Category - Abila Archaelogical Project

Due to previous stints abroad, I’ve had the opportunity to celebrate the 4th of July away from the patriotic enthusiasm of the United States before, but the 4th of July of 2018 was definitely a new experience for me. In Jordan, there are no fireworks stands by the roadside or American flags in the stores. It can be easy to forget about the holiday when you’re 6,695 miles away from the U.S.: there’s work at the dig site, pottery reading, and homework still to be done. But Americans can still have an amazing celebration wherever we are in the world![…]

“Okay,” I told myself as I looked out over Area B of the Abila site for the first day of excavation. “It’s Indiana Jones time.” The gray light of dawn was just coming, giving everything—the squares, the tells, and even the goats and sheep on the hill across the narrow valley—a hazy image. In the cool, crisp morning it was easy to imagine that I could actually do this; I could be a little bit like Indiana Jones, or Benjamin Gates from National Treasure, or even Alan Grant from the original Jurassic Park film. Just a little. When I first[…]

Posting from the Abila Archaeological Project.  My favorite room at camp is the registry. In layman’s terms, it’s where cool stuff gets sorted and documented. During field school, dozens of JBU students crammed into the registry for a training session. They clustered around desks covered with Munsell soil charts, rulers, pail tags and microscopes. Peter, our resident priest and registrar, explained that archaeology is destruction, purposeful demolition for the sake of learning. Because the sediment and artifacts we uncover can never be returned to their original state, documenting our work with great care is critical to honoring history. After providing[…]

This summer 40+ volunteers, staff members, JBU students and alumni will spend four weeks in Northern Jordan at the Abila Archaeological Project. The team will be excavating, conserving, restoring and publishing the archaeological site of Abila of the Decapolis. Several team members will be sharing their journey here on the blog. By Gabrielle Marcy ’17 (Graphic Design) In 2016, I studied abroad in Jordan. That summer changed me as I uncovered history, developed cross-cultural friendships, experienced deep hospitality and wrestled with complex questions. This summer, I’m thrilled to return for another dig season. In preparation for the trip, I reached out[…]