Competitive Archaeology in Jordan: Narrating Identity from the Ottomans to the Hashemites

312 Pages·2015·0.61 MB·English

by  Elena D. Corbett

Competitive Archaeology in Jordan
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Competitive Archaeology
in Jordan
Narrating Identity from the
Ottomans to the Hashemites
By ElEna D. CorBEtt
University of Texas Press   Austin
Copyright © 2014 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2014
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Corbett, Elena Dodge
 Competitive archaeology in Jordan : narrating identity from the Ottomans
to the Hashemites / by Elena D. Corbett. — First edition.
  pages cm
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-292-76080-6 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Archaeology—Political aspects—Jordan. 2. Archaeology—Political aspects—
Palestine. 3. Jordan—Antiquities. I. Title.
 DS153.3.C68 2014
 933′.5—dc23
2014017671
doi:10.7560/760806
To the memory of Ustaz Farouk
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Note on Transliterations xvii
1. Archaeology Is Politics:
The Meaning of Archaeological Heritage in Jordan 1
2. Holy Land Core and Periphery 20
3. Antiquity and Modernity in Southeastern Bilad al- Sham 49
4. British Mandate: Core, Periphery, and Ownership of Narrative 88
5. Antiquities of a Hashemite State in Mandatory Space 125
6. Antiquity, Pan- National, and Nation- State Narratives
in the Expanded Hashemite Kingdom 153
7. Return to the Core 195
Notes 211
Bibliography 253
Index 271
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List of Illustrations
Map 1. Ottoman administrative divisions, ca. 1914 xiv
Map 2. Jordan’s state borders, ca. 1948–67 xv
Figure 1.1. Photo montage hanging in the foyer of the Department of
Antiquities, Amman, Jordan 2
Figure 6.1. The 1952 “unity stamp” 161
Figure 6.2. 1964 papal visit stamps 162
Figure 6.3. “Canaanite Arab from Palestine driving a pack animal”
and “Canaanite Arab girl from Palestine” 174
Figure 6.4. “Canaanite Phoenician teaching the alphabet” 174
Figure 6.5. “Canaanite Arabic” and “Modern Arabic” 174
Figure 7.1. The mosque and shrine of the Prophet’s Companion
Abu ʿUbayda ibn al- Jarrah 198
Figure 7.2. The King Hussein Mosque, Amman, Jordan 201
Figure 7.3. Near the beginning of the Historical Passageway 202
Figure 7.4. Along the Historical Passageway 203