Dig with BRAP

DATES: June 19 - July 31, 2025

The directors of the Baluʿa Regional Archaeological Project (BRAP) want to extend a warm welcome to you as we plan for a six-week excavation season in June & July 2025 at one of the largest archaeological sites in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Ahlan w’ Sahlan — Welcome! Thank you for your interest in joining the BRAP this coming June to excavate at Khirbat al-Baluʿa. We are excited to be back in the field and look forward to a fantastic season excavating amid the basalt stones of this breathtaking and important site. Below you will find more information to answer your questions about participation. Contact us as soon as possible to express interest and begin filling out your application forms. Security Forms are required by the Jordanian Department of Antiquities and must be submitted by all candidates by 1 March 2025. Excavations in 2025 will be conducted as part of a team effort. Questions should be submitted to mroddy@lasierra.edu. Final decisions on acceptance to the team will be made by April 1. Do not purchase flights until you have heard from us that you have been accepted to the team. Digging this summer will focus on the impressively intact Iron Age remains and on the Middle Islamic Village. The Iron Age remains include a large and well-preserved Iron II domestic structure and structures north of the monumental Qasr that dominates the highest point on the site.

2025 Note: We understand the current situation in the Middle East may require flexibility in this planning. Check for updates here and by email for applicants. We recommend submitting the security form by the March 1 deadline as this keeps options for the team open, but wait to make the application deposit until later in March when we may have a better sense of the situation. We are paying attention to US State Department recommendations regarding Jordan and talking to colleagues in Jordan as we make our decisions about the coming season. As a field school sponsored by La Sierra University, we do require university approval.

The excavation dates for 2025 are from Sunday 22 June through Wednesday 30 July. However, these dates do not include arrival and set up nor closedown and departure. Thus, our official dates are 19 June to 31 July. Given the distance of the excavation headquarters from Amman (2 hours), flights and transport to and from the site will be closely coordinated.

Official Arrival Date: Thursday, 19 June (Flights that arrive in the middle of the night are normal! Check your ticket carefully to make sure you ARRIVE on 19 June. Participants arriving on a different date are responsible for their own transportation.)
Official Departure Date: Thursday, 31 July (late afternoon/evening departures preferred)

Because flights from North America take an extra day heading east, it will be necessary to pay attention to the actual arrival date of your flight into Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. All flights must arrive in Amman on June 19 and depart on July 31 in order to receive BRAP-arranged transport. If you choose to arrive on a different date, you may take a taxi from the airport to our hotel in Karak. Make sure to take an official taxi with a fixed rate of 50.50 JD (visit the taxi stand outside arrivals and get an official ticket stating the current rate). Taxis may be arranged from our hotel to the airport, usually for around 60 JD.

You are welcome to stay in Jordan outside of the official dates but you are responsible, then, for your own accommodations. We are happy to provide advice on these accommodations. The American Center of Research in Amman offers hostel lodging and is a great base for research. More about ACOR is available at acorjordan.org.

We are offering one half-season option for participation during the first half of the dig season.

Half-Season Dates: June 19 to July 12 (please note this is "Petra" weekend; we will be overnight in Petra July 10 and 11, heading back to our hotel in Karak in the early afternoon of July 12)

Half-season participants will arrive as above for all participants. Transportation will be arranged from Petra or Karak for those leaving on July 12, depending on your flight departure time.

Several forms must be completed to secure participation with the project (links will be live soon):

• The Security Form must be submitted by March 1, even if you are not sure about your plans. Nothing is lost by submitting this form!
• The Application Form and a $400 deposit (make your payment here between March 1 and April 1) must be submitted by April 1. You will receive notification of acceptance after we have received the security form, application form, and deposit. If your application is rejected, your deposit will be refunded. If you withdraw your application, your deposit will not be refunded. Space on the team is limited. Preference is given to full-season participants.
• The other forms and complete payment must be submitted by May 1 (Assumption of Risk, Medical Form, Code of Conduct, Flight Arrival/Departure).

The participant’s fee includes accommodation, meals, transport from Amman to and from the site for those arriving on the official dates, and in-country transportation for weekend trips. Student tuition fees also include tuition, travel insurance, entry visa, and entry fees/accommodations for weekend tours.

Accommodation will be in a hotel with double rooms on the Karak Highway, located about 40 minutes from the site.

Cost to STUDENTS includes tuition: $3,460 + Airfare (for 4 units) or $6,920 which includes Airfare (for 8 units). There are no fees beyond tuition for students registering for 8 units. (Each unit is $865 at La Sierra University)
Cost to NON-STUDENTS Full Season: $2,800 (does not include airfare)
Cost to NON-STUDENTS Half Season: $2,000 (does not include airfare)

Multiple fellowships/scholarships are available for participating in an excavation from several organizations. Many have deadlines in early winter for summer 2025, so please check this soon if you are interested in applying for these fellowships:

• American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) – students & non students may apply (Due Feb 12).
• American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR) – students may apply (Due Feb 15).
• Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) – first-time, field-school students may apply (Due Mar 1).
• Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS) – students & non students may apply (Check BAS for 2025 information).

Academic credit is offered through La Sierra University in the following undergraduate and graduate courses at a rate of $970 per unit [2024, 2025 coming soon]. Students taking 4 credits have all in-country costs included in their tuition (weekend tours, visas, and travel insurance). Students taking 8 credits or more have airfare included as well.

Undergraduate:

• ARCH/RELB 494 Fieldwork in Near Eastern/Middle Eastern Archaeology (1-8 units)
• ARCH/RELB 446 New Testament Archaeology (4 units)
• ARCH 459 Topics in Archaeology: Archaeology of Iron Age Jordan (4 units)

Graduate:

• ARCH/RELB 594 Fieldwork in Near Eastern/Middle Eastern Archaeology (1-8 units)
• ARCH/RELB 546 New Testament Archaeology (4 units)
• ARCH 695J Topics in Archaeology: Archaeology of Iron Age Jordan (4 units)

Given the remote location and physically demanding nature of archaeological excavation at Baluʿa, all participants should be mature, college-age or older, and in excellent health. It is ideal for all participants to remain for the duration of the project, but a half season option is available. Both students and non-students are welcome to apply, though students applying for credit will be given priority in acceptance. All participants, regardless of status, are joining a research project and will be expected to engage in active excavation at the site as part of the field team, as well as fulfill their share of camp duties, such as pottery washing. An enthusiastic spirit of cooperation toward hard work will guarantee a successful outcome for everyone! We cannot process applications until the deposit is received (see Costs above).

Passports/Visas/Insurance/Vaccinations:

All participants must be in possession of a valid passport issued by their respective government, which will not expire within a period of six months of your departure from Jordan.

The Jordanian visa costs 40 JD (approximately 56 USD) and can be obtained easily and quickly for American, Canandian, and EU citizens at the Amman airport. Jordanian currency can be acquired at the airport either through exchange or an ATM machine before entering the visa lines, or a credit card may be used to purchase the visa at the desk.

Participants planning to enter the Petra Touristic Site during the mid-season trip to Petra may purchase the Jordan Explorer Pass online BEFORE leaving for Jordan. This pass includes the Jordanian visa (but only if purchased before entering Jordan) and 2 days in Petra for only 75 JD, a savings of 20 JD.

STUDENTS: Coordinate with the project directors about the need for the Jordan Pass.

All participants must be covered by travel/medical insurance that includes medical and trip interruption benefits.

Insurance for Students: Those registered for academic credit do not need to purchase additional travel insurance, as they will be covered by La Sierra University’s travel insurance plan. Proof of regular health insurance coverage will be required for participation.
Insurance for Non-Students: Those not registered for academic credit must purchase their own travel insurance while in Jordan. Please look over plans offered in your country/state carefully and purchase a plan that covers medical emergencies. While your regular health insurance may cover some treatment costs, a good travel insurance will cover indirect costs related to a medical emergency, such as rescheduling flights, etc. The Balu'a Regional Archaeological Project and La Sierra University are not responsible for these costs. Proof of travel and regular health insurance will be required for participation.

Please review the CDC Travelers' Health Page for Jordan (or your country's equivalent) for recommended vaccinations for travel in Jordan. For routine vaccines this includes up-to-date Tetanus, COVID-19, and Hepatitis A & B vaccines. Please note that the Typhoid vaccine is also recommended (good for three-five years). For any or all of the above, follow the advice of your physician or public health department officials.