American Archaeology in the Mideast: A History of the American Schools of Oriental Research

This study is the first history of the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) in eighty years and one of the few histories of American archaeological work in the Mideast since 1903. While this book focuses on ASOR and its history, it is only within the context of the history of the Mideast and archaeological work there that ASOR's work finds its significance. Few are better qualified to relate this material than Philip J. King, President of ASOR from 1976 through 1982. Prof. King has always been interested in the history of archaeological research. His intimate association with ASOR for many years and finally as its president is evident throughout. Illustrated with photographs of various persons and places drawn from a wide variety of sources, the volume introduces the reader to the great scholars of the past, as well as recounting the more recent history of American work in the Mideast. The period covered is from the early nineteenth century through 1980.