Dates of Excavation: 20 May-20 July 2000
Description of Excavation
In the summer of 2000, a team of archaeologists and students will conduct the fourth major season of excavation of Aila, an ancient Roman city now in modern Jordan. The site is located within the modern city of Aqaba, Jordan's port on the Red Sea. Aila, a port city that flourished from the first century B.C. to the seventh century A.D., served as a key transit point for the caravans traveling north into the Roman Empire. Aila was also the southern terminus of a great Roman road that extended northward through Jordan to Syria. The city became an important Roman military base, where the famous Tenth Fretensis Legion was stationed.
Ancient Aila is now largely covered by sand dunes and palm trees by the sea. The excavations have uncovered many structures, including the city's fortification wall, various domestic complexes, a cemetery of mud-brick tombs, and a fourth century Christian church that is among the oldest churches known in the world. The excavations have also yielded thousands of artifacts that reveal much about the city's history and its people. The project has completed a surface archaeological survey of the region around the ancient site. The project has received worldwide media attention, including articles in such magazines as National Geographic (a financial sponsor) and Archaeology, as well as in the electronic media.
Student staff will first participate in an orientation and training program on-site, then will spend five days each week engaged in archaeological excavation and recording under the supervision of experienced senior staff. Students will be responsible for actual excavation, keeping a detailed field notebook, and the recording and processing of artifacts. Most students on this project, after a period of orientation and training, serve as trench supervisors.
The team is housed in apartments in the modern city of Aqaba. On weekends participants are free to travel elsewhere in Jordan and enjoy its rich cultural heritage. A staff trip is planned to Petra, one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. All weekend trips are optional and the financial responsibility of the participant.
Period of Excavation: Roman
Director: Dr. S. Thomas Parker, North Carolina State University
Contact Person: Dr. S. Thomas Parker, Department of History, Box 8108, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8108 USA
Phone: (919) 513-2223
FAX: (919) 515-3886
E-mail: thomas_parker@NCSU.edu
Accepting students/volunteers? Yes
Academic credit available? Yes. Students may earn two course credits (six hours) at the undergraduate level at NCSU by enrolling in History 498 (Independent Study in History) during the summer session. Registration is optional.
Cost: $1,500 student participation fee, airfare (approx. $1,000 rd. trip from NY to Amman), personal expenses ($800 recommended for trips, etc.), academic tuition (optional, $500 for six hours). The total cost should be about $3,300-$3,800 per participant.
Application deadline: 21 February 2000