Congratulations to all of the former ACOR fellows whose papers were accepted to the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR), to be held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Hilton Chicago November 17–20, 2021, and online December 9–12, 2021.
In Chicago, there will be a session in honor of the late Bert de Vries and his wife Sally for their many years of dedication to the field—and to ACOR, which he served as director from 1988 to 1991 and as a longtime member of the board of trustees. “Archaeology, Community, and Mentorship: Celebrating the Legacy of Bert and Sally de Vries” will be co-chaired by Elizabeth Osinga (Umm el-Jimal Project) and Darrell J. Rohl (Calvin University). Bert and Sally’s daughter, ACOR trustee Jenna de Vries Morton, is giving a paper, “Artifact vs. Conflict: A Human Narrative in Umm al-Jimal,” in the session “Cultural Heritage: Preservation, Presentation, and Management II.”
Several other members of ACOR’s board of trustees are likewise presenting or chairing at the in-person meeting.
Pearce Paul Creasman (ACOR executive director) will co-chair the “Archaeology of the Near East: Bronze and Iron Ages” session.
Thomas Davis (Lipscomb University) will serve as a panelist in the “Levantine Entanglements: Cultural Productions, Long-term Changes and Globalizations in the Eastern Mediterranean” workshop.
Morag M. Kersel (2006–2007 and 2013–2014 CAORC fellowships; De Paul University) will deliver the plenary address, “Living with Legacies: ASOR Archaeo-activism and a Future for 21st Century Archaeology,” as well as present “Annexed Artifacts: Bias in the Public Display of Objects from the ‘Holy Land’” and “’Something from the Time of Jesus:’ Tourists, Souvenirs, and Buying the Holy Land.”
Øystein LaBianca (1980–1981 CAORC fellowship, 1989–1990 NEH fellowship; Andrews University) will chair the “Theoretical and Anthropological Approaches to the Near East: Levantine Entanglements” workshop and present “A More Inclusive Past for Levantine Lands: A Project Proposal and Case Study from the Greater Madaba Region in Jordan.”
Jennifer H. Ramsay (2006–2007 CAORC fellowship; State University of New York—Brockport) will present “Byzantine Plants: An Archaeobotanical Study of the Agricultural Economy of Caesarea Maritima, Israel.”
Bethany J. Walker (1999–2000 NEH fellowship, 2008–2009 NEH and CAORC fellowships; University of Bonn) will present “The Rural Revival of Late Medieval Syria: A Case of Migration and Return?”
Many other ACOR alums (see our alumni database) are also presenting, chairing, or serving as panelists this year in Chicago. Among them are:
Khaled Al Bashaireh (2014–2015 ASOR Travel Award; Yarmouk University), presenting “Multi-Method Examination of Marble Trade to Gadara (Umm Qais), North Jordan: Preliminary Results of the Marble Collected.”
Leigh-Ann Bedal (1998–1999 Near and Middle East Research and Training fellowship, 2001–2002 and 2013–2014 CAORC fellowships, 2003–2004 Samuel H. Kress Foundation Research Fellowship; Penn State Behrend), presenting “Survey of the Petra Garden and Pool Complex: A Virtual 3D Update.”
Joel S. Burnett (2009–2010 and 2020–2021 CAORC fellowships; Baylor University), presenting “The Built Urban Environment of Iron Age Amman.”
Douglas Clark (1998–1999 Near and Middle East Research and Training fellowship, 2001–2002 CAORC fellowship; La Sierra University), chairing the “Preserving the Cultural Heritage of the Madaba Region of Jordan” workshop and presenting “General Progress Report: Updates and Projections (SCHEP/MRAMP)” and “Strategic Removal, Demolition, and Excavation.”
Owen Chesnut (2010–2011 CAORC fellowship; North Central Michigan College), chairing the “Archaeology of the Southern Levant” session and the “Navigating the ‘in Between’: Identifying a Career Trajectory in Academia for the Early Career Scholar” workshop and presenting “Asking for a Place: Identifying the Location of Biblical Eshtaol.”
Glenn Corbett (2005–2006 CAORC fellowship, 2011–2012 NEH fellowship; Biblical Archaeology Society / Biblical Archaeology Review), chairing the “Cultural Heritage: Preservation, Presentation, and Management II” session and presenting “The Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural Resource Management (TWLCRM) Initiative: Lessons in Sustainable Preservation, Accessibility, and Community Engagement from Petra, Jordan.”
Jennie Ebeling (1999–2000 United States Information Agency fellowship, 2012–2013 NEH fellowship; University of Evansville), presenting “Database as Dig Report: Exploring the Possibilities” and “The Neolithic and Chalcolithic of Tel ‘Ein Jezreel: New finds, New insights.”
Kathryn Grossman (2021–2022 CAORC fellowship; North Carolina State University), chairing the “Archaeology of Syria” session and presenting “Archaeological Perspectives on Urban Scaling: The View from Hamoukar, Syria” and “Be Ready for Anything.”
Timothy P. Harrison (1992–1993 United States Information Agency fellowship, 1996–1997 Near and Middle East Research and Training fellowship; University of Toronto), co-chairing the “Grand Challenges for Digital Research in Archaeology and Philology” workshop and serving as a panelist in the “Preserving the Cultural Heritage of the Madaba Region of Jordan” workshop.
Mais Fahmi Haddad (2021–2022 Jordanian Travel Scholarship for ASOR Annual Meeting; Umm el-Jimal Project), presenting “A Paradigm for Local Ecclesiastical Architecture in Jordan: Comparative Study of Three Churches at Umm el-Jimal.”
Ian W. N. Jones (2017–2018 and 2020–2021 CAORC fellowships; University of California, San Diego), co-chairing the “Archaeology of Islamic Society” session and presenting “Mining in the Hinterland of the Early Islamic Port of Ayla: The Southern Wadi ‘Araba as a Red Sea Frontier.”
Konstantinos (Constantine) Politis (2010–2011 and 2019–2020 CAORC fellowships; lonio University), presenting “New Evidence for Cultural Transition from Byzantine Zoara to Islamic Zughar in Ghor as-Safi, Jordan.”
M. Barbara Reeves (1995–1996 Jennifer C. Groot Memorial Fellowship; Queen’s University), co-chairing “Archaeology of Jordan.”
Suzanne Richard (1984–1985 NEH fellowship, 2007–2008 and 2015–2016 CAORC fellowships; Gannon University), co-chairing “The Cultural Heritage of the Madaba Region of Jordan” workshop and presenting “Repurposing the Current Madaba Museum (AFCP/CATF—US Ambassador’s Fund).”
Yorke M. Rowan (1994–1995 United States Information Agency fellowship, 2007–2008 CAORC fellowship; University of Chicago), chairing “Prehistoric Archaeology” and presenting “Chalcolithic Expansion in the Galilee: The GPP Project in Context.”
Sandra Scham (1995–1996 and 2001–2002 United States Information Agency fellowships; Catholic University of America), serving as a panelist for the “Levantine Entanglements: Cultural Productions, Long-term Changes and Globalizations in the Eastern Mediterranean” workshop.
Karlene Shippelhoute (2015–2016 Jennifer C. Groot Memorial Fellowship; John Hopkins University), presenting “Reading Between the Lines: Affordances and Material Properties of the Amarna Tablets.”
William Gerard Zimmerle (2009–2010 Harrell Fellowship; New York University and Fairleigh Dickinson University), presenting “In the Cradle of Aromatics: Terracotta Incense Burners from Babylonia as Evidence for the ‘Seafaring Merchants of Ur.’”
Michael Zimmerman (2005–2006 CAORC fellowship; Bridgewater State University), chairing the “Archaeology of the Near East: The Classical Periods” session.
To explore the full ASOR program online, please visit asor.org/am. We also encourage you to learn more about this year’s fellowship awards at acorjordan.org/fellowships-2021-2022.
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