Geraty wins ASOR Award Table of Contents Page The recipient of the P. E. MacAllister Field Award is Lawrence Thomas Geraty, long-time member of ASOR, a vice-president (since 1982) of the American Center for Oriental Research, Geraty wins Award 1 and senior director of the Madaba Plains Project. Dr. Geraty’s career in archaeology got an early start when he lived with his missionary parents ASOR 2000 2 in Lebanon. At a tender age, he developed a passion for the land of the Bible and archaeology which eventually took him to the Theological Seminary at Andrews University and on to Harvard MacDonald at AU 2 University, where, in 1972, he completed a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and biblical archaeology under the tutelage of George Ernest Wright and Frank Moore Cross. 3 Al-Maktába On completion of the Ph.D. he returned to Andrews University, where he soon succeeded in establishing a base from which to work as an archaeologist at the Institute of Archaeology. A grant Random Survey 4 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to the Institute helped establish its publication arm. Over the past two decades, the Institute has published seven of fourteen planned volumes in the Hesban Final Publication Series and four volumes of the Madaba Plains Seasonal Report Series. Many other publications of interest to biblical archaeologists have, and continue, to be pro- duced here. As a field archaeologist, Geraty got his start at Gezer with Phil King as field supervisor. In 1968 he joined Siegfried Horn and Roger Boraas at Tall Hisban, where he served the first three seasons as a field supervisor. In 1974 he took over as director of the Heshbon Expedition which culminated with a final season in 1976. Under his leadership the expedition expanded greatly its INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY HORN ARCHAEOLOGICAL scope of work and interdisciplinary staff, becoming one of ASOR’s leading projects in terms of MUSEUM NEWSLETTER (continued on p. 2) Paul J. Ray, Jr. Editor David Merling Assoc. Editor Randall W. Younker Assoc. Editor Robert D. Bates Asst. Editor The Newsletter is published four times a year by the Institute of Archaeology, Andrews University. Annual subscription price is $7.50. Museum membership, subscription, and editorial correspon- dence should be addressed to the Horn Archaeological Museum, Institute of Archaeology, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI 49104-0990, Telephone 616-471-3273, Fax 616-471- 3619, e-mail [email protected]. Volume 22.1 Winter 2001 ISSN 1095-2837 Geraty, with G. Ernest Wright and Jim Sauer at Tall Hisban in 1974. (Award cont’d) successful blending of traditional biblical ASOR 2000 archaeology concerns with those of “the new archaeology.” This years annual meeting of the The Madaba Plains Project, which American Schools of Oriental Research Geraty launched together with Larry Herr was held in Nasville, TN near Vanderbilt and Øystein S. LaBianca in 1982, was a University. The Society of Biblical direct outgrowth of the Heshbon Literature and the Near East Archaeolog- Expedition in the sense that the project ical Society met at the Opryland Hotel. was launched in order to answer numer- Members of the Madaba Plains ous questions that had come to light in Project who chaired sessions for the the process of preparing the final reports meetings were Douglas Clark (Plenary on the excavations. With its regional Session as well as the MPP Staff consul- focus, its concern with long-term cultural tation and reception); Tim Harrison change patterns, and its multi-disciplinary (Symposium on Recent Research in the staff, the Madaba Plains Project sought to Madaba Plains Region of Jordan I); Larry implement a vision of the best practices Herr (Symposium on Recent Research in in fieldwork and laboratory procedures the Madaba Plains Region of Jordan II); based on lessons learned in the course of Dave Merling (Individual Submissions); fieldwork at Tall Hisban. and Judith Cochran (Outreach Education Michael Hasel reading a paper with Dave Of Larry Geraty’s many contribu- Teacher’s Workshop). Merling presiding. tions to ASOR, ACOR and the Madaba MPP members and affiliates who Scotia, Canada. His lecture was a report Plains Project, none have been more criti- presented papers or poster sessions on his recent survey work (2000) entitled: cal to the advance of field archaeology in included Rhonda Root (Artist’s Report on The Tafila-Busayra Archgaeological Jordan and beyond than his masterful MPP 2000); Michele Daviau (Gate and Survey, West-Central Jordan (TBAS). accomplishments as a team builder, con- Moabite Temple at Khirbat al-Mudayna; The area surveyed is often referred to sensus maker, and facilitator of the schol- and A Temple for Moab: Discoveries at as Edomite territory. The project investi- arly work of his students and colleagues. Khirbat al-Mudayna); Richard Dorsett gated an area of approximately 480 sq. His leadership on various ASOR commit- (Music of the Madaba Plains, Jordan); km in west-central Jordan in the region tees, the ACOR Board and the Madaba Larry Herr and Douglas Clark (Tall al- from just west of At-Tafila and Busayra Plains Project has helped to open doors ‘Umayri 2000 Season); Judith Cochran to just north of Jurf ad-Darawish in the for literally hundreds of students from (The Archaeological Process: Interpreting east to the edge of the escarpment of the Jordan, the United States, and many other Personal Artifacts, co-authored; and The Rift Valley and the SE plain of the Dead countries to pursue their dreams of doing Archaeological Process: A Hands-On Sea. This region represents the territory archaeology in the Holy Land. Approach); Chang-Ho Ji (The Dhiban immediately to the south and east of that It is thus a sincere pleasure to recog- Plateau Project, 1999: The Versacare which the Wadi al-Hasa Archaeological nize Larry Geraty for his outstanding Expedition); and Bethany Walker Survey (WHS 1979-1983) and the career as a builder of archaeologists and (Muslim Images of the Holy Land: Ibn Southern Ghors and Northeast ‘Arabah archaeological teams, as a promoter of Battuta’s Rihla in Bilad al-Sham). Archaeological Survey (SGNAS 1985- cutting-edge research among his students (Paul J. Ray, Jr.) 1986) previously reported by MacDonald. and colleagues, and as a statesman in rep- The primary objective of the project resenting the interests of ASOR archaeol- was to search for archeological sites and ogists to the broader public, with this to connect geographically with the terri- presentation of the P. E. MacAllister Field MacDonald tory of both the WHS and the SGNAS. Archaeology Award! (modified from the The survey area was divided into three citation by Øystein S. LaBianca, present- at Andrews topographical zones that included 1) the ed at ASOR Awards Committee on Nov. gorges; 2) the Edomite Plateau; and 3) the 17, 2000). On October 23, 2000 Burton desert region. To serve as a hinterland, a 3 MacDonald spoke for the Horn Archaeo- km radius was surveyed around Busayra logical Museum Lectureship. He is (the Edomite capital). In addition, the sur- Director of Tafila-Busayra Archaeolog- vey “ground-proofed” potential sites ical Survey and professor of Religion at identified on aerial photographs by D. St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Kennedy from the University of Western Australia, Perth, and investigated the The team discovered 49 enclosures/ archaeological materials around two seasonal camps with architecture, 26 of Pleistocene lakes in the Jurf ad-Darawish. them being major architectural sites. MacDonald adopted the MPP Survey These include many watchtowers and four methodology developed by Gary Christo- possible forts. In addition, 12 seasonal phersen of University of Arizona, who camps/production/processing centers were randomly selected the squares. Larry Herr found along Pleistocene lakes in the Jurf of Canadian Union College read the pot- ad-Darawish area. tery. For each zone the randomly selected The Chalcolithic period is well repre- squares were 500x500 sq. m and 200x200 sented by both lithics and sherds but the sq. m for Busayra. area appears to have had no Bronze Age The team pedestrian transects each occupation. Though some evidence of square after using GPS to find the corner. Iron I exists, the best-represented materi- Five people stretched out along 250 m als come from Iron Age II, the Early walking in one direction then shifting the Roman (Nabataean), and Byzantine peri- other way. They look for evidence of ods. There is little in the way of Early human occupation such as sherds, lithics, Islamic materials, but the Middle/Late glass, and slag. Careful record was kept Islamic period is well represented, espe- Burton MacDonald on survey sheets and all artifacts were cially at major agricultural sites. (Robert tagged and bagged on site. D. Bates) web at the following levels: Benefactor $1000 Patron $500 Sponsor $100 Sustainor $50 Contributor $25 Participator $10 Newsletter subscriptions are included in each level of membership, or you may subscribe for just $7.50 per year. Just clip this form and send it to: Horn Archaeological Museum Your Name: Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI 49104-0990 Address: Membership level: Phone: Subscription only ($7.50): E-mail: Donations: Fax: Total Enclosed: If you are a member, would you like your name men- tioned in the Newsletter? Please make checks payable to: Horn Archaeological Museum. YES NO Syrian Tomb Discovered: Cyrus Gordon dies: Archaeologists from John We are sad to report the death of eminent scholar Cyrus Gordon on March 30. He was Hopkins University have born on June 29, 1908 and has had a major impact on the near eastern studies for many unearthed a royal tomb at years. His book A Scholar’s Odyssey has recently won the National Jewish Book Award. Umm el-Marra (ancient Tuba).