The Center for Near Eastern Archaeology

Name: The Center for Near Eastern Archaeology
Address: 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, CA, 92505, US
Telephone: (951) 785-2632
Price range: Not applicable

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The Center for Near Eastern Archaeology

Lawrence T. Geraty and Douglas R. Clark
Center for Near Eastern Archaeology
at La Sierra University

The Center for Near Eastern Archaeology at La Sierra University engages and collaborates with local and global communities to foster interest in and develop appreciation for the cultures of the ancient Near East. Accordingly, the Center sponsors excavations in Jordan, and responsibly conserves and displays its artifacts from the Near East in a manner mutually respectful and beneficial to both the

communities from which the artifacts came and the community in which they now reside. As part of an academic institution, it provides educational resources and research opportunities for students, scholars, and the public. By promoting awareness of the past, especially the biblical past, the Center helps construct a better future for religious and secular communities alike.

08/26/2026

Fall quarter is less than one month away - register for your fall classes today! Go to portal.lasierra.edu or contact your academic advisor (this information can be found in your student portal).

And remember... La Sierra offers an undergraduate minor, Bachelor of Arts, and Master of Arts in Near Eastern Archaeology! Need more info on archaeology classes? Check out lasierra.edu/cnea/programs/ or email [email protected]. Registration closes September 25.

La Sierra University

08/19/2026

Dreaming of Jordan...

Now that we've all been home for a couple of weeks, the dirt is washed off, and the blisters on our feet have healed... we begin to reminisce of our home away from away among the fields of ancient Moab. But soon the research materials will arrive, and the next part of the archaeological process will begin: Home lab research! Here's to new data, continued discoveries, and more informed insights into the intricacies of the past.

As a reminder, you can read all about BRAP's 2026 field season by visiting lasierra.edu/cnea and following the link to the BRAP Beat newsletters.

Already looking forward to 2028!

(P.C.: R. Zanatta)

Balu'a Regional Archaeology Project
La Sierra University
Walla Walla University

08/12/2026

Archaeology Discovery Weekend 2026 is only 3 months away!

Mark your calendars, save the date, add a reminder to your phone, put a Post-It on your fridge... just don't forget to join us 14-15 November for the 18th annual ADW in-person at La Sierra University or online at lasierra.edu/cnea.

This year's theme is "People & Places of the New Testament World," featuring presentations by James Tabor, Bruce Chilton, Jodi Magness, and more!

Online registration coming soon. Check our website often for more information.

La Sierra University

08/05/2026

The final volume of the 2026 BRAP Beat newsletter is now available at lasierra.edu/cnea or brapjordan.org! Check it out for more information on how the dig season wrapped up, who is hanging up their trowel, reflections on the 2026 season, trips to Petra and Amman, and more!

Be sure to follow Balu'a Regional Archaeology Project for future project updates, including activity at conferences like the ASOR annual meeting, the next dig season, and other important info.

La Sierra University
Walla Walla University

07/23/2026

Meet the teams! Here are the faces behind BRAP's five squares this season. (Read more in volume 5.3 of the BRAP Beat newsletter, available at brapjordan.org or lasierra.edu/cnea.)

1. Qasr North Team Southern Probe
2. Qasr North Team Northern Probe
3. Islamic Village Team Bayt
4. Islamic Village Team Khan
5. The House Team

Mabruk and shukran to each and every one of our amazing team members who brought the successful season to fruition! We wish you all safe travels home and hope to see everyone back for the next excavation season in 2028!

Balu'a Regional Archaeology Project
La Sierra University
Walla Walla University

07/21/2026

BRAP was pleased to welcome a special team member for the final week of excavation and season wrap up: photographer Jillian Logee! Jillian has been sharing her skills in the field and the field lab as far back as the Madaba Plains Project - Tall al-`Umayri season in 2012. If she's not in the field capturing the faces of BRAP and the beauty of ancient Balu`a, you can find her in the field lab photographing every single artifact and object with crisp focus and clear detail! Thank you, Jillian, for sharing your talent and expertise with BRAP!

Balu'a Regional Archaeology Project
La Sierra University
Walla Walla University

07/17/2026

**Meet the BRAP directors**

Last but far from least, Dr. Monique Roddy! Roddy represents the BRAP consortium partner Walla Walla University while also carrying ties to La Sierra University. Prior to BRAP, she was a Field Supervisor at MPP - Tall al-`Umayri and is co-editor of the MPP-`Umayri field reports. Roddy is Associate Professor of History at Walla Walla and has been part of the Balu`a excavations since 2012.

Roddy is often found behind the camera documenting the tremendous efforts of students, volunteers, and local workers excavating on site, as well as capturing the special moments afield during weekend site tours. You will also certainly find her answering questions in all of the various fields at Balu`a, seemingly simultaneously! Her impressive administrative skills keep the BRAP machine running smoothly behind the scenes, too, as she coordinates or delegates the millions of tasks and decisions that typically go unnoticed. Furthermore, you'll find Roddy teaching students excavation techniques in the field and giving lectures during weeknight classes. Did we forget to mention her ongoing work of building relationships with local Jordanian families and researching their lineages and familial relationships to the sites and surrounding lands? The list goes on and on!

PC: F. Ninow, I. Jones

Balu'a Regional Archaeology Project
La Sierra University
Walla Walla University

07/15/2026

**Meet the BRAP directors**

Next up, Dr. Kent Bramlett! Bramlett is the Director of the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology and Professor of Archaeology at La Sierra University and, prior to Balu`a, was co-director of the Madaba Plains Project - Tall al-`Umayri.

Bramlett can often be found sharing his encyclopedic-like knowledge of sites, history, geography, and geology with students and volunteers. He may also be spotted leaping like an ibex over the otherwise precarious boulders and precipices of various archaeological sites. While elusive to the camera, Bramlett has been spotted identifying with remarkable accuracy the tiniest of potsherds in the labs and enjoying having his two sons as students in this year's dig season.

PC: I. Jones, M. Roddy

Balu'a Regional Archaeology Project
La Sierra University
Walla Walla University

07/13/2026

**Meet the BRAP directors**

First up, Dr. Friedbert Ninow! Ninow has been excavating at Balu`a and in the surrounding hinterlands since 1987. Following his arrival as Dean of the School of Religion at La Sierra University in 2015, the university become the co-sponsor of the Balu`a Regional Archaeological Project alongside Theologische Hochschule Friedensau.

Ninow can often be found building and strengthening relationships with the locals, leading survey research and/or teaching surveying methods in areas surrounding the main site, or behind his camera capturing the unfolding story of the site and those working to uncover its mysteries.

PC: M. Roddy, F. Ninow

Balu'a Regional Archaeology Project
La Sierra University
Walla Walla University

07/10/2026

Did you know that the summer excavation season also includes weekend site tours? Being in the archaeologically-rich land of Jordan, checking out the other sites is an absolute must! Including sites like Jerash, the Amman Citadel, Madaba, Umm ar-Rasas, Karak, Wadi Mujeb, Ataruz, Dhiban, Lahun, the Dead Sea, Machaerus/Mukawir, and more! This weekend, our team heads to Petra, and we can't wait to hear their impressions of such a monumental piece of history!

And don't forget to follow along with the weekly newsletter, BRAP Beat, available at lasierra.edu/cnea or brapjordan.org.

PC: R. Zanatta (1-4), I. Jones (5), M. Roddy (6)

Balu'a Regional Archaeology Project
La Sierra University
Walla Walla University

Address

4500 Riverwalk Parkway
Riverside, CA
92505

Telephone

(951) 785-2632

Website

http://lasierra.edu/cnea/

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