The G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection is housed at the Library
of Congress, Washington.
The collection began as a result of the founding of a photo department at
the American Colony in Jerusalem c. 1898, and continued after the break up
of the Colony under the direction of G. Eric Matson and his wife Edith as
the Matson Photo Service. It was donated to the Library of Congress by Eric
Matson in during the 1960s.
It is a rich source of historical images of the Middle East. Though the
majority of the items depict Palestine where the Colony and the Matsons
were based, there are numerous historical photographs of Amman and other
locations in Jordan, as well as other major centres in the Middle East. Of
particular interest are the numerous aerial photographs taken - many on the
Cairo to Baghdad Airmail Route.
The majority of the collection is in the Public Domain thanks to the
original conditions of the donation. The fantastic digitisation program
by the Library of Congress means you can access those images online: www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?st=grid&co=matpc.
We have gone through the collection and found the majority of the aerial photographs and created an individual set in our Flickr archive: http://www.flickr.com/photos/apaame/sets/72157635656377565/. Where not already known we have endeavoured to identify all of the sites in the photographs and georeference them. In addition to this you will find the Library of Congress online database reference information. In this Flickr set we hope to highlight the
part of the collection that is aerial
photography, as well to those that depict archaeological sites. We have paid particular attention to the ruins of Amman, ancient Philadelphia.
For more information on the collection please go to the Library of
Congress website: www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/matpc/about.html. If you wish to access the original photographs or want unwatermarked
digital copies please visit the Library of Congress website. We have
provided the reference numbers for the items and links to their item
records for this reason. APAAME holds no rights to these images and merely wishes to add to the information held regarding them in the Public Domain.
Friday 28 February 2014
Archives: The G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection
Labels:
Aerial Photography,
Archives,
Flickr,
Historical Imagery,
Libraries and Archives,
Library of Congress,
Matson,
Middle East
Monday 3 February 2014
Publications: Remote Sensing and ‘Big Circles’ A New Type of Prehistoric Site in Jordan and Syria
The most recent annual edition of the periodical Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie (ZOrA) features a research article by Professor David Kennedy on a series of 'Big Circle' stone structures.
Abstract from the article:
Circular stone structures are common throughout the Middle East and can date to almost any period. To date at least 12 examples have been recorded in Jordan but now a single further example near Homs in Syria has been published. The latter is one of the few to have been examined in some detail on the ground; most are known only from brief reports although all the Jordanian examples may be viewed on the Flickr site of the Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East (APAAME). Dating is problematic in every case, though they seem certainly to be pre-Roman.
David Kennedy (2013) Remote Sensing and ‘Big Circles’: A New Type of Prehistoric Site in Jordan and Syria, Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie 6: 44-63.
APAAME_20081008_DLK-0287 Photographer: David Kennedy. |
Circular stone structures are common throughout the Middle East and can date to almost any period. To date at least 12 examples have been recorded in Jordan but now a single further example near Homs in Syria has been published. The latter is one of the few to have been examined in some detail on the ground; most are known only from brief reports although all the Jordanian examples may be viewed on the Flickr site of the Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East (APAAME). Dating is problematic in every case, though they seem certainly to be pre-Roman.
David Kennedy (2013) Remote Sensing and ‘Big Circles’: A New Type of Prehistoric Site in Jordan and Syria, Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie 6: 44-63.
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