FRIENDS OF ASOR WEBINARS
The Not-So-Innocents Abroad: The Beginnings of American Biblical Archaeology
1873 map of Jerusalem
Friends of ASOR present the next webinar in our monthly series on January 20, 2022, at 7:00 pm EST, featuring Prof. Rachel Hallote. When scholars recount the story of the birth of “biblical archaeology,” the British are usually credited as the moving force while the Americans are all but ignored. The British, who were led by their deep political and religious interests in the Holy Land, carried out the first modern archaeological projects in second half of the nineteenth century, with great success. The Americans on the other hand, when mentioned at all, are portrayed as bumbling and incapable.
This webinar will redeem the image of American archaeological exploration in the Holy Land, and put endeavors into their own political, religious, and academic contexts. Not only were American archaeologists active in nineteenth century Palestine, but they were innovative in their techniques and applied a practical, no-nonsense approach to their endeavors. From the founding of the American Palestine Exploration Society to the famous Samaria Expedition of 1908, we will explore the considerable influence of American scholars on the archaeology of the Holy Land. Dr. Hallote will conclude her webinar with a live Q&A session.
Rachel Hallote is Professor of History at Purchase College SUNY. An archaeologist, she is also the author of several books and numerous articles about biblical archaeology and the history of archaeology. Her research involves British and American archaeologists who excavated in Ottoman-controlled Palestine in the 19th century. She has worked at numerous archaeological sites in Israel, including Tell Miqne and Megiddo. Her publications include Bible, Map, and Spade: The American Palestine Exploration Society, Frederick Jones Bliss, and the Forgotten Story of Early American Biblical Archaeology and the co-authored volume, The Photographs of the American Palestine Exploration Society. She currently co-hosts an archaeology podcast called This Week in the Ancient Near East.
ASOR Sustaining Members: $0 | ASOR Members: $6 | Public: $12
To receive your ASOR member discount, log into the online store. If you are new to ASOR, please click on the “New Visitor Registration” link to register your e-mail address and choose password for our online store. Once logged in, navigate to “Meeting and Event Registration” to register for the webinar and pay the fee. Each paid registrant will receive a confirmation e-mail when you pay for the webinar. If you do not receive this e-mail, then you are not registered. Please e-mail membership@asor.org with any questions or issues with registering.
You will be e-mailed the Zoom Webinar link in the week prior to the lecture on January 20, 2022. If you do not receive the link by the close of business on the Tuesday before the webinar, please e-mail membership@asor.org immediately. All webinars are recorded and all paid registrants will be sent a link to view the recording.
All proceeds from this lecture are used to fund scholarships for members impacted by COVID-19 as well as increasing ASOR’s online resources, which are free to the public.
