2025 DHIBAN EXCAVATION & DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, JORDAN
Open
May 1-Jun 21, 2025
Archaeology
Dr. Shawn Bubel, Dr. Kevin McGeough & Dr. Bruce Routledge
$4,845
Apr 4, 2025
Apr 5, 2025 at 1:30pm Pacific Time
8 Semester Credits
Please read before applying
This is a long format, hybrid program, 7½ weeks long. The initial 2½ weeks are conducted online. Students will then travel and conduct fieldwork in Jordan for four weeks. The final, fifth week is dedicated to traveling the country and visiting site of archaeological and cultural importance.
Due to the Jordanian Department of Antiquities’ legal requirements, all attending students must be listed on the excavation permit. Deposit payment, therefore, MUST be made by Feb 14 to ensure participation in the program.
OVERVIEW
Located 40 miles south of Amman and 12 miles east of the Dead Sea, Tâll Dhiban is one of Jordan’s most important historical sites. A mound of more than 30 acres in area and 130 feet in height, Tâll Dhiban contains a fascinating record of some 6,000 years of human occupation. Dhiban has been a town in the first phase of urbanism, capital of the biblical kingdom of Moab, an outpost of Nabataean culture at the time of the Roman conquest, a thriving city at the peak of the Byzantine Empire, an early conquest of first Islamic caliphs, and a key agricultural center in the aftermath of the Crusades.
In 2025 the DEDP will explore these issues in two ways. In the field, we will excavate a large house that collapsed between c. 570-610 CE (radiocarbon dated), probably as the result of an earthquake. We will document the rich record this house contains of life in the 6th -7th centuries CE, including a wealth of organic remains and objects from everyday life. In particular, we will ask if the local autonomy that is said to characterize the last phase of the Byzantine Empire in Jordan can be seen in the economic organization of Dhiban. Can the changes in diet and economic strategies that seem to follow the collapse of this house be related to the Islamic conquest of Dhiban?
This season we will also continue to excavate a Nabataean Temple. The Nabataeans, most known from the site of Petra, were an ancient Arabian people who rose to economic prominence by controlling a large trade network that facilitated connections throughout the Arabian Peninsula and into the northern Levant. The temple dates to the time when the Nabataean kingdom was centered in Jordan, and Dhiban, while no longer a “capital” city, was an important regional site. In later periods, the site of the temple was incorporated into a Christian Byzantine religious complex. While we know much about the late phases of this temple, this season we hope to learn about the earliest uses of the area, perhaps gaining an understanding of its use as long ago as the Iron Age.
Students excavating the Nabataean Temple
On the bus en route to Dhiban
Excavating at Dhiban
Visiting the Roman city of Jerash
Two of the co-directors
Student sifting
Learning microfracture techniques
Learning to draw pottery
Visiting Petra
Excavating at Dhiban
Learning to map to scale
Excavating at Dhiban
Excavating at Dhiban
“Cleaning” the Nabataean Temple
Instructors
All field school directors are experts in their field and passionate about their work. To discuss the suitability of this program for your career goals – whether within or outside academia – you are invited to contact the directors directly. For a broader discussion which CFS program to choose, you are welcome to contact our staff directly – you can do that through our “Contact Us” page.
Dr. Shawn Bubel
University of Lethbridge
Dr. Bruce Routledge
University of Liverpool
Dr. Kevin McGeough
University of Lethbridge
Testimonials
This is a new program. There are no testimonials at this time
student fees (tuition)
what is covered
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DEPOSIT IS PART OF TOTAL TUITION COST
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Costs of Instruction
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Room & Board
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Cost of Academic Credit Units
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Health and Evacuation Insurance
read befor you pay
- Application: You must apply online for this program – application is free
- Deposit: A $300 nonrefundable deposit (part of the total tuition cost) is required to secure a space in the program
- Credit Card Fee: Payments with credits cards incur 2.5% processing fee
- Late Fee: A $100 Late Fee will be added to the program costs if tuition is not paid in full by payment deadline
- Cancelation Policy: Carefully read our Cancelation Policy before committing to attend our programs
- Trip cancellation Insurance: Trip cancellation insurance is not provided by CFS. Such policies have changed due to Covid 19. If you wish to purchase an insurance policy that covers pandemic contingencies, explore Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) plans. Insuremytrip or Travel Guard are possible websites where you may explore different insurance policies
Accommodations
During the four-week excavation component of the field school, the students and directors live in the town of Madaba, likely at the Hotel Rumman. Students must bring their own personal items (shampoo, soap, etc.) but if you run out of things or forget something, there is a grocery store nearby.
diet
For breakfast and lunch, students will be provided with well-balanced, nutritious meals. Since these are group meals, individual dietary needs will be accommodated as best as possible, although it is not possible to be fully gluten free, kosher, etc. There will be meat or dairy, vegetable, and starch (rice, potatoes, bread, etc.) choices. Students will be on their own for dinner; there are numerous meal options available in the city of Madaba.
travel information
We suggest you hold off purchasing airline tickets until six (6) weeks before the program begins. Natural disasters, political changes, weather conditions & a range of other factors may require the cancellation of this field school. CFS typically makes a final Go/No Go decision about six weeks before the field school begins. To protect students from potential financial loss, we urge students to purchase airline tickets only six weeks prior to the program beginning.
It is best if students travel together as a larger team, meeting en route. In any case, students must communicate with the project directors BEFORE purchasing their flights so that pickup times can be arranged in Amman. Students will be picked up by a member of the team in the Amman International Airport upon arrival.
visa information
You must have a valid passport to travel outside of the United States and Canada. Most countries in the Middle East require the passport expiry date to be at least 6 months later than your return date. A tourist visa is required for Jordan, which we will help you purchase, along with a Jordan Pass for entrance into most historic sites in Jordan. Visa arrangements and applications will be made in coordination with the program directors.
Meeting Point
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2025 | TBA | Queen Alia Airport arrival area, left-most parking kiosk |
Safety
Our primary concern is with education. Traveling and conducting field work involves risk. Students interested in participating in our programs must weigh whether the potential risk is worth the value of education provided. While risk is inherent in everything we do, we do not take risk lightly. We engage in intensive review of each field school location prior to approval. Once a program is accepted, we review and monitor each program annually to make sure it complies with all our standards and policies, including student safety.
Students attending our international programs are covered by a comprehensive Health Insurance policy that includes physical illness or injury, mental or chronic conditions. There are no deductible and 100% of costs are covered up to $250,000. In addition, we provide Political & Natural Disaster Evacuation policy, which allow us to remove students from program location if conditions change.
Students attending our domestic programs (within the US) must have their own health insurance and provide proof upon enrollment. Program directors are familiar with local authorities and if in need of evacuation, local emergency services and/or law enforcement will be notified and activated.
We have an explicit and robust harassments & discriminations policies. If students feel they cannot discuss personal safety issues with program staff, they are welcome to call the CFS emergency hotline and talk directly with CFS staff members.
Call (+1 562 584-0761) or email (info@fieldsciences.org) if you have questions about the safety of any program.