The Institute of Archaeology & Siegfried H. Horn Museum Newsletter Volume 33.3

Hisban 2012, Øystein S. LaBianca, Maria Elena Ronza, and Jeffrey P. Hudon Gregor in Croatia, Paul Z. Gregor WAC-7 - Dead Sea, Jordan: 14-18 January 2013 - Seventh World Archaeological Congress Random Surveyhttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/iaham-news/1051/thumbnail.jp

P-01 Community Archaeology: Theory and Practice

The poster will make the case for a more inclusive vision of archaeology in the lands of the Bible. Such a vision is needed in order to address biases resulting from the expeditionary model that has been the mainstay of much biblical archaeology. Under this traditional model discoveries unearthed by excavations and surveys in these lands that did not pertain to biblical times and events were either discarded or ignored. Also, host communities were seen as ancillary, as a source of labor, but not much more. Andrews University archaeologists working in Jordan have pioneered a new approach to biblical archaeology that is both inclusive in terms of time periods studied and in terms of engaging with the local host community. This new model is called community archaeology. The approach has been well received by our Jordanian hosts and by our scientific colleagues, and it has been adopted by many other archaeological projects working in Jordan and beyond. It has also been embraced as the way forward for the future of archaeology by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan. The poster will highlight the inter-disciplinary nature of this new approach and include a brief overview of best practices of community archaeology as crystallized by the Hisban Cultural Heritage Project

Community Archaeology in the Islamic World

Community archaeology, or the notion that local officials, school teachers, community elders, workmen, and other community members might be recruited as partners in helping to preserve, protect, interpret, and present archaeological sites, is at best a nascent one in Islamic archaeology. This chapter provides a brief background to the concept and practice of community archaeology with special reference to its standing as an academic subspecialty within Islamic archaeology and its on-the-ground practice in countries with predominantly Muslim populations. The contribution of various international and professional organizations to the development of community archaeology in Islamic countries is assayed and specific projects are highlighted as examples of the kind of work that is being done in different countries. The chapter concludes by singling out the country of Jordan as being in the vanguard of a community archaeology revolution in the Islamic lands, including lessons learned in that country about best practices for implementing community archaeology projects