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Have questions about the program? Click here for our inquiry form, send an email to Peter Megginson (Travel Study Director) at [email protected] or call 800-221-4644, ext. 424 (Toll-free).

Lectures

Jordan: The Other Holy Land
Exploring the Forgotten Land of the Bible

While the lands east of the Jordan River figure prominently in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, the ancient sites and peoples of Transjordan (modern-day Jordan) are not nearly as well known to us as places like Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Samaria, and Galilee. In addition to introducing Jordan’s biblical geography, this seminar will highlight the latest archaeological discoveries from “across the Jordan” that shed new light on the Patriarchal and Exodus traditions, the Iron Age kingdoms of Ammon, Moab, and Edom that rivaled ancient Israel and Judah, and the enigmatic Nabataeans of Petra who vied for power with the Herods during the time of Jesus. It will also explore Jordanian sites that provide critical context to Jesus’s life and teachings, as well as the country’s amazingly well-preserved churches and mosaics that vividly illustrate Christianity’s rapid growth and expansion during the Byzantine period.

Lecture 1: Jordan in Ancient Israel’s Earliest Traditions

This lecture, in addition to introducing Jordan’s dramatic and diverse landscape, will highlight Jordanian sites and locations long associated with the earliest biblical traditions, including the infamous story of Sodom and Gomorrah, Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, and Moses’s final days on Mt. Nebo. The biblical traditions will be viewed alongside the available historical and archaeological evidence, which reveals the thriving and remarkably diverse Canaanite culture from which ancient Israel and its Transjordanian neighbors emerged.

Lecture 2: The Peoples of the East—Ammon, Moab, and Edom

In this lecture, we’ll discuss what we know about Ammon, Moab, and Edom, the rival kingdoms that emerged “across the Jordan” from ancient Israel and Judah during the Iron Age (c. 1200–550 BCE). In examining their sites, texts, and material culture, we’ll see that these three kingdoms, in fact, had much in common with their Israelite brethren, including common royal ideologies, shared architectural styles, closely related linguistic and cultural traditions, and remarkably similar conceptions of their respective national deities.

Lecture 3: Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans

Explore the Nabataeans of Petra, a mysterious Arabian people whose dominance over the ancient spice trade allowed them to create a powerful and wealthy kingdom that rivaled Judah during the time of the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties. This lecture will explore the origins, history, and culture of this enigmatic desert civilization as revealed through ancient texts and archaeological research. We will also examine the ingenious building techniques and water management strategies that allowed the Nabataeans to survive and thrive in southern Jordan’s inhospitable desert environment.

Lecture 4: The Jordan that Jesus Knew

This lecture will examine several fascinating sites that provide important historical and archaeological context for Jesus, his life and teachings, and the broader world of Second Temple Judaism. We’ll focus especially on Machaerus, the Herodian palace fortress where John the Baptist was executed, Bethany Beyond the Jordan, thought by many to be the place where Jesus was baptized, and the nearby site of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, revealing new insights into the Judaism of Jesus’s day.

Lecture 5: Early Christian Jordan

Explore the incredibly well-preserved Roman sites across Jordan that attest to Christianity’s rapid spread during the Byzantine period (fourth–seventh centuries CE). In particular, we’ll visit beautiful churches and monastic complexes that commemorated key events from both the Old and New Testaments, including the Memorial to Moses on Mt. Nebo, the Sanctuary to Lot at the Dead Sea, and the Jordan River churches that marked the location of Jesus’s baptism. We’ll also investigate the stunning mosaics that adorned these Byzantine monuments, including the famous Madaba Map, the earliest geographic depiction of the Christian Holy Land.

Bonus Lecture: “Offworld” Archaeology: Ancient Rock Art from Hollywood’s Favorite Alien World

The sweeping, majestic desert of Wadi Rum in southern Jordan is now a frequent stand-in for alien worlds in some of Hollywood’s biggest sci-fi and space adventure films, from Dune to The Rise of Skywalker. Aside from its beautifully strange, otherworldly landscapes, however, this corner of the Arabian Desert is home to a wide array of ancient rock art and inscriptions that express something of the daily lives, thoughts, and experiences of the desert peoples who lived in and moved through this remote landscape across the millennia. This lecture provides an overview of these extraordinary messages from the past and the high-tech digital tools that archaeologists use to gain new information about their date, context, and meaning.

Itinerary