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Jordan Times
16-04-2025
- General
- Jordan Times
Climate crisis threatens cultural heritage in Middle East — Scholars
The mosaic floor of the Byzantine church in Jerash (Photo courtesy of ACOR) AMMAN — The climate crisis directly impacts cultural heritage in the Middle East and it will continue to affect historical monuments and sites in the coming decades. Two recent collections of studies authored by archaeologists demonstrate a growing awareness of the situation, especially as it pertains to coastal and inland river flooding's impact on cultural heritage sites, noted Professor Benjamin Porter from Berkeley University. The professor added that the authors stress the need to work with various publics, from government policymakers to community stewards and stakeholders, to mitigate the emerging crisis. "Nearly all of these studies are based in the so-called developed world—North America, Europe, Japan and Australia—and, notably, none are concerned with the Middle East,' he said. 'How then should one start to think about the practice of Middle Eastern archaeology within the context of the region's climate crisis? Rather than begin with the discipline's instinct to 'preserve' and 'protect' the archaeological record," asked Porter. Middle Eastern archaeology in the 19th and early 20th century was directly influenced by European scholar and European imperialism and colonialism. Since World War Two, archaeology has continuously benefitted from European, North American, and now East Asian interests in the Middle East's carbon resources. Critics continue to describe Middle Eastern archaeology as a neo-colonialist enterprise that extracts evidence for Western research priorities under the guise of ethical 'salvaging' of global cultural heritage, the professor explained. Porter noted that this critique is not entirely fair, of course—some of archaeology's most important contributions to the governments that host their research is the discovery and documentation of monuments on which national cultural heritage and tourism destinations are based. "However, even if these contributions are viewed positively, they also serve as reminders that Middle Eastern archaeology is not and has never been a neutral bystander in the region's local and national politics.' 'Invoking archaeology's historical legacy while reflecting on the climate crisis is important as it situates archaeological practice, regardless of the position of its practitioners, within a systemic regime that has already proved harmful to Middle Eastern societies. Setting aside the visible well-documented examples of archaeologists who contributed their research to the region's ethno-national narratives," Porter elaborated. Archaeological practice can create tacit inequities despite the well-intentioned motives of researchers. For instance, local communities that live adjacent to cultural heritage sites often receive very limited benefits beyond seasonal labour and small business patronage despite their participation in the research and site interpretation process, according to Allison Mickel. In some instances, in fact, archaeological research and site development projects have displaced entire communities in the name of preservation and security, such as the relocation of families living in or alongside the archaeological sites of Umm Qais and Petra in northern and southern Jordan, respectively. "Growing awareness of the negative impacts that Middle Eastern communities can experience have led archaeologists to develop more ethically engaged sensibilities and practices in their research programmes," Porter said. To do so, they have drawn on community archaeology models that consider local groups as stakeholders in the documentation and interpretation of cultural heritage. Indeed, these collaborative programmes have grown common in archaeological practice around the work, especially in North American and Australian projects that bring indigenous communities together with archaeologists to achieve shared goals. "Over the past two decades in the Middle East, archaeologists have adopted community archaeology as a framework that can potentially reverse the discipline's imperialist and colonialist legacy. Despite early enthusiasm for the approach, collaborative and community archaeology programs have not been widely adopted. Only a handful of projects have risen in visibility," Porter said. The professor noted that this brief autopsy of community archaeology in the Middle East is key because it is likely the local rural and suburban communities that live alongside archaeological sites that stand to be the most affected by changing climate conditions. "Rural communities who are responsible for supplying a significant portion of the region's food supply will be stressed by warming conditions, erratic winter weather patterns, and increased erosion of valuable soils,' the professor said. 'Archaeological projects, regardless of the extent to which they collaborate with host communities in their research, remain dependent on communities and their businesses for basic services," Porter underscored.
Jordan Times
01-03-2025
- Climate
- Jordan Times
Impact of climate change on cultural heritage: Middle East at risk
AMMAN — The climate change directly affects monuments in different parts of the world. The current climate of the Middle East ranges from mostly temperate in its northern half to extremely arid in its southern half. Precipitation falls mainly November through April, the most abundant amounts falling in the region's northern half. However, due to climate change, some winters are colder and with more precipitation. For a few years, rain fell in May and early June which was not the case 20-30 years ago. These environmental conditions, especially the timing and abundance of precipitation, play a key role in the region's economies, whether industry, tourism, or, perhaps most importantly, agriculture, noted Professor Benjamin Porter from Berkeley University. Porter added that the extent to which countries depend on agriculture for food and jobs varies across the region and is contingent on the availability of arable land, labour forces, and proximity to markets. "Exacerbating the current economic situation even more are the region's relatively high unemployment and underemployment levels coupled with the destabilizing events of the past decade, including international wars, civil wars, and the Arab Spring that have introduced volatility and uncertainty into local and national governance," Porter underlined. The professor noted that models developed in the last decade that considers a two- and four-degree increase in global temperature levels before 2050 together project substantial changes in global and regional climate patterns. These changes will impact the Middle East's environment in several ways. Annual summer temperatures will increase and episodes of intense heat will become more common. Winter precipitation levels will also become more erratic; while the southern half of the region will see decreased levels, the northern half may experience extreme unpredictable storms that could cause flooding, Porter elaborated. The professor added that high-altitudes now pack in the northern mountain zones that supply major river systems (e.g., the Euphrates, Tigris, Orontes) will have reduced input, leading to downstream supply being reduced. "Sub-surface aquifers that supply fresh-water springs and oases will not be as fully recharged. At the same time, sea levels will rise, inundating coastlines and the fresh-water river systems that drain into the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Gulf," Porter explained. Unpredictable extreme weather events, such as spikes in summer temperature and sudden winter rainfalls, will further stress the region. Studies considering global climate change impacts on human populations often point out that the Middle East will be among the hardest hit regions in the world, regardless of whether a two-, four-, or greater degree change is achieved; and these drying conditions will stress the region's rural agricultural industries that are mainly based on crop and livestock production. The contagious disease typical for arid environment will also increase. "At first glance, it may appear insensitive to reflect on the future of cultural heritage in the Middle East given the severe impacts the climate crisis will have on the region's peoples." "However, arbitrary the constructed category of cultural heritage may be, the objects, places, and, at times, practices that constitute it are nonetheless non-renewable resources that play an important role in the quality of life in the Middle East," the professor highlighted. Porter added that many cultural heritage sites serve as the basis for cultural, religious, and national identities, leading countries and their international partners to make significant investments in maintaining them. Despite its deep and sometimes unfortunate entanglements with politics, Porter continued, cultural heritage is, ultimately, maintained by institutions, communities and individuals existing in webs of often-problematic relationships, large and small, a point that Meskell has illustrated in her rigorous treatment of UNESCO "Cultural heritage has served and continues to serve as a key economic resource in the Middle East," Porter said. "The United Nations World Tourism Organisation's report on the Middle East and North Africa region recorded a 10 per cent growth from the previous year's level [figures from 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic] in international tourist arrivals in the region," the professor noted. "This growth during the past few years signalled the region's recovery from internal conflicts and economic decline during the previous decade as well as the robust economies of developed nations with people with spending power to visit the region," Porter concluded.
Jordan Times
04-02-2025
- General
- Jordan Times
ACOR hosts lecture on Busayra's past as Edom's capital
Professor Benjamin Porter addresses public at the lecture titled " The Iron Age Townscape Busayra" held at American Centre of Research on Sunday (Photo courtesy of ACOR) AMMAN — Busayra, located 20 km south of Tafileh, was the ancient capital of the Edomite Kingdom. The first record about Busayra was documented by some European travellers in late 19th and early 20th centuries, as noted the professor Banjamin Porter from the University of California Berkeley where he teaches Middle Eastern Archaeology, during the lecture "The Iron Age Townscape Busayra", held at the American Centre of Research in Amman (ACOR) on Sunday. 'A British archaeologist Chrystal Bennet excavated Busayra in the 1970's, and her team identified multiple Iron Age buildings,' Porter said, adding that in 2013, he started the 'Busayra Cultural Heritage Project' with the goal to simultaneously address outstanding research questions about Busayra, the questions that were left over from the work in the 1970's as well as conduct site assessment and develop a site management plan. "Busayra was the kingdom's largest settlement and likely its capital," said Porter, noting that the kingdom spread through the southwest corner of modern Jordan, although the kingdom did not have precisely defined boundaries. The kingdom originates from the 2nd millennium BC where semi-nomadic communities dwelled from both sides of the Ghor Valley and organised copper mining industry and trade with neighbouring territories. "The Edomite Kingdom grew visible in the archaeological evidence during the 8th century BC and Busayra was founded at that time to extent that we know about," Porter said, adding that the kingdom drew its wealth through its strategic location, connecting Arabia with Gaza and Damascus. Edom's political autonomy was slightly curtailed when the Assyrian Empire expanded its reach into Levant from its base in northern Mesopotamia during the 8th and 7th centuries. "Edom escaped destruction by becoming one of many Assyrian vassals. So cunei sources tell us that Edom's kings delivered tribute to the Assyrian Imperial court and it managed to weather ups and downs of the Assyrian Empire," Porter underlined, adding that the kingdom was significantly weakened in the 6th century BC. Babylonian imperial campaign negatively affected the Edomite Kingdom around 550 BC. Excavation at Busayra added a considerable amount of information to the historical picture of Edom and also raised a lot of questions. The ancient town of Busayra was located on one and a half kilometre long spur, that extends out from the Transjordanian Plateau. "Iron Age settlements found themselves built on spurs and there were two advantages; the first advantage was immediate protection and the second was that you were located close to the wadi where you can bring heard to water them or you could go hunting or gather plants or building material for your house," Porter underlined. The team also found a corner or the fortification system on the edge of the spur that suggests that the town extended from this point. 'Late Burt McDonald found broken ceramic fragments during his survey of Busayra,' Porter said, adding that the settlement was distribute across the entire village. "Busayra was one of the largest settlements in southern Jordan during the 1st millennium BC," Porter stressed, noting that there are three wide terraces that step down of the north side of the spur that go directly to the valley. Some fortification walls discovered by the team were higher than 2 metres. Porter discussed the building A which was 2,300 square metres administrative building, consisting of two halves. "The cistern sits in the middle of the courtyard of the building A and to the east of the cistern there is a threshold of distinct red stones that give way to a raised platform with a chair or a cult statue may have been situated," Porter elaborated. However, scholars did not reach a final conclusion about the purpose of the room. The building A was constructed in the 8th century BC and used through the 7th century BC and it continued to be in use after its destruction around 550 BC, and used in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. "Busayra is an ideal place where archaeological research and cultural heritage conservation practices can be integrated into a single research design," Porter underscored.
