Archaeology in the Attic @ ACOR – The American Center of Oriental Research
On Wednesday, April 19 at 6 PM – 9 PM
Archaeology in the Attic: Preserving Archival Treasures of Jordan’s Past

About the lecture: Archaeological and cultural heritage sites in Jordan and the Middle East are under increasing threat from urban expansion, development, and, in the worst cases, deliberate, willful destruction. Now more than ever it is important to preserve and make available the photographs and images that document the region’s ever changing sites and landscapes. Thanks to new funding provided through the U.S. Department of Education and other organizations, the ACOR Library is taking the lead in digitizing, cataloging, and making publically available a number of institutional and donated photographic collections that serve as a visual testament to Jordan’s extraordinary range of cultural heritage sites. This lecture will introduce these new archival efforts and focus on specific collections that are currently being preserved, including the donated collections of esteemed photographers Jane Taylor and Rami Khouri, and the recently donated photo archive of the ‘Aqaba-Ma’an Archaeological and Epigraphic Survey (1980–1990) in Wadi Ramm, directed by the late William Jobling of the University of Sydney.
About the lecturer: Glenn J. Corbett is ACOR Associate Director and co-directs the Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural Resource Management (TWLCRM) Initiative in Petra. He received his Ph.D. in Near Eastern archaeology from the University of Chicago, where his research focused on the epigraphic and archaeological remains of pre-Islamic Arabia. With ACOR Librarian Carmen Ayoubi, he serves as project leader for the ACOR Library Photographic Archive project.
photo caption: Local site guard standing in the interior of Qasr Kharanah, 1986. Rami Khouri Photographic Collection.