Insights

Welcome to Insights! Formerly our long-running quarterly e-update, since 2020, Insights has been our blog, hosting essays by fellows, interns, staff, and others.

The Visible Dead: Dolmens and the Landscape — An ACOR Video Lecture by Dr. James Fraser

Apr 8, 2017 Posted in ACOR, VideoLectures Tagged with Bronze Age, Dolmens

The ACOR Video Lecture Series provides accessible discussions of the new research into the past and present of Jordan and the broader Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean worlds. This video, adapted from the February 2017 ACOR public lecture delivered by Dr. James Fraser, offers new interpretation of dolmen fields and early societies in the Bronze…

Studying a Hard-to-Reach Population of Syrian Refugees

Apr 3, 2017 Posted in CAORC, Fellows, Research Tagged with statistics, Syria, Syrian refugees

Political scientist and ACOR-CAORC fellow Rana B. Khoury was in Jordan during fall 2016 researching networks of Syrian activists. She writes below about her research methodology. As researchers, we ask many questions related to the characteristics of populations. How many voters plan to go to the polls on election day? How satisfied are citizens with…

“Archaeology in the Attic” an ACOR Lecture on Wednesday 19 April 2017

Mar 15, 2017 Posted in Lecture, Library Tagged with Archives, digitization, Library, Photography

Public Lecture Announcement Archaeology in the Attic: Preserving Archival Treasures of Jordan’s Past Dr. Glenn J. Corbett ACOR Associate Director Wednesday 19 April 2017 at 6:00 p.m. Reception to Follow About the lecture: Archaeological and cultural heritage sites in Jordan and the Middle East are under increasing threat from urban expansion, development, and, in the…

Community-Based Archaeology: Challenges and Opportunities

Mar 1, 2017 Posted in Lecture, SCHEP Tagged with Community, SCHEP, tourism, USAID

An ACOR Public Lecture Nizar Al Adarbeh, SCHEP Chief of Party & Jehad Haron, CHR Projects Lead Wednesday 15 March 2017 at 6:00 p.m. Reception to Follow ____________________________________________ About the Lecture: An evening with ACOR’s USAID Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities Project, to discuss progress made in two years and what to…

Producing Extra Virginity in Jordan

Feb 22, 2017 Posted in ACOR, CAORC, Research Tagged with agriculture, CAORC Fellowship, geography, manufacturing, olive oil, research

Brittany Barrineau, ACOR-CAORC pre-doctoral fellow for 2016–2017, writes below about her research into the social, political, and economic forces that are transforming Jordan’s traditional but rapidly evolving olive oil industry. The olive harvest festival in Irbid included an outdoor opening ceremony with poetry, several speakers, two dance groups, a marching band, and a small speech…

Gaza Refugees and the Reality of Statelessness

Feb 5, 2017 Posted in ACOR, Fellows, Fellowships, Research

Recent ACOR-CAORC senior fellow Michael Perez writes below about his recent research on ex-Gaza refugees who are currently living without citizenship in Jordan. Dr. Perez is a professor of anthropology at the University of Washington in Seattle. The Gaza camp is unique in Jordan. Located just a few kilometers from the ancient ruins of Jarash, it…

“Dolmens and the Landscape in Bronze Age Levant” an ACOR Lecture on Wednesday 22 February 2017

Jan 18, 2017 Posted in Lecture Tagged with Dolmens

Public Lecture Announcement The Visible Dead: Dolmens and the Landscape in Bronze Age Levant Dr. James Fraser Curator for the Levant The British Museum Wednesday 22 February 2017 at 6:00 p.m. Reception to Follow at ACOR About the Lecture: Megalithic dolmen tombs are some of the most striking features in the archaeological landscape of Jordan….

“Protection of Cultural Heritage” an ACOR Lecture on Tuesday 24 January 2017 by Dr. Monther Jamhawi

Jan 15, 2017 Posted in Lecture Tagged with Cultural Heritage Management, department of antiquities, Jordan, Jordanian scholars

Public Lecture Announcement A New Perspective for the Protection of Threatened Cultural Heritage Dr. Monther Jamhawi Director General Department of Antiquities of Jordan Tuesday 24 January 2017 at 6:00 p.m. Reception to Follow About the Lecturer: Dr. Monther Jamhawi is the Director General of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan. Before joining the Department, he…

Khirbat Iskandar—A New View of Urbanism in Early Bronze Age Jordan

Jan 12, 2017 Posted in CAORC, Research Tagged with Archaeology, collapse, early bronze age, Khirbat Iskander

Recent ACOR-CAORC fellow and senior archaeologist Suzanne Richard writes below about how her ongoing excavations at the central Jordan site of Khirbat Iskander are revising long-held views of the Early Bronze Age urban collapse. In the southern Levant, cities were destroyed and/or abandoned and urbanism disappeared at the end of what scholars call the Early…

ACOR Internship Program Helps Build Future Professionals

Jan 5, 2017 Posted in Life@ACOR, SCHEP Tagged with communication, internship, service, study abroad, undergraduate student

During the 2016 fall semester, ACOR welcomed six American undergraduate interns. They have contributed in various ways to our mission and to our community here in Amman—from increasing ACOR’s social media presence to assisting research fellows and supporting the USAID SCHEP project. Each intern is a study abroad student with either the Council on International…

The Levantine Early Bronze Age — An ACOR Video Lecture by Dr. Suzanne Richard

Dec 26, 2016 Posted in CAORC, Fellowships, Research, VideoLectures Tagged with Archaeology, Bronze Age, Khirbat Iskandar

The ACOR Video Lecture Series provides accessible discussions of new research into the past and present of Jordan and the broader Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean worlds. This video, adapted from the September 2016 ACOR public lecture delivered by Dr. Suzanne Richard, examines the site of Khirbat Iskandar in light of ongoing research and new…

ASOR Albright Award given to ACOR Librarian

Dec 21, 2016 Posted in ACOR, Library, Life@ACOR, News & Event Tagged with Albright Award, ASOR, Library, Staff Profile

ACOR Library Director Carmen Ayoubi was awarded the W.F. Albright Service Award on 18 November 2016 during the 2016 ASOR annual meetings in San Antonio, Texas. ACOR Trustee Dr. Bert de Vries and ACOR Director Dr. Barbara A. Porter received the award on behalf of Mrs. Ayoubi. The award was formally presented to Mrs. Ayoubi…

An Anthropological Gaze at Art – An ACOR Video Lecture by Dr. Aseel Sawalha

Dec 14, 2016 Posted in Fellowships, NEH, Research, VideoLectures Tagged with Amman, anthropology, art

The ACOR Video Lecture Series provides accessible discussions of new research into the past and present of Jordan and the broader Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean worlds. This video, adapted from the October 2016 ACOR public lecture delivered by NEH Fellow Dr. Aseel Sawalha, is an evaluation of the expanding art scene in Amman and…

Why I Support ACOR – A Message from the ACOR Board President

Dec 6, 2016 Posted in General, Life@ACOR Tagged with ACOR History, Board of Trustees, Donate

Randolph (Randy) B. Old is the ACOR Board President. His essay below on what ACOR and Jordan have meant to him was originally published in the ACOR Newsletter 27.2 (Winter 2015). If you have stories to share about how ACOR has impacted your life, please let us know. In the early 1970s, when oil prices…

Between Past and Present at Bir Madhkur

Nov 30, 2016 Posted in CAORC, Fellows, Research, SCHEP Tagged with Archaeology, community engagement, Petra region, SCHEP

Archaeologist and recent ACOR-CAORC Fellow Andrew M. Smith II writes below about his ongoing research at the important Nabataean-Roman site of Bir Madhkur in Jordan’s Wadi Araba and how USAID SCHEP has been supporting efforts to increase awareness of the site’s important remains. During my recent fellowship at ACOR, I was pursuing two interrelated and…

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