BY LYNN NEUMANN MCDOWELL
nowledge is light." confirms Dr. Larry Herr, co-field director of the 17-year old Tell al 'Umayri excavation run by SDA archaeologists from La Sierra University (LSU), Canadian University College (CUC), and Walla Walla College (WWC). He is reading the flowing Arabic script embroidered on a sumptuous fabric bookmark—a modern artefact I picked up while visiting the consortium's dig last season. Eight seasons at the site on the outskirts of Amman, the capital of Jordan (and many seasons at other Bible land digs before that) plus earning a PhD in archaeology from Harvard have made Herr fluent in ancient languages and conversant in modern Arabic. They've also made Herr the foremost authority on ancient middle eastern pottery in Jordan, consulted by scholars worldwide, and associate editor of the premiere scholarly journal of biblical archaeology, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (BASOR).
Sigfried Horn's Distinguished Legacy
Sigfried Horn, the Adventist pioneer in archaeology who at Andrews University taught Herr and Dr. Lawrence Geraty (president of La Sierra University, the dig's major sponsor), would be amazed and gratified by what his students have accomplished and what they have found. Horn was honored in the March/April 2001 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review as one of 25 giants of biblical archaeology, along with the famous William F. Albright, the father of modern biblical archaeology. Immediately after "25 Giants" (which noted Horn as a Seventh-day Adventist) is a spectacular 14-page feature authored by Herr, who is Professor of Religious Studies at CUC, and 'Umayri's co-field director Dr. Douglas Clark, Professor of Biblical Studies and Archaeology at WWC (PhD, Vanderbilt University).
The Herr-Clark article, "Excavating the Tribe of Reuben," beautifully captures in words and pictures the import of their findings at 'Umayri. The excavation provides important information that no other dig provides, especially about the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age transition (ca. 1200 BC) and the Persian period (ca. 500 BC). The evidence suggests that the settlement was home to the tribe of Reuben, Jacob's eldest son, and that during Iron Age I (ca 1200 BC)—the time of the judges—'Umayri was a center of commerce and trade. During this period, no other site in the Holy Land east or west of the Jordan could boast such extensive fortifications; no other site could boast such wealth.
As I listen in class to Herr relive the excitement of decoding the seal of Milkom'ur (after visiting 'Umayri last summer, I had to take Herr's biblical archaeology course at CUC), I hear also Herr's respect for the faith and scholarly integrity of Horn, the man who recommended him and Geraty to the Harvard graduate program in archaeology. After years of excavating at Heshbon, Jordan, in search of evidence that would clearly place the exodus from Egypt in line with his interpretation of the biblical date, Horn passed away without finding the conclusive evidence he sought. But the dream lived on.
The torch passed to Geraty and Herr and others like Clark, whom Horn trained in the field at Heshbon. After Heshbon, Geraty, Herr and Ostein LaBianca, who teaches anthropology at Andrews University, continued Horn's quest, and began digging in 1984 at what they thought would be a smaller, less promising site—'Umayri—which appeared to hold periods that Heshbon did not.1
"When our archaeological survey team, part of a larger expedition known as the Madaba Plains Project [MPP - see footnote 1], discovered Tall al 'Umayri in 1976," say Herr and Clark in the opening of their Biblical Archaeology Review feature, Awe had no idea it would yield great treasures." Now, 17 years and eight excavation seasons later, they can only marvel as the best-preserved site from the time of the Judges slowly emerges from more than 3,000 years of dust and debris.
"No matter where you dig, you get something important," says Herr, who was the Annual Professor at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem in 1994. Among the treasures the team's expert eyes have helped identify are the best-preserved house from the time of the Judges in the entire Middle East; a wonderfully preserved group of ancient storage jars ("pithoi") complete with barley, garbanzos2; pottery created by an apparently itinerant potter whose work is also found in Shechem; and a household idol (the Israelites indeed had much in common with the cultures around them). The site even has a kind of burial site from a much earlier period called a dolmen. Among the hundreds of dolmens known all over the Mediterranean, the 'Umayri dolmen, which predates the Judges, was the first to contain identifiable human remains (20 skulls), which conclusively proved the structures were communal graves. But perhaps the most exciting find, from a lay biblical scholar's point of view, is the seal of Milkom'ur from a period after the Judges.
Milkom'ur was an official in the service of Ba'alyasha, the Ammonite form of "Baalis," as the name was translated in Hebrew. Up until Herr identified the seal, the story recounted in Jeremiah 40:13-16 had been unknown outside the Bible, for there was no archaeological evidence to corroborate the existence of Baalis, king of the Ammonites. But thanks to the work of dig volunteers (about 70 professional archaeologists and laypeople each season) and Herr's careful scholarship, scholars around the world now acknowledge that this biblical story is a true historical event.
As Herr recounts the Milkom'ur discovery episode, he pays homage to his mentor, pointing out that though Horn didn't set out to find the now famous seal, his quest was always to corroborate the details and chronology of the Bible. "This was the [evidence] we were looking for at Heshbon," says Herr with eyes shining as he thumps his classroom desk, "and we found it - at 'Umayri!"
A Team Setting the Standard for Modern Biblical Archaeology
"The contributions of these archaeologists are outstanding," says Dr. Walter E. Aufrecht, who teaches in the areas of Hebrew and archaeology at the University of Lethbridge. "They are all fine field hands. They are good teachers. They are all excellent theoretical archaeologists. They know right from wrong and good from bad. Beginning with the Heshbon excavations, they have employed the latest and best theoretical and methodological approaches in archaeology.
"They publish more and better than just about anyone around," continues Aufrect, who stresses their world-wide reputations. "All of this is very important, because it means that their work becomes a standard for everyone else."
Dr. Burton MacDonald, a professor at St. Francis Xavier University who has participated in Middle Eastern excavations since 1969, agrees. "The methodology that the directors of 'Umayri follow is a model for other projects in Jordan and in neighboring countries."
Indeed, the data base developed at 'Umayri and used by all MPP projects—which includes the 'Umayri, Heshbon and Jalul excavations—is one of the most detailed and most widely-used. It records not only the exact location where each significant object is found but also its dimensions and other important data, and is now used by several other excavations in the Middle East as well as the Jordanian Department of Antiquities. Others who developed their own software are often careful to insure compatibility with the SDA dig's database. The excavators of 'Umayri, MacDonald observes, are well known and respected, particularly by those who work in the ceramic periods of the archaeology of Jordan.
At an open air table spread with pottery and sherds, each afternoon of the dig Herr "reads" the previous day's finds as if speed-reading a book. Square supervisors furiously scribble down the detail he sees: period of production, the type of vessel, where and sometimes how it was created.
"The Madaba Plains Project is noted for a number of things," writes James Weinstein, a professor at Cornell University and editor of BASOR. "One of those items is the large number of volumes and articles generated by the project team. . . . [T]he Madaba Plains Project team has done an exemplary job of publishing their discoveries."
Reviews of 'Umayri's articles and publications routinely praise the scholarship of the authors. Even reviewers from Israeli institutions such as the University of Haifa, and Israeli scholars of the stature of Amihai Mazar of The Hebrew University in Jerusalem hold them in the highest regard. "The yearly publications of this excavation are a superb example of a meticulous publication which appears soon after the dig," says Mazar. "Herr also contributed much to Moabite and Ammonite epigraphy [interpretation of written records], and to historical interpretation of the archaeological data.
"This project is one of the major archaeological enterprises in Jordan during the last 20 years," continues Mazar. "A large number of young archaeologists were trained in the project on a tradition of responsible and accurate archaeological work. . . . I find Larry Herr as one of the most articulate, professional, serious and well-balanced archaeologists working in Israel and Jordan today."
Practicing Christian Values in the Field
By quickly and willingly sharing their finds, geographical surveys and technology, the 'Umayri team has raised the profile of Adventism as well as contributed knowledge to their professional field. The group is so well known that when ethnoceramacist Dr. Gloria London was walking by an Adventist church in Cyprus, she stopped in because she knew of Adventists from the reputation of the MPP excavations. "The MPP is the best operation in the field," says London, who has served as a pottery expert (ceramic technologist) on digs for more than 20 years and who recently co-ordinated a pottery workshop on Cyprus funded by the US Embassy. ANo other excavation," she adds, "has the publication record that 'Umayri has."
1. Respect for history and taking a stand
The forefront is not always an easy place to be, but Herr's stature in the archaeological community and a direct, honest personality allow him and other team members to take stands that others cannot or will not take. "The willingness to share the data by publishing it and the ability to take a stand on issues," observes London, "sets Larry Herr apart from most workers in the field." For example, the March-April 2001 issue of Archaeology Odyssey singled out Herr for praise regarding his individualistic stand on objects sold illegally.
2. Respecting the opinions of others
Besides Herr's reputation for vast knowledge about many different aspects of biblical archaeology, he and the other 'Umayri directors have the reputation of being open to new ideas and perspectives—an ability to incorporate new information into the framework of what is already known.
For example, Herr respected London's theories about pottery production methods and pointed out those pieces that seemed to support her thesis—details of production most archaeologists had ignored. She was also interested in reworked sherds (broken pieces of pottery reshaped into circles, squares or triangles), so even though it meant more work, Herr saved them all. ANo one ever bothered to save them all before," says London, who now thinks they were used as chits for counting and some for gaming pieces. She was surprised when over 600 pieces were found in an average season. "Since that publication, other excavations have saved and counted the reworked sherds," says London. "Larry [has the] ability to see differences rather than take the easy road and determine that the pots all look alike."
3. Valuing individuals, children
The SDA digs have also led their field in the way they deal with people. London notes that the MPP digs were the first to allow children other than those of a director. Other digs have since followed the MPP example, making life easier for volunteers and professionals who don't wish to leave their families for the summer. Artefacts from 'Umayri are also the first to tour North America as a "handling collection" for schools. Coordinated by London, the idea is to make real artefacts (not copies) available for classroom use.
4. Inclusiveness
The MPP archaeologists, at the instigation of Geraty (who was the senior director when the 'Umayri dig started), began another new—some would say charitable—convention in archaeology: giving credit to all dig staff in its articles and publications. London recalls how at one dig meeting she alone argued for the traditional approach, that as the one who actually synthesized the data and wrote the article, Herr alone should appear as author. Herr and the other directors disagreed, and today crediting all professional staff is the norm in archaeological publications.
5. Generosity
This sharing of publication credits is a real boon to archaeologists trying to establish their credibility. Among the young archaeologists who have benefitted from their association with 'Umayri is Dr. Timothy Harrison, a professor at the University of Toronto—reputed to be one of the top schools in Canada, with an extremely competitive professor selection process. "I value very much the opportunities and experience that Larry Herr and Larry Geraty in particular opened up for me," reflects Harrison, who worked on the SDA digs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. "In many respects, I probably would not be where I am now if they had not been as generous with me as they were, and continue to be."
6. Respect as a principal of action
Respect for others such as London experienced is another of the qualities of the dig directors that has attracted notice—and a lot of the best archaeologists from abroad. While I was there, for example, paleozoologists (bone specialists) from Germany were analyzing the animal remains, including lion bones that bore the marks of butchering, suggesting that the inhabitants of 'Umayri had at least on one occasion feasted on local lion.
But respect for and appreciation of others is not mere professional courtesy but a way of life that is noted by the local people as well. Rami Khouri, a Jordanian journalist who has written several books and scores of articles on Jordanian archaeology, notes that the dig principals show plenty of respect as well as affection for the people and history of Jordan. "They're good people who are respected and liked by their Jordanian colleagues," says Khouri.
London loves to watch Geraty dealing with people. "His attitude, respect and tolerance for >the other' are beyond description," she says. "Doug Clark [who is responsible for PR, the academic field school, in-country travel, some aspects of publications including co-editing a very readable book, and some field supervision] works ceaselessly and seems not to need food, sleep or any creature comfort" as he looks after the many details of day-to-day group life and individual needs. Dr. Warren Trenchard, professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature and Director of the School of Religion graduate program at La Sierra University, took Geraty's place as administrative director in 1998 when the university president found it necessary to withdraw from heavy dig involvement. Trenchard has handled details surrounding applications, budget, bookkeeping and computer related concerns (the Canadian government, because of CUC's involvement, contributed generously to the dig's new computer system) as well as photography. The dig leaders enjoy very cordial relations with the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, to which the dig turns over most of its important finds.
In a field where personal reputation often comes at the expense of others, the enduring partnership between the SDA colleges and universities who dig and cooperate on the MPP and the respect it has won—on many levels—is a powerful testimony.
The light from Tell al 'Umayri burns bright.
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1 LaBianca later returned to Heshbon with a team from the Andrews University College of Arts and Sciences, while a team from the AU seminary, led by Randall Younker and David Merling, began yet another Adventist project in 1992 at the largest tall site in southern Jordan, Tall Jalul, thus increasing the number of Madaba Plains Project sites to three.
2 Almost 100 of these pithoi are being dramatically reconstructed in a large lab at WWC, making a most dramatic sight.
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Lynn Neumann McDowell is the director of planned and major gifts at the St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park, California. She wrote this piece while serving as director of college relations at Canadian University College.
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