American Center of Research

Last updated
American Center of Research
Formation1968
Type Research center
Headquarters Alexandria, Virginia, U.S., and Amman, Jordan
Director
Pearce Paul Creasman, Ph.D.
President
Edward W. Gnehm, Jr.
Website acorjordan.org

The American Center of Research (ACOR) [1] is a private, not-for-profit scholarly and educational organization. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, with a facility in Amman, Jordan, ACOR promotes knowledge of Jordan and the interconnected region, past and present. Prior to 2020, ACOR was known as The American Center of Oriental Research.

Contents

History

ACOR's history spans back to the foundation of the American School of Oriental Research in 1900 in East Jerusalem, [2] supporting the study of the MENA region. As the region changed during the mid-20th century, the foundation of a permanent research center for Americans working or studying in the Arab World was needed, and in 1968 ACOR itself was created as "The American Research Center in Amman." The center was intended to serve as a consortium in support of North American projects working in the Middle East, specifically including Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and territories of the Arabian Gulf. It works in or with the people of these countries today, primarily at and from its center in Amman.

It was first directed by Rudolph H. Dornemann, followed by Murray B. Nicol. It became "The American Center of Oriental Research in Amman" in 1970. [3] One of ACOR's first projects was excavating a Byzantine church in Swafiyeh, Amman, by the director and annual professor Bastiaan Van Elderen in partnership with Jordan's Department of Antiquities, also serving as a training course for students attending the University of Jordan. From June 7–13, 1970, Van Elderen and various residents barricaded themselves in the ACOR residence during fighting between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian army. Murray Nicol was appointed new director in 1970 but was prevented from serving by the second phase of the war in Jordan, so Siegfried H. Horn replaced him at the urging of the U.S. Embassy in Amman, followed by Henry O. Thompson. In 1975 George Mendenhall was director, followed by James A. Sauer from 1976-1981. During the late 1970's and early 1980's ACOR conducted and sponsored projects in Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, in addition to those in Jordan.

In 1976 the building was remodeled, adding hostel accommodation for eight people and a 1,800-book library. In 1980, ACOR began partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and was awarded a contract to write a five-year plan for archaeological development. In 1982 David McCreery became director, and ACOR began to grant fellowships. ACOR moved to a purpose-built building in 1986, with partial funding from USAID's office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad and a ribbon-cutting ceremony by H.R.H. Prince Mohammed Bin Talal. In 1988 Bert de Vries took over as director, succeeded by Pierre Bikai in 1991, who oversaw an expansion to the Amman center in 2004. [3] Barbara A. Porter became director in 2006, and Pearce Paul Creasman in 2020. The Amman center underwent a comprehensive renovation from 2021-2023, converting the hostel to a residence, expanding the library’s capacity, and modernizing all systems. [4] Several long-term staff included cook Mohammed Adawi, born around [ when? ] in the Palestinian village of Zakariyya, who served as such for the duration of ACOR's existence [5] and Librarian Carmen (Humi) Ayoubi, who managed the library from 1988 to 2020. [6]

ACOR has a strict policy of non-involvement in modern politics. [3]

Notable ACOR Excavations

ACOR has led or sponsored many affiliated archaeological and restoration projects in the region, most notably in Jordan: 'Ain Ghazal, Amman Citadel's Temple of Hercules, Ayla in Aqaba, Bab edh-Dhra, Hesban, Humeima, Khirbet Iskander, Madaba Archaeological Park Project, Pella, Petra Church Project, Petra Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural Resource Management, and Umm el-Jimal.

Digital archive

In 2016, ACOR began a four-year project to digitize and preserve photographs of Jordan and surrounding areas. Photographs from six different private collections are part of the project donated by George Bass, Linda Jacobs, Rami Khouri, Robert Schick, Jane Taylor, and Charles Wilson. The project won four additional years of support in 2020 and is now focused on a wider variety of content. This project is available online at https://acor.digitalrelab.com/. [7]

Fellowships

ACOR presents 20-30 fellowships annually at present, to students from Jordan, the United States, and other countries. They include: the NEH Fellowship, the ACOR-CAORC Post Graduate Fellowship, the ACOR-CAORC Pre-Doctorate Fellowship, the Jennifer C. Groot Memorial Fellowship, the Bert and Sally de Vries Fellowship, the Harrell Family Fellowship, the Pierre and Patricia Bikai Fellowship, the Burton MacDonald and Rosemarie Sampson Fellowship, the Kenneth W. Russell Fellowship, the James A. Sauer Fellowship, the Frederick-Wenger Memorial Endowment, the Jordanian Graduate Student Scholarship and the Jordanian Travel Scholarship for ASOR Annual Meeting. Scholars can also apply to the CAORC Multi-Country Fellowship Program and the Andrew. W. Mellon Mediterranean Regional Research Fellowship Program. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Hassan bin Talal</span> Jordanian prince

Prince El Hassan bin Talal is a member of the Jordanian royal family who was previously Crown Prince from 1965 to 1999, being removed just three weeks before King Hussein's death. He is now 20th in line to succeed his nephew King Abdullah II.

The American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR), founded in 1900 as the American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, which supports the research and teaching of the history and cultures of the Near East and Middle Eastern countries. ASOR supports scholarship, research, exploration, and archeological fieldwork and offers avenues of disseminating this research through their publications. ASOR also provides support for undergraduates and graduates in institutions of higher education around the world pursuing studies of the history and cultures of the Near and Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhiban, Jordan</span> City in Madaba Governorate, Jordan

Dhiban, known to the Moabites as Dibon, is a Jordanian town located in Madaba Governorate, approximately 70 kilometres south of Amman and east of the Dead Sea. Previously nomadic, the modern community settled the town in the 1950s. Dhiban's current population is about 15,000, with many working in the army, government agencies, or in seasonal agricultural production. A number of young people study in nearby universities in Karak, Madaba, and Amman. Most inhabitants practice Islam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Jordan</span> Pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with Jordan and its people

The culture of Jordan is based on Arabic and Islamic elements. Jordan stands at the intersection of the three continents of the ancient world, lending it geographic and population diversity. Notable aspects of the culture include the traditional music and clothing of Jordan and interest in sports. These include football and basketball as well as other sports such as equestrianism, fencing, karate, swimming, and table tennis

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sur Baher</span> Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem

Sur Baher, also Tsur Baher, is a Palestinian neighborhood on the southeastern outskirts of East Jerusalem. It is located east of Ramat Rachel and northeast of Har Homa. In 2006, Sur Baher had a population of 15,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amman Citadel</span> Archaeological site in Amman

The Amman Citadel is an archeological site at the center of downtown Amman, the capital of Jordan. The L-shaped hill is one of the seven hills (jebal) that originally made up Amman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rami George Khouri</span> Jordanian journalist

Rami George Khouri is a journalist and editor with Palestinian background and joint Jordanian and United States citizenship. He was born in New York City to an Arab Palestinian Christian family. His father, George Khouri, a Nazarene journalist in what was the British mandate of Palestine, had traveled with his wife to New York in 1947 to cover the United Nations (UN) debates about the future of Palestine. His family resides in Beirut, Amman, and Nazareth. He is also a public speaker. After attending secondary school at the International School of Geneva in Switzerland, Rami Khouri returned to the US to complete his education. Khouri has served for many years as the chief umpire for Little League Baseball in Jordan.

Gary O. Rollefson is a Near Eastern prehistoric archaeologist.

The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) is an American non-profit dedicated to supporting research in all periods of Egyptian history. It is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC).

Lawrence "Larry" T. Geraty is an American academic who served as the second President of La Sierra University in Riverside, California. He completed his undergraduate education in theology at Pacific Union College, his bachelor of divinity and master of arts in religion from Andrews University, and received a doctorate in biblical studies from Harvard University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albright Institute of Archaeological Research</span> Research institute in Jerusalem, Israel (founded 1900)

The W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research (AIAR) is an archaeological research institution located in East Jerusalem. It is the oldest American research center for ancient Near Eastern studies in the Middle East. Founded in 1900 as the American School of Oriental Research, it was renamed in 1970 after its most distinguished director and the father of biblical archaeology, William F. Albright. Its mission is to develop and disseminate scholarly knowledge of the literature, history, and culture of the Near East, as well as the study of civilization from pre-history to the early Islamic period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tall Jawa</span>

Tall Jawa is an archaeological and historical site in central Jordan.

The British Institute in Amman, formerly known as the British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and History (BIAAH), is a research institute in Amman, Jordan. It is part of the Council for British Research in the Levant. The BIA's patron is Prince Hassan bin Talal and its current director is Carol Palmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Lapp</span> American archaeologist and biblical scholar

Nancy L. Lapp is an American archaeologist and biblical scholar who has worked on a number of sites in Jordan and Palestine, alongside her husband, Paul Lapp. After her husband's untimely death in 1970, she dedicated herself to publishing all of their excavation reports, an immense task which is still ongoing. Lapp became curator of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary's Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology in 1970, and in 2000 became Curator Emerita. She also currently serves as a Trustee Emerita of the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, Jordan, to whom she has donated an expansive collection of photographs documenting her and Paul's travels and archaeological expeditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byzantine Church (Petra)</span>

The Byzantine Church at Petra is a prime example of monumental architecture in Byzantine Petra. It sits on elevated ground in the city center, north of the so-called Colonnaded Street. It is one of three Byzantine churches on the hillside, the others two being the Ridge Church and the Blue Chapel, the 5th - 6th century chapel north of the main church, so called because it was fashioned with blue Egyptian granite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghor es-Safi</span> Archaeological site in Jordan

Ghor es-Safi is an area in the Jordan valley, located in the Wadi al-Hasa. It is situated between the governorates of Karak and Tafilah, near the southern Dead Sea. The location is depicted on the 6th-century Madaba map as "Zoara."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khirbat Iskandar</span> Archaeological site in central Jordan

Khirbat Iskandar is an archaeological site in central Jordan. The name translates as "ruins of Alexander [the Great]," which references a nearby village. Though the original name of the site is not known, the site is known for its Early Bronze Age settlement, which is millennia before the time of Alexander the Great. The site itself is an example of archaeological finds of the first known human cities and their rise, growth, and collapse. The site was known as a Canaanite settlement, during a time where human writing was first discovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayyubid Watchtower (Amman)</span> Stone tower in Jordan

The Ayyubid watchtower is a stone tower dating back to the Ayyubid period, more specifically in the year 1220, on the southern wall of the Amman Citadel in the center of the Jordanian capital, Amman. It is located in an area adjacent to the much older Temple of Hercules. It also contains traces of other civilizations that have succeeded in the city for thousands of years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Frank Graf</span> American historian and archeologist

David F. Graf, is an American historian, archeologist, academic and author. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Miami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Zimmerle</span> Scholar and archaeologist

William Gerlad Zimmerle is a scholar and archaeologist. He is also the Director of the Dhofar Ethnography Preservation Project and the Dhofar Rock Art & Arabian Inscriptions Project. Both which are auspices of the Diwan of the Royal Court in the Sultanate of Oman.

References

  1. Creasman, Pearce; Gnehm, Edward. "The American Center of Research" (PDF). ACOR Newsletter. 32 (1): 1–3.
  2. Kesting, Piney (March 28, 2022). "The Legacy of Arabic in America". AramcoWorld. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 ACOR: The First 25 Years: The American Center of Oriental Research: 1968-1993. Amman, Jordan: ACOR. 1993. pp. 9–83.
  4. Porter, Barbara A. (Summer 2008). "Barbara Porter's Reflections" (PDF). ACOR Newsletter. 20 (1). Retrieved March 11, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. Porter, Barbara A. (Summer 2008). "Mohammed Adawi Remembers" (PDF). ACOR Newsletter. 20 (1). Retrieved March 11, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. Ayoubi, Humi (Summer 2008). "Reflections by Humi Ayoubi" (PDF). ACOR Newsletter. 20 (1). Retrieved March 11, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. "Digital archive aims to preserve Jordan's past for future generations". Jordan Times. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  8. "2015-2016 ACOR Fellowships". Archived from the original on 2015-03-11. Retrieved 15 Mar 2015.