The Madaba Plains Project: Forty Years of Archaeological Research in Jordan's Past

The 40th anniversary of the longest running archaeological project in the Middle East is marked by scholars who have taken part in it at various times at various sites. They discuss results of the research, the project's contributions to the archaeology of the southern Levant, and the legacy of the project throughout Jordan. Specific topics include the late Bronze and early Iron ages at Tall al-'Umayri, collaborative research with the project by a historical geographer, how artists and archaeologists work together, and religious symbolism in tomb architecture and epitaphs at the Umm el-Jimal and Tall Hisban cemeteries. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Douglas R. Clark is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Archaeology at La Sierra University in Riverside, California, and Director of the University Honors Program. Having authored, co-authored, and co-edited eight volumes, including 100 Years of American Archaeology in the Middle East and Ancient Ammonites and Modern Arabs, he has published and presented widely. He currently directs the Tall al-`Umayri excavations. Larry G. Herr is Professor of Religious Studies at Canadian University College in Lacombe, Alberta. An extremely widely published archaeologist, he is Associate Editor of the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research and has served for 12 seasons as co-director of the Tall al-`Umayri excavations. He is chief editor of the series of preliminary and seasonal published reports, the latter in the Madaba Plains Project-`Umayri series. Oystein S. LaBianca is Professor of Anthropology and Associate Director, Institute of Archaeology at Andrews University in Michigan. Among his many publications are Sedentarization and Nomadization: Food System Cycles at Hesban and Vicinity in Jordan and, with co-editor Sandra Arnold Scham, Connectivity in Antiquity: Globalization as a Long Term Historical Process (Equinox, 2006). He is senior director of the Tall Hisban excavations. Randall W. Younker is Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology at Andrews University in Michigan. He has authored numerous scholarly articles and is co-editor (with Thomas E. Levy, et al.) of Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan (Equinox, 2007), directs the Tall Jalul excavations, and publishes its seasonal reports.