PHOTO BY DAVID SILVERMAN,
COURTESY KATIA CYTRYN
On February 8, Donald Whitcomb, a cherished colleague and mentor to numerous scholars and students, passed away at the age of 79. An Associate Professor at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago, Whitcomb epitomized Islamic archaeology, a field he significantly shaped to stand alongside its sister disciplines in Near Eastern archaeology.
Whitcomb’s journey began in anthropology, culminating in a master’s degree from the University of Georgia in 1971 and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1979. Over the years, he directed archaeological projects in Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey. He was also involved in several collaborative projects, including at Khirbet al-Mafjar with the Palestinian Department of Antiquities and at Sinnabra (south of Tiberias) with Tel Aviv University.
Among his many publications was his landmark article “Khirbet al-Mafjar Reconsidered” (BASOR 271 [1988]), which revolutionized scholarly understandings of early Islamic pottery in Greater Syria. He also contributed important publications on his excavations at the Egyptian site of Qusayr al-Qadim, which are now primary references for the archaeology of the Red Sea coast.
His work on the Red Sea continued with his excavation at Aqaba in Jordan, where he identified the early Islamic port city of Ayla. There, Whitcomb explored the development of Islamic urbanism as well as the medieval trade routes that connected Egypt, Arabia, and Syria.
Open-minded with a big smile and warm heart, Whitcomb helped shape a field through conversation and exchange rather than criticism. May his legacy endure, not only through his research and the many scholars he mentored, but also his approach and acceptance of others.
On February 8, Donald Whitcomb, a cherished colleague and mentor to numerous scholars and students, passed away at the age of 79. An Associate Professor at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago, Whitcomb epitomized Islamic archaeology, a field he significantly shaped to stand alongside its sister disciplines in Near Eastern archaeology. Whitcomb’s journey began in anthropology, culminating in a master’s degree from the University of Georgia in 1971 and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1979. Over the years, he directed archaeological projects in Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Saudi […]
