• by IPS Correspondents (amman)
• Sunday, December 18, 1994
• Inter Press Service

AMMAN, Dic 18 (IPS) - Archaeologists from 17 countries met in Amman this month to discuss their findings on Byzantine and early Islamic ceramics in Syria-Jordan, mainly from the 7th and 8th century A.D.

The aim of the colloquium - organised by the British Institute in Amman for Archeaology and History, together with the Institut Francaise d'Archeologie du Proche-orient, based in Damascus - was to have the scholars exchange ideas and theories on this pivotal era in the region's history.

Findings from the Byzantine period in Syria and Jordan, through the early Islamic conquests and the Umayyad and Abbassid rule, still have relevance for today, said Pam Watson, assistant director of the British Institute.

"An awareness and understanding of origins and past processes can only add perspective and wisdom of our dealings with the present in this current political climate," she told IPS.

"The Byzantine period in Syria-Jordan (including Palestine and Lebanon) is one of the richest and most accessible periods in the region's history, forming part of the visual heritage of the area with the well-preserved deserted cities of the semi-desert regions to the riches of the Umayyad castles."

It is these monuments and their history that attract admirers from all over the world, and on which much of the future development and expansion of the modern tourist industry will depend, she added.

The transitional period involved major cultural events for the world, a new religion (Islam), which was coming upon the scene, and the whole cultural and religious balance was changing, which has ramifications for our society today, said Watson.

"What we see happening in the Middle East conflict is part of what was rooted then, and we have to deal with our problems now, and to know where they came from," she said. "That is one reason why the period is of interest."

The archaeologists who gathered here for the colloquium hope that a closer cooperation between them will help them narrow the gap between discovery, analysis and publication, the latter being at best ten years now.

The analysis and results of the papers presented at the meeting will be published in a book. This book will include the findings of the scholars in their excavations and studies of the pottery of the Byzantine period in the Middle East. (MORE)

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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