Council for British Research in the Levant
Encyclopedia
The Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) was formed in 1998 with the amalgamation of the British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and History and the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem
.
Since 2003, the British Institute (Amman) and the Kenyon Institute in Jerusalem are providing researchers with access to research labs, accommodation, libraries and computing equipment.
and social sciences (e.g. archaeology
, geography
, history
, literature
, linguistics
, social anthropology
) as relevant to the countries of the Levant
(Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories and Syria).
The CBRL's main sponsor is the British Academy
, but significant contributions are made by membership subscriptions, sale of publications, other grants, and revenue generated by the services provided.
The CBRL currently sponsors a large number of research projects in the Levant, including archaeological excavation, survey and publication. Some of the major projects include work on the Palaeolithic in Lebanon
; the beginnings of farming in southern Jordan
; large regional multi-period archaeological and environmental surveys in Syria
and Cyprus
(combining traditional techniques with cutting edge use of satellite imagery and computerised recording); architectural surveys throughout the Levant, but perhaps especially in Jerusalem and the West Bank
; and anthropological research on modern societies.
, both in print and online form.
An annual Bulletin is produced to inform about current research activities and information about events and CBRL publications.
British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem
The British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem was established in 1919. The London-based Palestine Exploration Fund was instrumental in its foundation. The first Director was British archaeologist John Garstang, and among its earliest students was architect-archaeologist George Horsfield, later...
.
Since 2003, the British Institute (Amman) and the Kenyon Institute in Jerusalem are providing researchers with access to research labs, accommodation, libraries and computing equipment.
Purpose and activities
The CBRL promotes the study of the humanitiesHumanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
and social sciences (e.g. archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, social anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
) as relevant to the countries of the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
(Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories and Syria).
The CBRL's main sponsor is the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, but significant contributions are made by membership subscriptions, sale of publications, other grants, and revenue generated by the services provided.
The CBRL currently sponsors a large number of research projects in the Levant, including archaeological excavation, survey and publication. Some of the major projects include work on the Palaeolithic in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
; the beginnings of farming in southern Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
; large regional multi-period archaeological and environmental surveys in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
(combining traditional techniques with cutting edge use of satellite imagery and computerised recording); architectural surveys throughout the Levant, but perhaps especially in Jerusalem and the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
; and anthropological research on modern societies.
Publications
The Council's research journal, Levant (ISSN 0075-8914), is employed to document and promote the research of CBRL members and others in the region. Each issue includes a number of scholarly articles and book reviews. As of 2008, Levant is published biannually by Maney PublishingManey Publishing
Maney Publishing is an independent Academic publishing company specialising in peer-reviewed academic journals in materials science and engineering, the humanities, and health science. The company has offices in Leeds and London in the United Kingdom, and in Boston and Philadelphia in the United...
, both in print and online form.
An annual Bulletin is produced to inform about current research activities and information about events and CBRL publications.
External links
- Council for British Research in the Levant website
- CBRL Publications CBRL Publications: Bulletin, Levant and Monographs
- Levant at Maney Publishing