Emilie Nordhues, 2023 G. E. Wright Scholarship Recipient
This past summer I had the opportunity to participate in a study season for the Tel Dan excavation, a site at which I excavated in 2022. The aim of most study seasons is to work toward the publication of excavated material; a study season also provides time to re-examine the finds and stratigraphy from excavation and so test the interpretation of the data which was formed during excavation.
One of the main tasks of this study season was laying out all pottery from the same stratum (material of roughly the same time period at the site) and checking if any of the loci (a stratigraphic excavation unit, like a floor or a pit) contained unexpected material. Certain forms of pottery change more quickly, making them good indicators of date. Since we were working with material from the Late Bronze Age-Iron 1 transition we paid close attention to the cooking pots – in the Late Bronze Age these have an everted rim and in the Iron 1 they have a vertical rim. Thus, cooking pots were a good type of pottery to watch for anything unexpected within a locus or stratum. In an ideal world, all the pottery from the same stratum should reflect the same date.
Some of the pottery which we laid out – it frequently covered more than one table!
There were many instances where the information gained from laying out the pottery matched our initial interpretations. In this case, it was good to have confirmation and it provided a great opportunity for me to grow more familiar with pottery forms. Other times we needed to adjust our interpretation when we reexamined the data. For example, we realized that part of one locus was mixed with later material from a pit which had been missed in excavation. When we returned to the field notes, this also matched observations about an area with a slightly different soil composition. While the pottery was out, several pieces were also selected for illustration.
A picture of me from the 2022 excavation season, featuring some of the pits which we did not miss. Photo credit: Sarah Harrington.
Although much of the study season was spent looking over tables filled with pottery, this did not account for the entire study season. One of the more fun and satisfying things we got to do after laying out the pottery was restoration. Sometimes, excavations will recover a large portion of a vessel; if it is broken when it is discovered (which is very often the case), you do not always know how much of it was preserved. Restoration, then, is a three-dimensional puzzle to fit together pieces that belong to the same vessel. Depending on how many pieces the item was in, this can also clarify the original shape of the object.
Finally, work was also done to lay out other artifacts – excavations may also uncover figurines, tools, beads, and many other items that people used in the past. These can frequently reveal a lot about daily life. During the study season, we made sure that all these artifacts were accounted for and took photographs and measurements of many of them.Decisions were also made about whether the Tel Dan team would be able to adequately research and publish this material or if an expert (e.g., in metalworking) would need to be called in to work with the material.
Partway through the restoration of a cooking pot rim – one of the first steps was always to figure out which pieces connected to each other; the color of the rim is due to char from the use of the cooking pot.
The same cooking pot, with restoration completed, representing all of the pieces which were found during excavation.
An example of other objects we looked at this summer – these are some of the grinding stone pieces from Tel Dan, which would have been used to grind grain.
All this work has helped move some of the Tel Dan material toward publication. After all, without a solid understanding of the stratigraphy and the artifacts from the site, it is very challenging to write a final report. I look forward to the eventual publication of this material! It will be very cool to see the next stage of the process when I know something of its excavation and study season work.
Emilie Nordhues is a graduate student in the Near Eastern Languages & Cultures Department at UCLA. Her research interests lie in the Achaemenid period and include dealing with identity formation, the impact of empire on daily life and religious practices, and the mobility and impact of various communities of practice (such as craftsmen).
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!
Friends of ASOR present the next webinar in the 2023-2024 season on April 18, 2024, at 3:00 pm EDT, presented by Dr. Aaron Burke.
The Amorites, an ancient Near Eastern group, are infamous in the Bible, where they are remembered among Canaan’s inhabitants at the time of its conquest by Israel. Yet, in Near Eastern studies the Amorite’s origins are only poorly understood. As a collective identity, they are best known for their encounters with the military establishments of Akkad and Ur in the late third millennium, and their alleged role as pastoralists par excellence. However, the shaping of this collective identity must be set against the backdrop of both Akkadian imperial intervention and the declining environmental conditions of this period in the marginal zones of the Fertile Crescent. Tracing the migration of Amorite refugees from agropastoral communities into nearby regions, mercenarism and militarism are seen to play a crucial role in the acquisition of economic and political power by Amorites between 2100 and 1900 BC. Members of this group became founders of well-known Amorite dynasties from Bahrain in the Persian Gulf to the Egyptian Delta. In the wake of the emergence of these dynasties in the early second millennium, traditional means of legitimation served to consolidate their power. Driven by a shared interest in the legitimation of their control, they patronized long-distance trade, construction projects, religious orders, the arts, warfare, fortification building, and standardizations of law. The extensive nature of these efforts have led some to refer to this as “the age of Amorites,” and it may be argued that the material effects of this contributed to the construction of an Amorite koine. This lecture explores the origins of Amorite identity, why it spread, and why it was remembered in later Near Eastern traditions.
Aaron A. Burke received his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Archaeology from The University of Chicago. He is Professor of the Archaeology of Ancient Israel and the Levant, and the Kershaw Chair of the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean Studies in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at The University of California, Los Angeles. He is also a member of UCLA’s Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, serving as its editor-in-chief since 2016.
Since 1994, he has excavated in Israel but also Egypt and Turkey, and travelled extensively throughout the Levant from Syria to Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus, and in Greece, collaborating in field research at Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Tel Dan. He directs The Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project since 2007 and has co-edited three volumes resulting from research in Jaffa, Israel. Expanding upon this research, in 2017 he inaugurated Turning Points, an initiative aimed at exploring the context out of which ancient Israel emerged during the Early Iron Age in the southern Levant, ca. 1200–1000 B.C.
Burke’s research focuses on the social history of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean during the Bronze and Iron Ages with a particular interest in identity transformations surrounding warfare, forced migration, and long-distance exchange. His first monograph, “Walled Up to Heaven”: The Evolution of Middle Bronze Age Fortification Strategies in the Levant, addressed warfare during a period of Amorite political hegemony. He is also author of The Amorites and the Bronze Age Near East (CUP 2021), which seeks to reconstruct a social history of the Amorites from 2500 to 1500 BC. Since 2021, he is also the series editor for Elements in the Archaeology of Ancient Israel (CUP).
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Dig Cyprus: A Story of Cherishment, Craziness, and Cats
Noah Barton, Undergraduate University Student[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]This summer I had the pleasure of attending an archaeological field school in Cyprus with North Carolina State University. The program – Cyprus Archaeological Field School – is directed by two of my past professors and has been occurring yearly since 2017. I arrived in Cyprus on May 20, 2022. The island is beautiful; every turn has a clear blue ocean, incredible mountains and hillsides, or luscious forests. A pleasant surprise was that Cyprus is loaded with wild cats – there are more cats on the island than humans, in fact – and most of them are friendly. The only downside is that it was very humid, but that’s to be expected for an island near the Middle-East in June. The archaeological site I helped excavate is called Makounta-Voules, which appears to have been the home of a copper-mining group between 5000 and 7000 years ago. They used stone tools and had a large interest in picrolite – a bright green stone – which they sculpted into figurines and pendants. In addition to picrolite, our team also searched for evidence of stone tools and pieces of pottery (also known as sherds), bone (human and non-human), and shells that were used to create jewelry.
Every morning, I woke up at 4:20 am and got on a bus with all the other students. We went straight to the site and started working right away. The entire team was divided into groups of four, with three students and one supervisor. The archaeological method of digging is very systematic; each group dug a hole that was square-shaped and 4 meters wide, known as a trench. We usually dug five centimeters down at a time across the entire surface of the trench before digging any farther. In each group, the students worked together to break up the compact dirt with a pickaxe, shovel up all the newly-made piles of loose dirt, and sift through that dirt to find artifacts. We also straightened out the walls of the trench, known as balk walls. After the team got back to the hotel and ate lunch, we spent an hour or two washing the artifacts that we dug up. This was done by scrubbing them with a toothbrush and soaking them in water. About three nights per week, we also had a lecture that was given by one of the supervisors. The topics ranged from the entire history of Cyprus to different processes and ethics in archaeology.[/vc_wp_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image=”95649″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1710779963494{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”95650″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1710780038183{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_padding_divider][vc_wp_text]
Every Friday we took a break from digging and went on field trips. During each trip, we visited at least one excavated archaeological site, one museum, and one local beach (except Nicosia). In Nea Paphos, we visited Kissonerga and Lemba, the Paphos museum, and Vardas beach. In Palaepaphos, we visited Prastio and Souskiou, Aphrodite’s temple, and Petra Tou Romeou beach, which is the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite. In Kourion we visited Kolossi, the Kourion museum, and Kourion beach. While in Nicosia we visited the Cyprus Museum, which was the most expansive museum of all.
Every Saturday was a free day for the students to do whatever they wanted. On the first free day, my friends and I went on a cruise, where we saw incredible views on the ocean and swam in the clear blue Mediterranean sea. On another free day, my friends and I hiked up Aphrodite’s trail, revealing the best views of the entire trip. I didn’t make any excursions on my fourth free day. Our fifth free day was spent in Nicosia, the country’s capital. My friends and I explored the city and later celebrated one friend’s birthday at bars and clubs.
On the final day, most students took a final exam; I did not as I didn’t need credit for an Anthropology major, and instead wrote two research essays to get credit for my History major. I left Cyprus on June 25, 2022, ending a wonderful five weeks of excavation and adventure.[/vc_wp_text][vc_single_image image=”95651″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1710780131829{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”95652″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1710780182039{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_padding_divider][vc_wp_text]Noah Barton is a senior at North Carolina State University, double-majoring in International Studies and History and minoring in Latin. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and enjoys history, music, and traveling.
The Archaeological Project’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/makountavoules/[/vc_wp_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_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!
Why is excavating in Hazor such an amazing experience?
Pauline Allaire, 2022 Stevan B. Dana Scholarship for Fieldwork Participation[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]Archaeological excavations are always a significant step in the training of an archaeologist. I already had the opportunity to participate in several excavation campaigns but only in France, that’s why I was very elated to be able to participate in this excavation campaign in Israel, on the famous site of Hazor. This experience was rich and exotic in many ways.
At the beginning of the trip, the first step was to take the plane. It was the first time I had to make a trip with a stopover, it was stressful, but once this step was over, the adventure could really begin. As soon as I arrived in Israel, I chose to observe as much of my surroundings as possible to make the most of my memories. The airport was full of people looking for their loved ones, with huge welcome balloons and various posters of all kinds. The last step of my journey was to get to the kibbutz, the place where we were staying during the search. I had to take the train and the bus for almost three hours. Despite some difficulties in finding my way around, I finally arrived at the place thanks to the help of some very nice Israelis, who really did their best to help me. It was so nice![/vc_wp_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image=”95641″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1710776738379{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_divider][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_padding_divider][vc_wp_text]
Once I arrived at the port, I discovered my living space for the next three weeks. It’s quite different from what you can find in France. The kibbutz is Israeli farming communities where mutual aid is at the heart of life. For example, people who work in the community are housed and fed. The residents can eat together in a large hall. The landscape also surprised me. There are innumerable small hills with evenly spaced trees. Many fruit trees are present, as well as prickly pears. The overall atmosphere is rather desert-like, and it is very hot. Being from the north of France, this was completely different from what I was used to seeing. The animals were also surprising. If I was lucky enough to meet few scorpions and snakes, the countless lizards never ceased to make me smile, climbing trees, running around and sometimes even fighting.
Finally, of course, the archaeological site of Hazor filled my eyes with stars. This is a very special archaeological site. It is one of the largest sites in Israel. It is located north of Lake Tiberias. It can be divided into an “upper city” which is on a tell, a kind of hill, and a “lower city” which is much larger, as is often the case in the Near East, with a total area of about 80 hectares. There are temples, palaces, and administrative buildings. It is an important site essentially for the Bronze and Iron Ages, from 2600 BC to its destruction by the Assyrians in 732 BC. It was identified in 1875. It has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2005. And today it is also a national park.[/vc_wp_text][vc_single_image image=”95642″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1710776429463{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_divider][vc_single_image image=”95643″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1710776465463{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_divider][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_wp_text]It is also a biblical site and is mentioned several times (eighteen times). One of the strata is said to have been built during the reign of Solomon, the prophet and king of Israel in the Bible. The excavation campaign was led by Professor Amnon Ben-Tor, assisted by Igor Kreimerman and Deborah (Deby) Sandhaus. The focus this year was on Area M, which was the supposed entrance to the Bronze Age palace and storage areas. The aim was also to find the stairs of the palace. Although I was used to digging and already knew some of the excavation methods, it was still a learning session. I learned to understand the layering of stratigraphic layers. For example, learning which pavement above which pavement or which walls are from the same period. The best moment to teach my eye to recognise archaeological remains was certainly the reading of ceramics. In the evening, at about 5 p.m., we would meet up with the other excavators from our area, M69 for me, to analyse the ceramics that we had washed in the morning. We had to understand the damaged fragments of pottery to find the type of container and to give a date. The pieces that interested us were the characteristic pieces such as the lips and the hooves if they had seals or marks. The next step was to define the orientation of the lip to find the opening of the container and thus to define its type: jar, crater, cooking pot, etc. Finally, it was necessary to establish a dating, essentially Bronze Age or Iron Age depending on the decoration or the material. This is something that I found very interesting because it allowed us to use our knowledge concretely, and we had to adapt to each little piece that was in front of us. This site was impressive because of the size of the archaeological site, but also because of the discoveries, each one more interesting than the other. I can’t wait for all this to be published.[/vc_wp_text][vc_single_image image=”95644″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1710776634696{padding-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]Finally, one of the last elements that makes this workcamp a rich experience is its international aspect. Indeed, although the workcamp is under the supervision of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, there are students and volunteers of all nationalities. For example, this year I was able to meet American, Swedish, Spanish, and of course Israeli students. This great diversity of cultures is for me one of the strong points of this workcamp. It allows us to compare points of view, to understand each other’s visions and ways of learning. But also, to laugh at each other’s clichés and to learn about new cultures.
It is for all this that I am very grateful to have been able to participate in this experience thanks to the ASOR association and my benefactor Mr. Stevan B. Dana. I would also like to thank my various colleagues on the dig for their good atmosphere and their motivation, as well as the people in charge of the dig for their transmission of knowledge and their patience.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]Pauline Allaire completed her undergraduate degree at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris and is currently studying for a master’s degree in the history and archaeology of the ancient worlds, specialising in Egyptology, at the Université Paul Valery Montpellier 3 (France).
Website: http://www.hazor-excavations.org/[/vc_wp_text][mk_divider][vc_wp_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!
Kissonerga-Skalia: Denise L. Gold Grant Report 2022
2022 marked a return to excavation at Kissonerga-Skalia in western Cyprus after a hiatus of three years due to the pandemic. As you can see in the team photo (figure 1), we were all extremely excited to be back in the field. Many of our student excavators had gone through nearly their entire degrees without having the opportunity to gain practical experience in the field and were keen to learn and take part. We are very grateful to have received a 2022 Denise L. Gold Project Grant to assist with the expenses in the field and to put towards the costs of obtaining radiocarbon dates.
Figure 1: The end of season photo of the Kissonerga-Skalia team.
Kissonerga-Skalia is a Bronze Age settlement located near the coast 10km north of Paphos. It lies adjacent to the Neolithic–Chalcolithic settlement of Kissonerga-Mosphilia, excavated and published by Prof. Eddie Peltenburg in the 1980s–1990s. It appears that during a key period of social transformation between the Chalcolithic and Early Cypriot Bronze Age (c. 2500 BC) the people of Kissonerga abandoned their roundhouses and moved 500m down towards the sea, to establish their village in new fields, along with a new style of rectilinear architecture. The settlement prospered for around 800 years until around the end of the Middle Cypriot Bronze Age (c. 1750 BC) when the domestic structures were built over with a large industrial complex that comprises working areas for grinding, processing and heating materials (including the production of beer), along with wide open spaces with trampled mud plaster floors, partially enclosed by a large curvilinear wall. One area of these industrial facilities is shown in Figure 2, where you can see large grinding stones for processing material and circular pits for holding large storage vessels. This final phase was only in use for a short time before the site was completely abandoned, around 1650 BC, at another key period, the transition to the Late Bronze Age. At this time Cyprus saw another islandwide settlement shift connected to the rise of seaborne trade in the Mediterranean, with new sites established that would eventually become the Late Cypriot towns. This abandonment gives us the opportunity to examine the time during which Cypriot settlements begin to diversify and the first ‘monumental’ structures were created.
Figure 2: View of industrial area P/B2 with grinding installations in top right.
Figure 3: Project archaeobotanist Dr Leilani Lucas showing US Ambassador to Cyprus, Judith Garber, the flotation process during a visit to the site.
Cypriot archaeological sites are notoriously poor in archaeobotanical material, leading to the situation where the transition from the Middle–Late Cypriot Bronze Age is still dated only through relative chronologies. Therefore, one of our aims this season was to retrieve short-lived carbonised remains such as nuts and seeds from secure contexts for radiocarbon dating. We were fortunate that our archaeobotanist, Dr Leillani Lucas (shown in Figure 3), was able to retrieve a lentil and a grape seed! Part of the Denise L. Gold grant funds will be used to date these finds, along with samples retrieved in previous seasons, to help us to pin down the timing of this exciting and dynamic period.
In-Person Component | Boston, November 16-19 Virtual Component | Online, October 19-23
The 2022 ASOR Annual Meeting, once again, had both virtual and in-person components. The virtual component was held online, October 19-23, and the in-person component took place at the Boston Park Plaza, November 16-19.
More than 1,000 people registered for the meeting and more than 600 individuals gave presentations on the 2022 Academic Program. Presenters represented more than 40 countries and 6 continents.
Read on for a summary of each component and click here to see 2022 Honors & Awards that were announced at the Members’ Meeting on November 18th in Boston. If you attended the meeting, please provide important feedback by completing the 2022 Annual Meeting Evaluation.
Megan Cifarelli, Karen Rubinson, and Siavash Samei at the Rubinson Celebration. Not for use without permission.
Virtual Component: Online, October 19-23
Nearly 300 presentations were given as part of ASOR’s virtual component in 65 sessions over five days. Attendees viewed pre-recorded paper presentations ahead of the meeting and engaged in discussion sessions online with the presenters. All of the recorded content from the virtual component of the 2022 ASOR Annual Meeting will be available to registered attendees on ASOR’s Virtual Meeting Platform through June 2023.
In-Person Component: Boston, November 16-19
ASOR welcomed nearly 900 attendees in-person at the Boston Park Plaza. Dr. Solange Ashby opened the meeting on November 16 with her Plenary Address titled, Women of the Sacred South: Nubian Women in the temple and Upon the Throne. The presentation generated a lot of discussion and enthusiasm which continued throughout the evening at the Welcome Reception.
The Academic Program was especially robust with 105 sessions and workshops over three days. More than 500 papers, posters, and workshop presentations were delivered in Boston. ASOR CHI projects brought speakers from Tunisia and Libya to Boston to present in multiple sessions, thanks to State Department Embassy grants, and many participants were able to attend the meeting for the first time thanks to travel fellowships funded by generous donations from our members.
Attendees in Boston enjoyed several receptions and special functions during the meeting, such as a reception hosted by CAARI, the Early Career Scholars Reception, and the Women’s Mentoring Lunch was held again for the first time since before the pandemic. The Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East (HMANE) hosted a private reception for ASOR attendees on Saturday evening after the sessions ended.
ASOR would like to thank everyone who participated and contributed to the success of the 2022 Annual Meeting. We hope that you enjoyed the meeting and will continue to enjoy the photos and the recorded content from the virtual component which will remain online through June 2023.
Please save the dates for ASOR’s 2023 Annual Meeting with a virtual component (October 18-21) and the in-person meeting at the Hilton Chicago (November 15-18). The Call for Member-Organized Session & Workshop Proposals will be open from December 15, 2022 – January 15, 2023.
ASOR held its first-ever hybrid format meeting with both in-person and virtual participation last month, November 15-18, at the Hilton Chicago and online.
More than 1,000 people were registered for the meeting with nearly 800 attending in Chicago. There was an increase in virtual attendance leading up to the Annual Meeting as current conditions in the Middle East impacted many registrants and program participants.
During the opening remarks, ASOR’s Executive Director, Andrew Vaughn, and ASOR President, Sharon Herbert, both mentioned the profound impact of the war in Israel and Gaza on the meeting and for our membership. The absence of many colleagues who had planned to come to Chicago was sorely felt and acknowledged.
While recognizing the challenges related to the situation in the Middle East and the hybrid logistics of the meeting, the meeting offered a way for attendees in Chicago and online to share their research and make meaningful connections. If you attended the 2023 Annual Meeting in Chicago or online, please complete the 2023 Annual Meeting Evaluation to provide valuable feedback that will be considered as we plan for 2024 and beyond.
Read on for a summary of the 2023 Annual Meeting, including features from the academic program, the business schedule, special events, and the 2023 ASOR Honors & Awards.
Attendees gathered to listen to Dr. Rubina Raja's Plenary Address to open up the 2023 Annual Meeting. Not for use without permission.
The 2023 hybrid ASOR Annual Meeting opened on Wednesday, November 15, with the Plenary Address by Dr. Rubina Raja (Aarhus University) titled, Death by Data? Or What Has a Decade of Research on Palmyrene Funerary Sculpture Taught Us about the Ancient World? The presentation generated a lot of discussion and enthusiasm which continued throughout the evening at the Welcome Reception.
The sessions and workshops of the academic program took place Thursday-Saturday, November 16-18, with presenters representing 35 countries and 6 continents. More than 500 presentations were given in Chicago and online as part of 112 sessions and workshops. The Poster Session featured 34 projects shared in Chicago, as well a virtual poster gallery. The recorded content of the Annual Meeting is being edited and will be available to registered attendees via the ASOR Hybrid Meeting Platform from mid-December through July of 2024.
From left; Keri Porter, Cecilia Chisdock, and Megan Nishida present their poster at the Poster Session. Not for use without permission.
Attendees in Chicago enjoyed several special events at the Hilton Chicago and at local museums. Dr. William Parkinson gave a lecture at the Field Museum and offered a walk-through of the new exhibit, First Kings of Europe. Events at the Hilton Chicago included the Women’s Mentoring Lunch, the Early Career Scholars brown-bag lunch panel, and Roundtable Discussions were offered for the first time at ASOR. Receptions were hosted during the event by ASOR, UCLA, and CAARI, as well a celebration in honor of Thomas E. Levy’s festschrift. The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) Museum at the University of Chicago hosted a private reception for ASOR attendees on Saturday evening after the meeting ended.
ASOR would like to thank everyone who participated and contributed to the success of the 2023 Annual Meeting. Please enjoy some of the memorable moments captured in the photo album below, and we hope you will continue to enjoy the recorded content from the meeting through June 2024.
Please mark your calendars for ASOR’s 2024 Hybrid Annual Meeting at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza and online, November 20–23. The Call for Member-Organized Session & Workshop proposals will be open from December 15, 2023–January 15, 2024.
Nathan Lovejoy, 2022 Steinmetz Scholarship for Active/Reserve Military or Veterans Recipient
This year, thanks to the generosity of Charles Steinmetz and the help of ASOR, I was able to return to the excavations at Kınık Höyük in Niğde province, Turkey after two years missed due to the pandemic and the birth of my first child. Unfortunately, this season was also shortened by delays in acquiring our excavation permit and research visas, but even so, it was wonderful to be back on the site and at the dig house, and back with friends and colleagues that I hadn’t seen in such a long time. Not to mention, back to such a wonderful morning view before heading to the field.
A lovely morning sunrise at Kınık Höyük.
Nathan holding the fragmentary bronze bowl.
My work this year focused on continued excavations in a Late Iron Age room (ca. 7th-6th c. BCE), which I began to expose in 2017. This entailed excavating a Late Hellenistic occupation layer and Achaemenid period deposits – about two meters of earth – before secure Iron Age contexts were reached. While most of these intervening layers lack a well-defined context, they did produce several interesting finds. One such discovery was a crushed and fragmentary, but mostly complete, bronze bowl found resting on a loosely structured external surface of beaten earth. The bowl awaits restoration to allow for further analysis, but we were quite happy for the discovery in the field.
As for the Late Iron Age room itself, we opened a southern extension of the previously excavated space hoping to better understand its connection with adjacent rooms. The space is particularly interesting in its final phase of use (or perhaps disuse?), when it served as the locus for a midden heap rich in anthropic materials – the collection of these materials has become even more urgent in the last year, as the robust ceramic assemblage is now the focus of PhD research of a colleague at the University of Pavia, Italy. Additionally noteworthy are the peculiar faunal assemblage suggestive of ritual activity in the vicinity – presented at ASOR 2021 – and the recent identification of bone horse bridles, of which we have three – so at least definitely more than a single pair! The new materials collected this year require further analysis before any conclusions can be made, but from impressions made in the field, they appear consistent with past discoveries. One entirely new discovery from the room in the same period as the midden heap was a well-structured oven composed of stones, mud-bricks, and large ceramic sherds – apparently debris collected for reuse. The chamber of the oven sloped downwards to allow for heating without direct exposure to the fire, and the innermost part of the chamber was entirely full of burnt ashy remains of the fuel used for cooking.
A Late Iron Age oven composed of stone, mud-brick, and ceramic sherds.
In all, the season felt way too short, but we all made the best of the time we had. Materials still need to be studied, and more excavations will be needed next year, but the campaign still feels like a success. And in the end, even if we hadn’t been able to put a single trowel to the earth, the renewed collegiality and rekindled friendships with scholars and students from across the globe would have made the short season worth every effort anyway. Thanks again to ASOR, Charles Steinmetz, and the Universities of New York, Pavia, and Florence for facilitating my research and participation in the excavations of Kınık Höyük this year.
Nathan Lovejoy is in the final year of his PhD at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, where he is writing a dissertation on institutional change and identity maintenance in the northeast Mediterranean during the Iron Age. He is a US Army veteran, a father to his amazing son Arthur, and husband to his ever-supportive wife Maggie.
Want to help more students and early career archaeologists get into the field? Donate to the cause today by selecting “Student Support” as your gift purpose!
A Children’s Book, A Local History Book, Summer Camps, and a Maintenance Agreement: An Update on the Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Endowment, 2022
In 2020 Andrews University partnered with the American Society of Overseas Research to establish the Lawrence T. Geraty Endowment to foster and serve as an accelerant for the development of know-how and innovative approaches for local community engagement with the custody and care of archaeological sites. The first distribution from the endowment happened in 2021 (read the 2021 report here). A second distribution from the endowment took place this past summer, and here is a brief update on how the funds were spent.
Karam and Hesban is the English translation of a children’s book in Arabic about Hisban authored by Rasha Dababneh and illustrated by Safa Abudoush. The book, which was published in 2021, tells the story of a little boy, Karam, who visits Hisban and while there, meets a local shepherdess, who becomes his guide while also grazing her sheep on the slopes of the tell. The project of producing the book was initiated and supervised by the writer and AlRaqeem, with funding provided in part by the ASOR Geraty Endowment. Copies of the book have been distributed for free to children living in Hisban. The book is part of the book series “Discover Jordan with Karam.” The sale of the book in local bookstores supports the protection of the site.
Husban Culture and Heritage is a local history book authored by Abdullah Abdulazeese Al-Masha’lah. It was published in 2022 in Arabic and English and offers a local account of the agricultural know-how, crafts, and wisdom of past generations of the contemporary Ajarmah families of Hisban. The book also offers a local perspective on archaeological discoveries at the site. As with the above-mentioned children’s book, the project of producing the book was initiated and supervised by the writer and AlRaqeem, with funding provided in part by the ASOR Geraty Endowment. The book has been distributed for free to local residents and is available for purchase in local bookstores.
Another archaeology summer camp for Hisban community children and others was organized and supervised on the hill of Hisban by our Sela/AlRaqeem. The leader was Amr Awawdah, a teacher in the local schools who also is a veteran of more than two decades of excavations at Hisban. Activities for the children—most of whom are elementary level–include learning about stratigraphy, pottery, excavation techniques, and documentation. A capstone activity is a play produced by the children that tell a story that ties in some way to the history of the site . Funding for these camps was provided by the Geraty Endowment.
A Memorandum of Understanding between Andrews University and the Department of Antiquities represents a major milestone on the road toward a sustainable future for the Hisban Archaeological Park. The agreement commits our team to provide funding for an archaeologist to supervise four local workers for 12 weeks spread throughout each of the next three years: 2 weeks in November, 2 in February, 4 in May, 2 in July, and 2 in September. The salary of the archaeologist supervisor will be paid by the Geraty Endowment, while the local workmen’s salaries will be paid by the Department of Antiquities. The overall arrangement and work will be supervised by AlRaqeem and will provide proof of concept for such a partnership involving a foreign university and the Department of Antiquities. The agreement, which was signed in June 2022, also allows time for raising funds to sustain the arrangement into the future.
We are excited about the many ways in which the ASOR Geraty Endowment is proving to be a powerful accelerant for learning about ways to engage host communities as partners in caring for archaeological sites such as Hisban in Jordan. You can help sustain and further grow the impact of the Endowment by selecting “Geraty Endowment Fund” from the drop-down menu at the following link.
2022 Shepard Urgent Action Grant Report: Conservation of the Roman Bath House in Petra, Jordan
ASOR Editorial Note: The ASOR Team is pleased to share a report from a Shepard Urgent Action Grant awarded to Sela for Training and Protection of Heritage for repairs and conservation work to the Roman bath house at Petra, Jordan. These grants are intended to provide emergency funds to carry out critical stabilization, excavation, or documentation projects. Because time is of the essence with these proposals, funds for the grants can be disbursed 4-6 weeks after an application is received. The mortar, wall plaster, and structures themselves within many of the rooms of the bath house were in need of emergency consolidation and restoration after many years of continued exposure to the elements as well as vandalization of standing structures.
The Bath house was built between 106 AD and 113/114 AD and represents one of the first Roman interventions aiming at the “Romanization” of Petra after the annexation in 106 AD. It stayed in use for over four centuries before being abandoned after the 551 AD earthquake. It is unique for its small size and elegant structure and its architectural features combining the mastery of Nabatean water engineering with the Roman Pompeian bathhouse style. With its 22 rectangular and square rooms with a row of windowed parallel rectangular rooms overlooking the palaestra to the west, this balneum covers an area of almost 1000 sqm.
An overhead view of the Roman Bath house in Petra (Photo credit: Mohammad Albdoul).
The grant supported the work of a senior conservator, Dr. Fatma Marii, and a conservation technician, Ms. Nesreen Albdoul and involved interventions aiming at: (a) the emergency conservation of the standing structures (Cleaning – Salt removal – Mortar repair); (b) the consolidation of the wall plaster and the stone pavements (repair of detached plaster from the walls and stone slabs from the pavements); (c) anastylosis of the vandalized structures of the calidarium.
Map of the Roman Bath house (Source: Joukousky, M. (2009) – Surprises at the Great Temple: A retrospective in Studies on the History and Archaeology of Jordan X, 2009 – pp. 291-311)
The monument was documented in 2021 and a preliminary assessment was conducted in November 2021 and again in February 2022. In May 2022 after the awarding of the Shepard Grant a new assessment was conducted to determine the emergency interventions to prioritize for the preservation of the monument. The following interventions were identified:
Vestibule (B): This room presents bricks in a fragile state of conservation in need of consolidation. The mortar presented several horizontal and vertical cracks and required consolidation and repair.
Caldarium (C): This room presents several extremely deteriorated bricks. Walls needed salt removal and mortar consolidation and repair. After the assessment, it was concluded that anastylosis of vandalized structures was not appropriate since most of the collapsed structures were the result of previous interventions of reconstruction occurred in the 90s. All fragments from the original structure were numbered, removed, cleaned, consolidated and arranged in Room F for future interventions.
Loutron (D): The floor mortar of this room is made of lime-based mortar and required cleaning.
Vestibule (E): The mortar of the Eastern wall was extremely fragile and needed cleaning and consolidation.
Praefurnium (F): Mortar on the doorway between Room F and Room C required consolidation.
Service Passage (G): This small corridor on the eastern side of the bath presents plaster remains on the Eastern wall that needed consolidation and reinforcement.
Vestibule (H): The room presented several plaster remains in need of cleaning, consolidation and reinforcement.
Caldarium (I): The caldarium presented mortar in extremely fragile conditions that needed consolidation and repair.
Tepidarium (J): The Southern wall presents some plaster fragments and mortar relatively stable condition. The plaster needed cleaning and surface consolidation.
Ornamental Pool (L): The room presented plaster fragments on the Southern wall in need of reinforcement and consolidation. There are traces of copper alloy hangers on the Northern and Southern walls.
Vestibule (M): Plaster and mortar remains in the niches needed cleaning, reinforcement, consolidation, and repair.
The vestibule (M) before cleaning and repair of the mortar.
The vestibule (M) after cleaning and repair of the mortar.
Frigidarium (N): The walls presented plaster remains in fragile, but stable conditions that needed cleaning, reinforcement, and consolidation. Mortar both on the walls and on the pavement bedding needed cleaning and consolidation.
Small Cistern (P): The thick plaster lining the walls of the cistern needed reinforcement and consolidation.
Bathroom (Q): Plaster fragments in the niche of the Eastern wall required cleaning, reinforcement, and consolidation. The niche wall behind the plaster required mortar repair.
Anteroom (R): Plaster fragments on the Western and Southern walls required reinforcement and consolidation. Before proceeding with the interventions on the plaster, the Western wall required cleaning and consolidation.
Apodyterium (S): Plaster fragments at the corners of the southern wall needed reinforcement and consolidation. The walls needed mortar repair.
Well (T): A plaster fragment at the east corner of the southern east corner and one on the north niche needed reinforcement and consolidation. There are remains of lead alloy at the bottom of the water channel.
Colonnaded Corridor (U): There is a broken stone at the floor (a step), as well there is a fallen mortar require cleaning and consolidation. At the northern wall corner there are missing stones and broken, that the wall requires to be reconstructed.
Palaestra (W): On the eastern wall of this room the plaster is red painted. The plaster and the painting appeared stable. It required cleaning and reinforcement.
Plaster in the well (T) before repair and consolidation.
Plaster in the well (T) after repair and consolidation.
1. Emergency conservation of the standing structures
Standing walls are made of sandstone cut blocks, mostly affected by granular disintegration and erosion (caused by wind and rainfall). The standing walls were cleaned, salts efflorescence was removed and the surface was consolidated by spraying a protein based consolidant (calcium caseinate) in order to slow down and minimize the deterioration process. The choice of calcium caseinate as consolidant is crucial for the sustainability of the intervention since chemical and water based consolidants are not available in Jordan. Calcium caseinate can be locally produced and therefore sustainable for future interventions.
The original lime mortar has disintegrated and crumbled. Mortar consolidation and repair were implemented using calcium caseinate for consolidation and a lime-based mortar made of slaked lime, limestone powder and basalt powder (to increase water resistance) and crushed granite (to make the mortar recognizable as modern) for mortar repairs.
Mortar remains were mechanically cleaned using brushes and wooden sticks, and then using brushes and water. Mortar was consolidated either by spraying a filtered solution of water and calcium caseinate or by injecting a solution of water and acrylic emulsion.
Gaps and cracks in the mortar were filled using a mixture of 1 part of slaked lime, 0.5 parts of acrylic emulsion, 1 part of yellow sand and 1.5 parts of basalt powder.
The mortar mixture used for mortar repairs was made of 1 part of lime, 1 part of stone powder, 0.5 parts of crushed granite and 1.5 parts of basalt powder. All materials used in the mortar are locally available and easy to procure for future maintenance interventions.
Working hard to restore the mortar of the court (V).
The caldarium (C) before consolidation and repair of the mortar.
Repairing the mortar of the caldarium (C).
2. Consolidation of wall plaster and stone pavements
Several rooms presented remains of plaster and mortar pavement beddings.
The main process for conserving the plaster fragments and the mortar beddings involved:
Mechanical cleaning of accumulated soil and other materials on the plaster surface and edges using soft brushes, toothbrushes, toothpicks, wooden stick, and blower.
Chemical cleaning using water, distilled water, and ethanol (as needed) with sponges, brushes, toothpicks, or sprayers.
Filling the gaps and reinforcement of the edges using a mixture of 1 part of yellow sand, 1 part of slaked lime, 0.25 parts of acrylic emulsion (Primal), and 0.25 parts of water. Wet clothes or burlap were used to keep it wet during hot hours to assure a slow hardening process.
Consolidation was implemented either using a filtered solution of water and acrylic emulsion applied with syringes or spraying a solution of water and calcium caseinate.
Stone surfaces were cleaned and consolidated with calcium caseinate.
-Maria Elena Ronza, Vice President, Sela for Training and Protection of Heritage
The corner of the frigidarium (N) in the midst of repairs.
The same corner of the frigidarium (N) with its wall plaster now repaired.
