Beyond ArchaeologyThe Broader Scholarly and Educational Mission of the American Center of Oriental Research

For 50 years, the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, Jordan, has been at the forefront of Near Eastern archaeology, helping pioneer innovations in survey archaeology, cultural resource management, and, more recently, community-based archaeology. Yet, as the Center has grown, perhaps its greatest success has been serving as a place of educational, scholarly, and cultural exchange among Americans, other foreign nationalities, and Jordanians. ACOR’s operational mandate extends well beyond archaeology and embraces an educational mission that, in seeking to “advance knowledge of Jordan past and present,” brings together students, scholars, and professionals, both foreign and Jordanian, to meet, talk, learn, collaborate, exchange ideas, and, in general, get to know each other a little better. This article will discuss how ACOR and its various programs and activities serve this broader mission and why ACOR, as a space for mutually beneficial learning and exchange, is worth continued investment.