听厂贬础搁贰
[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-fb-icon4.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://www.facebook.com/麻豆直播esearch/” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-tw-icon4.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://twitter.com/麻豆直播esearch?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-in-icon4.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-schools-of-oriental-research” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-ml-icon_7.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”mailto:info@asor.org” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/blog-icon3.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://asor.org/blog” margin_bottom=”0″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496683923840{margin-right: 20px !important;border-left-width: 2px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;border-left-color: #99422f !important;}”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” thickness=”1″ margin_top=”3″ margin_bottom=”3″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”ca-sidebar-39801″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1487276122024{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 30px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text responsive_align=”left”]Finding My Path
Aayush Umesh, 2025 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient聽[/vc_column_text][mk_divider][vc_column_text]
A year ago today, I had no idea that I would become an Islamic archaeologist. My path has been full of twists and turns. In the last four years at the University of Georgia, I have completed a bachelor鈥檚 degree with double majors in theatre and communication studies and a minor in Arabic. I entered college with ambitions to attend law school. Eventually, however, I found archaeology, and tried my hand at excavation last summer at Antiochia ad Cragum, T眉rkiye. I fell in love and attended both the 麻豆直播 and AIA Annual Meetings in 2024 and 2025, respectively. At the 麻豆直播 Annual Meeting, I met Professor Bethany Walker, the head of the Islamic Archaeology Research Unit at the University of Bonn. Upon meeting her and listening to the work of her graduate students, the next segment of my path had been illuminated. I decided to pursue the MA in Islamic Archaeology at the University of Bonn and to accompany the university for fieldwork at Tall Hisban, Jordan, from May 18-29, 2025.
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”104492″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][mk_padding_divider size=”30″][vc_single_image image=”104493″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][mk_padding_divider size=”30″][vc_column_text]Tall Hisban is around a 30-minute drive from Madaba, the 鈥淐ity of Mosaics鈥� that houses the Madaba Map (the oldest surviving cartographic depiction of the Holy Land as a large floor mosaic on the floor of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church). Madaba today is a vibrant city boasting harmonious Christian and Muslim communities, spectacular archaeology, delicious Jordanian cuisine, talented mosaic artisans, and proximity to the capital city of Amman (which is less than an hour鈥檚 drive). Our team stayed at Salome Hotel, a gorgeous accommodation for guests in Madaba with simple yet beautiful amenities and a kind, hospitable staff.Tall Hisban is a breathtaking site with millennia of occupation, with excavated material culture representing periods from Paleolithic to Late Islamic. A stroll through the site takes one up Roman stairs to Byzantine houses, through Islamic bathhouses reusing Christian baptismal basins to the entrances of previously settled underground cave systems. Old and new are engaged in a remarkable dance at Tall Hisban, best captured by the abundant spolia utilized in its diverse features鈥� constructions as well as in the tell鈥檚 modern residential surroundings.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”104494″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][mk_padding_divider size=”30″][vc_wp_text]I was assigned to a square which had been identified in a previous season as an Ayyubid-era kitchen. Our goal was to continue excavating this square, passing the Ayyubid layer and investigating those beneath to determine the usage of the space in earlier Islamic eras. Our objective this excavation season was to gain a better understanding of the dietary practices of the inhabitants of Tall Hisban by comparing data procured at the tell to data procured at a nearby wadi (valley) that had been historically used for agricultural purposes. As such, many soil samples were taken during excavation for botanical analysis, particularly in areas high in charcoal or surrounding excavated cookwares. Some of the most outstanding discoveries were tabuns, or traditional clay ovens, which contain a multitude of data.[/vc_wp_text][vc_single_image image=”104495″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][mk_padding_divider size=”30″][vc_column_text]Upon returning to the hotel each afternoon, the group would reconvene for pottery washing and counting after a nap. It was inspiring watching Prof. Walker identify the period or region of any given sherd in seconds! Pottery washing was a great educational experience because I was able to acquaint myself with many types and periods of wares including Byzantine, Umayyad, Abbasid, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Fatimid.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Having completed a minor in Arabic at UGA, I was thrilled to have this opportunity to develop my skills in spoken Arabic, particularly in the Jordanian dialect. I learned many helpful field vocabulary words from Jordanian workmen onsite including the words for trowel, pottery, shovel, dustpan, glass, pickaxe, and more! The team had one free weekend, and while most used this time to visit Petra, I decided to visit Amman instead with Prof. Walker and another teammate. We spent some time at the Jordan Museum, where I was able to stand just inches away from both the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Ain Ghazal statues. We then visited the Amman Citadel as well. The Jordan Archaeological Museum is located on the citadel, and features excavated artefacts from Tall Hisban and many other sites in Jordan.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”104496″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][mk_padding_divider size=”30″][vc_column_text]My time at Tall Hisban was nothing short of life-changing. Through this experience, I made over a dozen friends at the University of Bonn, which will make my transition far easier as I relocate to Germany this fall. I am thrilled that I have found my path鈥擨slamic archaeology鈥攁nd have been given the opportunity to study with one of the world鈥檚 leading Islamic archaeologists. I look forward to returning to Tall Hisban in future excavation seasons and continuing the work that we did this summer.[/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”30″][vc_single_image image=”104497″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][mk_padding_divider visibility=”visible-dt”][vc_wp_text]Aayush Umesh is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Communication Studies. He hopes to become a professor in Islamic archaeology at a major research university, focusing in the Levant and/or South Asia. He will soon begin a Master of Arts degree in Islamic Archaeology at the University of Bonn, supervised by Prof. Bethany Walker.
Tall Hisban Project:
[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider][vc_wp_text]Want to help more students and early career archaeologists get into the field? Donate to the cause today by selecting 鈥淔ieldwork Scholarships鈥� as your gift purpose!
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