by Madeleine Tripp
From August 1 to September 12, 2024, I had the fortunate opportunity to undertake an internship at the American Center of Research (ACOR) in Amman, Jordan. I worked with the National Cultural Heritage Property Database of The Kingdom of Jordan project, known informally as the National Inventory. While currently training to be a conservator, I have an educational background in archaeology, art history, and cultural heritage protection. The internship at ACOR provided me with a unique multidisciplinary experience in which I could blend and apply my interests in a practical manner.
The National Cultural Heritage Property Database of the Kingdom of Jordan project utilizes Axiell software as the basis for a centralized database of Jordan’s moveable cultural heritage. Axiell furthermore provides a digitalrepository that ensures records are retained in case a natural disaster or other such crisis impacts Jordan’s collections. My task was to incorporate conservation knowledge into the database and to assist with site assessments and recommendations.
During the course of the internship, the project team and I visited a number of museums and storehouses to conduct on-site assessments of their respective collections. Visits included excursions to As-Salt, Zarqa, Jerash, and Irbid. Theproject team would correlate collection survey data with physical locations. I would assess the general condition of artifacts and their physical settings. Through this, I learned about past conservation practices in museums and the unique challenges facing collections contemporarily (e.g., rising temperatures). Recommendations were then provided in a short report regarding measures that could be beneficial for individual collections.
I greatly enjoyed interacting with a variety of organic and inorganic artifacts on site. By visiting numerous collections, I saw an assortment of objects ranging from bronze weaponry to glass perfume vials, figurines, and intricately beaded jewelry. Mosaics are a particular favorite of mine, and Jordan is renowned for having a bounty of beautiful ones. Being able to view mosaic depictions of pomegranates, olives, or grapes and then walking outside to see those same trees and vines still growing in the vicinity bridged the past and present in a delightful way.
The chance to assist with cleaning and identifying ceramic fragments from Petra further made the internship amemorable experience. Revealing painted designs on the ceramic surfaces — which may have last been viewed hundreds of years ago — was a reminder of how remarkable working with cultural heritage materials can be.
I’ve learned about Jordan’s cultural heritage management and the variety of artifacts held in diverse collections. I’vebeen fortunate to gain knowledge of the available tools used for preventive conservation through consultation with project stakeholders. Most critically, through the internship I have gained an insight into the growing contemporary importance of digital preservation and documentation techniques for movable cultural heritage objects. The length of the internship further permitted me to explore Amman and travel to Aqaba, Petra, Ajloun, and beyond during my six weeks. By interning with ACOR, I was able to experience Jordan in a new light and gain valuable experience for myfuture career path. I am grateful for the hospitality shown to me by the staff and fellows at ACOR.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Madeleine Tripp is an emerging objects conservator with a background in archaeology, art history, and heritage protection. She is currently undertaking the University of Melbourne’s Master of Cultural Materials Conservation program. With an anticipated graduation in late 2024, Madeleine aims to apply her conservation skills into continued archaeological and cultural heritage work.