By: Douglas R. Clark, Center for Near Eastern Archaeology, La Sierra University
Fig. 1 – Aerial View of `Umayri (David Kennedy)
Is culturally significant land private or public property? What
happens when a major, signature archaeological site is owned privately?
Who owns this part of the past? How does one resolve competing claims of
ownership and use?
Numerous archaeological sites in Jordan are privately owned,
including Tall al-‘Umayri (fig. 1), located in central Jordan within the
Madaba Plains Project research area. Begun in 1984 with permission from
one of the major land owners, the ‘Umayri excavations have occurred
virtually every other summer to the present. But the 2012 season may
well have been the final one, this due to issues of land ownership. At a
site boasting extremely well-preserved architectural remains from the
Early Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period, how are competing
claims of ownership by good citizens who hold legal title to the land
and
by citizens of the country of Jordan, indeed of the world, who hold
moral title to its cultural heritage protected, preserved, promoted?
This report, delivered initially at the 2013 ASOR Annual Meeting in
Baltimore, explored the wealth of well-preserved archaeological and
architectural remains at ‘Umayri; the high property value of the land it
occupies on the burgeoning southern outskirts of Amman; a listing of
stakeholders and the dynamics governing them; a review of legal issues; a
history of good-faith negotiations as well as convoluted conversations;
an enumeration of educational opportunities for the site to become a
protected, interactive archaeological park for the thousands of weekly
visitors to the Amman and Ghamadan national parks surrounding the tell;
economic potential; and measured options for resolving dilemmas over
ownership and cultural heritage at Tall al-‘Umayri.
In 2011-12 a land-ownership dispute from one of the two major owners
arose because of perceived property devaluation due to archaeological
activity, resulting in a significant court settlement paid by the
Department of Antiquities. The excavation team became aware of the suit
about three weeks prior to the 2012 season, forcing the project to
reconsider its options – quickly. A permit was granted to the team only
on the condition that the 2012 season would be the final season at this
very productive and promising site. This decision not only allowed the
summer’s excavations to continue, it also provided a small window of
opportunity for project directors to work quickly toward a resolution of
the problem. One positive outcome of this pressing dilemma was the
emerging clarity of our 2012 research design; if this in fact were the
final season of excavation at `Umayri, we would need to bring our
excavations into phase for a shutdown and would need to use all the
technology available to us so that we could digitally record the site
for posterity.
While everyone involved wanted excavation to continue and eagerly
anticipated the establishment of an archaeological park at `Umayri, the
legal and economic constraints under which the project was placed
brought everything to a standstill. Hence the sharp edge to the
question: Who owns this part of the past? Should legal land ownership
trump moral ownership of Jordan’s cultural heritage at this site? Should
the larger, more global obligation to protect and preserve
archaeological data override private land ownership?
Την Τετάρτη 15 Ιανουαρίου 2014 και ώρα
18.00 εγκαινιάζεται στο Βυζαντινό
και Χριστιανικό Μουσείο από τον Πρέσβη της Ρωσικής Ομοσπονδίας κ. Vladimir Chkhikvishvili η έκθεση «Ομιλούσες Εικόνες: Η
διάδοση του θρησκευτικού πίνακα στη Ρωσία και στα Βαλκάνια, 16ος –
19ος αιώνας». Η έκθεση είναι αποτέλεσμα συνεργασίας του
Βυζαντινού και Χριστιανικού Μουσείου και του Ινστιτούτου Μεσογειακών Σπουδών –
Ι.Τ.Ε. στο πλαίσιο του ερευνητικού προγράμματος «Ρώσικες εικόνες στην
Ελλάδα 15ος – αρχές 20ού αιώνα. Το πρόγραμμα αποσκοπεί να
χαρτογραφήσει τη διάδοση των ρωσικών εικόνων στον ελληνικό χώρο, προβάλλοντας
όψεις μιας πολιτισμικής μεταφοράς με ιδιαίτερο χαρακτήρα.
από 
