between the University of Palermo and the Penn Museum and operates as a subproject under the University of Palermo Archaeological Mission to Motya, with the support of the Superintendency for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Trapani.

View of Motya
Fig. 1. Motya was situated on an island in the Marsala Stagnone in western Sicily. By the 5th century BCE, the fortified city of Motya covered the entire island and was connected to the Sicilian mainland by a causeway, now submerged and visible in the foreground of the above image.
Students and team members on the boat to site.
Fig. 2. Many students and team members were housed on the Sicilian mainland and traveled by boat to and from Motya daily for fieldwork.

Thanks to the support of the ASOR Stevan B. Dana Grant, our multidisciplinary project was able to continue with the assistance of an international team of eleven students from the University of Palermo and the University of Pennsylvania. These students contributed to both the geophysical survey and the ongoing excavations carried out toward two primary objectives. The first was to expand the geophysical survey coverage beyond the areas that were accessible for magnetic gradiometry in previous years. To this end, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical soil resistance helped to document subsurface features where vegetation or other surface conditions made magnetic gradiometry unfeasible.

Our second goal was to further investigate ambiguous features observed in the magnetic gradiometry that required additional clarification. One area of particular interest was a depression in the northeast sector of the island where magnetic data were inconclusive. Here we employed GPR, a technique that measures how radio waves are reflected off changes in the textures of buried materials. Preliminary results show that, unlike the rest of the island, this area was not covered with streets and houses during Motya’s urban expansion, suggesting that it was reserved for some special purpose.

Excavation of Motya's fortification wall.
Fig. 3. Excavation continued in protected contexts adjacent to the Motya’s fortification wall where early 6th and 7th century contexts are preserved.
Team members in pit revealed by magnetic gradiometry data.
Fig. 4. Features observed in the geophysical data from previous seasons were verified through test excavations, including a deep pit that was visible in the magnetic gradiometry data and seemed to date to the early 6th and 7th centuries BCE. From left: Prof. Giuseppe Minunno, Helen Wong and Sarah Maria Messina.

We were also interested in determining the depths of key features across the island to aid the development of a digital reconstruction of the ancient city and landscape. For this, we combined GPR with electrical soil resistance, a method that measures the ease with which an electrical current travels in sediments, to measure the depth of streets that had been previously mapped in the magnetic data. Unlike magnetic gradiometry, GPR and electrical resistance data allow for precise estimation of the depths of the observed features, providing critical information for reconstructing the ancient city’s layout.

We thank ASOR and the Stevan B. Dana project grant for enabling broad student participation in our 2024 field season. Because of this support, we have been able to come closer to a complete map of Motya’s ancient urban plan with geophysical survey and have been able to verify some of the features we observed in the geophysical data through excavation. This information, supported by data from aerial surveys, surface collection, and legacy excavations is enabling us to develop detailed interpretations of the use of space for multiple phases of the life of ancient Motya, and establish a strong foundation for future work on this island site.

Team members conducting ground-penetrating radar survey
Fig. 5. Ground-penetrating radar surveys were carried out on areas where we wanted to confirm our interpretations of the magnetic data or where other geophysical surveys would not be effective because of the surface conditions. From left: Helen Wong and Mary Elizabeth Alexander.

Learn more on the project’s website.

Follow the Mozia Project and UPenn’s Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials on Instagram.

Read about applying for a 2025 ASOR Project Grant. 

BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE

  • FOA Webinar: Shua Kisilevitz
  • Fieldwork Report: Anjuli Latchmansingh
  • Join ASOR’s Board of Trustees
  • Friends of ASOR Tours: Archaeological Tour of Cyprus 2026

Latest Posts from @ASORResearch

asor_research

Initiating and supporting research of the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world.


Friends of ASOR is pleased to announce the first w
Friends of ASOR is pleased to announce the first webinar of the 2025-2026 season, "Holier than Thou? The Temples at Tel Moza and Reflections of Ritual Practices in Ancient Judah" presented by Dr. Shua Kisilevitz, is on September 10th at 12:30pm ET! The recent discovery of not one, but a succession of two temples from the First Temple period at Tel Moza—just 7 km from Jerusalem—has reignited debate about how religion took shape in ancient Judah and the wider region. In this lecture, Dr. Kisilevitz will trace the development of the two Moza temples and the rituals practiced there, setting them alongside biblical descriptions and regional parallels. 

The first in a mini-series partnership with the @albright.institute, this webinar will be free and open to the public. Register here: https://buff.ly/ZmFzwMP


Anjuli Latchmansingh, a 2025 Strange-Midkiff Famil
Anjuli Latchmansingh, a 2025 Strange-Midkiff Families Fieldwork Scholarship recipient, excavated at Çadır Höyük in the village of Peynir Yemez, Türkiye. Nestled atop a mound carrying 7,000 years of human and animal past, Anjuli reflects on six weeks of excavation and the history embedded in the site. Click the link (https://buff.ly/V8wWGbM) in our bio to read more.
#Turkey


From September 2021 until September 2023, ASOR led
From September 2021 until September 2023, ASOR led a project—with support by the U.S. Department of State—to expand community outreach for heritage protection in Libya and to extend our efforts regionally to Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. This work strengthened ties between local communities and their national heritage authorities, fostered new connections between heritage practitioners across the region, and empowered community-led heritage protection efforts. Click the link (https://buff.ly/sXUoGPL) in our bio to read more about this CHI project.
#CulturalHeritage #NorthAfrica #Libya #Algeria #Morocco #Tunisia



The #ObjectoftheWeek from this week's ANE Today: “Sleeping Lady” figurine from the Ħal-Saflieni Hypogeum, Malta, c. 4000-2500 BCE. National Museum of Archaeology, Malta. Photo by EnriqueTabone (CC By-SA 4.0). Image Source: https://w.wiki/F5T5
#Malta


Tel Shiqmona has received little attention compare
Tel Shiqmona has received little attention compared to the grand coastal cities of the ancient Phoenician coast. But the site has produced the most complete archaeological evidence for the production of purple dye in the Iron Age. Read more about the industrial center in the latest Ancient Near East Today: https://anetoday.org/tel-shiqmona-purple-dye/
#IronAge


ASOR is offering 10 grants of $250 each to support
ASOR is offering 10 grants of $250 each to support student travel to the Annual Meeting this November. Students must be enrolled at an ASOR Institutional Member School to qualify for these grants. Apply before the deadline on August 25th! https://buff.ly/8pJlihw


On this #ThrowbackTuesday, we revisit a fascinatin
On this #ThrowbackTuesday, we revisit a fascinating archival gem: in 1979, The Biblical Archaeologist published a poem titled “A-Sitting on a Tell” by none other than Agatha Christie. This unique intersection of literature and archaeology offers a reminder of how deeply the past inspires creative expression ✍️🏺


We are delighted to announce a free Museum Literac
We are delighted to announce a free Museum Literacy Workshop for all ASOR Annual Meeting attendees led by Dr. Jen Thum at the Harvard Art Museums! The workshop will be on Wednesday, November 19 from 3:00–5:00pm. Space is limited to 18 people, advance registration is required: https://buff.ly/kuF57r9


We are happy to announce a free Seal Carving Works
We are happy to announce a free Seal Carving Workshop for all ASOR Annual Meeting attendees led by Dr. Pinar Durgun (The Morgan Library and Museum)! The workshop will be on Wednesday, November 19 from 3:00–4:30pm. Space is limited to 20 people, so register before it's too late: https://buff.ly/lzniSde


The full Academic Program for the 2025 Annual Meet
The full Academic Program for the 2025 Annual Meeting is now available online! Check it out to find all the business meetings, free workshops, and special events going on this year. Make sure to include the plenary address and ASOR's 125th Anniversary Celebration as you plan your ASOR 2025 itinerary. https://www.asor.org/am/2025/schedules-2025


Service Awards are an excellent way to recognize a
Service Awards are an excellent way to recognize a colleague for their contributions to the field, to ASOR, or to one of its affiliated research centers (AIAR and CAARI). Awardees will be recognized at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Boston. All are invited to nominate colleagues who they feel are deserving of recognition. The deadline for nominations is September 19, 2025. Click the link (https://buff.ly/DV0OYQh) in our bio to nominate someone.


The deadline to submit poster proposals for the Po
The deadline to submit poster proposals for the Poster Session as part of the 2025 Annual Meeting has been extended to Friday, August 15. Posters are an ideal format for presenting archaeological projects in general, a technical aspect of your project, or a spectacular find from the field season. Submit your proposal via ASOR’s online portal now.


2025 Shepard Urgent Action Grant: An international
2025 Shepard Urgent Action Grant: An international team of archaeologists completed a critical emergency documentation project at the endangered site of Al Haniyah (ancient Aptouchus), on the Cyrenaican coast of Libya. This urgent initiative responded to escalating threats from coastal erosion, unregulated agricultural development, and expanding infrastructure—pressures that have already caused widespread and irreversible damage to the site. The team worked tirelessly to document, record, and create detailed records of the site. This project represents a crucial step in preserving the cultural heritage of Aptouchus.
Images courtesy of ASOR
Visit the link in our bio to read more!
#Libya


In a world of many gods, why did biblical Israel i
In a world of many gods, why did biblical Israel insist on worshiping only one? Israel's distinctive monolatry—a unique, covenantal bond with YHWH akin to marriage—shaped their identity. Michael B. Hundley explores this in the final article in a 4-part series in ANE Today. Click the link (https://anetoday.org/monolatry-to-monotheism/) in our bio. #anetoday


While conducting fieldwork this summer, ASOR invit
While conducting fieldwork this summer, ASOR invites you to make Dig Diaries! ⛏️ Dig Diaries can be short videos/reels 🎥 discussing research questions for your project, explaining an element of an excavation/survey, etc. We welcome creativity! Read more here: https://buff.ly/h1ZSfPZ (click the link in our bio). Submissions can be emailed to info@asor.org.


Friends of ASOR invites you to venture to the sea
Friends of ASOR invites you to venture to the sea in 2026 and join an unforgettable journey through Cyprus, where archaeology meets breathtaking Mediterranean beauty. Next summer, join 15+ ASOR archaeologists and immerse yourself in behind-the-scenes tours with scholars, archaeologists, excavators, and museum curators including visits to:

🏺 Idalion with Dr. Pamela Gaber
⛏️ Kalavasos excavation updates with Dr. Kevin Fisher
🍽️ Dinner conversations with Dr. William Dever
📚 Private tour and dinner at CAARI with Dr. Lindy Crewe 

Plus curated visits to Kourion, Nea-Paphos, and more. For more details: https://www.asor.org/foa/tours

#FOATours #Cyprus


Check out the 2025 issue of the Journal of Cuneifo
Check out the 2025 issue of the Journal of Cuneiform Studies. JCS 77 includes great articles from James Burgin, Stephen Moore, Niek Veldhuis, Jon Beltz, Céline Debourse, and more. Click the link (https://www.asor.org/news/2025/07/jcs77-toc/) in our bio to see the Table of Contents!


Tomorrow, August 1, is the deadline to submit post
Tomorrow, August 1, is the deadline to submit poster proposals for the Poster Session as part of the 2025 Annual Meeting. Submit your proposal via ASOR’s online portal before it's too late! Click the link (https://buff.ly/99Bkbqj) in our bio for instructions.


We are pleased to share that the Getty Research In
We are pleased to share that the Getty Research Institute has announced a call for applications from predoctoral, postdoctoral, and other scholars for its residential 2026–2027 grant cycle under the theme of "Provenance." The deadline is 1 October 2025. (Please note that these grants and fellowships are resident at the Getty in Los Angeles, California, and are not affiliated with ASOR.) Click the link (https://www.getty.edu/projects/getty-scholars-program/) in our bio!


Aayush Umesh, a 2025 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwo
Aayush Umesh, a 2025 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient, excavated at Tall Hisban, Jordan, in May. While excavating an Ayyubid-era kitchen, Aayush immersed himself in analyzing agricultural practices from the time. Read his fieldwork report by clicking the link (https://www.asor.org/news/2025/07/fieldwork-report-umesh) in our bio. 
#Archaeology #Jordan #TallHisban



Instagram

Stay updated with the latest insights, photos, and news by following us on Instagram!

Follow Us on Instagram

American Society of Overseas Research
The James F. Strange Center
209 Commerce Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

E-mail: info@asor.org

© 2025 ASOR
All rights reserved.
Images licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Contact Us
Membership
Give
Friends of ASOR
ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives
Terms of Use
News

Please follow & like us :)
Facebook
YouTube
LinkedIn