P. E. MacAllister Field Archaeology Award for Prof. Dr. Bethany J. Walker ASOR 2023

Bethany Walker, Professor Doctor, Universität Bonn, has been conducting archaeological fieldwork for nearly thirty years, having served as the Senior Director of the Northern Jordan Project, the Co-Director of the Khirbet Beit Mazmil Archaeological and Development Project, and as Director of Excavations at Tall Hisban. Bethany's impressive body of published work is a tour de force in illuminating the complexities of the medieval Islamic world in both its social and political dimensions. In addition to her exceptional fieldwork contributions, she has displayed remarkable leadership in advocating for and drawing attention to the field of Islamic Archaeology. Her research unit at Universität Bonn has become a highly sought-after destination for training in Islamic archaeology by students from all over the world. Bethany has also played an important role in facilitating communications and meetings between the directors of excavations working in Jordan at ASOR's Annual Meetings. Furthermore, her editorial roles in leading scholarly journals, including as the founding editor of the Journal of Islamic Archaeology, and as senior editor of the Oxford Handbook of Islamic Archaeology, demonstrate her commitment to advancing archaeology as a means to a more inclusive and less urban-centered understanding of Islamic societies.