Maya Abdallah Haïdar-Boustani is a
Lebanese archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
and curator of the
Museum of Lebanese Prehistory
The Museum of Lebanese Prehistory (, ) is a museum of prehistory and archaeology in Beirut, Lebanon.
History
The museum is the first museum of prehistory in the Middle East and was opened in June 2000 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Sain ...
at
Saint Joseph University
Saint Joseph University of Beirut (; French: ''Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth'', commonly known as USJ) is a private Catholic research university in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries and subsidized by the Go ...
,
Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
.
Biography
Maya Haïdar-Boustani obtained her
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
and currently holds several notable positions as a research assistant at the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory as well as a lecturer at the Saint Joseph University on
prehistory
Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
and
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
. She is also a research associate for the
Archéorient Laboratory, UMR 5133,
Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée
The Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée (or MOM) is a research body in Lyon, France, that specialises in the Mediterranean and the Middle East and the first steps of humanity. It is dedicated to its founder, historian Jean Pouilloux.
Staf ...
,
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and also for the
Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria,
University of Cantabria
The University of Cantabria (UC) () is a public university located in Santander, Torrelavega and Comillas in Cantabria, Spain. It was founded in 1972 and comprises 15 schools and colleges.
It was selected as Campus of International Ex ...
,
Santander,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. She is also a member of the editorial board of a journal called ''Tempora: Annales of History and Archaeology'' published by the Saint Joseph University. She lectures on a variety of topics specialising in the prehistory of the
Near East
The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...
. Her current research includes materials procurement and distribution in the
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
, and the Neolithic development of Lebanon and
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
.
Fieldwork
In 2001 she was part of an
Anglo
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people of British d ...
-Lebanese mission of the
Council for British Research in the Levant
The Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) is a non-profit organisation that promotes humanities and social science research in the Levant. It consists of two research institutes, the Kenyon Institute in Jerusalem and the British Insti ...
and the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory led by
Alex Wasse and
Lévon Nordigiuan to excavate at
Nachcharini and survey in the
Anti-Lebanon
The Anti-Lebanon mountains (), also called Mount Amana, are a southwest–northeast-trending, c. long mountain range that forms most of the border between Syria and Lebanon. The border is largely defined along the crest of the range. Most of ...
. In 2002 she carried out
reconnaissance
In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
surveys in the
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...
, in collaboration with J.J. Ibañez of the
University of Cantabria
The University of Cantabria (UC) () is a public university located in Santander, Torrelavega and Comillas in Cantabria, Spain. It was founded in 1972 and comprises 15 schools and colleges.
It was selected as Campus of International Ex ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
In 2002 and 2003 she conducted excavations in the upper valley of
Nahr Ibrahim, as part of the joint mission of the Saint Joseph University and the
Directorate General of Antiquities of Lebanon, in collaboration with the
Fernand Courby Institute, the
Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée
The Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée (or MOM) is a research body in Lyon, France, that specialises in the Mediterranean and the Middle East and the first steps of humanity. It is dedicated to its founder, historian Jean Pouilloux.
Staf ...
. in 2004 she was involved in excavations in the fields below
Tell Arqa
Arqa (; ) is a Lebanese village near Miniara in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon, 22 km northeast of Tripoli, near the coast.
The town was a notable city-state during the Iron Age. The city of ''Irqata'' sent 10,000 soldiers to the coalition aga ...
as part of the French mission of the
University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
led by J.P. Thalmann. Since 2004, Boustani has been co-director of the Syrian-Lebanese-Spanish archaeological mission carrying out surveys west of
Homs
Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...
.
Talks, exhibitions and conferences
She has spoken at various international conferences and lectures on subjects such as "The Neolithic of Lebanon, stock of knowledge" in June 2001 as part of the ''"Lundis des franciscaines "'' conference circuit. In September 2001 she spoke on "
Flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...
Workshop
Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...
s of the southern Beqaa Valley (Lebanon): Preliminary results from
Qaraoun
Qaraoun is a Lebanese village, 85 km from Beirut, known for its Lake Qaraoun in the Beqaa Valley formed by the El Wauroun Dam built in 1959. It is an ecologically fragile zone in the Western Beqaa District. The village lies about 800 m a ...
" at a conference called ''"
Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Revolution, also known as the First Agricultural Revolution, was the wide-scale transition of many human cultures during the Neolithic period in Afro-Eurasia from a lifestyle of hunter-gatherer, hunting and gathering to one of a ...
. New perspectives on southwest Asia in light of recent discoveries in Cyprus"'', organized by the Council for British Research in the Levant and the Department of Antiquities in
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
. In April 2003 she gave a lecture entitled "The neolithic
lumberjacks" as part of a series organized by the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory on the
Archaeology of Lebanon
Archaeology of Lebanon includes thousands of years of history ranging from Lower Palaeolithic, Phoenician, Ancient Rome, Roman, Arabs, Arab, Ottoman Empire, Ottoman, and Crusades periods.
Notable findings and sites
Lebanon features several ...
entitled "Time, prehistory, Lebanon : cave, village, city". In June 2004 as part of a lecture series entitled "doctoriales 2004" organized by the
Institut français du Proche-Orient
The French Institute of the Near East (, IFPO) is a French social sciences research institute with locations in Jordan (Amman), Lebanon (Beirut) and until 2011 in Syria (Damascus and Aleppo), with additional operations in Iraq and Palestine. It w ...
and the Directorate General of Antiquities of Lebanon, she spoke on "The size of the workshops in the Beqaa". In 2004 and 2005 she spoke to the 5th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
on the survey in Homs. In 2006 she spoke on "The
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
, pioneers of Lebanese Prehistory" as part of the Founders Day celebrations at Saint Joseph University. In May 2009 she gave a lecture on "New archaeological discoveries in the Homs Gap" as part of a Museum conference. She has also organized an exhibition of the work of
Henri Fleisch
Reverend Father Henri Fleisch (1 January 1904 – 10 February 1985) was a French archaeologist, missionary and Orientalist, known for his work on classical Arabic language and Lebanese dialect and prehistory in Lebanon. Fleisch spent years re ...
, highlighting the rapid destruction of Lebanese prehistory in 2010.
Selected bibliography
* Haïdar Boustani, M.,
Jacques Cauvin
Professor Jacques Cauvin (1930 – 26 December 2001) was a French archaeologist who specialised in the prehistory of the Levant and Near East.
Biography
Cauvin started his work in France at Oullins Caves and Chazelles Caves (near Saint-André-d ...
et le Néolithique du Liban (1930–2001). Tempora (Annales d’Histoire et d’Archéologie, Université Saint-Joseph, Beyrouth), vol. 10-11, p. 181-185, 2003.
* Haïdar Boustani, M., Le Néolithique du Liban dans le contexte proche-oriental. État des connaissances. Tempora (Annales d’Histoire et d’Archéologie, Université Saint-Joseph, Beyrouth), vol. 12-13 (années 2001-2002), p. 1-39, 2004.
* Haïdar Boustani, M., Flint workshops of the Southern Beqaa valley (Lebanon): preliminary results from Qaraoun. In: PELTENBERG E. and WASSE A. (eds.), The Neolithic Revolution. New perspectives on Southwest Asia in light of recent discoveries on Cyprus. Papers from a conference organized by the Council for British Research in the Levant in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities. 20 to 23 September 2001, Droushia village, Cyprus. Levant Supplementary Series 1. Oxbow Books, Oxford. pp. 133–144, 2004.
* Haïdar Boustani, M., Un objet néolithique en forme de pied humain à Labwé (Liban). Syria 83 : 139-146, 2006.
* Haïdar Boustani, M., à paraître, Les jésuites pionniers de la préhistoire libanaise. Mélanges de l’Université Saint-Joseph.
* Haïdar Boustani, M. et Yazbeck C., Le Musée de Préhistoire libanaise, La Revue Pédagogique publiée par le Centre de Recherche et de Développement Pédagogiques, Ministère de l’Education et de l’Enseignement supérieur, Liban (article en arabe), N°35, Octobre 2005, p. 49-54.
* Garrard, A. Pirie A., Schroeder B. and Wasse A. with contributions by Clarke J., Haïdar Boustani, M., Rhodes, S. and Yazbeck C., Survey of Nahcharini Cave and the prehistoric settlement in the Northern Anti-Lebanon highlands. Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture libanaises 7 : 15-48, 2003.
* Gatier P.L., Charpentier G., Haïdar Boustani, M., Harfouche, R., Mercier, F., Pieri, D., Poupet, P. et Zaven T., Mission de Yanouh et de la haute vallée du Nahr Ibrahim. Rapport préliminaire 2002. Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture libanaises 6 : 211-255, 2004.
* Hajar L., Haïdar Boustani, M., Khater, C., and Cheddadi, R., Environment changes in Lebanon during the Holocene : Man vs climate impacts, The Journal of Arid Environments XXX : 1-10, 2009.
* La préhistoire, in : Atlas du Liban, Seconde édition revue et augmentée, Presses de l’Université Saint-Joseph, 2006.
Archaeological Reports from work in the Homs Gap
* Haïdar Boustani, M., Ibáñez J.J., Al-Maqdissi M., Angel Armendarz A., Gonzalez Urquijo, J. and Teira, L., Prospections archéologiques à l’Ouest de la ville de Homs : rapport préliminaire, campagne 2004. Tempora (Annales d’Histoire et d’Archéologie, Université Saint-Joseph, Beyrouth), vol. 14-15 (années 2003-2004), p. 59-91, 2005.
* Haïdar Boustani, M., Ibáñez J.J., Al-Maqdissi M., Angel Armendarz A., Gonzalez Urquijo, J. and Teira, L., New data on the Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic of the Homs Gap: Three campaigns of archaeological survey (2004–2006). Neo-Lithics 1/07: 3-9, 2007.
* Haïdar Boustani, M., Ibáñez J.J., Al-Maqdissi M., Angel Armendarz A., Gonzalez Urquijo, J. and Teira, L., Prospections archéologiques à l’Ouest de la ville de Homs : rapport préliminaire, campagne 2005. Tempora (Annales d’Histoire et d’Archéologie, Université Saint-Joseph, Beyrouth), vol. 16-17 (2005–2006), p. 9-38, 2008.
* Haïdar Boustani, M., Ibáñez J.J., Al-Maqdissi M., Angel Armendarz A., Gonzalez Urquijo, J. and Teira, L., Rodriguez, A., Terradas, X., Boix, J., Tapia, J. and Sabreen, E., Prospections archéologiques à l’Ouest de la ville de Homs : rapport préliminaire, campagnes 2006-2007. Tempora (Annales d’Histoire et d’Archéologie, Université Saint-Joseph, Beyrouth), vol. 18 (années 2007-2009), p. 7-49, 2009.
* Haïdar Boustani, M., Ibáñez J.J., Al-Maqdissi M., Angel Armendarz A., Gonzalez Urquijo, J. and Teira, L., Archaeological survey in the Homs Gap (Syria). Campaigns of 2004 and 2005. Actes du 5th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Madrid, April 3–8, 2006.
* Haïdar Boustani, M., Ibáñez J.J., Al-Maqdissi M., Angel Armendarz A., Gonzalez Urquijo, J. and Teira, L., The megalithic necropolises at the West of Homs (Syria), In: STEIMER-HERBET T., Pierres levées et stèles anthropomorphes. Colloque International, Amman 15-17 juin 2007.
Work in progress
* Participation in the publication of the final body of work of the mission Syrian-Lebanese-Spanish surveys west of Homs.
Articles in preparation
* Workshops of the Beqaa in the Neolithic.
* Lithic studies from the surveys around Tell Arqa.
* Study of lithic material from the work of the German mission to
Baalbek
Baalbek (; ; ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In 1998, the city had a population of 82,608. Most of the population consists of S ...
,
German Institute of Archaeology DAI-Orient-Abteilung,
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
.
References
External links
Lebanese Museum of Prehistory Website - Maya Haïdar Boustani*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110525065938/http://www.usj.edu.lb/upt/files/prehist-arch.html USJ Prehistory and ArchaeologyHaïdar Boustani, M., The Neolithic of Lebanon in the context of the Near East: State of knowledge (in French)
Hajar L., Haïdar Boustani, M., Khater, C., and Cheddadi, R., Environment changes in Lebanon during the Holocene : Man vs climate impacts
Neolithics - Field report from Homs, 2004-2006
Preliminary report west of the town of Homs 2005
Preliminary reports west of the town of Homs 2006-2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haidar Boustani, Maya
Lebanese archaeologists
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Academic staff of the University of Cantabria
Lebanese women archaeologists