Protecting the Past: Archaeology, Conservation and Tourism in the North of Jordan

The purpose of this colloquium (28-30 September 2015) was to discuss how recent advances in the archaeological investigation of northern Jordan (Amman) can influence a wider approach to understanding Jordan’s cultural heritage through discovery, re-interpretation and better presentation. The conference gathered international and national specialists from a range of disciplines. These include archaeologists active at multi-period sites and on survey projects, experts in remote sensing and aerial archaeology, geoarchaeologists and geographers. By bringing them together with NGOs and practitioners with a stake in the development of cultural tourism in northern Jordan, we wished to foster better co-operation and collaboration.This inter-disciplinary discussion, focussing on archaeological sites and landscapes, showed that their value is not just historical and cultural but can also be economic, educational and social