ASOR

Mark your calendars and get your sneakers ready to support archaeology education for all!

Join Archaeology in the Community (AITC) in Rock Creek Park on Sunday, October 1st to break a sweat while fundraising for accessible public archaeology education programs.

Details:
When: October 1 at 8:00-9:30 AM

Where: Starting and finishing at Picnic Grove #24 by Carter Barron Amphitheater Parking Lot

This is a short, non-competitive, out-and-back fun run/walk (only 2K, a little over 1 mile) in the beautiful setting of DC's largest National Park. There are multiple ways to take part:

Run/Walk!: You can register to participate as an individual or a team (2+ participants).

Fundraise!: If you are registered to participate, you can also create your own page to fundraise for AITC. Let others know that they can support archaeology education through you.

Donate!: You can support AITC's educational programs by donating directly or supporting a specific participant.

Support!: Even if you aren't participating, you can turn out to cheer on the runners and walkers. While you're there, learn about the archaeology and history of Rock Creek Park.

Share!: Help spread the word by letting others know about our event. There is a PDF flyer and a social media graphic attached here. You can also share posts from AITC's Facebook or Twitter.

Have you ever wondered about who invented the alphabet?

Tune in to Seth Sanders presentation on Thursday August 31, at 3:00pm EDT to hear new evidence about the origins of the alphabet.

Register today:

"Who Really Invented the Alphabet?" Webinar Friends of ASOR Webinar - Prof. Seth Sanders and his topic: "Who Really Invented the Alphabet" on August 31, at 3:00 pm EDT.

ARCE will be giving a free Metadata and Digitization workshop next month!

Led by ARCE’s diligent staff, this workshop is meant to impart an accessible and practical introduction to digital archiving and preservation. It mainly aims to provide participants with the toolkit necessary to create their own digital archiving project and contribute to the development of an open-access community aimed at the preservation of cultural heritage.

Attendees are not required to bring any equipment, but if they have access to a digital/professional camera or a phone with a good quality camera, they are encouraged to bring them as they will be used.

Do not miss this opportunity, and sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0JRD57iPBY5JXZCdWdVJ4e25ET5aGltdy6d5-QSEXjtMpvg/viewform

Who really invented the alphabet? Although we are still uncertain about precisely where the world’s most influential communication system came from, we know more than we did 20 years ago. Read up on this week's issue of the Ancient Near East, Today for Seth Sanders' perspective: https://buff.ly/3OLl8Zn

The presentation schedule is now out for “Archaeology in the Mediterranean and Ancient Near East: Recent Discoveries and Retrospectives” a Friends of ASOR Weekend Seminar in Raleigh-Durham, NC.
Register through the Online Portal, and book your discounted room rate today!
Click the link to register: https://buff.ly/3KicPmg

ASOR Awards are an excellent way to recognize a colleague for their contributions to the field, to ASOR or one of its affiliated research centers (AIAR, ACOR, and CAARI). Awardees will be recognized during the Members' Meeting at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Chicago. All are invited to nominate colleagues who they feel are deserving of recognition. The deadline is September 8th and more information on the awards can be found here:

ASOR’S HONORS & AWARDS Honors and awards for ASOR members; American Society of Overseas Research honors and awards; membership service awards; ASOR Board awards

What can we learn when we involve local communities in the study and preservation of archaeological sites? In Dougga, legends surrounding a Muslim saint have connected generations of people living there to the site’s pre-Islamic past.

Read "Local Communities and Archaeological Sites: A Case Study at Dougga in Tunisia" by John Whitehouse and Sami Harize in this week's issue of the Ancient Near East Today:

Local Communities and Archaeological Sites: A Case Study at Dougga in Tunisia What can we learn when we involve local communities in the study and preservation of archaeological sites? In Dougga, legends surrounding a Muslim saint have connected generations of people living there to the site’s pre-Islamic past.

ASOR is excited to announce the first webinar of our 2023-2024 FOA Webinar Season!

Join Prof. Seth Sanders on Thursday, August 31 at 3:00pm EST as he presents "Who Really Invented the Alphabet?"

Who really invented the alphabet? Despite its vast influence, we are still uncertain about precisely where the world’s most influential communication system came from.

Learn more and register for the webinar here:

"Who Really Invented the Alphabet?" Webinar Friends of ASOR Webinar - Prof. Seth Sanders and his topic: "Who Really Invented the Alphabet" on August 31, at 3:00 pm EDT.

ASOR is now on TikTok! Thanks to the Virtual Archaeology Initiative of the Membership & Outreach Committee, ASOR has launched a TikTok account to provide a virtual window into the fieldwork experience through the eyes of students who received fieldwork scholarships this year. Learn more and follow us at https://buff.ly/45tjBhn.

Calling all students: ASOR is pleased to offer Student Travel Grants for students at ASOR Institutional Member Schools.These $250 grants are designed to help offset the cost of travel and accommodation for students attending the Annual Meeting in Chicago this year. Applying for a travel grant is simple and can be done via email. The deadline to apply this year is August 28, 2023. Read more and apply here: http://asor.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT05MDM3MTEyJnA9MSZ1PTkxMzE0MzEzMyZsaT04MTU5NjIyMw/index.html

ASOR is hiring interns for the fall semester to work at our Alexandria, VA office. Learn more about these compensated, part-time internships here:

ASOR Fall Internships The American Society of Overseas Research in Alexandria, VA is seeking part-time interns to start in September 2022.

Ceremonial standards feature prominently in the iconography of early Mesopotamia. What do these depictions tell us about how such standards looked and functioned? In this week's Ancient Near East Today, Renate van Dijk-Coombes reveals the visual history of these artifacts. Read more at https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/08/ceremonial-standards-early-mesopotamia

A 2023 Shepard Urgent Action Grant funded rescue excavations at Cham Pashaya II (Kurdistan Region of Iraq), a cemetery which dates to the first half of the third millennium BC. As the waters of the Mosul Dam lake recede, the site, which is usually underwater, is exposed and threatened by looting and vandalism. The Shepard Grant funded a three-week project led by a team from the University of Palermo in collaboration with the Duhok Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage. The team was able to excavate a number of graves and document the site's preservation before water levels rose and the site was submerged again. ReLand - Resurfacing Landscapes: Mosul Dam Archaeological Project

2023 Shepard Urgent Action Grant: Rescue Operations at the Site of Cham Pashaya II A 2023 Shepard Urgent Action Grant funded excavations at the cemetery of Cham Pashaya II (Iraq), a site exposed by the receding waters of the Mosul Dam lake and threatened by looting and vandalism.

In May 2023, ASOR partner Safouane Tlili had his first chance to participate in the pilgrimage associated with the Jewish Lag B’Omer Festival that is held annually at the Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia. The next day, Tlili joined an ASOR delegation and partners from all over Tunisia to visit a Jewish family in their home—the first opportunity in Tlili’s life to do so. These types of encounters seldom happen in Djerba, which Tlili describes in detail in this article:

First Visit to a Djerbian Jewish Home—Lasting Impressions ASOR partner Safouane Tlili describes how his understanding of the Djerbian (Tunisia) Jewish community expanded through cooperative GIS documentation work.

ASOR and Archaeology in the Community are pleased to present our Ancient Nubia educational resources designed for middle school students. Teachers, as you prepare for the upcoming school year, please remember these resources, and feel free to share! Learn more at https://buff.ly/3OGJKDy.

Ancient Nubia Educational Resources Archaeology in the Community and ASOR partnered with scholars of Ancient Nubia to produce a video series and lesson plans that can be used by educators to teach students about Nubian civilization.

Before the collapse of the Bronze Age, intellectuals across the Near East used the same system of writing. After the Dark Age, a variety of scripts emerged. What happened and why? Marc Van De Mieroop tells us all about it in this week's addition of The Ancient Near East Today:

Before and After Babel Before the collapse of the Bronze Age, intellectuals across the Near East used the same system of writing. After the Dark Age, a variety of scripts emerged. What happened and why?

This year's edition of the Journal for Cuneiform Studies is now available! Use your ASOR membership to check out brand-new content for 2023, covering a new Old Babylonian date list, the abandonment of Nippur, Ancient Near East masculinities, and so much more. Follow this link to start reading: https://buff.ly/3QiuQop

Registration is now open for “Archaeology in the Mediterranean and Ancient Near East: Recent Discoveries and Retrospectives” a Friends of ASOR Weekend Seminar in Raleigh-Durham, NC.

Register through the Online Portal, and book your discounted room rate today!

Link to Registration: https://buff.ly/3KicPmg

The deadline for ASOR members to submit paper proposals for ASOR's hybrid Annual Meeting is TOMORROW, AUGUST 1! Poster abstracts of 250 words or less may be submitted via the online Poster Proposal Form. View this link to read the Call for Posters and learn more about the 2023 Poster Session and the guidelines for participating before you submit your abstract:

2023 ASOR Poster Session The 2023 Poster Session will be held as part of ASOR's hybrid Annual Meeting, November 15-18, in Chicago and online. August 1 is the deadline to submit poster proposals.

The concept of “heartbreak” appears multiple times in cuneiform texts as a metaphor to describe both mental and physical conditions. How should we interpret this phrase? And is it anything like heartbreak today? Read this week's Ancient Near East Today article, "Heartbreak and the History of Distress in Ancient Mesopotamia" by Moudhy Al-Rashid:

Heartbreak and the History of Distress in Ancient Mesopotamia The concept of “heartbreak” appears multiple times in cuneiform texts as a metaphor to describe both mental and physical conditions. How should we interpret this phrase? And is it anything like heartbreak today?

Exciting news! The J. Paul Getty Museum is now accepting applications for the 2024–2025 Getty Scholars Program at the Villa. This year, the theme is "Anatolia – The Classical World in Context." The Getty Scholars Program at the Villa will examine relations between the Greek cities of western Asia Minor and Anatolian civilizations from the 2nd millennium to the Roman Imperial period.

The 2024–2025 Getty Scholars Program at the Villa continues a two-year initiative on the interconnectivities that conditioned relations between Anatolian cultures and their Greek neighbors, and the consequent impact on the wider Mediterranean. Priority will be given to research projects that explore multidisciplinary approaches to art and material culture, texts, and other sources. Applications for residential scholar grants and postdoctoral fellowships are due on 2 October 2023. Find more information and the application here: https://www.getty.edu/projects/villa-scholars-program/

Check out the latest outreach event organized by ASOR's partners in Morocco:

What led to the success and dominance of the Assyrian Empire in the Iron Age? Bleda Düring argues we must look back to its beginning in the Bronze Age. Learn more in this week's edition of the Ancient Near East Today: https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/07/rise-of-assyria-reassessment

In celebration of ASOR's continued collaboration with partners in North Africa, ASOR organized a Tunisian implementation tour from April 28 – May 10, 2023. Many Tunisian partners who have played prominent roles in the project's success met with ASOR leaders and CHI staff. The tour also provided an excellent opportunity for in-person training our new partners from Burkina Faso and Niger, building on virtual training that they received before the trip. Read more at:
https://www.asor.org/chi/updates/2023/07/tunisia-2023-trip

Happy Friday! In this week's edition of the Ancient Near East Today, new editor Jessica Nitschke says hello and talks about what lies ahead for the publication. Read more at: https://buff.ly/3PXHRn8

ASOR invites members to submit poster proposals for in-person or virtual presentation as part of ASOR’s hybrid Annual Meeting taking place in Chicago and online, November 15-18, 2023. Poster abstracts of 250 words or less may be submitted via the online Poster Proposal Form between now and August 1. Read the Call for Posters to learn more about the 2023 Poster Session and the guidelines for participating before you submit your abstract. https://buff.ly/3p0qR4b

During the summer of 2022, Anna Luurtsema joined the project "A Multi-Survey Exploration of Residences near Tell el-Hesi, Israel." The survey focused on the people living during the Bronze Age around Tell el-Hesi, and utitilized GPR, magnetometry, and pedestrian survey. At the time, Luurtsema was an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan with interests in zooarchaeology, human mobility, and the origin of agriculture. Read "A Day in the Life on an Archaeological Survey Project" here:

A Day in the Life on an Archaeological Survey Project by Anna Luurtsema Anna Luurtsema received an ASOR fieldwork scholarship to work at Tell el-Hesi, Israel.

Save the date for “Archaeology in the Mediterranean and Ancient Near East: Recent Discoveries and Retrospectives” a Friends of ASOR Weekend Seminar in Raleigh, Oct. 20-22. Speakers, meals, and events galore! Learn more at https://buff.ly/3JK5Gec

In this week's issue of the Ancient Near East Today, Raha Rafii brings us "Digitizing Manuscripts from Southwest Asia: Access, Ethics, and Sustainability," which speaks to the importance of the digitization of manuscripts. This process is widely seen as a valuable way to preserve documents and democratize access. But do digitized manuscripts actually increase access for all potential users? And is digitization as permanent and sustainable as people assume?

Learn more at https://buff.ly/44bienh.

Exhibit, advertise, sponsor and save by making arrangements to be a part of ASOR’s 2023 Hybrid Annual Meeting today! The 2023 ASOR Annual Meeting will take place November 15-18 at the Hilton Chicago and online via Zoom. Sponsors and exhibitors will enjoy numerous opportunities to interact with 1,000+ meeting attendees from around the world. Learn more here and save 5% by placing your order before August 1: https://www.asor.org/am/2023/exhibit-sponsor-advertise-2023

Friends of ASOR’s first-ever member tour to Israel and the Palestinian Territories took place earlier this year. Martine van den Berg tells us all about it this week in the Ancient Near East Today: https://buff.ly/46vTjfJ

A new edition of Near Eastern Archaeology is available! Use your ASOR membership to check out brand-new content for June 2023, covering Nemrik culture archaeological expeditions in Turkey, Parthian human bone remains in Iran, and so much more. View the link below to start reading:

Near Eastern Archaeology Table of Contents 86.2 (2023) This issue of NEA includes articles such as: A Review of Nemrik Culture Following Findings in the Southeast Area at Boncuklu Tarla during the 2020 Excavation Season: (Upper Tigris Valley, Mardin, Turkey);A Unique Painted Sherd from the Mid-Sixth Millennium BCE Neolithic Context of Northeastern Iran;...

A PhD student at Texas State University, Krysten Cruz was part of the Ayioi Omoloyites Bioarchaeology Project in 2022 thanks to a Shirlee Meyers-G. Ernest Wright Fieldwork Scholarship. The project focused on studying remains from rock-cut tombs near Nicosia, Cyprus that were excavated as part of a salvage effort. Cruz is particularly interested in skeletal lesions and the evidence they provide from disease and/or particular lifestyles. Read more about Cruz's research and Ayioi Omoloyites here: https://buff.ly/3XpeEDf

Many consider the Book of Esther to be a kind of historical novel with limited historical value. But its independence from the Classical sources makes the text more important for the study of Achaemenian history than traditionally assumed.

Check out this week's issue of the Ancient Near East Today, featuring "The Book of Esther as a Source for Achaemenian History" by Morteza Arabzadeh Sarbanani.

The Book of Esther as a Source for Achaemenian History Many consider the Book of Esther to be a kind of historical novel with limited historical value. But its independence from the Classical sources makes the text more important for the study of Achaemenian history than traditionally assumed.

There's still time to purchase the most recent ASOR Archaeological Reports Series volume at a discounted price for ASOR members. Mark W. Meehl's Taanach II looks at the site's Iron Age stratigraphy, area by area, and period by period. Meehl examines the field notes, plans, and photographs from the excavations done by Paul Lapp's team in the 1960s and also draws on Walter Rast's work with the Iron Age pottery. Find out more at the link below!

ARS 29: Taanach II - American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) ARS29 ; Archaeological Reports ; Taanach II ; Iron Age ; Stratigraphy ; Ceramic Chronology ; ASOR books ; Mark Meehl

Who were the workers who carried out excavations in the “big dig” era of early 20th-century Palestine? A recent online exhibition by the Badè Museum brings these oft-overlooked archaeologists into the light.

Read "Archaeological Laborers of 20th-Century Palestine" by Melissa Cradic in the week's issue of the Ancient Near East Today:

Archaeological Laborers of 20th-century Palestine Who were the workers who carried out excavations in the “big dig” era of early 20th-century Palestine? A recent online exhibition by the Badè Museum brings these oft-overlooked archaeologists into the light.

Khaled Abu Jayyab (University of Toronto) received a 2022/2023 Mesopotamian Fellowship to conduct a survey of the Tepe Garwa Lower Town located in the Ninawa Plain, Iraq. Tepe Garwa, a significant site for the development of complexity during the Ubaid and Late Chalcolithic, has evidence of highly specialized activities related to trade, craft production, and administration. Abu Jayyab's research combined remote sensing and field walking to gain a clearer understanding of the site, its occupation history, and to document the state of preservation. The project also focused on fostering ties with local institutes and communities.

2022/2023 Mesopotamian Fellowship Report: Preliminary Report on the Tepe Gawra Lower Town Survey Khaled Abu Jayyab, a recipient of a 2022/2023 ASOR Mesopotamian Fellowship, provides a preliminary report on the Tepe Gawra Lower Town Survey

Congratulations to the 2023 project grant and research fellowship awardees. This year's awardees will be conducting fieldwork in Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey. ASOR's grants and fellowships programs continue to grow with the addition of the Dar Ben Gacem Research Fellowship in Tunisia and the Stevan B. Dana Project Grant for Israel this year. Jaafar Jotheri Helen Dixon The Center for Near Eastern Archaeology Mission archéologique de Kach Kouch

2023 Grant & Fellowship Awardees - American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) Congratulations to the recipients of 2023 ASOR Project Grants and Research Fellowships!

Who Invented Idolatry? by Daniel Barbur

The rise of Christianity brought with it the enduring concept of ‘idolatry’. Where did this concept come from and how has it influenced Western explorations into comparative religion?

Read this week's article from The Ancient Near East Today:

Who Invented Idolatry? The rise of Christianity brought with it the enduring concept of ‘idolatry’. Where did this concept come from and how has it influenced Western explorations into comparative religion?

CHI Update: Documenting Pluralistic Heritage in Tunisia

Safouane Tlili, Senior Technician for Carthagina and ASOR implementing partner in Tunisia, finds connections to pluralistic societies in Djerba through documenting Ibadi multi-use architecture, urban planning, and defense strategies. Tlili and other ASOR implementing partners collected photographs of religious landmarks (Ibadi, Jewish, Christian, and Amazigh), to create a photographic exhibition. This exhibition coincided with an annual Jewish pilgrimage to Djerba to celebrate the Lag B’Omer Festival. https://buff.ly/3P1nV2m