News
UE-Sponsored Jezreel Expedition to Begin Inaugural Dig Season in Israel
Posted: May 8, 2013
University of Evansville students, alumni, and faculty will spend their summer exploring archaeological remains in northern Israel as participants in the inaugural Jezreel Expedition dig season.
Along with the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at Israel’s University of Haifa, the University of Evansville co-sponsors the Jezreel Expedition, an archaeological project founded in 2012. Jennie Ebeling, chair of UE’s Department of Archaeology and Art History, and Norma Franklin of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology serve as co-directors of the project.
From May 19-June 15, 12 UE archaeology students and recent graduates will join approximately 15 students from North American universities – including new Jezreel Expedition consortium partner Vanderbilt University – in excavating three areas of archaeological significance.
The ancient city of Jezreel overlooks the biblical “Way of the Sea,” the major east-west international trade route that linked the empires of Mesopotamia with Egypt. Previous excavations have revealed remains of a heavily fortified royal enclosure, possibly constructed by Ahab and Jezebel (as described in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament). The site appears to have been occupied from the fifth millennium BCE through the 20th century, so it allows scholars and researchers to study prehistoric, biblical, and modern remains.
Last summer, the Jezreel Expedition team undertook an intensive survey of the area utilizing a three-dimensional model of the terrain created with airborne laser scanning technology (LiDAR). Team members recorded points, features, and structures on the ground which, when integrated with the 3D model, generated valuable insights into the areas that most warrant exploration.
Based on the results of that survey, the team will open three excavation areas this summer: a historically uncultivated area near the spring of Jezreel believed to contain the remains of ancient buildings, an Iron Age wine press, and an area of exposed architecture dating to the age of Ahab and Jezebel.
“Last summer’s project was a huge success. Team members recorded 361 archaeological features – from Iron Age, Roman, and Byzantine tombs to water cisterns to caves modified for human use – and pinpointed the most promising areas for excavation,” said Ebeling. “The site is rich with archaeological and historical significance, and we look forward to beginning the inaugural dig season this summer.”
Students on the Jezreel Expedition earn undergraduate or graduate credit for participating in the dig, lectures, and field trips to Jerusalem, Nazareth, and other sites throughout Israel. The group stays on a kibbutz, a close-knit community of several hundred residents adjacent to the dig site.
“By participating in the Jezreel Expedition, students learn about the latest archaeological field methods, work alongside an international team of archaeologists and students, and investigate 7,000 years of history in a single site,” Ebeling said. “Staying on a kibbutz also provides a rare opportunity for cultural immersion: We swim in the community pool, attend concerts put on by residents, and are invited into people’s homes for coffee and conversation. Students say it feels like a giant family.”
The University of Evansville’s Department of Archaeology and Art History is one of the largest undergraduate programs in Mediterranean archaeology in the Midwest, and its 60 majors participate in summer excavations and internships around the world.
UE students and alumni participating in this summer’s Jezreel Expedition are current students Morgan Davidson, Kayla Kelley, Kaitlynn Mickus, Ashley Motes, and Michael Sullivan; 2013 graduates Samantha Kimsey and Benjamin Ollestad; and 2012 graduates Nate Biondi, Kelly Goodner, Michael Koletsos, Melanie Miller, and Hilda Torres.
For more information on the Jezreel Expedition, please visit the Department of Archaeology and Art History or Jezreel Expedition websites.
Winner of the Jezreel Logo Contest
Posted: April 30, 2013
We are excited to announce the winner of the Jezreel Logo Contest, Andrew McFeaters. Andrew is a University of Evansville archaeology alumnus who earned an MA in Anthropology from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln with a specialty in Professional Archaeology. His interest in battlefield archaeology accords well with our own research interests at Jezreel! Congratulations, Andrew!
Department of Archaeology and Art History Announces Award Recipients
Posted: April 26, 2013
The Department of Archaeology and Art History is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Browning-Miller Advancement of Archaeology Award and Art History Internship Award. Sophomore archaeology majors Morgan Davidson and Katie Mickus have been awarded $500 each to support their participation in the 2013 Jezreel Expedition field season, and freshman art history major Elizabeth Long has been awarded $500 to support her summer internship at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, OK. Congratulations to the winners of these new awards!
Archaeology and Art History Majors Present at NCUR
Posted: April 25, 2013
Three of the twelve UE students who presented their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) held April 11-13 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin were archaeology and art history majors!
Alexandra Cutler: “Scams and Shams: The Importance of Forgeries in Archaeology.”
Samantha Miller: “Evolution of the Villanovans to the Etruscans Through a Transition in Societal Beauty.”
Hilary Waltz: “The Savage Indian? 19th Century American Attitudes Toward Natives and the Work of George Catlin.”
Congratulations to these May 2013 graduates!
Dr. Kaiser receives Dean's Teaching Award
Posted: April 24, 2013
We are very pleased to announce that Associate Professor of Archaeology, Alan Kaiser, was awarded the Dean's Teaching Award from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Evansville yesterday! This award recognizes Dr. Kaiser's commitment to student learning and mentoring during his twelve years at UE. Congratulations, Dr. Kaiser!
Archaeology Alumna to Demonstrate "Archaeology!" App this Thursday!
Posted: April 16, 2013
On Thursday April 18 from 12:20-1:00 p.m. in Hyde Hall 8, archaeology alumna Lieryn Holly and Marco Falzoni will demonstrate their app “Archaeology!” Come try out the app on various devices and chat with the developers about apps, the realities of owning a small business and more. Feel free to bring your lunch; dessert will be served.
Heidi Strobel to Speak at Reitz Home
Posted: April 15, 2013
Heidi Strobel, associate professor of art history, will be giving a lecture on national and local images of World War II icon Rosie the Riveter at the Reitz Home on Monday, April 15. The talk will be at 7 pm and will be followed by a reception. Admission is $5.00/non-members, $2.50/students and is free to members.
Her lecture stems from an oral history project she conducted in 2008-2009 and an encyclopedia entry on Rosie the Riveter published by Oxford University Press in American National Biography.
Strobel earned her BA degree in European History from Kalamazoo Coilege and her MA degree and PhD in European Art History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her book, The Artistic Marriage of Queen Charlotte (1744-1818): How a Queen Promoted Both Art and Female Artists in English Society, was published in 2011.
Heidi Strobel Elected to Reitz Home Museum Board
Posted: March 18, 2013
Heidi Strobel, associate professor of art history, has been elected to the Board of the Reitz Home Museum.
Archaeology major receives research award
Posted: March 18, 2013
Benjamin Ollestad, senior Archaeology and Sociology- Anthropology specialization double major, was presented with the inaugural Hanns G. Pieper Sociology and Criminal Justice Senior Research Award. Ollestad's research, entitled "Infidelity among College Students" was selected from a competitive field of senior research projects from Sociology and Criminal Justice majors. This award is named in honor of Dr. Hanns G. Pieper, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, for his dedication to promoting independent student research in Sociology and Criminal Justice.
Dr. Kaiser is one of the 2013-14 Recipients of the UE Global Scholar Award
Posted: March 6, 2013
The Institute for Global Enterprise has announced the 2013-14 recipients of the UE Global Scholar Award. As a UE Global Scholar, the recipients of this award will engage in scholarship, curriculum development, travel and/or research activities related to the impact of globalization on our learning environment.
Dr. Alan Kaiser, associate professor of archaeology, will travel to Israel and Jordan during the coming summer to accomplish three curricular and research goals that will help him spread a greater understanding of global issues related to the Romans in the Middle East to students on the UE campus and beyond. First, he will collaborate with the Jezreel Expedition by lending his expertise in GIS techniques and Roman material culture to help interpret the artifacts and features the students will uncover, as well as to lead weekend tours of some of the local Roman sites. Second, he will travel around Israel and Jordan to conduct further research for his developing textbook on Roman archaeology. Third, he will use his findings to make the ARCH 106 (Introduction to Roman Archaeology) course more appealing to Middle Eastern students.
UE Graduate Develops New Archaeology Game App
Posted: November 29, 2012
What can you do with a degree in archaeology? For University of Evansville alumni, the answers include working in fields as diverse as historic preservation, museum curatorship, and academia — and now, video game production.
Today, 2009 graduate Lierin Holly-Falzoni and her husband, Marco Falzoni, will preview their new mobile game app, “Archaeology!,” and publicly pledge to donate part of the proceeds to UE’s Browing-Miller Advancement of Archaeology Endowment. The game demo and signing of a memorandum of understanding will take place at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, November 29 in Room 71 of the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building.
Holly-Falzoni and her husband run Zombie Cricket Studios, a Bloomington, Indiana-based video game company currently focused on game applications for Apple and Android mobile devices. The company is wrapping production on “Archaeology!,” its first full-sized game app, with an expected completion date of early 2013. Five percent of profits from the game will benefit the Browning-Miller Endowment, which provides funds for UE archaeology students to participate in fieldwork, internships, or other educational experiences around the world.
The inspiration for the game began when Holly-Falzoni took a job at the Mackinac State Historic Parks in Michigan, spending the summers of 2008 and 2009 as an archaeologist on a dig that was open to the public. Every day, she fielded questions from hundreds of visitors who were intrigued by the thought of finding artifacts, but knew little about the archaeological process.
The experience inspired Holly-Falzoni to answer those questions through a game that is “fun, interactive, and will captivate a much larger audience in today’s tech-driven world,” she said. “If our game is played by even a tiny percent of the app market subscribers, and if a tiny percent of those people become interested enough to read up on the archaeological process or go visit a dig, then I will consider our game a success. The whole goal is to demystify archaeology to as many people as possible.”
“I came out of my time at UE with a deeply instilled drive to educate the public about archaeology,” Holly-Falzoni added. “There was a constant focus through all of our classes on how to write dig proposals, funding proposals, and papers for people outside of our field. While most students agree that this is not necessarily the ‘fun’ or ‘glamorous’ aspect of archaeology, it is by far the most essential.”
For more information on Zombie Cricket Studios, please find them on Facebook.
Snyder Concert & Lecture Series Welcomes Archaeologist David Ilan
Posted: November 5, 2012
The University of Evansville is proud to announce that David Ilan, director of the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem, will be the next speaker in the 2012-13 Patricia H. Snyder Concert & Lecture Series.
Ilan’s lecture, presented in partnership with Temple Adath B’nai Israel, is titled “Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Israel and Why They Matter.” He will speak at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 11 at Temple Adath B’nai Israel, 8440 Newburgh Road in Evansville. The lecture is free and open to the public.
A native of Los Angeles, Ilan has lived in Israel since 1976. He earned a PhD in archaeology from Tel Aviv University and has excavated at a number of important sites in Israel, including Tel Arad and Tel Megiddo (biblical Armageddon). Ilan is currently the director of excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel.
His work at the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology focuses on the land of Israel and the world of the Bible. His publications deal with a wide range of subjects, including northern Israel in the early Iron Age (the biblical period of the Judges), the archaeology of death, and the problem of antiquities plunder and trade.
One of his most recent publications is a chapter in the volume Household Archaeology in Ancient Israel and Beyond (Brill, 2011), co-edited by Jennie Ebeling, chair of the UE Department of Archaeology and Art History.
Made possible through an endowment from the late Patricia H. Snyder, trustee and longtime friend of the University of Evansville, the Patricia H. Snyder Concert & Lecture Series was created in 1997 to bring speakers or performers of national or international renown to Evansville at no cost to the public. The concerts and lectures in this series span a wide variety of topics, and are aimed at both the Evansville and campus communities. Events are free and open to the public.
Additional support for Ilan’s lecture comes from the Bronstein Foundation, Casino Aztar, and the Evansville Courier & Press.
For more information on the Patricia H. Snyder Concert & Lecture Series, please visit www.evansville.edu/speakers.