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| American Center of Research (Jordan) | |
|---|---|
| Name | American Center of Research (Jordan) |
| Formation | 1968 |
| Type | Research institute |
| Headquarters | Amman, Jordan |
American Center of Research (Jordan) is an independent research institute and cultural heritage organization based in Amman, Jordan, that supports archaeological, historical, and cultural studies in the Levant. Founded amid postwar scholarly exchanges, the center serves as a hub for scholars from the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, facilitating fieldwork, archival access, and publication related to sites such as Petra, Jerash, Umm ar-Rasas, Aqaba, and the Dead Sea. It maintains partnerships with universities, museums, and international bodies engaged with Near Eastern antiquities and modern cultural preservation.
The institution originated in the late 1960s as an American-affiliated research affiliate during a period of renewed archaeological interest following expeditions led by teams associated with Smithsonian Institution, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and Princeton University. Over decades its trajectory intersected with major regional events including the aftermath of the Six-Day War, scholarly initiatives connected to the American Schools of Oriental Research and collaborations with national bodies such as the Department of Antiquities (Jordan). Directors and visiting scholars with ties to institutions like British Museum, Louvre Museum, Yale University, University of Cambridge, and University of Oxford shaped its collections and policy engagement. The center adapted through periods marked by international conventions including the 1954 Hague Convention and the UNESCO World Heritage Convention as Jordanian sites attained global recognition.
The center's mission emphasizes facilitating research on archaeological sites, historical archives, and cultural landscapes across Jordan and the Levant, aligning with peer organizations such as Natural History Museum, London and Metropolitan Museum of Art in fostering fieldwork and scholarship. Activities encompass supporting excavations at loci like Madaba, Al-Karak, Qasr Al-Azraq, and survey projects near Wadi Rum, coordinating with academic departments at Columbia University, New York University, University of Chicago, and regional participants including University of Jordan and Yarmouk University. The center provides logistical support for projects funded by entities like the National Endowment for the Humanities, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and receives visiting researchers from institutions such as Smith College and Brown University.
Collections include archaeological photographs, maps, manuscripts, and excavation reports documenting work at Khirbat al-Mafjar, Tell el-Hesi, Ain Ghazal, and Byzantine mosaics from Madaba Map contexts. The archive houses expedition records from teams affiliated with American Academy in Rome, Austrian Archaeological Institute, German Archaeological Institute, and holdings related to scholars such as T.E. Lawrence, Gertrude Bell, Doris Schattschneider and collectors whose correspondence intersects with regional excavation histories. The center curates epigraphic corpora, Ottoman-era cadastral maps, aerial photography tied to Royal Air Force surveys, and digitized negatives from photographers associated with museums like Rijksmuseum and Hermitage Museum.
The center publishes monographs, excavation reports, and bibliographic guides used by researchers affiliated with Institute for Advanced Study, Dumbarton Oaks, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, and university presses including Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. Its output documents projects at Petra Church Complex, Byzantine sites at Umm ar-Rasas, and Roman theaters at Gerasa. Collaborative publications involve scholars connected to the Society for American Archaeology, International Council on Monuments and Sites, and editors from periodicals such as Journal of Near Eastern Studies, American Journal of Archaeology, and Levant.
Programs target professional development, student internships, and public lectures featuring specialists from British Institute at Ankara, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, and university archaeology departments like University College London. Outreach initiatives include workshops on collection conservation aligned with standards from International Council of Museums, training for local museum staff at institutions such as Jordan Museum and community-engagement projects in partnership with municipal authorities in Amman and governorates like Mafraq and Aqaba Governorate. The center organizes conferences with panels including participants from World Monuments Fund, Getty Conservation Institute, and national cultural agencies.
Headquartered in central Amman, the center provides library space, photographic archives, digitization labs, and meeting rooms equipped for seminars with visiting delegations from Embassy of the United States, Amman, consular cultural officers, and scholars on fellowships sponsored by organizations such as Fulbright Program and Fulbright Commission. Field equipment caches and storage comply with conservation practices promoted by ICOMOS and international museum partners such as Smithsonian Institution and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Governance includes a board of trustees and advisory committees comprising academics and museum professionals from institutions like Princeton University Art Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and representatives from Jordanian bodies such as the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Jordan). Partnerships extend to bilateral collaborations with universities including University of Toronto, Leiden University, Australian National University, and cultural NGOs like Archaeological Institute of America and funding agencies such as National Geographic Society.
Category:Research institutes in Jordan Category:Archaeology of Jordan