Jericho Mafjar
Project
To see the video, click here.
Project member Anthony Lauricella presented a paper at the conference "High-Tech Heritage: How are Digital Technologies Changing our Views of the Past?" at UMass-Amherst, May 2-4, 2012.
His paper "Online Resources for Qasr Hisham and the Jericho-Mafjar Project" analyzed the particular ways in which websites, online encyclopedias, and Wikis provide archaeological information relevant to ongoing excavations. His work stressed the need for accurate and current information, and the need for the researchers themselves to take responsibility for the online presentation of their research.
The use of the iPad Filemaker Go application for digital documentation of the Jericho Mafjar Project was featured on the FileMaker website.
The Ashtar theater company, based in Ramallah, delivered "Richard II" in the open-air palace courtyard at Hisham’s Palace.
For more detail:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/23/entertainment-us-palestinians-shakespear-idUSBRE83M0Z220120423
Joint Palestinian-American dig near Jericho yields clues about early Islamic culture:
http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2011/10/26/joint-palestinian-american-dig-near-jericho-yields-clues-about-early-islamic-cult
Dr. Iman Saca presented a paper, entitled "Building a Community Archaeology Program in Jericho: A Long Term Vision for a City and a Site,” at the international conference “Why Does the Past Matter?” held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst May 4-7, 2011.
Dr. Saca discussed the importance of a community archaeology approach to doing archaeology and heritage work, and the benefits of an engaged and involved community. In her paper she highlighted the outreach efforts established during the first season of excavation at Mafjar in an effort to create a comprehensive, collaborative community archaeology program with the Palestinian Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Ministry of Education, the Municipality, the local community, as well as the private sector in the city of Jericho.
Conference website:
http://www.umass.edu/chs/news/conference2011.html
On January 15th of this year, the joint cooperation for archaeology and heritage management at Khirbet al-Mafjar was inaugurated in a ceremony on the archaeological site. Dr. Kholoud Daibes, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, officiated this formal opening in the presence of Mr. Majid al-Fatyani, governor of Jericho District, and Mr. Mohammad Hawash, Ministry of Education superintendent. Dr. Hamdan Taha, representing the Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, and Dr. Donald Whitcomb, representing the University of Chicago, discussed hopes for future research and led a tour of the results from the first season of excavations.
For more detail:
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=351275
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=354676