Spring/Summer 2006 Volume 56, nos. 1–2 Committee on Archaeological Policy 2006 Tour Burton MacDonald, CAP Chair he American Center of Oriental Research reception on June 6 in honor of Pierre and Patricia Bikai on their Tretirement from the directorship of ACOR and the intro- duction of Barbara Porter and Christopher Tuttle as the new ACOR director and assistant director, respectively, provided me with the opportunity to meet with many of the directors of archaeological projects that are ASOR/CAP affi liated. The reception took place while I was in Jordan carrying out the sec- ond season of “The Ayl to Ras an-Naqb Archaeological Survey, Southern Jordan.” During the reception and the following day I was able to meet with a number of dig directors who were either in the fi eld or working on some aspect of their research while in Jordan. Tom Parker, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, was delighted to show me his just published, two-volume work The Late Bronze Age palace at Khirbat al-Mudayna on the Wadi ath- on “The Limes Arabicus Project,” which involved work at the Thamad. Roman period sites of al-Lajjun, Qasr Bshir, and Da`janiya between 1980 and 1989. He now turns his attention to the them in the fi eld, I was able to see them on June 6 and chat publication of his completed “The Roman `Aqaba Project,” with them about their project. which involved the excavation of the Roman site of Ayla at Martha Joukowsky, Brown University, Providence, RI,was al-`Aqaba in southern Jordan. also at ACOR for several reasons, one of which was to begin John Oleson, University of Victoria, BC, had several rea- another fi eld season at the Petra Great Temple. She was actu- sons for being in Jordan this spring. Not only was he attending ally just beginning her fi eld work as I was completing mine. the ACOR Board of Trustees meeting in Amman, but he was During May and June I met with Mike Neeley, Montana also opening the exhibit on Humayma at the al-`Aqaba Archae- State University, Bozeman, and Jane Peterson, Marquette Uni- ological Museum and fi nishing up the photographic and infor- versity, Milwaukee, on two occasions at their base camp in mational exhibition in the new Visitor’s Center at the site itself. Busayra. At the time of my visits, they were carrying out the All this is part of his work on site development at Humayma. fi rst season of their work on “The Development of Agricul- Jerry Rose, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and his tural Communities in West-Central Jordan.” Field activities associate director Doris Burke were in Jordan engaged in their consisted of mapping and test excavations at two Late Natu- research on the “Bioarchaeology of Northern Jordan,” in co- fi an sites (“Tafi la-Busayra Archaeological Survey” Sites 102 operation with Yarmuk University. Although they had com- and 212) in Wadi Juheira and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of pleted fi eld work before I had the opportunity to meet with Kh. al-Hammam along the south bank of Wadi al-Hasa. continued on page 3 Update on Recent Developments in Membership, The American Schools of Oriental Research is a nonprofi t, scientifi c and educational October 4, 2006 organization founded in 1900. ended last year in the black, and our P. E. MacAllister TammI J. Schneider, budget for this year, though lean, means Chairman of the Board Vice President for Membership we will continue to be in the black. The Eric Myers Executive Committee is committed to President DEAR ASOR MEMBERS, ensuring that ASOR’s fi nancial stability remains stable and strong. Our fi nan- Eric Cline ver the past months I have sent Vice President of Governance out a few notes highlighting cial progress, to a large extent, is due to what the Executive Committee some of our major donors, including P. Tammi Schneider O E. MacAllister, Dick Scheur, and the Jou- Vice President of Membership has been doing. In this note I would like to emphasize again some of the recent ac- kowskys. During the past year ASOR’s James Strange complishments of ASOR and thank those membership has been extremely sup- Secretary portive, and we received fi nancial con- of you who have helped make much of Andrew Vaughn this happen. tributions from many who had not giv- Chair, Committee on Publications It has been brought to my attention en in the past. For all the gifts to ASOR this past fi scal year, THANK YOU! Burton MacDonald that not everyone may know who now Chair, Committee on Archaeological Policy constitutes the Executive Committee. ASOR members were also gener- ous this past year in raising funds to Rachel Hallote Because of ASOR’s precarious fi nancial Chair, Committee on Annual Meeting situation last year the new Offi cers were bring NEA up to date. Ann Killebrew not elected at the November Board of spearheaded this campaign, and her B. W. Ruffner Treasurer Trustees meeting but instead were ap- relentlessness led to the campaign’s tre- pointed at the February meeting of the mendous success. University of Notre Executive Committee and then elect- Dame helped with ASOR’s success with ed at the May meeting of the Board. its Challenge Grant, whereby if ASOR ASOR 656 Beacon Street, 5th fl oor ASOR’s offi cers are now: P. E. MacAllis- could raise $25,000 from institutional sources, they would meet it. Thanks are Boston, MA 02215-2010 ter, Chairman of the Board; Eric Meyers, Tel. (617) 353-6570 President; Eric Cline, Vice President of therefore due to those institutions that Fax. (617) 353-6575 Governance; Tammi J. Schneider, Vice contributed to meeting that challenge, E-mail: [email protected] President of Membership; Lawrence including Andrews University, Carroll T. Geraty, Past President; Jim Strange, College, Christian Theological Semi- Secretary; and B. W. Ruffner, Treasurer. nary, Claremont Graduate University, B. W. Ruffner has since been named as Emory University, George Washington interim dean of the University of Ten- University, Institute for Aegean Prehis- nessee Medical School and will step tory (Temple University), LaSierra Uni- down as Treasurer effective January 1, versity, and Mississippi State. A special 2007. We are pleased that B. W. will re- thank you to the Institute for Aegean main on the ASOR board, and he will be Prehistory, which appeared at the end replaced as treasurer by Sheldon Fox, a and was particularly generous. CPA from Durham, NC. There have also ASOR’s publications are another been changes to the Executive Commit- great source of pride to the organiza- The ASOR Newsletter tee. That body consists of the Offi cers tion. NEA should be up to date by the and Andy Vaughn, Chair, Committee on middle of 2007. BASOR continues to be one of the most infl uential journals on Alexandra Ratzlaff, Editor Publications; Burton MacDonald, Chair, Susanne Wilhelm, Assistant Editor Committee on Archaeological Policy; our topic in the world. JCS is known Rachel Hallote, Chair, Committee on not only for its fi ne quality but for being Annual Meeting and Program; and Ann one of the few journals on Assyriology The ASOR Newsletter (ISSN 0361-6029) Killebrew, Interim Chair of Develop- in this country. None of this could have happened without the skill and exper- is published quarterly by the American ment. The Web site includes the list of Schools of Oriental Research all ASOR’s committees as well as the tise of our editors: Piotr Michalowski members of each committee. Without (JCS), Sandra Scham (NEA), and James © 2006 by The American Schools of Oriental Research the help of those on all the committees, Weinstein (BASOR). While last year ASOR simply would not work, so thank ASOR lost the staff from the Atlanta of- all of you for your time and expertise. fi ce, all of those employees continued ASOR’s big news is our fi nancial to help ASOR through the transition, www.asor.org situation. ASOR is in the black! We continued on page 4 2 ASOR Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2006 continued from page 1 Neolithic village of al-Ghuwayr in Wadi leagues and discuss all aspects of Cypri- Of course, my own project, “The Faynan—under the directorship of A. ote archaeology. Ayl to Ras an-Naqb Archaeological Sur- Simmons and M. Najjar. After introductory remarks by Da- vey, Southern Jordan” is ASOR/CAP Although Larry Herr, Canadian vis, for CAARI, and Marina Solomidou- affi liated. The second season of work University College, Lacombe, AB, had Ieronymidou, for Pavlos Flourentzos, from May 10–June 20 resulted in the not as yet begun fi eld work, it was Director of the Department of Antiq- “discovery” of 115 sites so that the to- not possible for him to pass by Tall al- uities Cyprus, 18 presentations were tal number of sites after two seasons of `Umayri without visiting it with me. made. The directors of ASOR/CAP-af- work is 324. In addition, survey team This season, along with his co-director, fi liated projects reporting were: Alan members surveyed 83 random squares, Doug Clark, La Sierra University, River- Simmons (University of Nevada, Las chosen on the basis of Geographic In- side, CA, the team will be investigating Vegas) – “Ais Yiorkis”; Steve Falconer formation Systems database, in three a number of areas on the tell that relate and Patricia Fall (Arizona State Uni- topographical zones, in the territory to to the Late Bronze and Iron Age peri- versity, Tempe) – “Agrarian Landscape the south of Petra as far as the edge of ods.