In the footsteps of Indiana Jones

History professor Tom Parker has served on archaeological expeditions in the Middle East for more than 30 years. Since 1994, he has directed the Roman Aqaba Project, overseeing archaeological research on the Roman frontier in Jordan. A blog about his research team’s work in Jordan can be found here.

Parker and his team spent the summer of 2012 on a new archaeological dig in Petra — which happens to be the movie location for “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Petra was recently voted one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Read about Parker and his team’s experiences and discoveries in this guest post on NC State’s research blog, The Abstract.

This summer’s Petra dig was supported in part by Charlotte businessman and CHASS alum John Dail. “Dr. Parker’s work in this region of the world over the past several years has been a source of notoriety and pride for North Carolina State University and for the college,” Dail says. “As an alumnus with a degree in History, it has been a thrill for me to meet Dr. Parker and some of his students, and to see the results of his work.

“His archeological digs in the Middle East, as well as those of others, have helped provide a clearer picture of the history of this region of the world. What excites and fascinates me more than anything is that many of these digs have validated places, stories, people and events recorded in the Bible as well as the activities of the early Christian church. As such I was pleased to make a financial donation to honor Dr. Parker and his work on behalf of the university.”