We wanted to take real information: public engagement and regional survey at Petra, Jordan

Abstract

Since 2010 the Brown University Petra Archaeological Project (BUPAP) has been conducting a diachronic regional survey of the landscape north of Petra. In 2013 the authors conducted ethnographic interviews with members of the local communities surrounding Petra, the Bdul and Ammarin Bedouin tribes of Umm Sayhun and Bayda. These interviews aimed to understand contemporary engagements with, and attitudes towards, a landscape that has overwhelmingly been valued for its archaeological and heritage resources. This article combines regional survey and ethnographic methodologies in order to construct complex, multivocal narratives about archaeological remains. We also suggest locally appropriate modes of advocacy that archaeologists might productively pursue at Petra. In particular the results of our project highlight the importance of integrating the historically underrepresented voices of local groups into dialogues concerning conservation, water management and tourism, as well as diachronic interpretations of landscapes.

Survey Archaeology in the Mediterranean World: Regional Traditions and Contributions to Long-Term History

“…Recent work has also emphasized the effects of industrial pasts on present landscapes, for example, at Wadi Faynan, Jordan, or Rio Tinto, Spain (Barker et al 2007;Pardo Abad 2017). At the same time, archaeologists must consider the real-world impacts of their work-both positive and negativeon local populations, especially in areas that have been overwhelmingly valued for their archaeological remains (Mickel and Knodell 2015). While US federal funding agencies have long made articulating "broader impacts" a necessary part of funding requests, levels of engagement with local communities vary widely, from very little, to consultation about archaeological remains and local history, to archaeologically interested ethnography, to ethnography for its own sake (Hamilakis 2011).…”

The DEEPSAL Project: Using the Past for Local Community Futures in Jordan

“…Damick (2011) carried out local ethnographic research to inform local community archaeology programs. Mickel and Knodell (2015) also carried out ethnographic work with local communities to compliment archaeological excavations and survey to understand local narratives about the Petra region and to assist in advocating local involvement in future archaeological, conservation and development initiatives.…”