The ninth year of excavation at the Madaba Plains Project–`Umayri, in Jordan, will begin on June 23. Walla Walla College (WWC) has played a large role in these archaeological excavations and invites interested people to apply for the experience of a lifetime.
At around 1350 B.C., the inhabitants of `Umayri constructed a palatial building, one of a small number of buildings preserved from this time period in all of Jordan. Work will continue on uncovering this "palace" during the summer of 2004.
One of the oldest and, by all accounts, best-preserved “four-room” house anywhere in the world was excavated at `Umayri. It represents the house plan used for centuries by many ancient cultures and provides information about how people actually lived during Bible times. Many artifacts from this house are on display in the archaeology lab at WWC.
If you are a student looking for an experience in a subject of interest or a “grown-up” looking for an adventure, visit the Madaba Plains Project–`Umayri Web site at www.wwc.edu/mpp and click on “`Umayri.” This Web site includes contact and project information, as well as the necessary forms.
A clay "shrine model" from around 1050 B.C., from the outer courtyard of a sacred precinct at `Umayri.
The 2002 excavation team on the reconstructed second story of the `Umayri "four-room" house from 1200 B.C.
