News and Events

18 October 2026 We are pleased to announce the 2026 Professor Thomas W. Davis Annual Lecture: “The First Agricultural Communities in the Levant” by Prof. Dr. Ali Sharif Amrir. Prof. Amrir is vice president for scientific research and postgraduate studies at Al Furat University, Deir ez-Zor, the Syrian Arab Republic. The lecture will be given

10 October 2026 “The world recently lost Dr. Pierre Bikai, meaning that the American Center of Research (ACOR) lost one of its exceptional former directors. Pierre served as director from 1991 to 2006, some 20 years ago, and his time at ACOR needs to be remembered and applauded.” Read more….

21 September 2026 ACOR Newsletter 38.1 has just been published and is available for download. If you are expecting the print edition, it will arrive in your mailbox soon. In this issue, you will learn about: Have you missed a back issue? Check our entire catalog of newsletters and “newzettes” going back to ACOR Newsletter

15 September 2026 “The Church of Sts. Lot and Procopius sits on the acropolis of ancient Khirbet al-Mukhayyat, overlooking the Dead Sea. Its 6th-century mosaic pavement is one of the best preserved in the region, covering the nave floor with the motifs typical of late antique Jordan: hunters and shepherds, vine scrolls filled with birds

9 September 2026 A new lecture video is available on our YouTube channel: “New Technologies for the Presentation of Cultural Heritage Environments in Education” by Dr. Lama Khaled Maabreh. In her lecture, Dr. Lama Khaled Maabreh explored how technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), 360-degree panoramic photography, 3D modeling, 2D interactive maps,

30 August 2026 Volume 5 of our biennial open-access journal Archaeology in Jordan is now available. From the introduction: The editors of Archaeology in Jordan 5 are pleased to present a new volume of recent project summaries, which cover excavation and related projects during the period of January 2024 through December 2025. Despite continued strife in the

26 August 2026 Dr. Lama Khaled Maabreh will deliver her lecture “New Technologies for the Presentation of Cultural Heritage Environments in Education” at ACOR on September 8, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Amman time (11 a.m. EDT), and via livestream. In it, she will explore how technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), 360-degree

15 September 2026 It is with regret that we must share news that Prof. James R. Wiseman, Founder’s Professor Emeritus of archaeology and professor emeritus of art history and classical studies at Boston University, passed away on August 12, 2026. One of ACOR’s trustees from 1996 to 2017 and thereafter a trustee emeritus, Jim Wiseman

14 August 2026 We have published a new essay on our blog, Insights: “Mapping the Past with Tools of Today: Survey Technology at Kallirhoe” by Matthew Vincent: “How many times have we heard that story that starts with “When I first started, we did this, or that, or the other”? Well, this is another. Such

12 August 2026 We are saddened to announce news of the passing of Dr. Konstantinos D. Politis. Dr. Politis, an archaeologist specializing in the early Byzantine/Christian and early Islamic periods, co-founded the Hellenic Society for Near Eastern Studies and proposed and co-developed the Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth. Known to all as “Dino,”