The year 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of Mabada Plains Project archaeological research in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The Madaba Plains Project is one of the longest-lived, continuously running archaeological excavation projects in the Middle East. Spanning four decades, the project, with its beginnings at Tall Hisban in the late sixties, has engaged 1,500 participants, produced scores of publications and spawned a dozen other projects. Its legacy includes being one of the first major Near Eastern archaeology projects to adopt a multi-millennial, regional approach; to incorporate ethnoarchaeology and environmental studies; to construct data around a food-systems' approach; and to computerize procedures for archaeological data acquisition and analysis, thus helping advance both the theoretical underpinnings and the field methods of archaeology in the southern Levant and beyond. Madaba Plains Project directors, wishing to celebrate this major scientific and historical milestone, have produced this anniversary volume which: highlights the value of ongoing collaborative research across the region of central Jordan, attempting to explain life and survival from the Bronze ages through the Islamic and early modern periods and features the latest results from ongoing research; enlivens the discussion by hearing from major scholars in the field who, in the process of assessing the contributions of the project to the archaeology of the southern Levant, broaden the discussion in the context of ancient Near Eastern archaeological research; and, expands the horizons of the project's research by presenting the ever enlarging number and extent of projects conducted by dig directors once on staff with the Madaba Plains Project, thereby taking readers all over Jordan and beyond.

This concise and illustrated book highlights the contributions of North American archaeologists to the archaeology of Jordan - a critical transition zone along the Levantine corridor that links the continents of Africa and Asia. For over 150 years, North American researchers have played a pivotal role in the exploration of Jordan, the development of archaeological methods there and the construction of theoretical approaches to study the deep-time archaeological record of this key part of Middle East. The volume focuses on the many peoples and cultures that have crossed Jordan from the earliest prehistoric times to the present. In this sense, this book contributes directly to the conservation of Jordan's heritage. The chapters are written primarily by the North American archaeological expedition directors giving this book an authoritative and 'cutting edge' view of the most recent discoveries and interpretive models of archaeology in Jordan today.By looking at the archaeology of the southern Levant through the lens of North American archaeological research in Jordan, the entire history of this crucial part of the Middle East's Fertile Crescent is highlighted - from Prehistory to Ottoman times. As a richly illustrated book with the best photographs produced by over 50 archaeological expeditions, Crossing Jordan is the most up-to-date guide to the archaeological heritage of Jordan and an important resource for scholars, students, citizens, NGOs, embassy personnel, and tourists.

This concise and illustrated book highlights the contributions of North American archaeologists to the archaeology of Jordan - a critical transition zone along the Levantine corridor that links the continents of Africa and Asia. For over 150 years, North American researchers have played a pivotal role in the exploration of Jordan, the development of archaeological methods there and the construction of theoretical approaches to study the deep-time archaeological record of this key part of Middle East. The volume focuses on the many peoples and cultures that have crossed Jordan from the earliest prehistoric times to the present. In this sense, this book contributes directly to the conservation of Jordan's heritage. The chapters are written primarily by the North American archaeological expedition directors giving this book an authoritative and 'cutting edge' view of the most recent discoveries and interpretive models of archaeology in Jordan today.By looking at the archaeology of the southern Levant through the lens of North American archaeological research in Jordan, the entire history of this crucial part of the Middle East's Fertile Crescent is highlighted - from Prehistory to Ottoman times. As a richly illustrated book with the best photographs produced by over 50 archaeological expeditions, Crossing Jordan is the most up-to-date guide to the archaeological heritage of Jordan and an important resource for scholars, students, citizens, NGOs, embassy personnel, and tourists.

"The MPP has left a huge footprint on the archaeology of Jordan and the Middle East in general. Without it, we would all be working in a different way and with a poorer set of theoretical models. This book justly celebrates those achievements and explains how they came about." - Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research The year 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of Madaba Plains Project archaeological research in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The Madaba Plains Project is one of the longest-lived, continuously running archaeological excavation projects in the Middle East. Spanning four decades, the project, with its beginnings at Tall Hisban in the late sixties, has engaged 1,500 participants, produced scores of publications and spawned a dozen other projects. Its legacy includes being one of the first major Near Eastern archaeology projects to adopt a multi-millennial, regional approach; to incorporate ethnoarchaeology and environmental studies; to construct data around a food-systems approach; and to computerize procedures for archaeological data acquisition and analysis, thus helping advance both the theoretical underpinnings and the field methods of archaeology in the southern Levant and beyond. Madaba Plains Project directors, wishing to celebrate this major scientific and historical milestone, have produced this anniversary volume which: - highlights the value of ongoing collaborative research across the region of central Jordan, attempting to explain life and survival from the Bronze ages through the Islamic and early modern periods and features the latest results from ongoing research - enlivens the discussion by hearing from major scholars in the field who, in the process of assessing the contributions of the project to the archaeology of the southern Levant, broaden the discussion in the context of ancient Near Eastern archaeological research - expands the horizons of the project's research by presenting the ever enlarging number and extent of projects conducted by dig directors once on staff with the Madaba Plains Project, thereby taking readers all over Jordan and beyond.