Archaeological Experience

Remains of the Corinthian Temple at Omrit

Omrit Settlement Area Project in Israel (2014):  Omrit is a hilltop site in the Golan Heights with a long history of human occupation that includes significant architecture and material remains from the Hellenistic, Roman, and Islamic periods.  A large Corinthian temple is substantially preserved along with the Hellenistic shrine, uniquely buried within it.  The temple was excavated by a previous team from 1999 to 2011.  The current excavations are part of a 5 year plan, which brings together a consortium of colleges and universities, including University of North Carolina, Carthage College, Williams College, and Queens College, in order to excavate the remains surrounding the monumental temple.  For this project, I currently serve as the Registrar of small finds.

Student volunteers and Bedouin workmen from the 2010 season

Bir Madhkur Project (2010): Bir Madhkur is a major caravan station along the ancient Spice Route that connected Petra in southern Jordan with the Mediterranean port of Gaza. The site was occupied in the late Hallenistic (Nabataean), Roman, and Byzantine periods. The main features of the site include a Late Roman army fort, a settlement surrounding the fort, an earlier caravan station, and a bath complex. The Bir Madhkur Project (directed by Andrew Smith II of George Washington University) examines, through excavation and survey, the function of Bir Madhkur as a regional center of social, economic, and cultural interaction and exchange. For this project, I served as the Area Director of the fortification excavations.

Surveying the Mycenaean walls of Kalamianos

Saronic Harbors Archaeological Research Project (2007-2009): SHARP is an intensive and extensive regional survey around the area of the modern town of Korfos in the Eastern Corinthia, co-directed by Prof. Daniel Pullen (FSU) and Prof. Tom Tartaron (UPenn). This project focuses on a Bronze Age harbor, Kalamianos, and its surrounding settlements. The project also includes mapping of the topography and architectural remains through high-resolution, GPS-mapping equipment and the thorough documentation of the extant architectural remains. The project studies the changes in use and occupation of this region over time from the Neolithic period into the Early Modern and Modern. For this project, I served as the Total Station team leader.

Remains of the Synagogue at Ostia

The Ostia Synagogue Area Masonry Analysis Project (2007): OSMAP is part of the University of Texas Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins, directed by Prof. L. M. White. This project focuses on the development of the Synagogue and surrounding area in the ancient port city of Ostia. The work conducted here includes detailed analysis of changes in masonry and construction, as well as excavation. The project is primarily interested in what the building was before a synagogue (if anything), how it changed over time, and when it went out of use.