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Reports & Short Articles by Franco Sciorilli
Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan XIV: Culture in Crisis: Flows of Peoples, Artifacts, and Ideas. Amman: Department of Antiquities., 2022
Co-authored with Franco Sciorilli. Published Dec. 2022 Published in Studies in the History... more Co-authored with Franco Sciorilli.
Published Dec. 2022
Published in Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan XIV, as part of a publication of papers from the "SCHEP Workshop: Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities Project", which took place at ICHAJ 14, Florence Italy in 2019. This workshop is published in full in SHAJ XIV, pp. 763-784 (co-edited by Nizar Al Adarbeh, Jehad Haron, and Jack Green.
The Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural Resource Management (TWLCRM) Initiative, implemented by ACOR, has carried out extensive efforts in excavation and documentation, site conservation, site safety and interpretation, and educational awareness from the time of its beginnings in 2009. The most recent phase of activities at the site supported by USAID SCHEP in 2017 and 2018 has enabled the Initiative to complete vital emergency conservation of the Temple Cella and the Southwest Quadrant, as well as backfill key areas to help preserve the site for years to come. The conservation work in the Cella included the provision of a mortar capping for the podium of the temple, backfilling the cella to enable improved drainage, and the bracing of leaning columns. Backfilling and mortaring in the SW Quadrant has helped to buttress and stabilize the rubble slope and temple podium, and provide improved drainage that will improve water run-off from the site. An important element of the conservation effort has been the hands-on training of local TWLCRM team members and staff of the PDTRA within the Petra Archaeological Park, among others, during the project, enabling the transfer of knowledge, skills, and best practices. This in turn provides potential for new or enhanced employment opportunities for those who have received such training. In addition, through SCHEP’s educational awareness program, TWLCRM team members have played a vital role in sharing the message of site conservation and preservation through hands on activities with almost 300 Jordanian school children as well as multiple tourist groups. Another important aspect of the project has been the preparation of site pathways and signage that makes the site safe and more accessible to visitors, as well as sharing the message of preservation. In this presentation, in addition to sharing the achievements and outcomes of the project, we intend to share our experience (and lessons learned) of training and education as a key element of any site conservation and management project, for local partners, local community members, and visitors.
Papers by Franco Sciorilli
Heritage, Apr 5, 2024
Khirbat Iskandar is an Early Bronze Age (ca. 3800-1950 BCE) mound in the Madaba Governorate of Jo... more Khirbat Iskandar is an Early Bronze Age (ca. 3800-1950 BCE) mound in the Madaba Governorate of Jordan. Until a decade ago, it was better known as a key site for the non-urban Early Bronze IV period (ca. 2500-1950 BCE), but is increasingly emerging as a signature site for the urban Early Bronze II-III period (ca. 3050-2500 BCE). The contour of the tall site is shaped by the presence of buried fortifications that were investigated in the north-western sector of the mound, where a long sequence of rebuilds was recognized, but were exposed to and impacted by modern construction activities along the southern and south-eastern areas prior to being recorded. There, due to erosion and weathering, the stone fortifications dating to the first half of the Early Bronze III (ca. 2850-2650 BCE) fell down. In this paper, we report on our strategies to assess threats, document damages, sustainably stabilize, and consolidate the collapsed ancient fortifications in the 2023 field season at Khirbat Iskandar. At the same time, we discuss the conceptual/methodological and practical challenges of identifying best practices in the conservation and preservation of antiquities that collapsed prior to being excavated. We conclude with some thoughts on how to build on these actions to efficiently present the archaeology and cultural heritage at protohistoric sites, like Khirbat Iskandar, and to make it accessible for the local and the international communities.
Heritage 7, 2024
Khirbat Iskandar is an Early Bronze Age (ca. 3800-1950 BCE) mound in the Madaba Governorate of Jo... more Khirbat Iskandar is an Early Bronze Age (ca. 3800-1950 BCE) mound in the Madaba Governorate of Jordan. Until a decade ago, it was better known as a key site for the non-urban Early Bronze IV period (ca. 2500-1950 BCE), but is increasingly emerging as a signature site for the urban Early Bronze II-III period (ca. 3050-2500 BCE). The contour of the tall site is shaped by the presence of buried fortifications that were investigated in the north-western sector of the mound, where a long sequence of rebuilds was recognized, but were exposed to and impacted by modern construction activities along the southern and south-eastern areas prior to being recorded. There, due to erosion and weathering, the stone fortifications dating to the first half of the Early Bronze III (ca. 2850-2650 BCE) fell down. In this paper, we report on our strategies to assess threats, document damages, sustainably stabilize, and consolidate the collapsed ancient fortifications in the 2023 field season at Khirbat Iskandar. At the same time, we discuss the conceptual/methodological and practical challenges of identifying best practices in the conservation and preservation of antiquities that collapsed prior to being excavated. We conclude with some thoughts on how to build on these actions to efficiently present the archaeology and cultural heritage at protohistoric sites, like Khirbat Iskandar, and to make it accessible for the local and the international communities.
Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan XIV: Culture in Crisis: Flows of Peoples, Artifacts, and Ideas. Amman: Department of Antiquities., 2022
Co-authored with Franco Sciorilli. Published Dec. 2022 Published in Studies in the History... more Co-authored with Franco Sciorilli.
Published Dec. 2022
Published in Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan XIV, as part of a publication of papers from the "SCHEP Workshop: Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities Project", which took place at ICHAJ 14, Florence Italy in 2019. This workshop is published in full in SHAJ XIV, pp. 763-784 (co-edited by Nizar Al Adarbeh, Jehad Haron, and Jack Green.
The Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural Resource Management (TWLCRM) Initiative, implemented by ACOR, has carried out extensive efforts in excavation and documentation, site conservation, site safety and interpretation, and educational awareness from the time of its beginnings in 2009. The most recent phase of activities at the site supported by USAID SCHEP in 2017 and 2018 has enabled the Initiative to complete vital emergency conservation of the Temple Cella and the Southwest Quadrant, as well as backfill key areas to help preserve the site for years to come. The conservation work in the Cella included the provision of a mortar capping for the podium of the temple, backfilling the cella to enable improved drainage, and the bracing of leaning columns. Backfilling and mortaring in the SW Quadrant has helped to buttress and stabilize the rubble slope and temple podium, and provide improved drainage that will improve water run-off from the site. An important element of the conservation effort has been the hands-on training of local TWLCRM team members and staff of the PDTRA within the Petra Archaeological Park, among others, during the project, enabling the transfer of knowledge, skills, and best practices. This in turn provides potential for new or enhanced employment opportunities for those who have received such training. In addition, through SCHEP’s educational awareness program, TWLCRM team members have played a vital role in sharing the message of site conservation and preservation through hands on activities with almost 300 Jordanian school children as well as multiple tourist groups. Another important aspect of the project has been the preparation of site pathways and signage that makes the site safe and more accessible to visitors, as well as sharing the message of preservation. In this presentation, in addition to sharing the achievements and outcomes of the project, we intend to share our experience (and lessons learned) of training and education as a key element of any site conservation and management project, for local partners, local community members, and visitors.
Heritage, Apr 5, 2024
Khirbat Iskandar is an Early Bronze Age (ca. 3800-1950 BCE) mound in the Madaba Governorate of Jo... more Khirbat Iskandar is an Early Bronze Age (ca. 3800-1950 BCE) mound in the Madaba Governorate of Jordan. Until a decade ago, it was better known as a key site for the non-urban Early Bronze IV period (ca. 2500-1950 BCE), but is increasingly emerging as a signature site for the urban Early Bronze II-III period (ca. 3050-2500 BCE). The contour of the tall site is shaped by the presence of buried fortifications that were investigated in the north-western sector of the mound, where a long sequence of rebuilds was recognized, but were exposed to and impacted by modern construction activities along the southern and south-eastern areas prior to being recorded. There, due to erosion and weathering, the stone fortifications dating to the first half of the Early Bronze III (ca. 2850-2650 BCE) fell down. In this paper, we report on our strategies to assess threats, document damages, sustainably stabilize, and consolidate the collapsed ancient fortifications in the 2023 field season at Khirbat Iskandar. At the same time, we discuss the conceptual/methodological and practical challenges of identifying best practices in the conservation and preservation of antiquities that collapsed prior to being excavated. We conclude with some thoughts on how to build on these actions to efficiently present the archaeology and cultural heritage at protohistoric sites, like Khirbat Iskandar, and to make it accessible for the local and the international communities.
Heritage 7, 2024
Khirbat Iskandar is an Early Bronze Age (ca. 3800-1950 BCE) mound in the Madaba Governorate of Jo... more Khirbat Iskandar is an Early Bronze Age (ca. 3800-1950 BCE) mound in the Madaba Governorate of Jordan. Until a decade ago, it was better known as a key site for the non-urban Early Bronze IV period (ca. 2500-1950 BCE), but is increasingly emerging as a signature site for the urban Early Bronze II-III period (ca. 3050-2500 BCE). The contour of the tall site is shaped by the presence of buried fortifications that were investigated in the north-western sector of the mound, where a long sequence of rebuilds was recognized, but were exposed to and impacted by modern construction activities along the southern and south-eastern areas prior to being recorded. There, due to erosion and weathering, the stone fortifications dating to the first half of the Early Bronze III (ca. 2850-2650 BCE) fell down. In this paper, we report on our strategies to assess threats, document damages, sustainably stabilize, and consolidate the collapsed ancient fortifications in the 2023 field season at Khirbat Iskandar. At the same time, we discuss the conceptual/methodological and practical challenges of identifying best practices in the conservation and preservation of antiquities that collapsed prior to being excavated. We conclude with some thoughts on how to build on these actions to efficiently present the archaeology and cultural heritage at protohistoric sites, like Khirbat Iskandar, and to make it accessible for the local and the international communities.