From Jerash to New York

Abstract

From Jerash to New York: Columns, Archaeology, and Politics at the 1964–65 World’s Fair analyzes the Column of Jerash, presented to New York City by the government of Jordan as a permanent memento of that country’s participation in the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair. Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis and Jared Simard offer the first scholarly documentation and assessment of the column, which still stands at the site of the fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York, and confirm that it originated from Jerash, but not from the Temple of Artemis. The gift of the column was part of King Hussein of Jordan’s policy of archaeological diplomacy, which included the donation of artifacts to American cities and universities to strengthen ties between Jordan and the United States. Macaulay-Lewis and Simard explore the competing narratives of biblical and classical history and archaeology in the American-Israel and Jordan Pavilions at the 1964–65 World’s Fair and the controversy that erupted over the inclusion of a mural about Palestinian refugees in the Jordan Pavilion.