Nea, Once and Again
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Fall 2000 Volume 50, Number 3 NEA, ONCE AND AGAIN t seems to be ASOR’s particular cient Near East.” He went on to pledge to understanding of, the peoples and cultures cross to bear to suffer on a periodic continue the tradition of “readability and re- of the Near East from the earliest times … basis a “stock taking” of Near East- liability” established by Wright. by offering educational opportunities in ern Archaeology (formerly Biblical NEA/BA has benefited in the years before Near Eastern history and archaeology to Archaeologist), its goals and its fo- and since from a series of remarkable edi- undergraduates and graduates in North Icus. Founded in 1938 by G. Ernest Wright tors. (My four years working in collabora- American colleges and universities, and for the purpose of providing a reliable ac- tion with David Hopkins [Editor, 1993–1998] through outreach activities to the general count of biblical archaeology to the educated were among the most rewarding of my pro- public” relies largely on NEA. But NEA re- lay public, BA gradually became too special- fessional career.) lies primarily on academics, and academics ized for the audience for which it was in- But twenty-five years after BA’s redesign, (let’s face it) are often ill-equipped to address tended. it is indeed time to take stock. a general audience. Fears of its becoming another BASOR In that time, profound changes have taken So, the question we have to ask ourselves (“Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Cor- place in the educational curriculum in is whether we are meeting the needs of our poration,” BASOR 209 [1973] 3) led to a re- American schools at all levels. This factor, target audience, the general public. And if design in 1976. Then editor David Noel combined with the adoption of new hi-tech the answer is “no,” then how do we go about Freedman promised to provide the general methods in archaeology and the gradual addressing the problem? reader with an interpretation of the mean- move toward longer, more specialized ar- NEA is well-positioned to take its place as ing of new archaeological discoveries for the ticles, has stretched NEA’s ability to bridge ASOR’s bridge to the public. With a central- biblical heritage shared by Jews, Moslems the divide between specialist and lay per- ized publishing office to offer a level of con- and Christians. son. tinuity that was not possible before, and a In his editorial in the 50th Anniversary What was a gap is in danger of becoming loyal following among its subscribers, NEA Issue, Eric Meyers (editor from 1982–1992) a chasm. As professionally trained archae- is ready to take the next step. reminded readers of the guideline adopted ologists, we are the custodians of knowledge. That step should be to hire a freelance by the trustees of ASOR that it “develop and But if we are ambivalent in our commitment managing editor with a background in sustain programs for communicating to the to educating the public, or inexpert at con- magazine publishing who can oversee pro- general public the results and significance veying our message, we risk losing our voice duction as well as ensure that NEA over the of research within ASOR’s fields of interest, to other, less reliable, purveyors of informa- long haul maintains a level of readability including influencing the educational sys- tion. commensurate with its purpose. Together tem at all levels to expand attention to the ASOR’s stated mission “to initiate, encour- with this should come a redesign and repo- roots of human heritage that lie in the an- age and support research into, and public sitioning of NEA. Shorter articles and addi- Continued on page 2 1 The American Schools of Oriental Research INSIDE is a nonprofit, scientific and educational organiza- tion founded in 1900. Editorial: NEA, Once and Again cover P. E. MacAllister Chairman of the Board ASOR News Joe D. Seger Nominations 3 President Mellon Approves Planning Grant 3 James Strange Secretary ASOR Benefactors Honored 4 Ingrid Wood Treasurer Annual Meeting Update 5 Albert Leonard, Jr. Albright Fellows Reports 7 Chair, Committee on Publications David McCreery Opportunities 24 Chair, Committee on Archaeological Policy Victor Matthews Archaeology World 26 Chair, Committee on Annual Meeting Rudolph H. Dornemann Conference Calendar 27 Executive Director Billie Jean Collins Continued from page 1 Director of Publications tional features are two things to consider cent production delays will be resolved and ASOR in such a repositioning. New features plans for promoting the magazine can 656 Beacon Street, 5th floor Boston, MA 02215-2010 might include an ASOR Digs page (giv- move forward. Currently, NEA subscrip- Tel. (617) 353-6570 ing exposure to ASOR-affiliated excava- tions represent a significant percentage of Fax. (617) 353-6575 E-mail: [email protected] tions), excavation opportunities listings, ASOR’s income from publications (see pie exhibitions, and reviews of titles of gen- charts on page 3). Still, there is room, and eral interest. We are pleased to announce opportunity, for significant improvement. that plans are already underway to include NEA could increase substantially its per- color in every issue. It is also possible that centage of revenue support to ASOR’s over- NEA could become an even more inclu- all publication income. sive venue for the contributions of But repositioning a magazine and pro- younger scholars. moting it costs money. Where would the Most importantly, we must consider ini- money come from? One possibility is to ap- tiating an interactive electronic component ply for funds from granting agencies. With that would help the specialist and general a renewed commitment to education in the reader alike. More complex ideas and long classroom, and the addition of an electronic The ASOR Newsletter bibliographies could be made available to component, NEA could be an attractive can- specialists electronically. At the same time, didate for funding. Billie Jean Collins, Editor Chris Madell, Assistant Editor the printed magazine could direct the gen- As ASOR members, you are invited to Suite 330, 825 Houston Mill Road eral reader to interactive outreach pages join in this discussion by e-mailing your Atlanta, GA 30329 on the web that allow him/her to visit vir- comments to the ASOR publications office Tel. (404) 727-8989 Fax. (404) 727-4719 tual digs, view timelines and pottery dat- at [email protected], or by posting a mes- e-mail: [email protected] ing charts, and access additional illustra- sage to the ASOR listserve at asor- The ASOR Newsletter (ISSN 0361-6029) tions. The possibilities are endless. [email protected]. is published quarterly by the American Of course, central to all of this should BJC Schools of Oriental Research be a major membership and subscription Copyright 2000 by promotion. With four issues scheduled to The American Schools of Oriental Research appear in the next three months, NEA’s re- www.asor.org 2 AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH NEWS Nominations Mellon Approves Planning Grant for The terms for the Chairs of the Committees on Archaeological ETANA Project Policy (CAP) and on the Annual Meeting and Program (CAMP) will expire on June 30, 2001. Nominations are being solicited to fill these An electronic publishing project designed to enhance the study positions. Elections will take place at the Members’ Meeting in of the history and culture of the ancient Near East has been awarded Nashville, on Friday, November 17, 2000. a $27,000 planning grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The position of Chair of CAP is currently held by David McCreery Led by Paul M. Gherman, University Librarian at the Heard Li- (Willamette University). The position of Chair of CAMP is currently brary of Vanderbilt University, the project will likely be named held by Victor Matthews (Southwest Missouri State University). ETANA (Electronic Tools and Ancient Near Eastern Archives) and Both individuals are eligible for election to a second term. includes the participation of the American Oriental Society, the Please send nominations to Randall W. Younker, Chairperson, American Schools of Oriental Research, Case Western Reserve Uni- ASOR Nominations Committee, Institute of Archaeology, Andrews versity, the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, The Oriental Institute University, Berrien Springs, MI 49104. Tel. 616-471-3273. Fax: 616- (University of Chicago), the Society of Biblical Literature, Vanderbilt 471-3619 or e-mail: [email protected]. University Press and the Heard Library at Vanderbilt. Other inter- ested organizations may be invited to participate as the planning Publications Income process proceeds. Other Collectively these organizations represent over 7,000 scholars Membership world wide who are interested in the academic study of the ancient Books Near East. Details of the project are to be developed in the planning process, but the overall sense and goal of the project are to provide Newsletter scholars with better access to a wide range of both retrospective JCS and current resources on the ancient Near East and the technology to develop such resources. Each of the participants brings certain NEA strengths and interests to the project, which promises to be a focal point for all scholars working in ancient Near Eastern studies. BASOR What it means for ASOR is the opportunity for greater exposure as an organization. The grant would give ASOR the facility to create Publications Expense electronic versions of existing publications—both current and out- Other of-print titles and journal issues, the possibility