Spring 2005 Volume 55, no. 1 Global Moments in the Levant our ASOR archaeologists, Bert deVries (Calvin Col- the rise of monotheism during the Late Bronze and Iron Age; lege), Øystein S. LaBianca (Andrews University), the global moments that led to the rise of the Greco-Roman-, FThomas Levy (UCSD) and Bethany Walker (Grand Val- Byzantine-, Islamic- and Modern Capitalist ‘great traditions,’ ley State University) will be joining an international team of and various political developments, for instance the fact that, anthropologists, archaeologists, geographers, historians and from the earliest empire states in Egypt and Mesopotamia, sociologists in a study of “Global Moments in the Levant.” the Levant has been of strategic importance to a long succes- The team of 16 researchers will be headed by Leif Manger, sion of superpowers, starting with the ancient Egyptians and Professor of Anthropology, University of Bergen, Norway, ending with the United States. to study “breakthrough events that change people’s lives A major objective of the collaboration is to advance un- and their futures.” The team was informed in February 2005 derstanding of how global moments alter the lives of local by the Norwegian Research Council that their application groups and communities. This is especially where the con- “Global Moments in the Levant: Towards an Understanding tribution of archaeology will be important, for it provides of a Contact Zone between Peoples, Cultures and States” had the best window on how the daily lives of ordinary men and been approved for funding over the next four years in the women have changed in response to successive global mo- amount of 16 million Norwegian Kroner or ca. $2.6 million ments. At the same time, it also offers subtle clues to the pro- USD. The team was one of seventeen successful applicants cesses by which such changes were transmitted and adopted. out of 263 in an annual competition for 250 million Norwe- The work of LaBianca and other Madaba Plains archaeolo- gian kroner of NRC funding for basic research in all fields. gists on long-term food system cycles and settlement changes According to Øystein LaBianca, Visiting Researcher at in Central Jordan will play a prominent role as a source of the University of Bergen, who co-authored the proposal with archaeological data on global moments and their impact on Leif Manger last spring, global moments are “developments local populations. To their perspective from Central Jordan that typically call for significant adaptation leading to new deVries and Walker will add views from the north with their forms of cooperation or conflict. Few places on earth can rival work at Umm el-Jimal and Umm Qays respectively, and Levy the Levant (Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria) when it a view from the south with his project in the Faynan district. comes to both incubating global moments and having to cope Norwegian archaeologists on the team include Randi Haa- with their consequences. What has made this region a virtual land whose research deals with the Neolithic in Palestine and cauldron of global moments is its strategic location astride a the Nile Valley and Nils Anfinset who is studying the Late vital intercontinental land bridge connecting the continents Neolithic–Chalcolithic in Palestine. of Africa, Asia, and Europe. This location has made it a cross- According to Manger, theory development is going to be roads of cultures and civilizations, a corridor of communica- a central part of the Global Moments project. “It is not the de- tion and commerce, and a highway of military movement tails in the historical development lines that are in focus here, and intrigue since the dawn of settled life.” but broad comparisons in time and space. Such comparisons The proposal mentions as examples of global moments will advance theory about long-term culture change and con- the Neolithic revolution that produced the first settled farm- flict as a foundation for understanding contemporary events ers; the Chalcholithic revolution that produced crafts special- in the region. The present globalization is of course special ization and long distance trade; the Early Bronze urban revo- and there are many elements in it that we haven’t seen before. lution that culminated with the rise of the first cities and states; continued on page 9 ASOR Newsletter, Spring 2005 1 David Detrich ASOR Journals Now The American Schools of Oriental Research Available in JSTOR! is a nonprofit, scientific and educational David A. Detrich, president of the organization founded in 1900. Cyprus American Archaeological Re- Recent News- search Institute (CAARI), died at a hos- letter issues have P. E. MacAllister Chairman of the Board pital near his home on Long Island, New announced our York, on March 7 after a short illness. He new partnership Lawrence T. Geraty was 66 years old. with JSTOR, the President During the four years of his lead- not-for-profit digi- Martha Joukowsky ership, CAARI grew and undertook tal archive, to pro- Vice President several new initiatives. Mr. Detrich was vide searchable James Strange especially interested in encouraging the online back issues Secretary study of Cyprus among students and of the three ASOR to that end established a “President’s journals, the Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Larry G. Herr Chair, Committee on Publications Award” for the best student paper on Near Eastern Archaeology, and the Bulle- Cyprus presented at either the ASOR or tin of the American Schools of Oriental Re- Burton MacDonald the Archaeological Institute of America search. We are very excited to announce Chair, Committee on Archaeological Policy (AIA) annual meeting. He strove to ex- that the Journal of Cuneiform Studies has Eric H. Cline pand CAARI’s use of electronic resourc- now been released in JSTOR. The back Chair, Committee on Annual Meeting es, improving its website and overseeing issues of the journal, from the historic Douglas R. Clark its full participation in the Digital Li- Volume 1, Issue 1, published in 1947, Executive Director brary of International Research. He also up until the most recent three years, are Billie Jean Collins recognized the importance of CAARI’s now available in the archive. All content Director of Publications newsletter for communication with its (including articles, reviews, front and constituency and closely monitored back matter, and the index and table of ASOR and contributed to its content. In 2003 contents) have been digitized as full-text 656 Beacon Street, 5th floor he oversaw the search and transition to PDF files and can be searched, browsed, Boston, MA 02215-2010 Tel. (617) 353-6570 CAARI’s new director, Tom Davis. downloaded, and printed through the Fax. (617) 353-6575 A high school social studies teach- JSTOR website. E-mail: [email protected] er for thirty-three years, Mr. Detrich’s To access the back issues of the JCS, main subject was World History, an please visit www.jstor.org. Please note interest that he brought with him into that only ASOR members who are at retirement in 1994. His passion for an- institutions that participate in JSTOR’s tiquity was broad, extending from the Arts & Sciences Complement Collection native Americans of his neighborhood are currently able to view the back is- to Egypt. His interest in Cyprus grew sues through the JSTOR website. out of a fascination with the nineteenth ASOR’s other journals, Near Eastern century diplomat and collector, Louis Archaeology and the Bulletin of ASOR, are scheduled to be released in JSTOR this summer. Once all three journals are available in JSTOR, we will be imple- menting a program to provide members The ASOR Newsletter with direct access to the three ASOR Billie Jean Collins, Editor journals’ back issues, even if they are Britt Hartenberger, Assistant Editor not at an institution that participates in JSTOR. ASOR members at the profes- 825 Houston Mill Road Atlanta, GA 30329 sional (including student/retired), life, Tel. (404) 727-8989 or sustaining levels will have the oppor- Fax. (404) 727-4719 tunity to sign up for this program when e-mail: [email protected] it becomes available. More information The ASOR Newsletter (ISSN 0361-6029) and details to follow …. is published quarterly by the American Our thanks go to all those who do- Schools of Oriental Research nated or loaned back issues to JSTOR to enable the completion of the digitiza- © 2005 by The American Schools of Oriental Research tion, and to Jeffrey Hovis and Ariana Souzis of JSTOR for their help and guid- ance as the release approaches. www.asor.org continued on page 9 2 ASOR Newsletter, Spring 2005 A S O R NEWS Report on the Executive we hope will support the program for ASOR President’s Report two years. Initially, we had considered Committee Meeting, hiring a person to direct our develop- SOR is a vital organization that ment efforts but, with further study, February 12–13, is on the move. It is amazing to have decided to work with a team of Washington, D.C. me how much is accomplished expert professionals. One full-time per- A and for how little--the latter being the son would bring a set of strengths, but he winter meeting of the ASOR perennial problem of non-profit organi- a team could enlarge the potential and Executive Committee and related zations dependent on volunteer support! may even reduce costs in the process. committees took place in Wash- I would like to start this brief status re- T In the month since the Executive ington, D.C. 12–13 February. Events port by saying how impressed I am with meeting in Boston, David Rosenstein, included meetings of the Finance Com- ASOR’s great staff in both Boston and Dick Ballou, members of the Develop- mittee, the Development Committee and Atlanta; they keep the wheels turning ment Committee and the Boston Office the Executive Committee, surrounding on schedule, working with CAP (Burton staff have been hard at work to review an evening social event with a few local MacDonald recently wrote to all the top scores of websites, narrow these down friends of ASOR at the home of David administrators of institutions sponsor- to a group(s) we feel will serve ASOR (ASOR Trustee) and Lisa Rosenstein.