NEWSLETTER
Archaeology in Jordan, 2012 and 2013 Seasons
GLENN J. CORBETT, DONALD R. KELLER, BARBARA A. PORTER,
AND CHRISTOPHER A. TUTTLE
The 2014 edition of the “Archaeology in Jordan”
newsletter presents short reports on selected archaeo-
logical projects conducted during 2012 and 2013 in
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Reports are gen-
erally organized geographically, starting with the east-
ern panhandle and then moving from north to south
(fig. 1). Bibliographic references and footnotes have
been omitted to make space for more entries; please
contact the authors directly for more information.
The authors’ email addresses are listed at the end of
the report.*
northern badia
Bernd Müller-Neuhof, Orient Department, Deut-
sches Archäologisches Institut, reports:
Since 2010, the “Arid Habitats in the Fifth to the
Early Third Millennium B.C.E.” project has focused on
identifying Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age socio-
economic activities in the northern Badia of northeast-
ern Jordan, which is defined by the harra basalt desert
in the west and the hamad limestone desert in the east.
Following four surveys in 2010 and 2011, two new
surveys were carried out in 2012 and 2013. The first
was a continuation of the survey of the Chalcolithic/
Early Bronze Age flint mines on the western escarp-
ment of the al-Risha Plateau (Wadi Ruweishid region);
the second was in the Jawa region, especially around
two newly discovered harra settlements east of Jawa.
Additional flint mines located in the southern part
of the Wadi Ruweishid region were investigated. The
extent of the entire mining region was defined and
can be differentiated into three districts located on the
western escarpment of the al-Risha Plateau. Intention-
al mining activity seems to have been restricted to flint
* We would like to thank the staff of the Department of An-
tiquities (DOA) of Jordan and the director general, Monther
Jamhawi, who took up his position in August 2013, for their
continued efforts on behalf of all those committed to under-
standing and preserving the cultural heritage of Jordan. Each
project gratefully acknowledges the role of the DOA, but for
the sake of brevity the statements have been removed with
627
American Journal of Archaeology 118 (2014) 627–76
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
seams that outcrop approximately 800 masl, whereas
equally accessible seams at higher and lower elevations
were not utilized. The northern border of the mining
area is defined by gentler slopes with no visible flint
outcrops, while the southern border features relatively
steep slopes covered with reddish aeolian sediments
that likely conceal such outcrops. Like the mines dis-
covered in 2010, the newly identified mines are situat-
ed on promontories with steep escarpments. However,
unlike the smaller outcrops and pit mines discovered
in 2010, the recently documented mining districts
feature large trench mines. With the new discover-
ies, the total flint mining and workshop area identi-
fied by the survey increased to approximately 38 ha.
A workshop of that size would be capable of produc-
ing nearly 2 million cortical tool blanks.
In 2013, the survey focused on wadi terraces in Wadi
Rajjil in the Jawa region, where earlier survey work
had identified the remains of terraced wadi gardens.
While the artificially irrigated terrace gardens consist-
ing of low walls, deflection dams, and channels could
date to the fourth or early third millennium B.C.E.,
our preliminary observations suggest that they date to
the Late Roman/Byzantine and Early Islamic periods.
During the 2013 season, excavators also inspected
and documented two newly discovered Chalcolithic/
Early Bronze Age settlements in the harra desert east
of Jawa. The first, Khirbat Abu al-Husayn, is a hillfort-
like settlement strategically positioned atop a small
volcanic peak near the eastern border of the harra. The
site includes massive double-faced fortification walls,
small gates, and two possible massive tower structures.
The few surface finds suggest a Chalcolithic/Early
Bronze Age date. The second, Tulul al-Ghusayn, is a
the exception of codirected joint projects. Publication of this
year’s newsletter was once again made possible in part by a
contribution from the American Center of Oriental Research.
All figures are courtesy of the individual project directors un-
less otherwise noted. Additional figures can be found under
this article’s abstract on the AJA website (www.ajaonline.org).
628 G.J. CORBETT ET AL. [AJA 118

Fig. 1. Sites and projects in Jordan in the 2012 and 2013 seasons (drawing by T. Paradise).

Chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age site located on a volca-
nic peak east of Jawa and approximately 20 km west of
the eastern border of the harra. It was first discovered
from the air by D. Kennedy and R. Bewley in 2011. It
is a fortified settlement that extends along the rim of
the volcanic crater, and numerous small dwellings are
situated both within the crater and along the southern
slope of the volcano (fig. 2). Visible inside the crater
and along the southern slope are the remains of ter-
raced gardens showing clear similarities to the Chalco-
lithic/Early Bronze Age terraced gardens discovered
in the vicinity of Jawa. At Tulul al-Ghusayn, there is
no evidence for artificial irrigation. The few surface
finds here are mostly lithic artifacts, some pottery,
and grinding stones, suggesting a Chalcolithic/Early
Bronze Age date. Future survey and excavation work
will focus especially on obtaining carbonized material
from the newly identified settlements that might be
able to provide better dating evidence.
jabal qurma archaeological landscape
project
Peter M.M.G. Akkermans, Leiden University, re-
ports:
The Jabal Qurma Archaeological Landscape Project
is a new research initiative in the northeastern Badia,
conducted under the auspices of Leiden University
and in close cooperation with the Department of An-
tiquities of Jordan. This survey and excavation project
is focused on the highly arid and barren basalt region
of Jabal Qurma, some 30 km east of Azraq, near the
Saudi border. It seeks to examine local settlement pat-
terns, subsistence practices, social strategies, and the
treatment of the dead from a diachronic perspective.

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 629

Fig. 2. Aerial view of Tulul al-Ghusayn. The fortified settlement perched on the rim of the volcanic
crater is visible in the center of the image; the dwellings and terraced garden structures are visible both
within the crater itself (right side of the image) and on the southern slope of the volcano (lower half
of the image).

Survey seasons were conducted in 2012 and 2013,
while an excavation season took place in 2014.
The study area covers about 300 km2 bounded by
Wadi Rajjil in the west and Wadi al-Qattafi in the east.
Situated close to Wadi Rajjil is the prominent land-
mark of Jabal Qurma, a steep-sided, basalt-covered
promontory at the very edge of the rugged basalt
massif that marks the beginning of the harra desert
in this region. Extensive gravel plains extend to the
north and south, alternating with mudflats of varying
size and low ranges of limestone hillocks. Still farther
to the south is the Wadi Sirhan, one of several major
caravan tracks connecting this region with Arabia.
Detailed study of aerial photographs and CORONA,
IKONOS, and TerraSar-X satellite imagery revealed
that this desolate, basalt-strewn land is rich with various
archaeological features, including occupation sites,
hunting installations, animal pens, and burial monu-
ments. Our subsequent intensive pedestrian surveys in
2012 and 2013 identified many more sites, especially
small and ephemeral features that were invisible from
the air. Altogether, many hundreds of stone-built
dwellings and burial cairns have been documented,
as well as thousands of rock carvings and Safaitic and
Arabic inscriptions (online fig. 1 on the AJA website).1
Stray flint tools, mostly dated to the Middle Paleo-
lithic, were often found on the lower slopes of the
Jabal Qurma range. Small numbers of Epipaleolithic
sites characterized by small circular enclosures were
found near both the lower wadi courses and the higher
elevations of the basalt slopes. Neolithic occupation in
the region seems to have begun with the construction
of several large desert kites in the early seventh mil-
lennium B.C.E., whereas a second phase of Neolithic
habitation started ca. 6400 B.C.E. with the building
of large clustered groups of walled enclosures that to-
gether form irregular, honeycomb-like structures mea-
suring more than 2,000 m2. These grouped enclosures

1
See www.ajaonline.org.

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
630 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
often have dense lithic scatters, including many con-
cave truncation burins, and therefore closely resemble
other “burin Neolithic” sites known across the Badia.
Another major phase of Late Neolithic settlement,
dated to the sixth millennium B.C.E., is characterized
by sites up to 12 ha in extent and comprising hundreds
of freestanding, stone-walled structures of various form
and size. These rank among the largest prehistoric sites
known in Jordan, and they may have been (semi-)per-
manent villages with populations of perhaps several
hundred. These substantial prehistoric sites belie any
simplistic notion that local environmental constraints
limited cultural development in this region.
There may have been yet another Late Neolithic (or
perhaps Chalcolithic) habitation phase in the area as-
sociated with the so-called wheel structures, roughly
circular stone features (up to 70 m in diameter) with
extensive enclosures surrounded by an outer ring of
small “huts.” These wheels yielded what appear to be
the earliest ceramics identified in the Jabal Qurma
area, handmade holemouth pots and small jars,
some with loop or ledge handles. A few sherds were
painted black, while one fragment was both painted
and incised.
There is at present no evidence for settlement in
the Jabal Qurma region from the Bronze Age to the
Iron Age; the area seems to have been abandoned for
several thousand years. Local habitation increased sig-
nificantly, however, between the first century B.C.E.
and the fourth century C.E., when large numbers of
settlements, burials, and various installations were
constructed and thousands of Safaitic inscriptions
and rock carvings were made. The region appears to
have subsequently been abandoned until the late 19th
century, except during the Mamluk period (14th cen-
tury), when a series of campsites were built and some
Arabic stone inscriptions were carved.
wisad pools
Gary O. Rollefson, Whitman College, Yorke M. Row-
an, The University of Chicago, Alex Wasse, University
of East Anglia, Morag M. Kersel, DePaul University,
and Austin C. Hill, University of Connecticut, report:
The goal of the 2013 season at Wisad Pools, a large
late prehistoric site in Jordan’s eastern basalt desert,
was to excavate a small circular tower tomb (W-85)
that is surrounded by a low wall and 13 small stone
piles that extend in a chain toward the west. Unfor-
tunately, in the two years since the 2011 season, loot-
ers had destroyed W-85, so attention was turned to
another tomb (W-80) situated on an elevated mound
about 80 m to the west.
The tomb consists of a circular wall five to six courses
high and encloses an open chamber approximately 5 m
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
in diameter, which was evidently never roofed. The
body was placed inside the enclosure and then covered
with medium-sized basalt boulders to a height of about
1 m. There was only enough time to excavate the south-
ern half of the tomb. The body inside the tomb had
been badly disturbed, possibly by burrowing animals;
only a small portion of the skeleton was excavated in
2013, but the remainder was recovered in 2014.
Investigation of the mound on which the tomb was
placed revealed that it was a collapsed Late Neolithic
house (House W-80), one that turned out to be more
complex than the one excavated in 2011. As was the
case in 2011, the roof of the original house had col-
lapsed, but the structure was still used after it ceased
to function as a residence, since the standing walls
offered a protective windbreak during episodes of
butchering, tool manufacture, and bead production.
The floor in the southern half of the original house
was not reached in 2013.
The postabandonment layers were rich in faunal
remains. Gazelle and hare were dominant, although
bird species were also quite abundant and varied;
goat and sheep were present although relatively rare,
probably making up less than 10–15% of the total.
Carnivores were represented by numerous foxes,
other canids (including domestic dog), large and small
felids, and hyenas. Small mammals and reptiles were
also part of the inventory.
The hunting of wild animals is supported by the
presence of more than 300 projectile points, includ-
ing transverse arrowheads (more than 85% of the
total number of projectile points) as well as Haparsa,
Nizzanim, and Herzliya types (online fig. 2). Scrapers,
notches, and denticulates accounted for more than a
third of the stone tools, and cortical knives and corti-
cal scrapers occurred in appreciable numbers. Borers
and drills made up more than 20% of the assemblage
and matched the importance of stone, shell, and bone
beads, which numbered more than 50 pieces. Basalt
groundstone artifacts included nine grinding slabs and
35 handstones; pestles were few but included a cache
of three large specimens ranging in weight from 3 to
7 kg. While there may have been local vegetation that
was processed, the amount of groundstone material
may also indicate that opportunistic planting of cere-
als was practiced during years of sufficient rainfall.
House W-80 displays a complexity that is rare in
Late Neolithic arid land dwellings (fig. 3). West of
the house is a courtyard offset by basalt slabs set on
edge. At the southeastern corner of the courtyard is
a smaller activity area (the “porch”), at the center of
which is a large grinding slab with a central depression;
this might represent an outside work area, although it
could also reflect the position of a tent pole after the
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 631

Fig. 3. The half-excavated House W-80 at Wisad Pools, showing the alcove (A), bench or platform (B),
doorway (D), “porch” (P), and western forecourt (WF).

house was abandoned. A doorway leads from the activ-
ity area into what might be a vestibule. To the south is
a small alcove occasionally paved with flat basalt slabs
alternating with surfaces of light-colored sediment,
perhaps a mixture of gypsum plaster and silt. The main
room to the west measures approximately 2.8 m from
the southern wall to the unexcavated section to the
north. A paved bench or platform constructed in post-
abandonment times is located along the southern wall
of the room. Three radiocarbon dates were obtained
from charcoal samples from the main room: cal B.C.E.
6590–6580 (2σ), 6000–5840 (2σ), and 5710–5610 (2σ).
Excavation of House W-80 continued in 2014.
The work at Wisad Pools is revealing a landscape
that was much less xeric than the forbidding vistas in
today’s basalt desert. It is possible that from 8500 to
4000 BP the area was a dry grassland with a topsoil that
absorbed seasonal rainwater, supporting a more luxu-
rious and longer-lasting vegetation cover for both wild
and domesticated animals exploited by the region’s
hunter-herders.
maitland’s mesa
Yorke M. Rowan, The University of Chicago, Gary
O. Rollefson, Whitman College, Alex Wasse, University
of East Anglia, Austin C. Hill, University of Connecti-
cut, and Morag M. Kersel, DePaul University, report:
The Eastern Badia Archaeological Project exam-
ines late prehistoric land and water use through two
primary study areas in Jordan’s eastern desert, Wadi
al-Qattafi and Wisad Pools, both located in the Badia,
or Black Desert. One of about 30 basalt-capped mesas
running north–south along Wadi al-Qattafi, Maitland’s
Mesa (M-4) rises approximately 50 m above the sur-
rounding wadi. Maitland’s Mesa stands out among
these mesas because of the many structures on top and
along the slopes (online fig. 3). We have identified
478 structures as well as additional evidence for flint
tools and debitage dating to the Epipaleolithic, Pre-
Pottery Neolithic, Late Neolithic, and Chalcolithic/
Early Bronze Age. Most notable is a line of approxi-
mately 50 rectangular to oval cairns along the south-
ern edge of the mesa, which are apparently linked to
a large tower tomb on the east end.
During the 2012 season, our first excavations at
the site included two circular stone features on the
summit; Structure 165 was a single-cell building (1.68
x 1.33 m) built of basalt cobbles with an entrance
marked by two standing stones, while Structure 14
was a slightly larger, double-cell construction. Despite

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
632 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
thorough sieving, no diagnostic artifacts to clarify the
dating were recovered.
On the southern slope, where we identified 26
structures, we excavated one of the large dry-masonry
circular structures. Although large basalt slabs had
collapsed, House 11 (SS-11) retained a doorway and
some intact walls. Two building phases were identi-
fied. First, the building interior (2 x 3 m) was built
on level ground; a roof was probably supported by a
long basalt slab found in the interior fill. Unlike the
exterior, the interior wall construction included large
slabs placed vertically on edge, with smaller stones in-
serted in between for stability. Two doorways on op-
posite sides were framed by vertical slabs and topped
by lintels less than 1 m high. Dark ash from an inte-
rior hearth provided a single calibrated date between
cal B.C.E. 5480 and 5320 (2σ). In the second phase,
the oval interior was altered; after leveling, the floor
was carefully paved with flat basalt blocks (30–40 x
50 cm), and small basalt chips and stones were wedged
in between the slabs. This paving raised the floor level
significantly. The gap in the center of the paving may
indicate where a pillar was set as a roof support.
Preservation of exterior features was unanticipat-
ed. A courtyard on the east included a small, ashy,
stone-lined fireplace similar to one found at Wisad
Pools House 80. A substantial ashy layer was found
to the southeast of the courtyard entrance, below an
enclosure wall. On the southern side of the wall, built
against the structure’s exterior, a low roofed room (ca.
1.9 x 1.5 m) with a single pillar about 45 cm high was
probably a storage area. Another storage bin was built
on the northern side, next to the courtyard entrance,
and both had apparent openings to the courtyard.
Our initial assumption that these were burial struc-
tures possibly dating to the Chalcolithic/Early Bronze
Age was proven incorrect, at least in the example of
House 11. The radiocarbon date is supported by Late
Neolithic artifacts, including burin spalls, a drill on a
burin spall, a Haparsa point, and a Yarmouk point. In
addition, tabular knives, bifacial and unifacial knives,
scrapers, denticulates, and notches were recovered.
Little grinding equipment was found, in contrast to the
many grinding slabs, handstones, and pestles found
at Wisad Pools.
Coupled with the results from Wisad Pools, the re-
sults from Maitland’s Mesa have led us to reconsider
the nature of buildings on these slopes and the slopes
of other mesas along Wadi al-Qattafi. If House 11 is
typical, we must reassess our earlier assumptions that
the buildings served as burial chambers. These and
apparently similar collapsed basaltic structures indi-
cate greater investment and semipermanent occupa-
tion in this arid zone. Perhaps the substantial nature
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
of these buildings reflects anticipated seasonal visits
to the same locations, allowing greater population
clusters during the Late Neolithic than previously
recognized for the area. Future research will inves-
tigate similar structures, try to date other structural
types, and carry out geomorphological investigations
to determine whether a wetter climate with better soil
conditions once existed.
azraq: ‘ayn sawda reservoir
Lorraine Abu-Azizeh, Institut Français du Proche-
Orient (Amman), and Claude Vibert-Guigue, Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Normale
Supérieure, report:
Located in the Azraq Wetland Reserve, the ‘Ayn
Sawda Reservoir is of both ecological and archaeologi-
cal interest. In 1983, when intensive pumping began to
lower the wetland’s water level, the Department of An-
tiquities of Jordan discovered 36 carved basalt stones
associated with the so-called Umayyad Reservoir. It was
in this context that the ‘Ayn Sawda Reservoir research
program began. In 2002, the ‘Ayn Sawda spring dried
up completely, allowing a Jordanian-French team to
survey the former wetland. Since then, five survey sea-
sons led by C. Vibert-Guigue have identified, studied,
and preserved many more of the reservoir’s carved
stones, most found in their original positions. Of the
106 carved blocks, almost all have been found on the
west side of a large buttressed platform (30.5 x 6.0 m)
that is part of the monumental reservoir. Previous
researchers suggested this structure could have been
built as a viewing platform, perhaps related to nauti-
cal games held in the reservoir, or that it could have
been used for fishing, hunting, or hosting banquets
and celebrations. Our surveys have tended to confirm
these suggestions.
We began a new survey phase in 2013 with the aim
of understanding the remains from an architectural
perspective. In addition to conducting a general ar-
chaeological survey, we completed a topographic sur-
vey of the reservoir to produce a comprehensive plan
and, for the first time, have elevation measurements
for every part of the reservoir. We also began assess-
ing the status and preservation of the site’s archaeo-
logical structures, both inside and outside the reserve.
While many parts of the reservoir have already been
conserved, the gradual drying out of the former wet-
land soil continues to degrade the masonry of other
features.
the azraq marshes archaeological and
paleoecological project
April Nowell, University of Victoria, Carlos E. Cor-
dova, Oklahoma State University, James Pokines,
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
Boston University, and Christopher J.H. Ames, Uni-
versity of California, Berkeley, report:
The Azraq Marshes Archaeological and Paleoeco-
logical Project (AMAPP) seeks to recover data from
stratified sites in the former wetlands of the Azraq Oa-
sis, particularly the Druze and Shishan Marshes. The
stratigraphic record of sites here consists of marsh,
lacustrine, shoreline, and aeolian sediments in asso-
ciation with Lower, Middle, Upper, and Epipaleolithic
occupations and thus is an important resource for
studying hominin occupation and subsistence in the
Jordanian desert through the Middle to Late Pleisto-
cene glacial and interglacial periods. Because of its
location between the Levant and the Arabian Penin-
sula, the Azraq Oasis may have been one of the desert
refugia visited by modern humans as they spread into
southwest Asia.
No sites were previously reported around the Druze
and Shishan Marshes because these areas were still
wetlands. In the late 1980s, when water was pumped to
satisfy urban demand, these areas dried out. Jordan’s
Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN)
preserved 10% of the former Shishan Marsh as the
Azraq Wetland Reserve (online fig. 4), but the Druze
Marsh was never restored. The drying of the marshes
led the local population to dig wells and dredge the
area in attempts to catch up with the falling water table.
This exposed the underlying sediments and paleosols,
as well as evidence of stratified Paleolithic sites, often
with abundant faunal remains and lithics. The sites
in the Shishan Marsh were studied in the 1990s and
those in the Druze Marsh more recently.
AMAPP initiated excavations at Druze Marsh in
2008; in 2013, the project expanded to include a survey
of sites in the areas surrounding the Azraq Marshes,
including the harra basalt plateau and Wadi Rattam,
and excavations of sites in the Shishan Marsh. Our
primary goal is to investigate whether the Druze and
Shishan Marshes functioned as a desert refugium for
hominins in the Levantine interior during the Late
Pleistocene, and if so, when and in what ways. Out of
this primary research goal emerge numerous avenues
of inquiry regarding local environmental conditions in
Azraq during Middle to Late Pleistocene glacial and
interglacial cycles and how these changing conditions
may have affected hominin survivorship.
In 2013, we excavated four units at site SM1, con-
ducted a study of the stratigraphic profile of a second
location (site SM2), and excavated two test pits. At
site SM1, we uncovered two cultural layers—layers 7b
and 8. Based on associations with other sites in the
area, layer 7b is likely approximately 200,000 years
old, while layer 8 is older. We are currently awaiting
optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) results to
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
633
refine our estimates, but they are supported by the
archaeological materials recovered from each of these
layers. Layers 7b and 8 have been tentatively assigned
to the Lower Paleolithic. The lithics are in remark-
ably pristine condition—most artifacts are character-
ized by fresh edges with only minimal damage, which
suggests they originate largely from in situ deposits.
Some artifacts exhibit thermal alteration, and we are
in the process of determining whether this is due to
exposure to hearths or flash burns. An unusual com-
ponent of this assemblage is the large number of bor-
ers (perçoires) and scrapers on small (2–3 cm) pebbles.
The results of use-wear and residue analyses are ex-
pected soon. Fragmentary faunal remains recovered
from layers 7b and 8 attest to the presence of a variety
of animals—including camels, aurochs, horses, and
rhinoceroses—indicative of a desert steppe environ-
ment. Pollen, phytolith, ostracod, diatom, and soil
micromorphological analyses are currently underway,
the results of which will provide a clearer picture of
the environmental conditions experienced by Lower
and Middle Paleolithic hominins.
quseir ‘amra project
Gaetano Palumbo, World Monuments Fund, and
Giovanna De Palma, Istituto Superiore per la Conser-
vazione ed il Restauro, report:
Quseir ‘Amra, an Umayyad “desert castle” and, since
1985, a World Heritage site, is located in the eastern
steppe 85 km east of Amman. The site extends over
an area of approximately 2 km2 and includes a variety
of archaeological remains. The most renowned is the
bath complex featuring the largest extant Early Islamic
figurative paintings.
The Quseir ‘Amra Project began in 2010 as a joint
effort of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan,
the World Monuments Fund, and the Istituto Supe-
riore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro in Rome.
The project aims to integrate conservation efforts at
Quseir ‘Amra through the combination of conserva-
tion interventions, archaeological investigations, site-
management planning, and tourism development. We
report here on key work executed in 2012 and 2013.
Conservation interventions focused on the main
monument building and the adjacent saqiya (a well
with a water-lifting device). Focus inside the building
was primarily on the western aisle and included clean-
ing and consolidation of its walls, vault, and paintings.
The condition of the paintings is poor because of a
combination of factors, including graffiti, soot, dirt,
and animal deposits. The progressive aging of the shel-
lac applied as a consolidant in the 1970s also had to be
addressed. Cleaning involved progressively removing
the shellac, the subsequent layers of repainting, and
634 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
accumulated soot. Gaps in the preparatory layers were
plastered and leveled.
The current intervention brought to light new, re-
markable scenes and iconographic details within the
paintings (fig. 4). On the western vault, previously un-
known images were revealed, including a three-headed
dog (possibly a Cerberus) and two standing figures—
one (possibly a Dionysos) holds a basket of grapes and
is flanked by a panther. On the south wall, an Arabic
inscription was found bearing the name of Walid ibn
Yazid, one of the last Umayyad caliphs (743–744 C.E.).
The inscription, along with a radiocarbon date from an
ash deposit in the caldarium (cal C.E. 750–710 [1σ]),
allows us to date the building to the reign of Hisham
(723–743 C.E.), when Walid was crown prince.
Cleaning and consolidation work was also conduct-
ed on the eastern aisle’s northern wall and vault, as well
as inside the bath area—specifically, the hypocausts
of the tepidarium and caldarium and the lower walls
of the apodyterium. In the apodyterium, conservation
work included the removal of concrete that had been
applied over masonry during previous conservation
campaigns. This intervention, financed by the U.S.
Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, allowed
the paintings decorating the vault and the lunettes of
the apodyterium to be cleaned in the spring of 2014.
Additional conservation efforts included the clean-
ing and consolidation of the main building’s external
walls and vaults, as well as the removal of a recent cis-
tern (built in 1964) from the archaeological remains
of the praefurnium.
Archaeological investigations and soundings target-
ed the praefurnium, the saqiya, and two alcove rooms,
as well as a new feature—perhaps a service building
used during the construction of the bath complex—
identified 50 m south of the visitors’ center. Archaeo-
logical surveys conducted within an approximately 1 km
radius around Quseir ‘Amra provided evidence of hu-
man occupation dating back to the Paleolithic period.
As a key component of the sustainable conserva-
tion and development of the site, the project began
developing a long-term site-management plan. Oth-
er components of the project included an extensive
documentation survey that incorporated topographic
mapping and three-dimensional laser scanning of the
site. As part of a recent tourism survey, more than 800
visitors were interviewed about tourist expectations
and demands. The survey results represent a unique,
field-based study for the strategic development of a
valuable tourism product in the Badia region.
kharaneh iv excavation project
Lisa Maher, University of California, Berkeley, and
Danielle A. Macdonald, Université Nice Sophia Anti-
polis, report:
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
In 2013, the Epipaleolithic Foragers in Azraq Proj-
ect (EFAP) conducted excavations at Kharaneh IV,
which is located approximately 1 km south of Qasr
Kharaneh. The archaeological sequence spans the
Early and Middle Epipaleolithic (ca. 20–16 ka BP) and
contains dense and deep deposits of lithic and faunal
material. It covers an area of approximately 21,000 m2,
making it one of the largest Epipaleolithic sites in the
Levant. The site was originally surveyed in the 1970s,
and excavations in the 1980s identified a complex
depositional sequence of hearths, postholes, and oc-
cupation surfaces dating to the Middle Epipaleolithic,
in addition to two Early Epipaleolithic burials.
Since 2007, EFAP has sought to explore further the
earlier-excavated deposits, extend excavations to new
areas of the large prehistoric mound, and investigate
the use of the site within the larger paleoenvironmen-
tal context of the Azraq Basin. EFAP excavations in
2008–2010 began reconstructing the nature of the Late
Pleistocene occupation. Two hut structures were dis-
covered and mapped in 2010 but not excavated. Hut
structures are extremely rare for this period, and the
discovery of these features represents a unique oppor-
tunity to explore the organization of hunter-gatherer
activities at this aggregation site. The project team ex-
cavated one hut feature in 2013 to try to understand
the nature of occupation and the activities conducted
within and outside the structure (online fig. 5).
Structure 1 contained several overlying in situ de-
posits. The upper deposits contained fine orange sand,
under which lay three caches of pierced marine shell
and red ochre. The sediment beneath was burned and
contained charcoal, burned lithics, faunal remains,
perforated marine shells, and an articulated fox paw.
These deposits may be the remains of the hut’s su-
perstructure, which was burned after abandonment;
however, the shell and ochre caches in the upper hut
layers have no evidence of thermal alteration, which
suggests they were placed there afterward. Underly-
ing the burned deposits was a compact, light-colored,
clayey sediment representing either fill that accumu-
lated within the structure after abandonment (but
prior to burning) or a floor deposit. On the surface of
this deposit are large artifacts including lithics, fauna,
perforated shells, and worked bone, as well as clusters
of rocks. Beneath this deposit were two more compact,
artifact-rich surfaces. The compact nature of these de-
posits and the flat-lying artifacts suggest that the hut
may have had a sequence of overlying floor deposits.
Dense cultural material is present throughout the
Structure 1 deposits, suggesting that the hut was not
cleaned prior to abandonment. The artifacts recov-
ered from the structure include lithics characteris-
tic of the Early Epipaleolithic, such as narrow-faced
cores, endscrapers, and nongeometric microliths.
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 635

Fig. 4. A section of a mural painting on the west wall of the main monument building at Quseir ‘Amra, before
(top) and after (bottom) conservation efforts.

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
636 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
Faunal remains include gazelle, equid, tortoise, and
aurochs. Other artifacts include pierced marine shell
(from the Mediterranean and Red Seas), ochre, and
worked-bone tools and suggest that the inhabitants
participated in a variety of economic, technological,
and social activities. Further analyses of the material
culture and the use of space at this site will help illu-
minate how hunter-gatherer groups organized their
built environment and structured tasks in large group
scenarios.
qasr mushash survey
Karin Bartl, Orient Department, Deutsches Archäo-
logisches Institut, and Ghazi Bisheh, Department of
Antiquities of Jordan, report:
Qasr Mushash, commonly considered to be one of
the Early Islamic “desert castles,” has been the focus
since 2011 of a project with two major research objec-
tives. One is the complete documentation of all visible
architectural remains at the site of Qasr Mushash itself,
and the other is the recording of all archaeological
remains within a 10 km radius around the site. The
overall goals of the study are to determine the site’s
function in the Early Islamic period and to understand
the history of settlement, water supply, and land use
within the immediate vicinity.
Qasr Mushash is located in the desert steppelands
about 40 km east of Amman. It comprises two areas
of settlement situated along two wadi courses located
about 1.5 km apart. Qasr Mushash West is positioned
directly beside the Wadi Mushash and consists of sev-
eral quarters, including the fort (qasr) located at the
eastern edge of the settlement (fig. 5). The central
quarter forms a building complex that comprises sev-
eral architectural units, including a 1,600 m2 building
with a large courtyard, an adjacent bath, and an associ-
ated water reservoir. Small houses of one or two rooms
lie to the northwest of this area. To the northeast are
three large, multiroom buildings, and to the west lies
another large water reservoir. Several long walls re-
corded along the Wadi Mushash apparently delimited
a water-retention area associated with a now-destroyed
barrage wall. Additional structures, some quite large,
are found along a tributary wadi, including another
very large reservoir with a capacity of approximately
2,000 m3. Whereas the settlement probably relied on
the reservoirs located in the tributary wadis, the waters
held behind the Wadi Mushash dam likely served to
irrigate areas immediately south of the wadi.
Qasr Mushash East is located next to a north–south
running tributary of Wadi Mushash. This part of the
settlement consists of a small square structure with
a central courtyard, several adjacent buildings with
either one or two rooms, and a small dam barring a
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
narrow secondary wadi. More architectural remains
are visible in the immediate and distant surround-
ings, including a massive wall blocking the main wadi
that likely functioned to capture winter runoff. To
the north of the relatively small settled area there are
several cisterns cut into the bedrock and lined with
water-resistant mortar.
The collected surface pottery indicates that both set-
tlement quarters were occupied during the Umayyad
period. It is hoped that laboratory analysis of mortar
samples collected from the cisterns, bath, and fort
will not only furnish valuable information about the
mortar’s composition but also provide new data con-
cerning the dating. Furthermore, X-ray analysis on the
bath’s marble covering will provide evidence regard-
ing the origin of the stone.
umm el-jimal project
Bert de Vries, Calvin College, reports:
Preservation and presentation fieldwork at the com-
plex known as House XVII–XVIII at Umm el-Jimal took
place in 2012, enabled by a grant from the U.S. Am-
bassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. Following
preliminary studies by Calvin College staff in January,
the Umm el-Jimal Project (UJP) and the Department
of Antiquities of Jordan carried out the actual preser-
vation work, as well as several soundings, from April to
June. In January 2013, the UJP also held a workshop
that outlined plans for future project publications.
Nicknamed “Beit Sheik,” Houses XVII and XVIII
constitute a mixed-use complex from the Byzantine/
Umayyad period. Howard Crosby Butler, the Prince-
ton University archaeologist who first mapped the site,
named these structures on the premise that they were
two distinct domestic buildings, and his interpretation
prevailed until 2012, when project archaeologists re-
mapping the structure discovered a doorway connect-
ing both buildings and concluded that it was, at least
in its latest phase, a single complex.
Among the building’s features is the precariously
perched double-arched window that has long been
the icon of the UJP. Detailed mapping and photo-
grammetric documentation of the structure led to
the discovery of new architectural features, including
interconnecting doorways between the two buildings
and six entries into the 400 m2 courtyard of House
XVIII (fig. 6). In antiquity, a massive tower was lo-
cated in the northwest corner, while cantilevered
stairwells provided access to the building’s second
and third stories. A large reservoir located under the
eastern wall provided ample water for its occupants.
Structural analysis has revealed the building methods
and materials that were used, especially the types of
plasters and mortars.
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 637

Fig. 5. Aerial view of Qasr Mushash (D. Kennedy; © Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the
Middle East).

Work on the masonry, carried out by a talented crew
of local Umm el-Jimal preservation archaeologists, has
followed a minimalist strategy. Our goals were to make
the complex understandable to visitors and also safe
and passable for further exploration. We cleared the
large courtyard of House XVIII and the eastern pas-
sage that links to the water reservoir. From the reser-
voir, we retrieved significant architectural components
belonging to the upper levels of the eastern wall. In
House XVIII, we preserved the eastern exit passage
to the level of the ceiling corbels of the lower floor
and stabilized the famous double windows, using two
cranes and clever planning. In House XVII, we opened
the main entry, a Byzantine stable, and access to the
mangers in the courtyard, and we also repaired a col-
lapsing roof that later Mamluk or Druze inhabitants
had reinstalled over a second Byzantine stable.
Our excavation below the layers of cleared debris
has complemented our understanding of the construc-
tion and occupation sequences first analyzed by Robin
Brown in 1977. It became clear that Houses XVII and
XVIII were new Byzantine constructions founded on
carefully leveled Roman building remains. Subse-
quent remodeling in the Umayyad period included
the integration of the two buildings into a single large
complex. Although some remodeling was done in
the Mamluk/Ottoman period, including reuse of the
water reservoir, it is difficult to distinguish this phase
from that of the Late Ottoman/Mandate reoccupa-
tion of the site.
Putting all this together in the context of the his-
toric landscape gives us a picture of a major structure
that over time became much more than just a pair of
typical family dwellings. While final interpretation is
ongoing, the data suggest that House XVII–XVIII be-
gan its centuries-long occupation as a pair of homes
but was later integrated for public use, perhaps as an
administrative center or possibly a hotel for caravans
commuting through the region.
Much of the project’s planning and presentation
work was done in partnership with Open Hand Stu-
dios, the designer of the UJP website,2 where much
more information on our work and the new local co-
operatives dedicated to preserving heritage and an-
tiquities is presented.
abila of the decapolis
David Vila, John Brown University, reports:
The 2012 excavation season at Abila of the Decap-
olis in northwest Jordan focused on two Byzantine

2
See www.ummeljimal.org.

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
638 G.J. CORBETT ET AL. [AJA 118

Fig. 6. Plan of the first floor of House XVII–XVIII complex, Umm el-Jimal (drawing by M. al-Bataineh).

churches (Areas E and G) and the Early Bronze Age
occupation of the north tall (Area AA).
Excavations in Area AA aim to uncover the settle-
ment history of the northernmost tall, Tall Abil, from
the Early Bronze Age through the Umayyad period.
The upper portion of the tall features Hellenistic/
Roman layers and Byzantine architecture. In open-
ing a square to the east of the upper tall, we hoped to
avoid these time periods. Work in the square excavated
much of the topsoil. Pottery was the expected mix of
Byzantine/Umayyad forms. Excavation in Area AA’s
other squares continued to work through the Iron Age
and into Late Bronze Age levels.
Excavations in the five-aisled church in Area E to
the east of Tall Abil have helped us understand the
structure’s phased development. Excavation of this
structure began in 1990, and our work since has un-
covered a church dated to the Umayyad period (sev-
enth to eighth centuries C.E.). Probes in the north and
south aisles during the 2010 season uncovered large
segments of mosaic flooring in situ, approximately 1 m
below the floor surface of the Upper Church. The
mosaic contained several inscribed crosses, and an
iconostasis was found in the north aisle, indicating
that the mosaic belonged to an earlier church. Work
in the 2012 season focused on the southwest corner of
the upper structure, where a chapel had been uncov-
ered. Two new squares were opened and several balks
removed. An altar screen was located in situ along
with a well-preserved opus sectile floor (fig. 7). One of
the more important features of this Umayyad-period
church is that it seems to have functioned as a place of
worship for both Christians and Muslims before it was
destroyed in a major earthquake in 749 C.E.
Work in Area G—a single-apse church east of Tall
Umm al-Amud (the southern tall)—focused on con-
servation/restoration and excavation. Previous sea-
sons had uncovered beautiful opus sectile floors in the
north and south aisles. Our current conservation and
restoration work included removing earlier excavation
balks and covering the excavated floors with sand. Our
excavations opened two new squares, a full square at
the east end of the diakonikon and a half square at the
structure’s west end.
umm qeis/gadara and its urban
hinterland
Claudia Bührig, Orient Department, Deutsches
Archäologisches Institut, reports:
The hinterland survey of Umm Qeis/Gadara pro-
vides new insights into the transformation process
of the city and its surroundings. The survey was con-

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 639

Fig. 7. Opus sectile floor and altar screen discovered during the 2012 excavations of the Area E church at Abila of
the Decapolis.

ducted by the Orient Department of the Deutsches
Archäologisches Institut, Berlin, in cooperation with
the Archaeological Institute of the University of Ham-
burg and the Geomatics lab of HafenCity University,
Hamburg. The survey area encompasses the Yarmouk
Valley in the north, the village of al-Mansura in the
east, the slopes of Wadi al-‘Arab in the south, and the
high plateau of Ard al-Ala in the west.
During the last two years, the project has focused
on exploring the hinterland and its relation to the an-
cient city, as well as regional settlement and climatic
developments since prehistory. Some initial findings
regarding the region’s climatic and environmental
history have resulted from dendrochronological,
archaeobotanical, and pedological analyses. The proj-
ect has also placed special emphasis on addressing
questions related to the preservation, restoration, and
presentation of the ancient remains.
The survey has provided evidence of Paleolithic,
Neolithic, and Early Islamic settlement and identi-
fied two large extra-urban sanctuaries from the Late
Augustan/Early Roman era. We have also docu-
mented agricultural installations, farmsteads, a villa,
small settlements, tombs, and a cemetery, as well as
numerous watchtowers. During the 2012 season, we
mapped, among other features, a large necropolis of
shaft graves on a hilltop south of Gadara and a small
settlement with many water installations overlooking
the Wadi Mintanra. Finds from this remarkable settle-
ment include fine wares (i.e., fragments of unguen-
taria, relief-decorated beakers, and fish plates) and
numerous buildings exposed by illicit digging.
The survey has recorded the remains of ancient ag-
riculture, sophisticated irrigation systems, and lime-
stone quarries spreading across an area of 5 ha. We
investigated one of the quarries to understand better
how the area’s geological resources were developed
and how quarried materials were transported. In 2012,
we made an initial tachymetric and photogrammetric
record of the quarry with our colleagues from Hafen-
City University, Hamburg.
The survey area is part of the Yarmouk Nature Re-
serve, opened by the RSCN in 2012, and the findings
from our ongoing research are now being integrated
with the development of the reserve’s attractions and
guided tours. This groundbreaking collaboration
brings together nature conservancy and archaeology
in the attempt to convey different aspects of the re-
gion’s natural and cultural landscape to visitors (both
locals and tourists). Training workshops on these
initiatives were held in Umm Qeis in 2012 and 2013,
and we hope to encourage the participation of local

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
640 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
schools as important partners in the sustainable de-
velopment of cultural tourism.
tall zira‘a/wadi al-‘arab
Jutta Häser, German Protestant Institute of Ar-
chaeology, and Dieter Vieweger, German Protestant
Institute of Archaeology and Biblical Archaeological
Institute Wuppertal, report:
The Gadara Region Project has conducted surveys
in the Wadi al-‘Arab since 2001 and excavations at Tall
Zira‘a since 2003. The focus of the team specialists dur-
ing the 2012 and 2013 seasons was on preparing the
final publication. The work included analyzing all mate-
rial culture remains, conducting experiments on early
pottery and glass production, and completing the three-
dimensional modeling of Tall Zira‘a and its excavated
artifacts. The final publication is expected in 2015.
northern jordan project
Bethany J. Walker, University of Bonn, reports:
The Northern Jordan Project (NJP) conducted a
multidisciplinary survey in the villages of Shajrah and
Kharja in 2012 as part of an investigation of the Upper
Wadi Shellaleh and its drainage system. The project
was launched in 2003 with the initial objective of bet-
ter understanding the factors behind the settlement
fluctuations of the Middle and Late Islamic periods
in the well-watered region between Irbid and the Yar-
mouk River. Each season a different village has been
the focus of fieldwork, which is combined with archi-
val, ethnographic, architectural, and environmental
analyses. The team consisted of faculty and students
from Missouri State University (the primary financial
sponsor), Yarmouk University, University of Bonn, and
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg,
as well as a geomorphologist, phytolith specialist, and
palynologist.
The villages of Shajrah and Kharja are located some
15 and 12 km north of Irbid, respectively, facing each
other on hilltops across the Upper Wadi Shellaleh,
near the Syrian border. This region was chosen to com-
plete a geographic transect of the northern highlands
stretching from Umm Qeis in the west to al-Turra in
the east. Four simultaneous surveys in two villages and
their hinterlands were undertaken. Two survey teams
were devoted to a pedestrian archaeological survey
(with a goal of 10–25% coverage), which investigated
different zones of each village’s lands and off-site lo-
cations (online fig. 6). Lands accessible this time of
year (olive groves, fallow land, rocky outcrops) were
sample surveyed, with the aim of targeting each distinc-
tive land-use, environmental, and topographical zone.
An environmental team of soil and plant scientists
constituted the third survey team, employing vertical
and horizontal sampling strategies to obtain culturally
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
and environmentally relevant soil samples (for pollen,
phytolith, and geomorphological analyses) and those
amenable to magnetic dating. Sampling locations were
selected, in part, on the basis of aerial photographs,
and they were scrutinized for anomalies potentially
indicating ancient field lines, terraces, waterworks,
and settlement traces. The fourth team included the
project ethnographer and architectural drafter, and
they devoted their time to studying the “living” vil-
lages, interviewing local residents, and documenting
historical buildings through architectural drawings,
three-dimensional reconstructions, and photography.
The preliminary results of the combined surveys sug-
gest compelling patterns of settlement and land use in
the Islamic period. A section of the western watershed
of the Upper Wadi Shellaleh was likely abandoned for
the opposite bank of the wadi by the Abbasid period,
in a settlement shift possibly related to differences in
the drainage systems and soil qualities of the two wa-
tersheds and changes in land use. The settlement clus-
ters that then developed on the east bank of the Upper
Wadi Shellaleh during the Early and Middle Islamic
periods were characterized by large villages and their
satellites and gave way to a more dispersed pattern of
settlement and land use after the 14th century C.E.,
similar to that identified in other regions of Jordan. Soil
properties and sherd collection also suggested that the
environs of the Byzantine necropolis of Khirbat Majid
on the east bank subsequently hosted settlement in the
Umayyad and Abbasid periods. Fields associated with
all these sites, many naturally terraced, were watered
by a complex runoff-irrigation system that made use
of springs, natural caves (for water collection), tunnels
and channels, and aqueducts and qanats.
The archaeological survey identified a previously
undocumented site in the lands to the north of Khar-
ja, which are known locally as ‘Ayn Ghazal. The site
includes Roman-era tombs of columbaria form and a
large-scale water storage and harvesting system. The
survey also recorded Byzantine-era architecture in the
northern and westernmost portions of Tall ‘Abduh
and identified a larger range of Islamic-era wares than
was previously known in the area.
tall abu al-kharaz
Peter M. Fischer, University of Gothenburg, Swe-
den, and Teresa Bürge, Oriental Institute of the Uni-
versity of Vienna, report:
Excavation at Tall Abu al-Kharaz in the central
Jordan Valley in 2012–2013 focused on exposing the
eastern portion of the unique Iron Age I compound
on the southern part of the tall (Area 9) and investi-
gating the area east of it (Area 10). A further aim was
to explore the eastern edge of the upper plateau of
the tall by means of several test trenches (Area 11).
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
In Areas 9 and 10, phase X (Iron Age IB/IIA,
930–850 B.C.E.), which lies below the structures from
phase XI (Iron Age IIA), contained 10 more rooms of
a compound. The layout resembles that of phase IX
(Iron Age I) because of the reuse of the older walls.
Finds from this building include a “Philistine-style” jug,
storage jars, a cooking jug, a spool-shaped loomweight,
and a bronze arrowhead. Unfired ceramic material
from several rooms suggests pottery production. Two
skeletons were found in one of the phase X rooms: a
male about 30 years old and a female about 25–30 years
old. Both were buried when the building collapsed.
Seven more rooms of the 46 m long, two-story, cell-
plan compound from phase IX were exposed. The to-
tal number of rooms is 21, of which 18 are arranged in
pairs. The remaining three are single rooms because
of the superficial bedrock, which rises to the north.
The finds include more than 200 intact or complete
ceramic vessels; metal, bone, and stone objects; textile-
production tools; several exquisite alabaster vessels;
beads; a scarab; and a scaraboid. Vessel contents in-
clude wheat, barley and barley flour, millet, lentils,
chickpeas, olive pits, and the dried remains of olive
oil. Several clay ovens (tananeer) were found. Together
with the standard Canaanite open-shaped cooking pot,
a new type appears: the closed-shape cooking jugs with
rounded bases and two handles that resemble con-
temporary types from sites in the Aegean, Cyprus, and
Philistia. There are imported objects that reflect in-
fluences from all over the eastern Mediterranean and
indicate this was a fairly wealthy society with extensive
contacts. We suggest contacts with Philistia, Cyprus,
and the Aegean through offshoots of the Sea Peoples.
East of the phase IX compound is a defense system
that was originally built in Early Bronze (EB) IB and II
(local phases IB and II—i.e., ca. 3100 B.C.E.) but that
was reused as a glacis as part of the Iron Age I defenses.
The builders of the phase IX compound cut through
the entire Early Bronze Age defense system and de-
posited the foundation walls of their structures on the
earlier defenses. At the southeasternmost corner of
the upper plateau of the tall, the glacis turns toward
the north, leaving a 2 m wide gap, presumably where
one of the city gates once stood. The gate faces Wadi
al-Yabis, the site’s most important water source. In
phase IB/II, an intramural burial of an infant, facing
northwest, was unearthed next to the EB II city wall.
The estimated age of the infant is 6–8 years old. The
only burial gift was a Grain-Wash Ware jar.
New test trenches in Area 11 revealed remains from
the Late Roman and Early Islamic periods, includ-
ing three Late Roman skeletons: an approximately
60-year-old female and two infants 3–5 years old. In
this area, parts of another four-room house from
phase XIV (Iron Age IIB) were exposed below the
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
641
Late Roman burials. Finds include complete ceramic
containers (juglets, a cooking pot, and a holemouth
jar), spindlewhorls, loomweights, and bone shuttles.
An extraordinary find is an intact limestone cosmetic
palette (fig. 8). The remains from phase XIII (Iron
Age IIB) comprise an unusual bichrome decorated
juglet and a pierced limestone stamp with an incised
sign. In the northernmost part of Area 11, a domes-
tic context from phase V (Late Bronze [LB] IA) ap-
peared below the Late Iron Age phases, and the finds
included a Chocolate-on-White Ware I juglet, a frying
pan, a cooking pot, a storage jar, and a glass bead.
tall abu sarbut
Margreet Steiner, Noor Mulder-Hymans, and Jean-
nette Boertien, University of Groningen, report:
Tall Abu Sarbut is located in the central Jordan
Valley, approximately 3 km west of Tall Deir Alla. It
measures about 250 m east–west, 125 m north–south,
and only 7 m high and is surrounded by agricultural
fields. It features two “summits” (at the eastern and
western sides) separated by a “valley.” Between 1988
and 1992, a team from Leiden University, under the
direction of E. LaGro and M. Steiner, conducted four
seasons of excavation. As the aim of the project was
to excavate a rural site from the Islamic period, only
the upper layers of the tall were exposed, and Islamic
remains were found mainly on the western part. The
amount of material excavated in four short seasons was
astounding. More than 150,000 pottery sherds were
recovered, as well as 60 complete or nearly complete
pots, approximately 1,850 glass fragments (including
400 glass bangles), botanical remains, animal bones,
iron and bronze objects, coins, stone pestles, and sev-
eral ostraca. In one of the test trenches, remains from
the Roman period were found, including three rooms
of a heavily burned mudbrick building. The building’s
preservation was exceptional, with walls still standing
to a height of 1 m and rooms filled with objects. The
pottery consisted of ordinary household wares dating
to the Late Roman period (third to fourth centuries
C.E.). In addition, sherds of Roman luxury wares
(red-slipped wares and bowls with applied relief) were
found on the east side of the tall.
In 2012, a new archaeological campaign was
launched, in cooperation with the University of Gronin-
gen, by N. Mulder-Hymans, M. Steiner, and J. Boertien.
The goals of the renewed excavations are to (1) es-
tablish the layout and context of the Roman-period
burned building; (2) conduct spatial and functional
analyses of the finds; and (3) excavate eastern portions
of the tall, where a longer sequence of occupation from
the Roman to Byzantine periods is expected.
Square F is located atop the eastern part of the tall.
On the west side of the square, two mudbrick walls
642 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
Fig. 8. Cosmetic palette from four-room house in phase XIV
of Area 11 at Tall Abu al-Kharaz.
(80 cm wide) running east–west were associated with
two floors made of cemented sherds and covered with
pottery. On top of the floor, several nearly complete
vessels were excavated, including an Early Islamic jar
decorated with painted white lines and swirls. In addi-
tion, a trench excavated on the south side of square F
revealed several mudbrick walls and three consecutive
floor layers containing Late Roman pottery.
Square H is located in the lower “dip” in the tall, just
to the west of where the remains of the Late Roman
building had been excavated. The renewed excava-
tions uncovered parts of the building’s courtyard. On
the east side of the square, a nearly complete bread
oven was found, underneath which were several earlier
ovens. A deep test trench showed five superimposed
surfaces of packed mud, all containing much pottery
from the Early to Late Roman period, mainly cooking
pots (fig. 9), jars, bowls, and juglets.
In addition, 17 limestone cup fragments were re-
covered from several excavation contexts. These cups,
used in the first centuries B.C.E. and C.E., are well
known from excavations at Qumran and Jerusalem.
At Tall Abu Sarbut, these objects may signify contacts
with Jewish communities west of the Jordan River, and
this should come as no surprise, as the site is located
in ancient Peraea.
jarash: bronze workshop in the
courtyard of the sanctuary of zeus
Lutfi Khalil and Thomas Weber, University of Jor-
dan, and Jacques Seigne, Université de Tours and
French Archaeological Mission in Jarash, report:
Excavation beneath the paved courtyard of the Sanc-
tuary of Zeus at Jarash in 1993 identified the leveled
and backfilled remains of an early shrine erected by
Theon, son of Demetrius (130/140 C.E.). Dug into the
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
Fig. 9. Late Roman cooking pot from square H at Tall Abu
Sarbut, as restored by the ACOR Conservation Cooperative.
backfill was a pit with metal workshop debris, includ-
ing crucibles, nozzles, molds, fragments, and a poorly
preserved clay mold that was in situ at the bottom. Al-
though the mold is clearly for a large circular object,
its exact purpose was not determined because only
about 10 cm of the sides were preserved. The central
and lower parts of the mold, made of loose soil mixed
with tile and brick fragments, were even more poorly
preserved. This fragile artifact could not be properly
conserved at the time because of limited resources.
Even though the mold was an exciting and rare dis-
covery, it was not deemed to be a research priority;
furthermore, the mission did not include specialists
in mold conservation or metal casting.
In 2012, with the support of the German and French
embassies in Amman, the University of Jordan, Yar-
mouk University, and the Department of Antiquities of
Jordan, a new effort began to restore and reconstruct
the mold fragments and to excavate new squares with
the hope of finding additional molds; fragments of a
second large circular mold were found at the bottom
of another pit adjacent to the first (online fig. 7). Ex-
cavation and conservation of these mold fragments
in situ revealed that they were part of a large bronze
kiln capable of producing more than 300 kg of metal
alloy. Analysis of copper slag deposits also found in
association with the complex will provide further
information about bronze manufacture at the site.
Initial study suggests the in situ mold was used to cast
a large metal basin (diam. 1.1 m; depth 1.2–1.4 m),
while analysis of the original 1993 fragments indicates
that not one but several molds were most likely used
to cast garment pieces for large statuary.
No absolute date for the molds was determined by
the recent excavations. The stratigraphic position of
the pits makes it clear that they were in use after the
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
destruction and subsequent backfilling of Theon’s
shrine in 135/40 C.E., and they certainly date before
the earliest courtyard pavement was built over the
abandoned pagan sanctuary in the middle of the fifth
century. It can thus be suggested that the bronze molds
were installed in connection with the construction of
the great peripteral temple dedicated in 162/3 C.E.,
a monument that would have necessitated the manu-
facture of large bronze statues and basins for display.
jarash northwest quarter project
Achim Lichtenberger, University of Bochum, and
Rubina Raja, University of Aarhus, report:
The Danish-German Jarash Northwest Quarter
Project (JNQP) investigates the settlement history of
Jarash’s northwest quarter near the monumental Ar-
temision. This area, the highest within the walled city,
went largely unexplored by earlier projects. In 2011,
the JNQP conducted a geodetic and architectural sur-
vey of the area, along with geomagnetic investigation
of subsurface remains. In 2012 and 2013, eight exca-
vation trenches were finally opened.
The project produced a detailed plan of the area’s
surface features, extending across an area of approxi-
mately 4 ha, including several thoroughfares and ma-
jor building complexes, and showed that these features
were built along terraces that were aligned with the
east–west orientation of the hill (online fig. 8). It was
already apparent during the survey that most of the
visible structures were of Byzantine and Islamic date.
Excavations detected an Ayyubid/Mamluk settlement
on top of the hill. The settlements consists of several
small and associated complexes positioned along a
large terrace in front of the so-called Ionic Building,
which occupies the summit.
Jarash’s northwest quarter was used initially as a
quarry, most likely providing stones for nearby con-
structions, and was most densely occupied during the
Byzantine/Early Islamic period. An important feature
of that period was a complete oil press excavated in
the northern part of the quarter in 2012. Found in
secondary use within the press was a large stone block
with altar iconography. This block, which originally
stood nearly 3 m high, must have been part of the
entrance to a building (perhaps a sanctuary), since a
clear anathyrosis is visible on its right side, while the
front and left sides are worked. The front features
horns at the corners and a deep niche flanked by pi-
lasters. The short side carries a stylized offering bowl
flanked by two horns, a typical decorative element on
Jarash’s Roman altars.
A large rectangular cistern on the southern slope of
the hill—the largest cistern within the city—dates to
the Roman period. This cistern was used until Byzan-
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
643
tine times and includes several phases. After the col-
lapse of a natural cave located beneath the cistern, the
cistern was reused as a production and habitation area,
while the cave below functioned as a water reservoir.
In 2013, the project opened trench G north of the
hill in the hopes of identifying additional remains of
the north decumanus, which is visible farther to the
east near the North Theater. An earlier American-
British excavation failed to find conclusive evidence
of the street in this area. Trench G was excavated to
virgin soil and unfortunately yielded no traces of a Ro-
man or later street. A fair amount of organic material
and traces of terrace walls were found, suggesting the
area was used for agriculture at some time.
Pressurized water pipes were excavated in trenches
E and H. AMS analysis of the mortar fittings of the
pipes indicates a second-century C.E. date. This result
is further supported by analysis of mortar from the
earliest phases of the large cistern, which provided a
date between the late first and second century C.E.
So far, Hellenistic finds from the northwest quarter
have been sparse, consisting of only pottery and glass.
al-hsayyah/eh-sayyeh
Karin Bartl, Orient Department, Deutsches Archäo-
logisches Institut, and Zeidan Kafafi, Yarmouk Uni-
versity, report:
The Neolithic settlement site of al-Hsayyah (previ-
ously spelled “eh-Sayyeh”) is located about 10 km to
the northwest of the city of Zarqa, on the slope of a
ridge, close to the confluence of Wadi Zarqa and one
of its small, nearly perennial tributaries, Wadi edh-
Dhuayl. While the modern landscape along both the
lower ridge slope and within the Zarqa Valley itself is
marked by intensive agricultural exploitation, it is pos-
sible that in prehistoric periods the valley harbored
dense forest and wildlife.
Initial investigations at the site were carried out un-
der the direction of Z. Kafafi and G. Palumbo in the
1990s and furnished substantial data on the human
occupation of northern Jordan during the eighth to
sixth millennia B.C.E. The site’s crucial importance
for our understanding of the chronology of the other-
wise poorly documented phase of settlement develop-
ment in Jordan between the Early and Late Neolithic
led to the resumption of investigations in 2013. The
project, launched in cooperation with Hashemite
University, included a training program for university
students who were taught new documentation and
field techniques.
Excavations focused on five areas in different parts
of the settlement. The results generally reflect a dense
sequence of Neolithic layers in each settlement area,
although a continuous sequence of layers spanning
644 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
the eighth to sixth millennia B.C.E. still needs to be
substantiated. In all areas, the architecture is built
from either unworked or only slightly worked stone
blocks of varying size gathered from around the site.
In three of the excavation areas, no ceramic remains
were discovered, which may suggest an Early Neolithic
date. Pottery was found in the two remaining areas,
although in only one case could the pottery be iden-
tified as Late Neolithic Yarmoukian. Early Neolithic
layers of the eighth to early seventh millennia B.C.E.
were found in the western and eastern areas of the
settlement, and the latter revealed portions of a large
building with three parallel walls and a solid floor of
lime mortar.
The Late Neolithic layers of the seventh millennium
B.C.E. are characterized by large, dispersed buildings
that are rather poor in finds. In addition to irregu-
larly shaped walls, the identified structures display a
trough-like depression, which likely functioned either
as a reservoir or a central posthole. The radiocarbon
results obtained from seeds of grain in the Yarmoukian
layers provided the dates cal B.C.E. 6396–6230 (2σ)
and 6416–6241 (2σ), both of which corroborate the
date generally given for the beginnings of pottery de-
velopment in the southern Levant.
The ceramic evidence consists primarily of typical
plant-tempered Yarmoukian type, though it is mostly
undecorated except for occasional examples with
red slip. Other types of decoration include slightly
protruding bands with carved herringbone patterns.
The modest array of forms consists of pots, cups, and
bowls. The relatively small number of sherds may in-
dicate that early Yarmoukian pottery was still very rare
in the middle of the seventh millennium B.C.E.
The site’s lithic industry is represented mainly by
a large number of flakes, as well as a few well-defined
tools, such as leaf-shaped arrowheads and several sickle
blades. The broader range of finds consists of different
artifact groups related to everyday needs. It includes
numerous bone tools, such as awls and needles for
leather and textile working, as well as heavier tools,
such as stone axes for working wood and grindstones
for processing vegetable foodstuffs. Jewelry consists
mainly of pierced shells and bone beads.
khirbat al-batrawy
Lorenzo Nigro, Rome “La Sapienza” University,
reports:
Khirbat al-Batrawy was a major city of EB II–III, con-
trolling the ford through Wadi Zarqa and the routes
passing from the desert to the Jordan Valley. The
project’s eighth (2012) and ninth (2013) seasons were
devoted to excavating and restoring the city walls and
the so-called Palace of the Copper Axes (Palace B).
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
Excavation of the fortifications on the northern
side of the city exposed Tower T.830, a large rectan-
gular tower protruding from the main inner wall. The
structure, preserved to a height of more than 2 m, was
added to the main inner wall in EB II and was intended
to defend the city at its most vulnerable point of attack.
The tower, along with the main inner wall, was rebuilt
in EB III, when it was encircled by an outer wall that
protected the new city gate located to the west. The
tower remained in use until the final destruction of the
city at the end of EB III. Carbonized fragments of col-
lapsed wooden beams from the tower’s superstructure
were uncovered, along with burned bricks and other
tumbled material from the collapse. The monument
likely reached a height of approximately 8 m.
Exploration of the Palace of the Copper Axes con-
tinued toward the west, east, and south (online fig. 9).
We excavated Courtyard L.1046 in the palace’s eastern
pavilion, defining its southern limit and determining
that it was entered through a double-pillared passage
from Corridor L.1050, the central passageway that
separates the two wings of the palace. From Courtyard
L.1046, a door in the northern wall gave access to Hall
L.430, a huge rectangular room with a staircase on its
eastern side. This wing of the palace was presumably
used for gatherings and gift exchange, as we found
here a copper fragment and a carnelian bead.
In the palace’s western pavilion, work focused on
Hall L.1250, a slightly elevated 4.5 m wide area located
on a rock terrace near Hall L.1110. Various rock-cut
steps and features, including a ramp and a series of
installations, define the hall’s southern limit. Near the
middle of the room, a series of cup marks suggests that
this space was devoted to food processing and storage.
On another upper terrace to the south, L.1230, large
ceramic vats and grinding stones were found.
The continued excavations in Storeroom L.1120
led to the discovery of a second upper disk of a pot-
ter’s wheel (the first one was found in Pillared Hall
L.1040 in 2010), which may indicate palatial involve-
ment in promoting such technological innovations. In
Pillared Hall L.1040, a fragment of an Egyptian pal-
ette was discovered, which, together with the earlier
discovery of a lotus vase, highlights Egypt’s connec-
tion to early urbanism in Jordan. As yet, no definitive
absolute-dating evidence can be derived from either
these finds or radiocarbon dates obtained from the
palace’s destruction layer.
Restoration work was carried out both in the palace
and along the northern city walls. Laboratory analyses
were performed on the previously discovered copper
axes. The results suggest the copper ore originated
from Wadi Faynan or perhaps Timna. Finally, the
beads used to make the necklace discovered in Hall
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
L.1110 (online fig. 10) were found to include semi-
precious stones originating from both Egypt (ame-
thyst, carnelian) and the Arabian Peninsula (olivine,
rock crystal).
tall al-‘umayri
Douglas R. Clark and Kent V. Bramlett, La Sierra
University, report:
As part of the larger Madaba Plains Project, excava-
tions at Tall al-‘Umayri have sought to understand the
survival strategies of the site’s occupants over the past
several millennia. Recent research has focused primar-
ily on recovering cultural remains from the Bronze and
Iron Ages. A successful lawsuit against the Jordanian
government by one of the site’s two landowners meant,
however, that 2012 could have been our final excava-
tion season (although continued negotiations have
allowed excavations to continue for the time being).
The resulting adjusted research objectives focused on
bringing excavation in fields A, H, and L into phase;
implementing a virtually paperless recording system
using iPads and iPods for data retrieval; and recording
absolutely everything with as much digital technology
as possible. The primary objective in field A was to
expose the fourth and fifth of five Late Bronze/Early
Iron I buildings along the western perimeter wall of
the site. The first three structures, Buildings B, A, and
C (from north to south), were excavated in previous
seasons. Building D was almost entirely exposed down
to its two use surfaces, both of which are associated
with a destruction of some kind and separated from
each other by only 10–15 cm. Because the lower sur-
face was in use when a major earthquake struck, requir-
ing repairs, and because the upper surface was in use
when the entire town was destroyed by external forces,
the two surfaces mark the beginning and end points
of a newly identified subphase. Along with bronze
points that may indicate the cause of the destruction,
household assemblages emerged, suggesting that all
these adjoining buildings served domestic functions.
In field H, the intention was to bring the remainder
of the field into phase with its Early Iron I domestic
structure (four rooms with quoin-and-pier pillars)
and to excavate several key probes to establish more
firmly the date of the structure and the origins of its
large exterior walls, as well as stratigraphic connections
with the destruction apparent in fields A and B. With
the entire structure now fully excavated, it is possible
to reconstruct the sequence of construction, use, and
abandonment, beginning with the building of three
large exterior walls against a preexisting perimeter
wall to the west. Inside this larger rectangular structure
several large pillars joined by smaller, less substantial
walls were constructed to divide the inner rooms.
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
645
Artifactual remains suggested food-preparation and
textile activities, as well as personal sealing practices.
The probes demonstrated that the Late Bronze/Early
Iron I occupational phase in this part of the site is
earlier than the excavated building. The two phases
are separated by a short-lived, but clearly distinct, oc-
cupational phase that dates closer to the Early Iron I
of the domestic structure than to the Late Bronze/Early
Iron I settlement.
Work in field L continued to record and remove
Hellenistic occupation material to reveal the Iron
Age structures beneath and to determine the date of
the large east–west wall that runs across the breadth
of the area. Also investigated was the relationship of
this wall to a north–south line of monumental stones
to the north. The wall was founded in the Iron Age I
period and rebuilt in Iron Age II, when massive stones
were part of a huge rebuilding and fortification phase.
Excavation also uncovered domestic and food-storage
areas.
The 2013 season was extremely brief and involved
only two staff members along with two professors from
Hashemite University. After observing what appeared
to be the foundation of a second dolmen mortuary
installation, the project team undertook a subsurface
mapping strategy to locate additional dolmens (fig.
10). The data, which are still being analyzed, suggest
the need for continuing the search for dolmens.
tall hisban cultural heritage project
Bethany J. Walker, University of Bonn, and Øystein
S. LaBianca, Andrews University, report:
The Tall Hisban Cultural Heritage Project returned
to the field in 2013 for the third phase of the exca-
vations, which focused on scientific investigations of
the medieval village on the slopes of the tall, the de-
velopment and application of new technologies, and
site presentation. Excavations were designed to ad-
dress very specific questions related to the history and
development of the medieval Islamic settlement and
the site’s water systems. Fieldwork resumed in areas
in which excavation had begun in previous seasons.
The project team cleaned the Iron Age reservoir
(field B), which was excavated in the 1970s, to clar-
ify and reinvestigate water channels and map their
functional relationships to one another and to the
adjacent caves. Different phases of water harvesting
and use were revealed as a result, suggesting that at
different times the reservoir was used as a quarry and
then a reservoir, as part of a larger complex system of
irrigating terraces, fields, and gardens. When the res-
ervoir was being cleaned, a stone seal was recovered
from interseasonal fill. The seal bears a pattern (ibex
and kid) similar to that of a bulla excavated in 1973;
646 G.J. CORBETT ET AL. [AJA 118

Fig. 10. Photoboom image of dolmen remains in field K at Tall al-‘Umayri.

both can be dated stylistically to the seventh to sixth
centuries B.C.E. and may be Ammonite in origin. To
locate one corner of the reservoir, excavators opened
a single excavation unit above it in 2011. Continued
excavation in that square revealed the walls of a Byz-
antine house with three pits, which was rebuilt and
reoccupied in the Mamluk period. One stone-lined
pit, dated to the 16th century C.E., produced a near-
ly complete handmade jar, which was found among
refuse that included pottery and glass dated to the
Late Mamluk/Early Ottoman period.
To make visible the fortification wall and to un-
derstand better its history of construction, additional
sections of the wall exterior in fields M and R were exca-
vated in 2012. This work revealed a system of boulder-
constructed towers built on bedrock (which may have
been part of the original fortification system), a series
of possible terrace walls of similar construction (a
system that continues down much of the slopes and
appears to give the tall its present form), and rows of
Mamluk barrel-vaulted structures used at different
times as houses and stables.
Excavation of barrel-vaulted buildings on the
southwestern slopes (field O) continued from the
2007 season and revealed two adjacent Mamluk-era
farmhouses with well-plastered floors and walls. They
seem to have been part of the larger village settlement.
Houses of the same size and structure shared cisterns
and common walls. Although foundation levels were
not reached this season, it is likely that these structures
were constructed earlier and reused in the 14th and
15th centuries C.E., as elsewhere at the site. Unlike the
domestic structures of the upper slopes, those on the
lower slopes and beyond continued to be occupied
into the Ottoman period and reveal a distinctly dif-
ferent spatial organization in relation to one another,
the possible result of different patronage patterns in
the Mamluk period.
In addition to excavation, and as part of continued
efforts at site development, a new welcoming area—
with seating for lectures—was built adjacent to the site
entrance using abandoned building materials from the
site. Plans were also drafted for rehabilitating part of
a Late Ottoman/British Mandate–era farmhouse (lo-
cally known as the “Nabulsi qasr”), one of the oldest
buildings in the village, and putting it to use as an off-
site visitors’ center.
tall madaba archaeological project
Debra Foran, Wilfrid Laurier University, reports:
The 2012 season of the Tall Madaba Archaeological
Project (TMAP) was the 12th season of excavation on
the western slope of Madaba’s acropolis (field B) (fig.
11). Excavations began in 1998 and have uncovered

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 647

Fig. 11. Western slope of Tall Madaba’s acropolis.

remains dating to the Late Ottoman, Late Byzantine/
Early Islamic, Early Roman/Nabataean, Late Hellenis-
tic, Iron Age II, and Iron Age I periods. The primary
objectives of this season were to investigate further the
Iron Age I remains, to expose the southern extent of
the city’s fortification wall, and to clarify the nature of
the previously excavated architecture in the southern
portion of the site.
The Iron Age remains at Tall Madaba are sealed in
some areas by a thick layer of sheetwash. The latest
Iron Age phase (late in Iron Age IIB) consists of what
has been termed “squatter” occupation. The early
part of the Iron Age IIB phase is represented by a se-
ries of pillared buildings, and Iron Age IIA remains
consist of a large multiroom building. Excavations at
the northwestern end of the site continued to expose
these features. More of the Iron Age IIA complex was
uncovered, and the remains of a second Iron Age IIB
pillared building were also exposed.
The one feature that dominates the site is the mas-
sive preclassical fortification wall that runs north–
south through the site. Previous excavations had
exposed the top of the wall and its inner and outer
faces. The original construction of the wall has been
dated to the Early Bronze Age, although it was reused
throughout the Iron Age. This season’s excavations
at the southern end of field B succeeded in exposing
more of the top and inner face of the wall. In this area,
the wall was built with a narrow ledge at a lower level
along its inner face, although the rest of the character-
istic construction techniques of Madaba’s fortification
wall are also preserved in this area.
Excavation efforts at the southern end of field B also
focused on elucidating the nature of the ashlar-built
wall that currently supports the western wall of a large
Late Ottoman house. The wall sits on top of a larger
construction that dates to the Hellenistic period and
possibly the Iron Age. This foundation indicates that
the ashlar wall may have been part of a monumen-
tal Byzantine-period structure that once stood atop
Madaba’s acropolis.
The remains of a series of structures dating to the
Late Hellenistic period have also been unearthed.
Excavation at the southern end of field B focused on
clarifying the relationship between the Hellenistic ar-
chitecture in this area and the city’s fortification wall.
It appears that the defensive walls dating to the second
century B.C.E. were built over the fortification wall;
however, the city’s defenses were surely incorporated
into the overall building program initiated in this
area during the Hellenistic period. Excavations also
exposed the remains of a large drain associated with
the Hellenistic occupation.
Now that excavations on Madaba’s west acropolis
have come to a close, issues of site maintenance and
presentation have become paramount. In the future,
resources will be allocated to preserve the excavated
remains and prepare the site for presentation to the
public.
wadi ath-thamad project
Steven Edwards, University of Toronto, reports:
The 2012 excavations at the Iron Age site of Khirbat
al-Mudayna on the Wadi ath-Thamad were focused pri-
marily on the areas to the east and west of Gate 100. In
field A, two rooms were uncovered immediately east
of the gate, but within the outer casemate wall. To the
west of Gate 100, in field C, five additional rooms were
exposed. These rooms are located between the west-
ern wall of the gate and a large circular depression in

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
648 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
the northwest corner of the site. A small excavation
unit was opened in the depression in an attempt to
determine its function. A salvage operation was also
carried out at Wadi ath-Thamad site 200 (WT 200),
a recently identified Iron Age rock-cut tomb located
about 350 m west of Khirbat al-Mudayna.
In field A, east of Gate 100, the northern Room 135
is triangular in plan. Gate 100 and the outer casemate
wall form its western and northeastern walls, respec-
tively. The contents of the room included four intact
vessels and at least three smashed vessels, all of which
were recovered in a debris layer above the only ap-
parent floor in the room. The seemingly random de-
position of the finds within debris layers suggests that
the room functioned as a dump. No doorways were
recorded, indicating that access into the room must
have come from above, possibly in the northwest cor-
ner through an opening in the east wall of the gate.
Room 134, directly south of Room 135, was only
partially excavated, but the limited exposures have
already revealed four occupation layers that all evince
cooking and other domestic activities. At least one fire
pit and several ovens were unearthed, and each oc-
cupation layer contained oven fragments. A doorway
was located in the southeast corner of the room, but it
was partially blocked by a stone-built bin installation.
In field C, four rooms were excavated in the area
to the west of Gate 100. The northernmost casemate
room consisted of two small rectangular units (Rooms
154 and 158) divided by a low partition wall. A doorway
through the inner casemate wall provided access to
Room 156 to the south, though this was later blocked.
This rectangular room was bounded on the west by a
well-preserved mudbrick wall. Farther south, the elon-
gated Room 157 contained a doorway in the southwest
corner that may have provided access to the large cir-
cular depression just to the west. Burned beams and
considerable deposits of ash point to a significant
destruction event. The contents of these rooms in-
cluded several millstones and 11 loomweights, which
suggests that cooking and weaving activities took place
in this area.
The excavators opened a small north–south ori-
ented trench to the west of Room 157 to determine
whether the large depression functioned as a water
system. Bedrock was exposed along the southern edge
of the feature, and it was shown to slope steeply from
south to north. The bottom of the depression was not
reached, and so far no evidence for the plastering of
the bedrock has been detected.
Salvage excavations were carried out at Wadi ath-
Thamad site 200, a previously unknown Iron Age
rock-cut tomb located on a gently sloping hill on the
left bank of the wadi, roughly 350 m west of the main
mound. A. al-Bwareed of the Department of Antiquities
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
of Jordan’s Madaba office notified the project direc-
tor of looting activity at the site, and a salvage opera-
tion was subsequently organized. The tomb is 6 x 4 m
and approximately 2.7 m in depth. The limestone ceil-
ing of the tomb had collapsed, exposing the rock-cut
chamber. Looting activity had partially emptied the
tomb, but the floor had not yet been reached. The
remainder of the tomb was systematically excavated
and documented, and the debris piles produced by
the illicit excavations were resifted. The contents of
the tomb included several smashed pots with painted
decoration, along with several lamp fragments. The
assemblage suggests an Iron Age II date for the tomb.
Human remains were also recovered both within the
tomb and in the debris piles adjacent to the chamber.
khirbat iskandar
Jesse C. Long, Jr., Lubbock Christian University, Su-
zanne Richard, Gannon University, Rikke Wulff Krab-
benhöft, Uppsala University, and Susan Ellis, Wayne
State University, report:
The objectives of the 2013 season in Khirbat Iskan-
dar’s Area B were to (1) expose more of the EB IV
settlement and investigate connections to the fortifi-
cations; (2) expose more of the EB III phase C settle-
ment; and (3) uncover occupation associated with the
earlier phase D fortifications.
The EB IV phase A settlement—multiroom struc-
tures, pillared buildings, and domestic remains—is the
latest occupation on-site. Excavation in new square B22
exposed more of phase A, including the corner of a
domestic structure. The hard-packed earthen surface
associated with phase A was, predictably, the top of the
phase B roof collapse.
Phase B is known for its well-preserved EB IV pub-
lic building/storeroom. This season of work achieved
more horizontal exposure of phase B to the south in
squares B22 and B21. The typical phase B level of roof
collapse contained restorable vessels and broken pot-
tery. In reopened square B21, a domestic context in
which several whole vessels were excavated in 2010,
we discovered at least 14 more whole and restorable
vessels in the roof collapse.
The fortified phase C (EB III) settlement comprises
an upper (phase C1) destruction level and a lower
(phase C2) foundation level. The phase C1 settlement
includes a central room, an adjoining courtyard, and
a contiguous workroom. The stratigraphic removal
of portions of the square B9 balks revealed more evi-
dence for the phase C1 destruction and the extension
of the phase C1 courtyard.
Another objective of the 2013 season was to expose
more of the phase D settlement associated with the cur-
vilinear structures discovered on either side of a thresh-
old, an apparent portal in the earliest fortifications at
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
the site. Excavation below phase C levels in squares B2
and B1 brought to light new information about the
phase D settlement. In square B1, we uncovered the
corner of a substantial stone structure (ht. 1 m), which
ran under the phase C tower platform. We are tenta-
tively assigning this new building to phases D and E.
Although the upper surfaces were reused in phase D,
the bottom course of the wall lay below the founding
level of the curvilinear structure. Notably, the ceram-
ics embedded in several surfaces dated the structure to
EB III, thus clarifying the date of the phase D settle-
ment (originally thought to be EB II). The presence
of this substantial new structure in early EB III suggests
that there may be an earlier fortification system.
The site’s fortifications consist of (1) a phase C
northern (outer) line and square tower; (2) a phase
D earlier (inner) mudbrick and stone wall; and (3) a
phase C western perimeter line with a rubble interior
that abuts the southwestern corner of the tower. The
most significant find of the 2013 season was a new
fortification wall, a major phase C defensive line that
runs parallel to and along the exterior of the previ-
ously excavated phase C western perimeter wall (fig.
12). The new wall was discovered during excavation
of a section of the previously known wall. The section
revealed more of the rounded tower feature but, more
importantly, it exposed for the first time the fortifica-
tion wall (Wall B4A006) that abuts the northwestern
corner of the tower. This substantial (2 m wide) wall is
the original phase C western perimeter wall built con-
temporaneously with the square tower and northern
outer wall. The fact that this phase C wall cut phase D
Wall B2A077 adds to a wealth of data that confirms the
phase D defenses are earlier than the phase C outer
line. As noted above, we now date phase D to an ear-
lier stage of EB III than phase C.
The discovery of the new fortification wall places
the previously discovered rubble-interior western wall
in new light. The latter is late, and based on an accu-
mulating set of data it appears to have been reused,
or perhaps even first constructed, in the EB IV. To
further clarify the relationship between EB IV phase
B and the rubble-filled western wall line, we removed
part of a phase A wall that obscured the link between
the two. This investigation confirmed that the three-
course phase B wall (Wall B19A019) continued to the
western perimeter wall as a six-course transverse wall
(Wall B19A043). This shows definitively that the site’s
phase B inhabitants built up against and reused the
outer wall line.
balu’a regional archaeology project
Monique D. Vincent, The University of Chicago, Mat-
thew L. Vincent, University of California, San Diego,
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
649
and Friedbert Ninow, Theologische Hochschule Frie-
densau, report:
The Balu’a Regional Archaeology Project team re-
sumed excavations in 2012 to understand better the
full extent of occupation, including not only the Iron
Age but also the Bronze Age, the Roman period, and
a later Mamluk-era village discovered in the western
half of the site.
In 2010 and 2012, an intensive survey was under-
taken to define the horizontal extent of occupation at
the site. Using a GPS system, the team mapped most
identifiable exposed architectural features in the im-
mediate vicinity of the khirbat. The resulting data were
incorporated into ArcMap and used to determine
the overall layout of the site. The predominant ruins
belong to the Iron Age settlement, as confirmed by
previous excavations, and could be as large as 16 ha.
A Middle Islamic complex (dated by surface sherds)
dominates the western end of the site and was possi-
bly built within preexisting Iron Age ruins. Farther to
the west there is a possible Roman settlement, close
to 5 ha in size (also dated by surface sherds). As the
site is excavated, the map will be refined to include
orthophotography and dating information for the
architecture.
Relying on the architectural information gathered
during the 2010 survey, the excavators selected two
adjacent buildings for excavation in the southeastern
area of the settlement. Both buildings consist of rect-
angular north–south structures with small southern
rooms formed by a casemate wall, and larger, open
northern rooms. Probes were opened in each build-
ing and excavated to sterile soil. The goal was to deter-
mine the date and occupational phases of the layers
associated with the casemate wall system. These probes
revealed a single phase with very scant evidence of oc-
cupation, likely resulting from the site’s abandonment
toward the end of the Iron Age. The few securely dated
sherds are Late Iron Age II.
Two other probes were placed toward the western
end of the khirbat and were designed to detect the earli-
est periods of occupation and create a diachronic pic-
ture of the site’s occupation. Each probe was marked
out against visible wall lines north of the qasr. Unfor-
tunately, the first probe was halted by vandalism, but
not before a previously unknown Hellenistic phase
was detected. In the second probe, an Iron Age phase
was excavated to a surprising depth of 2 m, after which
excavation was halted for the season. A portion of a
doorway was revealed, and a smashed jar was found on
an earth surface before it. A subprobe in the surface
of this phase indicated that more occupational phases
continue below. Sherds found with the Iron Age pot-
tery of this phase point to a possible earlier Bronze Age
650 G.J. CORBETT ET AL. [AJA 118

Fig. 12. Khirbat Iskandar: the northwest square tower with two abutting walls, newly discovered western wall (Wall
B4A006, under photograph board), segment of the western rubble wall on right, and curvilinear (phase D) wall below.

occupation. A heavily burned mudbrick layer sealed
this building, indicating the Iron Age phase ended
with a fiery destruction.
While our search for pre–Iron Age stratified remains
was unfulfilled because of vandalism and the surprising
depth of the Iron Age deposits, we did discover a previ-
ously undetected Hellenistic phase. We also discovered
a destruction layer in the central part of the Iron Age
settlement, which is notably absent from the eastern
extension of the settlement. There is still a great deal
of the Iron Age settlement to explore, but from the
two eastern probes, we can argue that the expansion
and settlement here lasted only a short time before it
was abandoned.
al-lajjun survey
Jennifer E. Jones, University of Minnesota Duluth,
reports:
The broad purpose of the survey of al-Lajjun on the
Karak Plateau is to understand social organization and
craft production during the period of population ag-
gregation in the third millennium B.C.E. The Early
Bronze Age witnessed a change in land use toward
the occupation of larger, fortified settlements and
the intensive cultivation of grains and orchard crops.
The nearly 12 ha EB II settlement of al-Lajjun is
located in south-central Jordan between Karak and
Qatrana. A fortification wall, wide internal walls, and a
large circular feature are visible on aerial photographs
and Google Earth imagery. Since there was no subse-
quent occupation at the site, even the foundations of
the Early Bronze Age structures and walls are visible
on the surface. Al-Lajjun thus provides a rare chance
to research the internal layout and activity areas of
an Early Bronze Age settlement. Nearby the site is a
row of large standing stones (menhirs) well known to
both the archaeological and local communities. Ear-
lier test excavations identified 0.5 m of soil deposition
at the site, along with floral and faunal remains that
included grass pea, common pea, large legume, olive,
grape, barley, einkorn, emmer, sheep, goat, gazelle,
cattle, and donkey.
During the initial season, in 2003, we mapped con-
centrations of sherds and chipped-stone artifacts in
four sample areas to begin understanding intrasite
craft production and artifact deposition. We focused
in 2012 on identifying the site’s main architectural
features. Among the 100 complete and/or partial
features, we discovered various rectilinear, multiroom
structures; a long, narrow building at the summit; two

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
large stone circles (one inside the fortification wall and
another outside); and several small tombs.
Rectilinear, multiroom structures were identified
across the site, with the best-preserved examples mea-
suring 6–11 m long and 3.0–5.5 m wide. We also iden-
tified a long, narrow structure that may be a temple.
The structure’s interior measures 10.7 x 2.8 m. The
walls are built of stones as large as any of the stones
used in the fortification wall and much larger than
those used in the rectilinear buildings. Sections of
what may be an external wall surrounding the pos-
sible temple were also discovered, measuring at least
27.5 x 15.3 m, although the wall’s full dimensions are
obscured by dense rubble.
Close examination of the large circular feature vis-
ible on aerial photographs revealed a thick circular
wall 32 m in diameter enclosing a 12–15 m wide area
of stone rubble with a small square feature at its cen-
ter. Another 15 m wide stone circle located outside the
fortification wall also has a small rectangular feature
at its center. These enclosed features may be tombs
but are much larger than other tombs scattered across
the site, which are generally marked only by two stand-
ing stone slabs.
On a sadder note, the famous line of menhirs ap-
pears to have been damaged in the months leading up
to the 2012 season. A hole was dug at the base of the
stones, causing two of the four to collapse. This is an
unfortunate loss, as the menhir line was a unique and,
until then, largely undamaged ancient monument.
ghor es-safi
Konstantinos D. Politis, Hellenic Society for Near
Eastern Studies, reports:
The 2013 excavations at Ghor es-Safi focused on ex-
ploring the origins and development of the sugarcane
factory complex at Tawahin as-Sukkar and the nearby
urban center of Khirbat esh-Sheik ‘Isa. Investigations
were also made into the earlier Roman and Byzantine
phases of the two sites, as well as the environs.
Previous excavations at Tawahin as-Sukkar uncov-
ered lower chambers with arched entrances below
the pressing rooms and several external stone walls.
It was presumed that one of the walls leading north-
ward connected with an underground channel that
carried water onto adjacent fields. This season, a stone
stairway was uncovered, and it apparently gave access
to the pressing rooms. A pivot stone was found, pro-
viding good evidence for the pressing mechanism. A
small sounding was made at the entrance to the arched
building farther north, revealing several courses of
well-hewn sandstone blocks. The construction meth-
ods and materials were different from those used for
the upper courses of mudricks from a later period
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
651
(probably Late Ottoman). The building’s architecture
and lower elevation indicate a close association with
the pressing rooms and their related chambers to the
south. A close examination of Tawahin as-Sukkar’s
mudbrick walls and finds (particularly cartridge
shells) indicates a final occupation phase during the
early 20th century, when the abandoned sugar fac-
tory was reused during hostilities associated with the
Arab Revolt.
At Khirbat esh-Sheik ‘Isa, excavations resumed in
trenches II and VIII, while three new trenches (IX,
X, and XI) were opened to the west to follow the line
of a long, well-built, 3 m high wall. A deep sounding
below the mosaic pavement in trench VIII revealed
Late Roman/Early Byzantine sherds resting on wadi
sediments, thereby confirming the date of the site’s
earliest occupation. The date of the wall, however, is
still uncertain: it slightly overlies the mosaic in some ar-
eas, but trench IX also showed that the mosaic clearly
ends at the wall. Additional finds, including chancel
fragments of fine white marble, provide clear evidence
that a church was built in the immediate vicinity. The
wall continued into trenches X and XI. The upper
levels of trenches IX, X, and XI mirrored the archi-
tectural remains from trench VIII and included small,
roughly built stone rooms and finds dating to the
Ayyubid/Mamluk period (ca. 12th–15th centuries).
At the lower levels, work uncovered larger mudbrick
rooms that were apparently peacefully abandoned in
the Abbasid period (ninth and 10th centuries). Ex-
cavations in trench II to the north revealed a similar
sequence of Abbasid and Ayyubid/Mamluk occupa-
tion. In this area, excavations also reached the level
of the paving slabs, thereby providing a clear view of
the Byzantine-period occupation (fig. 13).
In light of the 2013 investigations, the following
preliminary conclusions regarding the main occupa-
tional phases of Khirbat esh-Sheik ‘Isa can be drawn.
The area of the Khirbat esh-Sheik ‘Isa excavations was
presumably the original location of the main church
of Byzantine Zoara. The succeeding settlement in the
10th and 11th centuries represents the occupation of
the then-abandoned church building. This was fol-
lowed by a substantial period of occupation during the
12th–15th centuries closely associated with the nearby
sugar factory and related industries. In addition to
containing workshops and profiting from the sale of
sugar, Khirbat esh-Sheik ‘Isa also likely served as a vil-
lage for local workers, since tabunat (bread ovens) and
other domestic items were discovered inside its houses.
Finally, the project worked to conserve several of
the in situ mosaics discovered in trenches VIII and
IX, as well as pottery, stone, and metal finds. Some of
these finds were put on display in the Museum at the
652 G.J. CORBETT ET AL. [AJA 118

Fig. 13. Paving slabs of the Byzantine complex in trench II at Khirbat esh-Sheik ‘Isa.

Lowest Place on Earth in Safi. The project also made
plans to consolidate and conserve the site’s various
ancient structures.
follow the pots: mapping, surveying, and
site monitoring at fifa
Morag M. Kersel, DePaul University, Austin C. Hill,
University of Connecticut, and Meredith S. Chesson,
University of Notre Dame, report:
The Follow the Pots (FTP) project explores two
interconnected sides of a looted landscape: the con-
ventional archaeological mapping, surveying, and site
monitoring of an Early Bronze Age cemetery; and the
multiple and contested values of this archaeological
heritage to various stakeholders today. FTP draws on
this comparative data to rewrite the traditional ar-
chaeological looting story by focusing on materiality.
It considers how Early Bronze Age peoples deployed
material culture in graves in the past and how archae-
ologists, looters, and collectors reuse and revalue this
same material culture in the present.3
The EB IA (ca. 3500–3200 B.C.E.) cemetery of
Fifa contains thousands of cist tombs whose use co-
incides with the emergence of the first walled, urban
settlements in the region. In the archaeology of the
southern Levant, this site represents an incredibly im-
portant resource: it is one of only four known large
Early Bronze Age cemeteries (the others being Bab
edh-Dhra‘, Jericho, and Naqa). Unfortunately, since
the 1980s the site has been the target of systematic il-
legal excavation in search of artifacts destined for the
antiquities market. While there have been two small
seasons of excavation conducted by W. Rast and R.
Thomas Schaub in 1989–1990 and M. Najjar in 2001,
until recently there was no complete plan of the site
and very little record of the threatened landscape.
In 2011, FTP surveyed and mapped the extent of
the cemetery using a handheld GPS unit and a total
station. The initial mapping provided an estimated
area of 64,000 m2 for the cemetery. We recorded more
than 800 graves in the looted landscape, although
thousands more exist, yet to be looted or excavated.

3
For further information, see the Arabic and English project website, http://followthepotsproject.org.

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
In examining the upcast from looting, we were able
to determine that there were different looting epi-
sodes. As part of the mapping, we included the Iron
Age structures (at the western edge of the site) and
modern military trenches and structures in addition
to the EB I tombs. The 2001 excavation area was also
included in the FTP map, providing a comprehensive
plan of the cemetery (online fig. 11).
In surveying tombs in the Fifa cemetery, FTP re-
corded the two tomb types, slab lined and cobble
lined, which were previously identified in the Rast
and Schaub excavations, and it also identified a third
type that uses large boulders for tomb construction.
There is a greater density of slab-lined tombs in the
western half of the cemetery, while there are no visible
slab-lined burials on the cemetery’s north ridge. In
the wadi bottoms there is a higher percentage of slab-
lined burials. We are hesitant to suggest a chronology
for the burials, although some evidence suggests that
the slab-lined tombs are earlier than the cobble-lined
graves: the stratigraphic profile shows the slab-lined
burials cutting through an earlier ashy layer thought
to be Neolithic. Further statistical analysis is needed
to make an assertion with greater confidence.
As part of FTP, the Landscapes of the Dead Project
was carried out during the 2013 season. One of its pri-
mary objectives was to assess changes to this archaeo-
logical landscape over time to understand better both
the ancient and modern uses of a mortuary site. The
main research goals of the Landscapes of the Dead
Project were (1) to obtain quantitative data on the
scale and intensity of looting at Fifa using innovative
aerial photography; and (2) to continue recording
and mapping the looted landscape of Fifa.
The results of the 2013 season allowed us to establish
a baseline from which we will be able to observe and
document changes in the looted landscape. A small
fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) provided a
platform for stable, low-elevation aerial photography,
making it possible to both document looting and de-
struction at Fifa and generate spatial data for digital
mapping. The aerial survey used photogrammetric
image processing to produce high-resolution digital
elevation models of the site. A chronological assess-
ment of looting will allow identification of new looting
pits and determination of whether any of the looters’
holes have been revisited, whether the looting was re-
cent (indicated by fresh earth), and whether there is
a discernible difference in looting episodes. Mapping
and groundtruthing of the landscape in 2013 allowed
us to conclude that looters are revisiting earlier holes,
that there is ongoing recent looting, and that there
is a difference in looting episodes. The 2013 season
of aerial site monitoring was the first of five planned
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
653
seasons in which the FTP team will revisit the site at the
same time each year to investigate change over time
and to assess the potential impact of the Department
of Antiquities of Jordan’s anti-looting campaigns and
outreach programs.
barqa landscape project
Russell B. Adams, University of Waterloo, Hannah
A. Friedman, Texas Technical University, David D.
Gilbertson, University of Plymouth, and Keith Haylock
and John P. Grattan, University of Wales, Aberystwyth,
report:
The 2013 Barqa Landscape Project (BLP) season
continued research begun in the 2009 and 2010 pilot
seasons. The project’s primary objective is to assess the
archaeological and environmental evidence for the in-
tensification, spread, and impact of copper production
in the Faynan Basin of southern Jordan during late
prehistory (3000–2000 B.C.E.). The Faynan Basin was
one of the world’s earliest industrial landscapes and
therefore is important for understanding the histori-
cal impact of ancient industry and pollution and the
environmental legacy of such activity.
During the pilot phase, we developed a quantitative
methodology to assess the effects of the expansion of
copper production and heavy-metal pollution through
time. In two four-week seasons, we used a combination
of satellite remote-sensing data, traditional archaeo-
logical survey, and limited excavation of test pits to
map the spread of pollution both geographically and
temporally for a 5 km2 section of the Faynan district
at Barqa. Using a portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF)
analyzer we were able to examine a wide variety of
sediments at a range of archaeological sites. Analy-
sis of the anthropogenic pollution observable in the
sediments was designed as a reliable and quantitative
way of determining the extent and scale of pollution
that could also be used to build a diachronic model
of the scale and intensity of copper production. The
initial season in 2009 was devoted to archaeological
reconnaissance and a pedestrian survey of the wider
survey zone, while the subsequent 2010 season was
largely devoted to excavating test pits and small areas
in the northwest quadrant of the Barqa survey zone.
The excavations were intended to collect wide-ranging
data on pollution from copper smelting during antiq-
uity and to ascertain the diachronic extent and spread
of this pollution. The survey’s pilot phase achieved a
greater understanding of pollution at one smelting
site, as well as the spread of residual pollution in its
immediate vicinity.
During 2013, expertise developed in the pilot phase
was used to expand the pollution analysis across the
Faynan Basin. A wide variety of sites (ore-processing
654 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
locations, waste tips, agricultural sediments, settle-
ment sites) and nonsite localities (open and excavated
dunes) were sampled, including open and previously
excavated sites. In addition, several pollution transects
were carried out across both the Wadi Faynan/Wadi
Fidan drainage and its tributaries, the Wadi Shagir and
Wadi Ghuweir. In the same year, 760 sample points
were taken with the p-XRF analyzer, raising the total
collected data points to nearly 5,000. Wherever pos-
sible, in situ p-XRF sampling was supplemented by
collection of sediment samples for laboratory analysis
to confirm the p-XRF data.
During a typical analysis of an open excavation,
the vertical section was described, drawn, and pho-
tographed. Additionally, p-XRF data were collected
at various lithofacies and in discrete areas (charcoal
lenses, ash middens, and fire pits). Supplementary
data for relative and chronometric dating (pottery,
stone tools, charcoal) were also collected, and sedi-
ment samples from individual lithofacies were col-
lected for laboratory analysis.
One of the season’s objectives was the reexamina-
tion of the site of Khirbat Hamra Ifdan, a key Early
Bronze Age copper-manufacturing center at the east-
ern end of Wadi Fidan. Our trench excavation aimed
to link information gathered from earlier Khirbat
Hamra Ifdan excavations with the Barqa Landscape
Project’s pollution studies. Since the chronology,
pottery, and industrial activities of the site are well
understood, what remained was to link the pollution
levels of different layers to the known history of the
site. Excavation of seven layers of human occupation
(including floors, pits, a tabun, and numerous sub-
layers) were distinguishable, and all were analyzed
in situ with the p-XRF device, while 5 ml sediment
samples were taken for laboratory analysis. In total, 33
distinct contexts were sampled for pollution analysis.
These data will be integrated with the wider pollution
analysis of Early Bronze Age copper production to de-
termine changes in the scale and intensity of produc-
tion throughout the period.
busayra cultural heritage project
Stephanie Brown, Benjamin W. Porter, and Chris-
topher Bravo, University of California, Berkeley, and
Andrew Wilson, University of Oxford, report:
The Busayra Cultural Heritage Project (BCHP)
conducted an assessment season in 2013 at the site of
Busayra, which is widely believed to be ancient Bozrah,
the capital of the Iron Age polity of Edom. Excavations
carried out during the 1970s identified monumental
architecture, including a possible temple and palace
protected by an extensive fortification system used
between the late eighth and fifth centuries B.C.E.
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
The BCHP’s principal goals include the investiga-
tion of Busayra’s political and economic roles during
the Iron Age, as well as the implementation of site-
management and development plans with the Depart-
ment of Antiquities of Jordan.
The primary BCHP task was to assess the overall
condition of the site, document features using non-
invasive techniques, and develop an integrated plan
combining scientific research and site management
that will guarantee Busayra’s preservation. Several
methods of documentation were employed for the
assessment. The project created new topographic
and architectural maps of Busayra using total-station
technology and GIS software. The project also used
digital photography, photogrammetry, and three-
dimensional reconstruction software to document the
condition of previously excavated buildings. By com-
paring the exposed architecture with published draw-
ings and photographs from the earlier excavations,
damage was identified and documented. The project
found most buildings in remarkably good shape, es-
pecially considering that they have been exposed for
more than 30 years. Busayra still requires a number
of careful interventions to ensure its long-term pres-
ervation. These include backfilling select trenches
that have experienced subsequent erosion; removing
or stabilizing excavated soil heaps and rock piles; and
conserving exposed architecture using appropriate
restoration materials.
Large portions of Busayra remain uninvestigated
and need to be documented through geophysical sur-
vey and excavation. In preparation for future work,
the BCHP performed a random survey of the ear-
lier excavation’s Area D, just north of the acropolis.
Twenty-four 5 x 5 m units were surveyed. Ten of the
units were selected randomly, while the other 14 were
selected strategically to achieve maximal coverage of
the area. All artifacts were collected, and sherd-density
data were generated for each of the units surveyed.
The survey yielded predominately Iron Age IIB and
Iron Age IIC ceramic evidence, as well as a limited
number of Classical-period sherds. These data will be
considered along with other information when the
BCHP decides where further sampling should occur.
Also in preparation for future excavations, the
BCHP sought to develop an appropriate soil-sampling
strategy that could yield data to help illuminate the
Edomite agricultural and pastoralist economies. Ten
5-liter soil samples were taken from selected exposed
sections in previously excavated trenches to determine
the density of carbonized botanical remains within the
soil. Though the analysis of the collected remains is
still ongoing, it is clear that archaeological deposits
within buildings possess enough carbonized evidence
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
to make intensive sampling strategies worthwhile. Pre-
liminary analysis has so far identified barley and grape
seeds in the sampled materials.
jafr basin
Sumio Fujii, Kanazawa University, Japan, reports:
The project’s previous investigations confirmed that
short-range pastoral transhumance started soon after
the domestication or introduction of sheep and goats.
This initiated the period that we have termed the
Jafr Pastoral Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPN-B), which
was sustained by an outpost, a cistern, and a basin-
irrigation barrage system. The research campaigns of
the past two years have tried to understand how this
PPN-B “triple set” was transformed as the process of
pastoral nomadization accelerated during the Late
Neolithic period.
The site of Hashm al-‘Arfa, a small campsite in the
eastern Jafr Basin, offers a glimpse into this process
(online fig. 12). The size of this settlement is remark-
ably reduced, only about 0.02–0.03 ha, which is ap-
proximately a tenth of the size of Wadi Abu Tulayha, a
type-site of the Jafr Pastoral PPN-B. The site also shows
limited structural complexity and consists mainly of
a few round, semisubterranean structures. The flint
assemblage is made up largely of Late Neolithic arti-
facts (single-platform cores and bifacial knives) but
also includes a few naviform core-and-blade compo-
nents. The mixture of these two distinct flint assem-
blages suggests the site belongs to the beginning of
the Late Neolithic. Several uncalibrated radiocarbon
dates (7900 ± 30 BP, 7730 ± 30 BP) taken from char-
coal samples also support this dating. While faunal
remains (largely sheep and goat) were abundant, no
floral remains were recovered. This fact, coupled with
the small size and isolated location of the site, indicates
that the small encampment was likely used by pastoral
nomads. Also noteworthy is the discovery of a few small
bilaterally notched stone weights. Similar artifacts were
found around the nearby barrage systems described
below, suggesting the site may have been associated
with these water-related features. No later settlements
have yet been discovered in the basin. This indicates
that during the transition from the Jafr Pastoral PPN-B
to the Late Neolithic, there was a shift from fixed out-
posts to tent houses and small encampments.
Our recent fieldwork was also concerned with
identifying Late Neolithic open-air sanctuaries (or
what we have termed “pseudosettlements”). Our
previous investigations confirmed two examples in
the western Jafr Basin, and the ‘Awja sites in south-
ern Jordan have now added another five. They have
much in common with Late Neolithic pseudosettle-
ments in the western Jafr Basin, on the one hand,
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
655
and Late Neolithic open-air sanctuaries in the Negev
and Sinai, on the other. The presence of such large-
scale funerary complexes attests to the beginnings
of pastoral nomadism in the deserts of the southern
Levant. At ‘Awja 1, we also found a group of feline
representations outlined on the ground in stone, also
attested in the sanctuary sites of the Negev and Sinai.
We located a few dozen barrage systems in the east-
ern Jafr Basin tentatively dated to the Late Neolithic
based on the occurrence of small stone weights simi-
lar to those found at Hashm al-‘Arfa and the bar-
rage systems from Wadi Nadiya. They differ from the
PPN-B barrage systems in many respects. While the
PPN-B barrage is larger, has a more open plan, and
is located at the lower edge of a semiopen playa, the
Late Neolithic barrage is much smaller, more closed,
and occupies the center of a small depression. Also,
while the PPN-B barrage is focused on the western
Jafr Basin closer to contemporary farming communi-
ties, the Late Neolithic barrage extends deep into the
desert. These contrasts suggest there was a shift from
large-scale, basin-irrigation barrage systems during the
PPN-B to small-scale, cistern-type barrage systems con-
structed by pastoral nomads during the Late Neolithic.
Our investigations have shown that the Late Neolithic
Jafr Basin witnessed (1) the replacement of fixed out-
posts by tent houses and small encampments such as
Hashm al-‘Arfa; (2) the appearance of the open-air
sanctuary or pseudosettlement; and (3) a shift to-
ward small, cistern-type barrage systems. The decon-
struction process of the Jafr PPN-B triple set seems to
mirror the initial stage of pastoral nomadization in
southern Jordan.
khirbat edh-dharih
Caroline Durand, Institut Français du Proche-
Orient (Amman), Pauline Piraud-Fournet, Univer-
sité Paris, and Laurent Tholbecq, Université Libre de
Bruxelles, report:
After a five-year hiatus, a new excavation campaign
was carried out at Khirbat edh-Dharih in 2013 on be-
half of the French-Jordanian Archaeological Mission
of Khirbat edh-Dharih (fig. 14). The site, organized
around a large sanctuary from the Nabataean/Roman
periods, was first excavated between 1984 and 2008.
Three operations were undertaken on different build-
ings to complement the previous excavations.
Soundings and cleaning were carried out in the
village to determine the phasing and chronology of
House V1, which is the largest domestic building at the
site. The troughs in the house’s stable were cleaned,
and several fallen blocks were returned to their origi-
nal positions. Soundings also provided a better un-
derstanding of the original layout in Room L, which
656 G.J. CORBETT ET AL. [AJA 118

Fig. 14. Aerial view of Khirbat edh-Dharih (© C. Bacri and A. Normier /ORA).

contained an installation that is probably a bathtub.
This installation, combined with the adjoining heated
room built on hypocausts, highlights the luxurious
character of this part of the house. Finally, soundings
were conducted in the northern and southern parts
of the house to date the construction precisely. The
pottery suggests the house was founded between the
first and second centuries C.E., while the material from
the destruction/abandonment layers is no later than
the fourth century.
Additional work was carried out in Area A, about
150 m south of the sanctuary’s southern entrance, on
a Nabataean/Early Roman caravanserai and its asso-
ciated bath complex. The caravanserai is organized
around a courtyard and surrounded by individual
rooms. The mission team excavated a 7.5 x 2.0 m
square north of Room A11 to get a better under-
standing of the inner court that was partly identified
in 2004 east of the main porch. No destruction from
the upper courses of the walls has been discovered in
the eastern half of the probe. The lack of destruction
debris indicates that the building material was looted
in this area. Similarly, the exposed base of a pavement
was also looted, most likely during the Byzantine pe-
riod. So far there is no evidence of an inner portico.
The earliest use of the building is dated to the end of
the first or the beginning of the second century C.E.
Where they can be identified, the occupation levels
can be dated to the second and third centuries. Ce-
ramic finds associated with the destruction levels are
dated to the late third or early fourth century C.E.
The excavations in the bath complex focused on
the southern part of the building (Rooms F, G, and
H), and a general plan was completed. One excavated
room was identified as a heated room (caldarium).
Along the northern, southern, and eastern walls, sev-
eral rectangular projections, regularly disposed, were
used to flank tubuli panels. At least two semicircular
grooves that functioned as roof chimneys were uncov-
ered in the southeastern corner of the room. In the
western part of the room, the thickening of the north-
ern and southern walls probably indicates the limits of
a large pool built against the western wall. A heating
channel is visible in the center of this wall and appears
to be embedded in a rectangular structure that could
be the base of a support for a heated cistern. To the
west, a long rectangular room or corridor helped fuel
the furnaces for the two heated rooms. Another room,
which included another heating channel opening to
the caldarium to the south, was also partly excavated.

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
The identical phasing of the caravanserai and the baths
suggests that both belong to a single building program
initiated at the turn of the second century C.E.
shawbak
Michele Nucciotti and Elisa Pruno, University of
Florence, report:
The Medieval Petra Project of the University of
Florence (under the direction of G. Vannini) in-
cluded continued archaeological investigation at the
site of Shawbak in 2013. The aim of the project is to
investigate the medieval settlements in the area of
Edom, particularly in the region of Petra-Shawbak.
The project’s methods involve an integrated system
of noninvasive documentation techniques (including
documentation of extant buildings, landscape archae-
ology, and environmental surveys), excavations, and
data management.
With the expansion of the Latin Kingdom of Jeru-
salem and the subsequent Crusader reoccupation of
the ancient limes arabicus from 1100 to 1118, a notable
shift occurred in the settlement pattern of the Shaw-
bak region. In particular, the rapid development of
European-styled fortified villages (generally known
from written sources as “castles”) gave the region of
Edom a completely new role within Transjordan and
Outremer. In occupying the strongholds of Shawbak
and Petra (including al-Wu’ayra and al-Habis but also
smaller settlements such as Wadi Farasa and Bayda),
the Latin kingdom did, in fact, reestablish an eastern
frontier that closely resembled (at least geographi-
cally) the ancient limes arabicus.
The 2013 excavation season focused on Area 35000
(online fig. 13), a large, barrel-vaulted, rectilinear
structure located in Shawbak’s “monumental” north-
ern sector, adjacent to the audience hall of the Ayyu-
bid palace. While Crusader masonry and building
techniques are evident in the structure’s east, north,
and west walls, the north side of the structure also
shows typical Ayyubid stone-cutting techniques. The
Crusader building was most likely reused in the Ayyu-
bid period, possibly as part of the palace complex of
Al-Malik Al-Adil and Al-Mu’azzam ‘Isa. A monumental
Ayyubid stairway with concentric semicircular steps
was unearthed on the east side of the room (online
fig. 14); it is connected to an earlier, presumably Cru-
sader, door but was covered by layers from the Late
Ottoman–period occupation. Probably during the
Mamluk period, the stairway was partly buried, and a
new monumental doorway resting on two side pillars
was built. The project inventoried and studied the
material remains from Area 35000 in hopes of better
understanding the material assemblages of the Cru-
sader/Ayyubid period and Shawbak’s pre-Crusader
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
657
occupational phases (namely, the Byzantine and Early
Islamic periods) as represented by small finds.
The documentation and stratigraphic analysis of the
Crusader Upper Church (Building 10) was completed,
and the nearby vaulted Building 29 was surveyed and
documented; this work was part of a unified effort to
determine the functional and stratigraphic relation-
ship between the two structures so as to illuminate
the transition between the Crusader and subsequent
Ayyubid and Mamluk phases. We also analyzed the
stone dressings of these and other structures, includ-
ing the Lower Church (Building 1) and Building 28,
and thereby updated the site’s registry of known stone
dressings and techniques. Building 29 is particularly
interesting in this regard, as its walls show evidence
of two different styles of stone dressing that presum-
ably belong to two different periods—the Crusader
period (Stone Dressing S8) and the Ayyubid period
(Stone Dressing S22.a). From a stratigraphic point of
view, Building 29 appears to be later than the Lower
Church, as its main structure abuts the western and
northern portions of the church. Our stratigraphic
and archaeological surveys have also demonstrated the
existence of an earlier building (perhaps from the Cru-
sader period) along the northern walls of Building 29.
wadi arabah earthquake project
(qasr et-tilah)
John D. Rucker and Tina M. Niemi, University of
Missouri–Kansas City, report:
The Wadi Arabah Earthquake Project (WAEP) was
initiated in 1996 to research the archaeoseismology
and paleoseismology of the Dead Sea Transform fault
through archaeological, geological, and geophysical
excavations and surveys at many sites within the val-
ley. The 2013–2014 excavation season focused on
Qasr et-Tilah.
Qasr et-Tilah, located just south of the Dead Sea, is a
large multiperiod site with ruins from the Nabataean,
Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic periods, as well
as artifactual evidence from earlier and later periods.
The site’s complex, multiphased water-management
system provided water for immediate use and irriga-
tion for an extensive agricultural field system. The
site also lies directly across the alignment of the Wadi
Arabah fault, and the architecture reveals significant
damage and repair related to past earthquakes. Extant
remains include a Late Roman quadriburgium (prob-
ably the site “Toloha” referenced in the Notitia Digni-
tatum) and a Late Byzantine reservoir, while abundant
Nabataean and Byzantine pottery attest occupation
during those periods as well.
The excavators opened a trench encompassing the
fort’s outside wall and the alignment of an underly-
658 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
ing structure (possibly Nabataean) to garner data to
inform both the dating and the history of this struc-
ture and the earthquakes that had affected the site.
Excavation revealed collapse layers related to the fort,
as well as evidence for subsequent reuse of the ruins.
This reuse phase included ash deposits (which pro-
vided charcoal for radiocarbon dates) and at least one
postcollapse living surface.
A second goal was to clarify the phases of Qasr et-
Tilah’s water-management systems. A trench was dug
at the bottom of the site’s main (northern) water res-
ervoir. Beneath the surface soil and several layers of silt
deposition, we reached a major plastered floor. This
floor rested on a subfloor of mortared large cobbles
and boulders nearly 1 m thick, which itself overlay
another anthropogenic surface on bedrock. We then
investigated and excavated a previously unexplored
aqueduct that leads toward the northern reservoir,
revealing the first firm evidence for a covered aque-
duct at the site. However, the anticipated connection
between the aqueduct and the reservoir was not found,
suggesting this aqueduct leads to a yet-undiscovered
location. A trench was opened in the site’s previously
unexcavated southern reservoir. This reservoir, lo-
cated across Wadi et-Tilah away from the rest of the
site’s extant architecture, revealed two phases of a
plastered floor and may have been reused later as an
area of habitation. The excavation produced samples
for radiocarbon dating, which will provide an absolute
date for the structure.
Possibly the most important result of the expedi-
tion is the creation of a precise GPS-based map of the
site and its topographic surroundings. We created a
plan of the fort, a topographic map of the site, and
elevation profiles of the field system. The site map
also includes areas of recent looting activity, a major
problem for cultural resource management in Jor-
dan. This season we documented the location and
subsurface sediment exposed in the illicit excavation
pits. The looting map will help Jordanian authorities
monitor damage to the site.
bir madhkur
Andrew M. Smith II, The George Washington Uni-
versity, reports:
The Bir Madhkur Project continued its work in the
hinterland of Petra in 2013. It expanded the intensive
regional survey to cover the south bank of Wadi Musa
through the foothills of Wadi Arabah and conducted
salvage excavations at a regional caravan station, Khir-
bat Sufaysif, an important stop on the ancient incense
route. This work supports the primary goal of the
project, which is to examine the role of Petra in the
ancient economy from a rural, landscape perspective.
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
The excavations at Khirbat Sufaysif, a structure mea-
suring approximately 21 x 26 m, were carried out in
response to increased looting at the site and continued
erosion of the southwest corner of the structure—at
least 5 m of the wall had already collapsed into Wadi
Sufaysif. The purpose of the excavation was to salvage
as much information as possible from the deteriorating
site, with the specific goal of determining the periods
during which the site was occupied and the nature
of that occupation. We opened five trenches, two of
which were fully excavated. Moreover, while one trench
spanned a room along the east wall, where a small
doorway was revealed facing the wadi, the others were
located along undisturbed sections of the north wall.
Here, along the north wall, two rooms were excavated,
one of which may have served as a kitchen with a small
hearth. All these rooms open onto a central courtyard.
We were successful in determining the layout of
the site as well as the periods of occupation. Based on
a preliminary assessment of the data, it appears that
the caravan station was established in the first century
B.C.E. as a thriving way station along the Nabataean
trade route linking Petra and Gaza. While settlement
at the site seems to have declined by the third century
C.E., there is a clear reoccupation in the fourth century
that continued into the fifth. In support of this prelimi-
nary phasing, the pottery finds include many fragments
of piriform unguentaria, terra sigillata, and Cypriot
Red Slip Ware. Six coins were also retrieved during the
excavation. Three of the coins are Nabataean (one of
Aretas IV and a veiled bust of his first wife, Huldu, and
two of Aretas IV and his second wife, Shaqilat); one is of
Augustus; another is of Domitian; and another, poorly
preserved coin dates to the fourth century. Surface
finds also suggest an Early Islamic presence at Khirbat
Sufaysif, the nature of which remains unclear.
The survey along the south bank of Wadi Musa be-
tween Jabal Tayyiba and Wadi Umm Ratam was also
successful (the north-bank survey was completed in
2012). In addition to Wadi Musa itself, several tribu-
tary wadis were explored, which included, from west
to east, Wadis Samra, Sufaysif, Hamra, Tegan, Atawla,
and Umm Ratam. Surveying in this area allowed us
to contextualize more broadly the excavation data
derived from Khirbat Sufaysif. In all, we documented
351 new sites in the region. These sites range from
isolated cairns, stone circles, and graves to more com-
plex features such as multiroom structures and small
settlements. We documented scores of sites and fea-
tures indicative of an expansive agricultural regime in
classical and late antiquity (fig. 15), which provide sig-
nificant information about the rural economy of Petra.
Among the recorded sites where we found artifacts, the
dates range from the prehistoric to modern periods.
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 659

Fig. 15. Expansive agricultural system in Wadi Musa.

petra sculptures their collections. Unlike Palmyrene sculptures, Naba-

Robert Wenning, Münster University, reports:
The first season of a three-year project to document
Petra’s ancient sculptures began in 2013. This joint
project is led by R. Wenning of Münster University,
T.M. Weber of the University of Jordan, and M. al-
Marahleh of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan,
and it is sponsored by the German Research Associa-
tion. The project is also supported by the directors of
current Petra excavations.
The project will document all of Petra’s Hellenistic/
Roman figural sculptures in stone, stucco, and bronze,
whether they are identified in the field or in museums.
This work will provide the Petra authorities with a com-
plete inventory of sculptures to facilitate both further
registration and future exhibition in the new Petra
Museum. It will also permit development of a critical
analysis and classification of the sculptures that will
serve as a valuable resource for Nabataean research
and related areas of study. The preliminary list of Petra
sculptures, identified in both publications and field
visits, includes 574 entries. While sculptures recovered
from excavations are relatively well documented (ex-
cepting those of earlier excavations), other sculptural
finds are not. As a result of this project, many previ-
ously unknown objects held in museum storerooms in
Amman and Petra have been documented for the first
time. We have also requested that foreign museums
provide inventories of sculptures from Petra held in
taean sculptures are rarely found outside Jordan (ca.
25 items have been recorded to date).
petra: nabataean stone dressing and
lithology
Thomas R. Paradise, University of Arkansas, reports:
During the height of the Nabataean kingdom, Naba-
taean stonemasonry, like the architecture, hydraulic
engineering, and theology, shows signs of having been
unique. Across ancient Nabataea, chisels, hammers,
axes, and surveying devices have been found. As the
crafts of masonry and stone dressing date back more
than eight millennia, it is now fairly straightforward for
researchers to identify the chisels and tools associated
with particular types of stone dressings and marks. In
examining chisel marks and dressings, together with
characteristic features of Petra’s lithology, our project
seeks to understand better the various tools that were
used to dress, work, and sculpt Petra’s stones during
the Nabataean and Roman periods. An examination
of these relationships is crucial for understanding Pe-
tra’s trade economy as well as the community of crafts-
men who created the city’s stone architecture during
its heyday (50 B.C.E.–350 C.E.).
More than 100 Nabataean/Roman-period dressed-
stone features and surfaces throughout Petra were
identified, examined, and measured. Rock type was
determined using microscopic and micrographic

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
660 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
analyses, while relative hardness was determined us-
ing a Schmidt hammer (resiliometer). Various types of
building stone were examined, including ash-Sharah
limestone, Umm Ishrin and Disi sandstones, and the
Precambrian basalts of Wadi Siyagh and Jabal Aswad.
Basic stone-chisel techniques have changed little
since the Classical period. Then and now, the shape
of the chisel blade varies according to the desired style
of dressing, although some rock types require specific
types of chisels. There are four primary chisel types:
point (moil), flat (straight-edged), rounded (roun-
del), and toothed (claw) (fig. 16). In addition, ancient
masons used large, flat-headed, toothed hammers
(called bush hammers) to dress hard, resistant rocks
such as basalt and granite. It is likely that axes (double-
edged metal chisels attached to wooden handles) were
also widely used (online fig. 15). In Petra, there is evi-
dence that various chisel types were used, along with
the mason’s axe and the bush hammer.
For Petra’s softer sedimentary rocks, such as the
Disi and Umm Ishrin sandstones (Schmidt hammer
values R<50), masons used pointed and flat chisels as
well as axes to dress stones. On harder sedimentary
stone, such as ash-Sharah limestones and the more
indurated and/or ferruginous strata of Umm Ishrin
sandstone (Schmidt hammer values R70–90), flat-
edged chisels and roundels were more prevalent in
stone dressing, while point chisel marks were rarely ob-
served. Petra’s hardest, most resistant stones (Schmidt
hammer values R≥90), such as the iron-banded Umm
Ishrin sandstones and Precambrian basalts, displayed
bush-hammer, claw-toothed, and point-chisel dressing.
Interestingly, little correlation could be found be-
tween stone dressing style/type and a structure’s esti-
mated period of construction. This suggests that the
different dressing styles found in Petra reflect different
strategies for dealing with rock type, resistance, and
hardness rather than changes in dressing technique
over time. This situation can be observed both on con-
structed buildings, such as Qasr al-Bint, and on hewn
facades, such as al-Khazneh, ad-Deir, and the Urn
Tomb, where dressing styles change and/or overlap
depending on the monument’s lithological makeup.
petra: international aslah project
Laurent Gorgerat, Antikenmuseum Basel, and Rob-
ert Wenning, Münster University, report:
The third and final season of the International Aslah
Project in Petra was conducted in 2012. The season
4
Monuments and features in Petra are referred to and numbered according to the inventories created by R. Brünnow and A. von
Domaszewski (abbreviated as “BD”) and G. Dalman (abbreviated as “D”).
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
Fig. 16. Four main chisel types used for stone dressing in
Petra: a, point or moil; b, flat or straight edged; c, rounded
or roundel; d, toothed or claw.
focused primarily on the Northern Terrace, which
forms the northern end of the Aslah triclinium com-
plex (online fig. 16) and overlooks the Siq entrance
to the west. The complex’s main structure is Tomb
BD 24, which is cut into the eastern rock face and is
similar to Triclinium D17 of the Southern Terrace.4
Our objectives were to finish mapping the site, com-
plete the excavation of the Northern Terrace, and
extend our investigations north toward Reservoir BD
26. Excavation revealed two additional rooms (Rooms
4 and 5) located north of the entrance to Tomb BD
24. Together with previously excavated Rooms 1–3,
these rooms formed a built structure in front of Tomb
BD 24. The eastern part of Room 4 is attached to the
tomb’s rock face, while the western part is delimited
by a built wall. It is possible that an entrance existed
in the southeastern corner but was later closed. A nar-
row rock-cut corridor, which may have been closed
off by a wall or door, leads to Room 5, which marks
the northern end of the area. At the northern end of
Room 5, a well-preserved basin was cut into the rock.
Four additional rock-cut niches suggest arches prob-
ably supported the room’s roof.
Significant evidence for water management at the
site was also documented. During heavy winter rains,
both terraces receive considerable runoff from higher
areas to the north. The runoff then gets dammed in de-
pressions and seeps into the surrounding rock, which
as a result becomes very weak just a few centimeters
below the surface. The Nabataeans attempted to both
prevent damage to the rock and retain as much runoff
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
as possible. They cut simple grooves and channels
anywhere that runoff could be captured, especially in
the area to the north between the Northern Terrace
and ar-Ramla. In that area, we identified the rock-cut
Reservoir BD 26, and we attempted to reach the reser-
voir’s bottom with a sounding but had to stop excavat-
ing after approximately 2.5 m. Based on the steps we
identified, we suggest that the 6.00 x 6.35 m reservoir
could be 5–6 m deep; it was roughly carved with a tooth
chisel and is covered with a 4.5 cm layer of gray plas-
ter. The reservoir, however, seems too large given the
limited amount of runoff that could be captured from
the relatively small surrounding area. A few medieval
characters were also painted on the plaster, suggest-
ing that the reservoir’s steps were likely cut off during
this period. A settling tank with steps was cut in front
of the opening. When the basin was filled with water,
it flowed into the reservoir. There are also traces of a
natural channel along the base of the rock between the
basin and the built installations around Room 4. This
channel, which originally fed Cistern D19, was inter-
rupted by the basin. During particularly heavy rains,
even the basin may have overflowed, placing some of
the built architecture in danger. To guard against this,
the Nabataeans cut an artificial channel approximately
13 m in length to direct any overflow to Cistern D19.
petra: qasr al-bint
François Renel, Institut National de Recherches
Archéologiques Préventives, reports:
As part of the French archaeological mission to Pe-
tra, the excavations at Qasr al-Bint were initiated in
1999 and dedicated to the study of the temple and its
surrounding buildings. The 2012 and 2013 seasons
focused on the Nabataean building adjoining Qasr
al-Bint to the east. This structure, known as Building
B, was already partially excavated during previous sea-
sons. It was first described more than a century ago,
while its entrance was further discussed when the
Qasr al-Bint temenos was cleaned in the late 1950s.
One of the aims of our excavation was to verify W.
Bachmann’s hypothesis that the building—a series of
rooms surrounding a large courtyard—was a market.
Our excavations have led to a different interpretation.
The building extends to the east of Qasr al-Bint’s
podium. Its northern side is defined by the south wall
of the temenos precinct and its western side by the
temple’s peribolos. The building’s monumental en-
trance is located along the south wall of the temenos,
approximately 20 m east of the temple. It opens onto
a huge 8.5 x 7.3 m vestibule featuring decorated ped-
estals and pilasters with quarter columns crowned with
classical Nabataean capitals. This room opens to the
south onto a large courtyard with a peripheral colon-
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
661
nade. Located along the axis of the vestibule, 3.5 m
from the building’s southern facade, are two dressed
columns in situ on their stylobate. The discovery of
other column drums and a Doric capital confirm the
existence of a monumental facade. Two Corinthian
capitals and a second sounding, located on the west-
ern side of the building, suggest the presence of a
smaller portico that was probably connected to the
main facade.
A group of adjacent rooms to the west and east
of the vestibule was also uncovered (fig. 17). These
rooms form an aisle of a large complex (45 x 45 m)
thus far interpreted as a religious building related to
Qasr al-Bint. While most of the rooms functioned as
service annexes, a few of the rooms flanking the ves-
tibule are exceptional. In the northwest corner of the
complex, for example, Room P1 is associated with a
staircase, a bathroom, a well, a possible footbath, and
a water channel. On the vestibule’s eastern side, a
second channel leads to the major wastewater system
discovered under the temenos pavement. Built along-
side this channel, a U-shaped walled staircase leads to
the upper level.
This complex has initially been interpreted as a cul-
tic building (perhaps a priests’ house) related to Qasr
al-Bint. The excavation revealed several construction
phases that took place after the leveling of the older
Late Hellenistic structures. The first layers connected
with the complex are dated by archaeological mate-
rial and coins to the reign of Aretas IV (9 B.C.E.–40
C.E.) or Obodas III (30–9 B.C.E.). Similarly, a sound-
ing made at the east of the vestibule yielded Nabatae-
an painted fine ware from phase 2b of the standard
Nabataean pottery typology. All these arguments
confirm Building B was constructed with the temple
during the last quarter of the first century B.C.E. In
addition, Building B’s plan is in harmony with that of
the temple and uses the same units of measurement.
They thus seem to belong to a common architectural
program. After a phase of abandonment at the end
of the Nabataean period or the beginning of the Ro-
man annexation, several phases of reoccupation are
discernible. While the evidence for Roman occupation
is scarce, the building was clearly reused for dwellings
during the Byzantine period, after which the area was
deserted.
petra: ad-deir monument and plateau
project
Cynthia Finlayson, Brigham Young University, Je-
had Haron, Department of Antiquities of Jordan, and
Tahani al-Salhi, Petra Archaeological Park, report:
Despite its importance within the ancient Naba-
taean city of Petra, the ad-Deir Plateau, including the
662 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
Fig. 17. Remains of the northern aisle of the eastern complex
at Qasr al-Bint.
famous ad-Deir monument (the so-called Monastery)
(fig. 18), has never been scientifically mapped, nor
have its varied surface remains been properly identi-
fied, catalogued, and published. A survey of the pla-
teau was conducted in the early 1980s by M. Lindner,
but, since it was carried out without advanced scientific
equipment and did not encompass the entire area, the
survey was not able to record the full range of extant
archaeological elements. Critical archaeological, his-
torical, and inscriptional elements on the plateau are
now being lost as a result of extensive seasonal erosion.
Even the ad-Deir monument suffers from seasonal wa-
ter and wind erosion, groundwater seepage, and the
deterioration of ancient structures and water systems
that were originally intended to protect the monument.
At the request of the Department of Antiquities of
Jordan, the Ad-Deir Monument and Plateau Project
was tasked with initiating steps to rectify this critical
situation. S. Ure of Brigham Young University served
as assistant director and technical consultant. We used
an aerial drone (Gatewing X-100) to photograph the
entire ad-Deir Plateau from a height of 300 m. Given
the drone’s accuracy and technical capabilities, these
aerial images were considerably more precise and
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
Fig. 18. Aerial image of the ad-Deir monument, the Great
Circle, and the ancient entrance to the ad-Deir temenos.
detailed than aerial photographs or satellite images,
thus allowing us to discover several previously un-
known archaeological elements. The images, together
with GPS coordinates, were also used to help create a
50 x 50 m grid of the plateau and the entire surface of
the ad-Deir region. A pedestrian survey of about two-
thirds of the central region of the plateau was then
undertaken, focusing especially on the region’s extant
archaeological remains and water control and contain-
ment features. More than 300 archaeological elements
were mapped with GPS and described using Middle
Eastern Geodatabase for Antiquities (MEGA)-Jordan
forms that evaluate each element’s approximate date,
characteristics, measurements, and conservation sta-
tus. In addition, the use of special software (Pix4D)
allowed for the visual rectification of GPS readings
using low-altitude aerial photography of the plateau
obtained from the drone.
Based on the initial survey data, a strategic plan for
the conservation of the recorded archaeological ele-
ments on the ad-Deir Plateau (including the ad-Deir
monument) was submitted to the Department of
Antiquities of Jordan, along with topographic maps,
three-dimensional imagery for the entire plateau,
and photographs. In addition, each archaeological
element’s MEGA form number was encoded on each
map for ease of retrieval and analysis.
The initial season also included an intensive ar-
chaeological and architectural conservation analysis
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
of the ad-Deir monument, including the use of three-
dimensional imaging to help measure the deteriora-
tion rate of the monument’s facade. An on-site analysis
of the erosion debris found above and behind the
ad-Deir monument has demonstrated the need to re-
establish Nabataean water-control channels above the
monument. Such channels would help shift erosion
debris away from the back of the facade and curtail
seasonal water erosion that is damaging the building’s
substructures. The long-term goals of the project in-
clude the study and restoration of selected Nabataean
water containment and control features. These goals
are important both for the conservation of critical ar-
chaeological elements on the plateau and as a model
for the study and restoration of renewable water re-
sources in the Petra Archaeological Park and region.
petra: wadi mataha project
David Johnson, Brigham Young University, reports:
In 2013, the Wadi Mataha Project focused on exca-
vating selected areas within site 15 (Tomb BD 676),
which is located on the western side of Wadi Mataha,
and site 20, a tomb located about 100 m southeast
of site 15. The excavations this season provided sig-
nificant information about the use of small objects as
votive offerings, the general health of the Nabataean
population, and the high status of children within the
upper-class families.
Site 20 (fig. 19) is a north-facing Nabataean rock-cut
tomb that features a facade with an upper register of
crowsteps and plain square columns flanking the en-
trance. On top of the tomb, a rock-cut area with two
benches forms a biclinia with niches. The rectangular
interior chamber of the tomb features 15 loculi, three
of which (L1, L7, and L14) were excavated this sea-
son. L1 and L14 have neither features nor evidence
of burial. By contrast, L7 includes a small chamber as
well as a 1.15 m deep cut in the floor that was partially
covered by flat ashlar blocks. The blocks covered the
skeletal remains of an adult individual between 30 and
50 years old, who appears to have suffered from severe
spinal arthritis. Artifacts recovered from L7 include a
yellow glass wedge with a profile of a face in cameo,
a beaded seashell, a chert nodule, small lithics, and
a fossilized sea urchin. Nabataean ceramics date the
tomb to the second half of the first century C.E.
A test trench was excavated north of the entrance to
site 15. The entrance has a raised portico area reached
by three shallow steps, a bedrock platform to the north,
and a small water channel running in front of the steps
at the entrance. More than 70 lithics of various sizes
were found, along with Nabataean pottery.
Site 15 (Tomb BD 676) includes three chambers
(L6, L7, and L10) with loculi that were excavated this
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
663
season. L6 is a chamber with a small loculus. The re-
mains of a small child, 4–6 years old, were recovered,
and the bones showed evidence of osteomyelitis (in
the form of oval abscesses) indicative of a chest or
lung infection. Such abscesses appear only in the
bones of individuals who have survived infection, so
the child most likely died from other causes. Artifacts
from L6 included Nabataean ceramics, a large chert
core, 23 chert flakes, and a large two-handled coarse
ware cooking pot. Significantly, L6 represents the
first example of a large chamber that was used for the
burial of a single child, suggesting that the child likely
belonged to a family of high status within Nabataean
society. Chamber L7 features a rectangular cut in the
floor. The remains of a single adult female who was
probably more than 40 years old were discovered.
The bones show extensive evidence of osteoarthritis,
including one lumbar vertebra with a very large bone
spur. Artifacts included Nabataean pottery, a large
chert core, and fragments of an orange and green
glass bracelet. Chamber L10 features a square-cut
loculus. The remains of a healthy adolescent female,
15–18 years old and about 1.5 m in height, were re-
covered. Grave goods included a blue glass tessera, a
white beaded seashell, a ceramic jar top with red and
black painted design, painted Nabataean pottery, fish
vertebrae, a chert nodule, two fossil gastropods, and 20
chert flakes. These loculi can be dated, at the earliest,
to the second half of the first century C.E. based on
the presence of Nabataean painted fine ware pottery.
petra: jabal khubthah survey
Laurent Tholbecq, Université Libre de Bruxelles, re-
ports:
An archaeological survey of the western portion of
Jabal Khubthah took place on behalf of the French
and Belgian archaeological missions in Petra in 2012.
A general topographic grid, consisting of 12 referen-
tial points linked to the Palestine Belt, was created for
Jabal Umm al-‘Amr, and a three-dimensional model
of the surveyed area was created using photogrammet-
ric aerial photography. Jabal Umm al-‘Amr was then
mapped at 1:50 scale (fig. 20).
The survey placed the southern massif of Jabal Umm
al-‘Amr, which features the rock-cut Naos D1762 and
its monumental idol, in its broader archaeological
context. Found in the northern part of this area is
Structure D1763, a cistern measuring 50 m2 that was
originally covered by five arches. There is also a smaller
associated (but higher) cistern to the west (D1765).
The main discovery in this area, however, was a bath
complex (D1764) measuring 225 m2. It shows a typi-
cal Vitruvian plan and features a multifunctional, rect-
angular entrance room, a cold room with a rock-cut
664 G.J. CORBETT ET AL. [AJA 118

Fig. 19. Wadi Mataha site 20, a Nabataean rock-cut tomb.

basin, a dry hot room (above a praefurnium), a tepi-
darium, and a caldarium. Service rooms were identi-
fied on the northern and western sides of the complex.
The survey also identified features of the bath’s water
system, including two partially arched aqueducts that
connect the complex with the two adjacent sandstone
massifs.
Farther north, Stibadium D1769 was associated with
a major (possibly open-air) hall on the east and was
connected with the impressive ruined foundations of
a western terrace. Several one- and two-room houses
were also recorded in the central area, as were some
square structures, one of which is of particular inter-
est. This structure, measuring 3.7 m2, is surrounded
by three decorative steps, and there is good reason to
think it may be an example of a built Nabataean square
tomb similar to ones found at Jabal ash-Sharah and
Khirbat edh-Dharih. Jabal Umm al-‘Amr’s central
massif is topped by a ruined tower and associated
buildings. Rock-cut and built terraces are numerous,
especially on the massif’s western side. We also re-
corded the large built Cistern D1772 and its associated
water-management and canal system.
In light of the survey’s findings, the long-favored
religious understanding of Jabal Khubthah’s remains
should give way to a more multifunctional interpre-
tation. Future explorations will determine whether
the area constituted the upper annex of an adjacent
complex during the Nabataean period before being
transformed into an independent, peripheral neigh-
borhood in the Roman and Late Roman periods.
petra: international al-khubthah tombs
project
Lucy Wadeson, Université Libre de Bruxelles,
reports:
The International al-Khubthah Tombs Project
(IKTP) involves the clearance and excavation of two
Nabataean facade tombs—Tombs BD779 and BD781—
situated at the base of the al-Khubthah Mountain in
Petra, in the so-called royal necropolis. As with many of
the tombs in Petra, these tombs were previously looted
and used as dwellings. Nevertheless, the first two ex-
cavation seasons (2010 and 2011) revealed sufficient
material remains to allow us to reconstruct the elusive
Nabataean burial and funerary practices, to enhance
understanding of Nabataean funerary architecture, to
shed light on the individuals buried in the tombs, and
to establish the date of their use. The 2013 excavation
focused on the burial chamber of Tomb BD781.

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 665

Fig. 20. Topographic plan of Jabal Umm al-‘Amr, showing locations of surveyed archaeological remains.

Tomb BD781 has a Hegra-type facade, a large court-
yard, and a spacious chamber that includes 16 loculi
carved in its walls and a small subsidiary chamber with
an elaborated entrance and arcosolium. Work began
with the clearing of the thick modern occupational
deposits that covered the floor of the northeastern cor-
ner of the main chamber, including four of the loculi
(Loculi 5–8). This revealed a pit grave in the floor of
each loculus, as well as a shallow rectangular receptacle
in front of each loculus opening. Fill was also cleared
from the floor of the subsidiary chamber, revealing
three pit graves and another receptacle in front of the
chamber entrance. All the exposed graves and recep-
tacles were subsequently excavated, and a new plan
of the tomb was made. The rectangular receptacles
were revealed to have a varying depth of 0.02–0.13 m
but were filled with modern material. Similar features
were discovered in Tomb BD64B during previous ex-
cavations there. In that tomb, a broken stele (nefesh)
memorializing the deceased was recovered from one
of the receptacles, thus elucidating their function.
The graves carved in the floors of Loculi 5–8 all
differed in terms of their depth (0.74–1.56 m), ar-
rangement, and the degree to which they had been
disturbed. Apart from the grave in Loculus 6, which
had been completely robbed out, the rest yielded
abundant ceramics, coins, and human remains. The
grave in Loculus 8 was particularly rich in finds. It had

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
666 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
been looted from the west end, leaving the original
sealing layers of the burial relatively intact at the east
end. The sealing layers comprised massive stone slabs
resting on rock-cut ledges 0.55 m above the grave bot-
tom, sealed with mortar and topped with a thick layer
of compact soil. Resting on the slabs, along the sides of
the grave, were stone-built ledges 0.40 m high. These
presumably once supported another layer of cover
slabs near the top of the grave. A skull was recovered
from the looters’ hole, together with a gold earring, a
polished shell, and gold thread, indicating the richness
of this burial. A Trajanic silver denarius of the Arabia
adquista type was also recovered from the bottom of
the grave, suggesting a post-Roman annexation (106
C.E.) date for the burial.
The three graves in the subsidiary chamber were
much deeper (2.08–2.68 m deep) than the loculi
graves. They had also been looted but still yielded
significant finds. While the two graves along the east
and south walls presented a typical Nabataean form,
the grave directly in front of the entrance was pecu-
liar in that it comprised a rock-cut shelf on the west
side near the surface. An almost complete skeleton
was discovered on this shelf, and in the main shaft
several Byzantine coins came to light. The carving
of this grave also destroyed parts of the neighboring
graves, suggesting reuse of this tomb in later periods.
the petra north ridge project
S. Thomas Parker, North Carolina State University,
and Megan A. Perry, East Carolina University, report:
The Petra North Ridge Project (PNRP) began in
the 1990s under Patricia Bikai, with excavation of two
churches and two first-century C.E. tombs under the
Ridge Church that yielded rich skeletal and artifac-
tual evidence. The first season of renewed work on
the Petra North Ridge was conducted in 2012. The
North Ridge lies north of the main east–west street
extending through Petra’s city center (fig. 21), and it
is covered with dozens of rock-cut tombs and wall lines
suggesting the presence of other structures, including
a segment of Petra’s city wall. Despite prior archaeolog-
ical research within Petra, surprisingly little is known
about the city’s nonelite population. The PNRP seeks
to address this gap by excavating Nabataean (primar-
ily first-century C.E.) tombs and Roman/Byzantine
(first- to sixth-century C.E.) domestic structures along
the North Ridge. The project is examining the health
and quality of life of the Nabataeans through analysis
of the human skeletal material from the tombs and
recovering evidence of Nabataean mortuary practices.
Excavation of Roman/Byzantine domestic structures,
which partially overlie the tombs, will broaden under-
standing of this period. The project also aims to exca-
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
vate a segment of Petra’s city wall and thereby finally
provide a date for this substantial feature.
Four trenches were opened in Area A east of the
Ridge Church and just south of the city wall. Excava-
tion produced a complete stratigraphic profile. In
the first period of occupation (first century C.E.), a
complex of apparently domestic stone structures was
erected atop bedrock. These structures were subse-
quently cut through and/or built over by the city wall.
The builders incorporated existing Nabataean walls
into the city wall itself or cut a trench through earlier
structures down to bedrock, then laid a thin layer of
soil to create a level construction surface. The city
wall, which still stands to a height of 3 m, consists of
two faces of dressed masonry surrounding a core of
rough-coursed masonry. The latest pottery from the
foundations dates to the early second century, sug-
gesting the wall was constructed during this period.
Farther east, Area B consisted of two excavations:
apparent domestic structures and three rock-cut shaft
tombs. The structures represent portions of a domes-
tic complex of the second and third centuries, which
was apparently destroyed in the earthquake of 363
C.E. They include a large rectangular courtyard and
two rooms on the south-facing terrace. One room
featured a plaster floor overlying bedrock, a cooking
installation containing ceramic jars, a stone staircase
built into a corner, and a small plastered cubicle, per-
haps a storage area.
Three chamber tombs carved into the North Ridge
bedrock were explored in the 2012 season. These
tombs present intriguing insights into Nabataean mor-
tuary culture. In addition to complete lamps, cups,
and unguentaria (along with sherds of many other
vessels), the tombs contained personal jewelry and
other mortuary accoutrement.
Tomb B.4 contained many unique features, includ-
ing two windows and a deep trough running along the
northern and western walls that was used for burials.
The chamber contained remains of at least 14 indi-
viduals. Several intact or partially intact skeletons and
scattered skeletal elements from other individuals were
recovered from soil layers on the chamber floor, within
the troughs, and from a rectangular niche cut into the
eastern wall. Associated artifacts date the tomb to the
first century C.E.
Tomb B.5 contained many features cut into the
bedrock. Three rectangular niches were cut into the
western, northern, and eastern chamber walls. Three
shaft graves were cut into the floor; one still contained
capstones in situ. At least 12 individuals were interred
within this tomb. Single adult burials were found
within the western and northern niches, while the
eastern niche was empty. Most skeletal remains were
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 667

Fig. 21. Aerial photograph showing major features of the North Ridge at Petra and the 2012 excavation areas
(© 2012 Google, Orion-ME; Google, DigitalGlobe; Google, GISrael).

found on the floors of the tomb chambers and were
concentrated in the eastern half of the tomb. These
bones were integrated into or just above a thick layer
of burned material, possibly incense.
In Tomb B.6 the shaft was completely excavated,
and the soil within the north chamber was excavated
down to the top of at least six shaft graves. A possible
loculus blocked by fallen bedrock extends east of the
chamber, and a smaller chamber to the south also
probably contains a shaft grave. Excavation ceased at
this point but was continued in the 2014 season.
petra: temple of the winged lions
Christopher A. Tuttle, Asma Shhaltoug, Maria Elena
Ronza, Christina Danielli, Chrysanthos Kanellopoulos,
Erin Addison, Tali Erickson-Gini, and Qais Tweissi, on
behalf of the American Center of Oriental Research
(ACOR), report:
The Temple of the Winged Lions, a Nabataean
temple in Petra, was excavated by the American Expe-
dition to Petra (AEP) led by the late P.C. Hammond
between 1974 and 2005. Primarily because of limited
funding, the AEP was unable to conserve or restore
the Temple of the Winged Lions, and the building de-
graded over the years after exposure by the excavation.
In 2009, the Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural
Resource Management (TWLCRM) Initiative, a co-
operative project with ACOR, the Department of An-
tiquities of Jordan, and the Petra Archaeological Park,
was launched to preserve this important monument
and to develop a comprehensive presentation strategy
that will permit the monument’s part in the story of
the city to be better understood. Assessments, docu-
mentation, analyses, and planning were conducted
during 2009 and 2010. The TWLCRM Initiative was
awarded a competitive 2011 Ambassadors Fund for
Cultural Preservation Large Grant, which allowed the
fieldwork to commence in 2012.
The TWLCRM project employs a holistic, grassroots
model that encompasses multiple subcomponents:
assessment, documentation, landscape rehabilita-
tion, conservation, restoration, excavation, presen-
tation, archives, and publication. Execution of the
subcomponents is unified through the use of a social
engagement strategy aimed at building sustainable
preservation capacity and skills in the surrounding
communities.
During the 2012 and 2013 seasons, work was ac-
complished in all the subcomponents. Much of the
required documentation is now finished. Quite a few
soil and stone dumps of the AEP mission were re-
moved from the landscape for recycling, and a pro-
gram of studying and monitoring the environmental
impacts of both the original and current missions was

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
668 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
implemented. Two seasons of conservation and minor
restoration of the architecture in the temple were
completed. Studying of the original mission archives is
ongoing, and this data, combined with the TWLCRM
data, is being developed for publication.
One of the most interesting accomplishments was
related to developing the final presentation strategy
for the monumental Temple of the Winged Lions
precinct. This involved an innovative, experimental
archaeology effort in which 1:1 scale replicas of the
columns chosen for restoration were actually erect-
ed in situ using lightweight materials (fig. 22). Hol-
low column drums were cast in plaster using molds,
and capitals were hand-carved from polystyrene. The
lightweight columns were then erected on wooden
platforms built directly around and over the extant
portions of the original columns. This “faux restora-
tion” proved to be a success for several key purposes:
it allowed the expert team to test whether all the
presentation goals would be achieved within the ac-
tual landscape of Petra; it also created a visual-reality
experience that conveyed to the team members from
the local communities one of the main goals to which
their own ongoing efforts are contributing. The
TWLCRM project will continue for several more years
before completion.5
petra church
Barbara A. Porter, Maria Elena Ronza, and Chris-
topher A. Tuttle, American Center of Oriental Re-
search, report:
Conservation efforts continued in 2012 and 2013
in the Petra Church in cooperation with the Petra
Archaeological Park and the Department of Antiq-
uities of Jordan. F. Sciorilli has continued to direct
the conservation projects, and these have included
the removal of salts from the mosaic floors and the
sandstone walls.
In the spring of 2012, a section of the western end
of the north aisle was lifted, a new lime mortar bed-
ding put in place (using the strappo technique), and
the section put back in place as had been done the
year before on the south aisle. This was undertaken
with the additional supervision of A. Vaccalluzzo. A
small probe was also excavated below this part of the
floor. Liquid mortar and consolidants were injected
beneath the mosaics in the areas where it was deemed
necessary. All the old gap fills from prior interventions
were removed and replaced with more flexible and
historically correct lime mortar. This took place on
5
Regular updates about the course of the work undertaken by the initiative can be found on the timeline at www.facebook.com/
TWLCRM.
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
the tessellated mosaic floors as well as on the central
opus sectile floor. Several of the columns and some of
the marble floor slabs between the columns were con-
solidated. The mosaics were cleaned and consolidated
with Syton X 30. In 2013, the opus sectile floor in the
atrium at the entrance to the nave was cleaned and
consolidated and protected with sandbags until fur-
ther conservation work could be undertaken in 2014.
A major endeavor has been the redesign of the
drainage system. For more than a year, the exposed
trench along the south wall from the entranceway
to the northeast corner was left open to permit the
lower stone courses of the walls and the foundation
to dry out. Bags of ceramic material that were found
in the trench below the original pipe were removed,
retagged, and reburied in the area once occupied by
toilets, just outside the exterior west wall of the church.
Two ancient walls were uncovered and documented
before the trench was filled with the reburied material
and the top backfilled.
petra hinterland tombs project
Lucy Wadeson, Université Libre de Bruxelles, and
Fawzi Abudanah, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University,
report:
The Petra Hinterland Tombs Project (PHTP) un-
dertook its first season of fieldwork in 2012. Fourteen
tombs were documented and studied in the areas to
the northeast, east, and southeast of Petra, along the
ridge of the Jabal ash-Sharah range. Several of these
tombs had been noted by F. Abudanah during his
previous surveys in the area but had never been re-
corded, while others were detected through the use
of satellite imagery. All the tombs had suffered loot-
ing and disturbance, some relatively recently, which is
what made their documentation urgent. These tombs,
which according to the ceramics and architectural style
appear to have been in use primarily during the first
three centuries C.E., offer a wealth of information on
life and society in the hinterland of Petra during the
Nabataean and Roman periods.
The tombs belong to two principal types. The first
is the rock-cut tomb type, of which there are six ex-
amples. Within this group are two subtypes: subterra-
nean tombs carved down into the bedrock (Tombs 3,
4, 8) and tombs carved into the slope of a hill (Tombs
5, 7, 13). The chambers of these tombs vary in size,
and the typical burial installations include loculi and
cist graves. Apart from the built facade on Tomb 13,
the other rock-cut tombs are simple with no surviving
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 669

Fig. 22. Installation of faux columns and capitals at the Temple of the Winged Lions in 2013.

traces of decoration, unlike the decorative monumen-
tal examples at Petra.
The second type of tomb recorded is a monumen-
tal, subterranean loculi tomb, of which there are five
examples (Tombs 1, 2, 10, 11, 12) (fig. 23). These
underground tombs typically have a square chamber
built with irregular ashlars and rows of built loculi in
the walls. They also usually have vaulted ceilings that
support some type of superstructure or monumental
tomb marker. Tomb 11 presents some peculiarities in
that its loculi are both rock-cut and built and are at-
tached to concealed chambers. We also recorded three
other possible tombs that, because of their location
and surface remains, may be of this type (Tombs[?]
6, 9, 14); without excavation, however, this cannot be
confirmed. This tomb type was discovered in Wadi
Musa in 1998 during construction activity above the
site of Khirbat Nawafleh (Tomb WM 25/an-Naqla
cemetery), and at as-Sadaqa, 26 km southeast of Petra.
The PHTP tombs are all situated in rural settings
but tend to be located in prominent positions, such
as by roads and on hilltops, where they had a com-
manding view over the surrounding landscape and
where they could be seen from a distance. Several
tombs have direct views toward the mountains of Pe-
tra, such as Tomb 1 and Tomb 12. Apart from some
of the rock-cut tombs (Tombs 4, 5, 8, 13), which may
belong to a necropolis, the remainder of the tombs
are isolated. These tombs are often associated with a
nearby small settlement, either a farmstead or ham-
let. In some cases, they are situated by walls or within
enclosures, such as Tombs 1, 2, and 10. These fac-
tors suggest that the tombs may have also functioned
as territorial markers of family-owned property. The
tombs with evidence for a superstructure would have
been highly visible in the landscape, no doubt serving
to display the status of the family buried in the tombs
and the property owners.
PHTP has highlighted that the tombs in the hinter-
land of Petra need protection against further damage
from illegal looting, especially the monumental built
tombs, which have suffered the most damage. In future
seasons, several exemplars of these tombs will be ex-
cavated to document the human remains, reconstruct
burial practices, seek more precise chronological data,
and conserve the built architecture.
petra: al-wu’ayra
Andrea Vanni Desideri and Silvia Leporatti, Uni-
versity of Florence, report:
As part of the Medieval Petra Project of the Uni-
versity of Florence, a 2013 study was conducted at the

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
670 G.J. CORBETT ET AL. [AJA 118

Fig. 23. PHTP Tomb 10 (view from the south), a subterranean loculi tomb along the modern road that runs between
Petra and Aqaba.

castle site of al-Wu’ayra to clarify the history of the

site, particularly the phases preceding those of the
Crusader-Ayyubid period. Previous excavations and
surface collections had already revealed the presence
of architectural elements and artifacts dating to the
Nabataean period, as well as artifacts and building
techniques characteristic of Late Antique Petra.
Our research focused especially on the thorough
mapping of the site’s rock-cut features to determine,
if possible, their origins, relationships, functions, and
chronology. Various types of features were revealed
(including stairways, postholes, niches, funerary/devo-
tional structures, channels, and cisterns), as was a wide
funerary or sacred area that extends across the entirety
of the site. The necropolis consists of several rock-cut
tombs arranged in small groups. Different types of
tombs have been documented, from simple rock-cut
graves to more elaborate tombs with rock-cut facades
partitioned by semicolumns. Each funerary complex
also includes stairways that are closely associated with
rock-cut channels running from platforms positioned
Fig. 24. Map of the castle site of al-Wu’ayra, showing the
above the tombs. The necropolis can be dated to the extension of the necropolis sanctuary (in gray), the limit
Nabataean period, and its limits correspond exactly to of the Crusader castle keep, and the external water supply
those of the later Crusader castle (fig. 24). system (courtesy Petra Archaeological Park).

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
Our research has also shown that a prominent
pierced rock at the site, used up until now as the en-
trance to the Crusader castle, had a very different
shape and function during the Nabataean period.
It was nearly hemispherical and comparable to the
rounded stone betyls known from Petra.
During late antiquity, the site changed dramatically
and was transformed for the first time into a perma-
nent settlement, perhaps one with a military function.
An external limestone wall defended the site, and the
earlier hemispherical stone was transformed into a
tower that guarded the site’s entrance. At the same
time, some of the Nabataean sacred complexes were
turned into more utilitarian structures, such as dams
and water-catchment basins, that were later reused by
the Crusaders.
udhruh archaeological project
Mark Driessen, Leiden University, and Fawzi Abu-
danah, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, report:
The Udhruh Archaeological Project’s 48 km2 re-
search area around Udhruh (12 km east of Petra),
best known for its Roman castra (legionary fortress)
(online fig. 17), features a variety of well-preserved ar-
chaeological remains that evidence continuous settle-
ment from the Nabataean to the Late Islamic period.
The project uses extensive and intensive field surveys,
small-scale excavations, material culture studies, and
science-based techniques to identify, study, and date
these remains. Taking a theoretical approach, it also
seeks to understand the long-term changes in the role
of the Udhruh area as a regional hinterland of impor-
tant centers such as Petra.
Surveys conducted from 2011 to 2013 demonstrated
that the area around Udhruh was intensively exploited
in antiquity. Evidence of large enclosed agricultural
field systems was discovered across the study area, in-
cluding systems where runoff and floodwaters were
used for irrigation. Southeast of Udhruh, we also
investigated a series of extensive agricultural fields
watered by a qanat irrigation system—more than 200
vertical shafts carved into the limestone bedrock that
give access to a series of subterranean canals linking
several underground aquifers. Along the surface, the
water was transported through solidly built channels
and aqueducts and then gathered in large reservoirs
capable of holding several million liters of water. In
addition, we found evidence of stone quarries.
Survey of surrounding hilltops also revealed new
information about Udhruh’s strategic location. Atop
eight hilltops, each with wide, strategic views across the
region, we identified the remains of a series of possible
watchtowers, all seemingly within sight of one another
as well as of Udhruh and Petra.
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
671
In addition to achieving its archaeological goals,
the Udhruh Archaeological Project seeks to meet the
interests and needs of local stakeholders. To give the
local community a voice in the archaeological project,
we have begun an oral history project to document
local perceptions, ideas, and traditions surrounding
the archaeology and heritage of the Udhruh region.
We plan to publish the collected narratives as an Ara-
bic and English booklet that can then be distributed
to locals, archaeological and heritage professionals,
and visiting tourists. Although the Udhruh region
has great archaeological potential, its people rarely
benefit from the tourism industry of nearby Petra.
Collecting, publishing, and distributing local stories
might increase awareness of this intriguing archaeo-
logical site and region.
‘ayn gharandal
Robert Darby and Erin Darby, University of Ten-
nessee, report:
‘Ayn Gharandal lies 70 km north of the Gulf of
Aqaba, 40 km southwest of Petra, and approximately
200 m west of the mouth of Wadi Gharandal on the
eastern edge of Jordan’s Wadi Arabah. Begun in 2009,
the ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project has re-
vealed the remains of a Late Roman castellum (fort),
bathhouse, and aqueduct system, as well as other out-
lying structures.
Excavation during the 2013 season was carried out
in a probe on the eastern ridge overlooking the site,
as well as along the north, west, and east curtain walls
of the fort. The eastern ridge probe was opened in re-
sponse to looting that had been taking place over the
past several years. Excavation revealed the remains of
a structure whose primary purpose remains unclear.
It may have originally served as a watchtower. Subse-
quent reuse continued into the modern period. Hu-
man burials were also uncovered in this area.
In the fort, a trench along the north curtain wall
revealed two complete rooms and part of a third.
These rooms lie adjacent to the defensive wall and
are bordered to the south by the fort’s central court-
yard. Preliminary ceramic analysis indicates the rooms
were used for domestic activities. The eastern room
contained secondary construction phases built imme-
diately above the lowest occupational horizons. The
entire row of rooms contained an arch system that
probably supported an upper floor.
Along the fort’s west curtain wall, a trench revealed
two rooms. Because of the extensive burials encoun-
tered just below the surface, neither was excavated
to bedrock. As a result, excavation was discontinued
in the northern room but continued in the southern
room, where we uncovered the remains of two large,
672 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
partially collapsed piers. In 2010 and 2011, this same
room had revealed the remains of a carefully painted
Greek inscription. The large piers and the location of
the room across from the fort’s gate further confirm
that the room was used as the fort’s principia, or offi-
cers’ headquarters.
Excavation along the fort’s eastern wall revealed
the original arched gateway constructed of fine ashlar
blocks. Subsequent to the first phase of construction,
walls were built inside the gate to narrow the opening;
a ramp was added; and a small threshold was built on
top of the ramp. Complete pots associated with the
secondary phase of the gate indicate that the modifi-
cation took place during the fourth century.
The season’s most spectacular find was the fort’s
Latin foundation inscription. The fort appears to have
been abandoned after the modification to the gate,
sometime in the latter half of the fourth century. Sub-
sequently, a seismic event caused the gate to collapse,
and the gate’s arch fell forward. It was found in situ
among toppled mudbrick debris from the fort’s east
wall. Resting directly on the apex of the arch was a
large rectangular limestone block (90 x 65 x 25 cm)
that had fallen facedown (online fig. 18). The block
contained a Latin inscription, its letters still bearing
remnants of red paint, set inside a tabula ansata and
decorated with laurel branches. Conservation of the
inscription was conducted by F. Marii of the Jordan
Museum and B. Dolph of the Cotsen Institute of Ar-
chaeology/Getty Program in Archaeological and Eth-
nographic Conservation, in collaboration with the
ACOR Conservation Cooperative. The inscription at-
tributes the foundation of the fort to Diocletian and
his coemperors (293–305 C.E.). Further, it provides
the name of the garrison at the fort as the cohors II
Galatarum—which according to the Notitia Dignitatum
(ca. 400 C.E.) belonged to the provincial regiment
of Palaestina and was stationed at the city/town of
Arieldela—thus confirming the site’s ancient name.
The ‘Ayn Gharandal fort appears to have been
founded in the early fourth century, though little
other than the foundation inscription actually dates
to this time. The fort was used continuously through
much of the fourth century. Excavation in every square
has produced layers of wind-blown sand lying directly
above occupation, suggesting the fort was abandoned
rather than destroyed. Above these sterile layers is the
well-preserved mudbrick collapse from the fort’s walls,
which, given the uniformity of the debris across the
site, must have been the result of seismic activity. Nu-
merous earthquakes affected the region in antiquity,
including that of 19 May 363 C.E., which caused ex-
tensive damage to Petra and other towns of Palaestina.
It is likely that ‘Ayn Gharandal suffered a similar fate.
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
humayma excavation project
M. Barbara Reeves, Queen’s University, and Craig
A. Harvey, University of Michigan, report:
The Humayma Excavation Project focused on com-
pleting the excavation of the Roman bathhouse in
2012 to determine the full plan and phasing of this
long-occupied area of ancient Hawara. Our past work
suggested that occupation in this area stretched from
the first century C.E. (with the construction of Naba-
taean structures) to the seventh or eighth century C.E.
(with the abandonment of the bathhouse). This sea-
son’s work provided the data necessary to determine
the many phases of occupation over this area’s 700–
800 years of continuous use. This occupation includes
three Nabataean phases preceding the construction
of the Roman bathhouse and many Roman and Byz-
antine phases, during which the size and character of
the bathhouse changed considerably. Of particular
interest was the discovery of a grand entranceway on
the northwest side of the bathhouse leading into a
corridor and then into a large open-air apodyterium
and a full immersion pool on the building’s western
side (fig. 25). All these features date to the Roman pe-
riod and have parallels in the bathhouse next to the
Great Temple in Petra. It is very likely that the same
engineers were involved in the construction of both
bathhouses. The bathhouse at Humayma was built for
the Roman soldiers garrisoned there and thus reflects
the luxuries available to these representatives of Ro-
man authority.
The praetorium in the Roman fort also epitomizes
the luxuries available to an elite Roman officer sta-
tioned in the desert. A room heated by a hypocaust
was probed in the northeast corner of this structure in
2004 and reopened in 2012 to clarify its function and
phasing. This heated room constituted an addition
to the early second-century C.E. fort, which was later
abandoned and had its hypocaust dismantled in the
fourth century. Given its placement in the northeast
corner of the praetorium next to a bank of four rooms
with mosaic floors, it may have served as a winter din-
ing room. Based on its architecture and decoration,
the commander’s house was clearly the most luxurious
residence in Roman Hawara. The house’s luxury is also
evidenced by the many fine objects dumped into the
dining room after it was abandoned, including finely
carved bone artifacts, a pair of bronze tweezers, and
a fragment of a Latin graffito scratched onto a piece
of wall plaster.
All the ceramic building materials found in asso-
ciation with the bathhouse and the heated room in
the praetorium were catalogued in 2012. This mate-
rial was used to refine the typologies of each class of
building material begun after the 2010 season. To
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS 673

Fig. 25. Large immersion basin uncovered outside the Roman-period bathhouse at Humayma (ancient Hawara).

collect in situ samples of brick, tubulus, and pipe and
incorporate them into the study set, the excavation
team reopened previously excavated areas in the bath-
house. Study of this in situ material, in conjunction
with that found in soil loci, has already made it clear
that ceramic building materials of different forms
and fabrics were used at different times in the site’s
Nabataean through Byzantine periods. The presence
of certain types of ceramic building materials in soil
loci are already providing an alternative way of dat-
ing these levels.
Another area was reopened in 2012 as part of an
effort to determine whether this mudbrick building
served as a Roman-period brothel. Unfortunately,
because the bathhouse turned out to be larger than
anticipated, it became necessary to transfer the excava-
tors to the bathhouse after only two-and-a-half weeks.
This made it impossible to collect enough data to
support or refute the brothel theory; however, more
was determined about the building’s plan and earth-
quake damage. In addition, the discovery of an arch
springer and part of a collapsed arch reveals that this
Nabataean or Early Roman–period building was more
elaborate than suggested by the pre-2012 excavations.
The final goal of the 2012 field season was to use
advanced, close-range photographic techniques to
create detailed images of Humayma’s inscriptions,
graffiti, and artifacts. Both reflectance transformation
imaging (RTI) and photogrammetry were carried out
on several petroglyphs, betyls, and Greek, Nabataean,
and Thamudic graffiti carved into the hills southwest
of Humayma. The usefulness of these photographic
techniques was also tested on seven artifacts excavat-
ed this season and on an inscribed statue base in the
Roman fort.
southeastern badia archaeological
project
Wael Abu-Azizeh, Centre National de la Recher-
che Scientifique–Université Paris, and Mohammad
Tarawneh, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, report:
The joint French-Jordanian Southeastern Badia
Archaeological Project focuses on defining the late
prehistoric occupation of the marginal arid regions
south and east of the Jafr Basin. The 2012 season took
place in the area of al-Thulaythuwat and focused on
excavating soundings in stone-enclosure campsites
located in one part of the sandy alluvial plain. These
sites are unusually complex and include several large
courtyards or pen structures in association with dwell-
ing units and smaller compartments that were prob-
ably used as storage facilities. They cluster together
at the foot of the area’s residual sandstone hills, and
their distribution extends far beyond the limits of the

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
674 G.J. CORBETT ET AL.
study area. These complex campsite settlements seem
to reflect a more permanent form of pastoral-nomadic
occupation (and larger population size) when com-
pared with the more common simple stone enclosures
found elsewhere in the region. Although these sites
can be broadly attributed to the Chalcolithic/Early
Bronze Age, only more precise chronological infor-
mation will help us determine whether these sites
reflect a temporal evolution related to shifting sub-
sistence strategies or whether they evidence regional
cultural or socio-organizational differentiation. Our
soundings confirmed the stratigraphic potential of
these sites and also provided organic materials for
radiocarbon dating.
The project also studied a field of burial cairns. The
field extends for 100 m along a high escarpment that
crosses the study area from west to east. The excava-
tion of two cairns south of Jabal Kabd revealed the
primary burials of two adult individuals deposited in
cist graves below the stone tumuli. These data supple-
ment the results of the project’s previous cairn exca-
vations, which provided radiocarbon evidence dating
this burial phenomenon to the Late Neolithic, a dat-
ing further confirmed this season by the discovery of
a Haparsa arrowhead in one of the graves.
In 2013, our work focused on the eastern Jafr Ba-
sin. An initial reconnaissance explored the area of the
Upper Wadi Hudruj, which is located about 100 km
to the east of al-Jafr. The remains of limited but wide-
spread cortical-flake production were identified,
thereby confirming the extensive pastoral-nomadic
occupation of this region during the Chalcolithic/
Early Bronze Age. However, the limited number of
identified campsites stands in marked contrast to the
widespread exploitation of the area’s flint deposits.
This suggests occupation was temporary and ephemer-
al, most probably related to mobile phases of pastoral-
nomadic transhumance.
Subsequent work concentrated on the nearby area
of Jibal al-Khashabiyeh. We were first attracted to this
escarpment after having identified numerous rectilin-
ear features associated with it on high-resolution satel-
lite imagery. An extensive systematic survey confirmed
that these stone alignments are part of a chain of desert
kites that extends for nearly 20 km. It thus constitutes
the first chain-like desert kite complex identified in
southeastern Jordan. During fieldwork, we document-
ed and mapped 10 of these kite structures and used
aerial photography to produce site plans and terrain
models of their landscape setting. At the same time, we
identified numerous stone-enclosure campsites. These
were consistently found on the slope or at the foot of
the escarpment, often in the immediate vicinity of the
kites’ extremities. Given that the campsites occur in
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
[AJA 118
such close proximity to the kites, it is possible that the
two phenomena are related. Moreover, several flint-
knapping workshops identified on the upper slope of
the escarpment were characterized by blade produc-
tion that included significant proportions of burins
and a notable predominance of various bifacial tools
(online fig. 19). These assemblages show clear paral-
lels with the Tuwailan industry of the Negev and Sinai
and also have obvious similarities to the burin sites of
the harra. We thus suggest a final PPN-B or broader
Late Neolithic time frame for these workshops, and we
wonder whether such flint production can be related
to the stone-enclosure occupation remains and/or to
the kites that have been discovered.
tall al-magass
Ulrike Siegel and Klaus Schmidt, Orient Depart-
ment, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, and Lutfi
Khalil, University of Jordan, report:
The prehistoric sites of Tall al-Magass (ca. 4300–
3600 B.C.E.) and Tall Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan (ca. 4000–
3500 B.C.E.), which date to the transitional period
from the Late Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age, are
the oldest known permanent settlements in the vicin-
ity of Aqaba. The sites have been under investigation
since 1998 as part of the Archaeological Survey and
Excavations in the Yutum and Magass Area (ASEYM),
a joint Jordanian-German project. Both sites devel-
oped during the period in which copper metallurgy
and water management emerged.
The 12th ASEYM season (2013) aimed to clarify
the stratigraphy of Tall al-Magass and to document a
long, deep section cut through the site during road-
construction activity in 1967. The section shows various
architectural features, many floor levels, several pits,
and multiple ash layers. Our goal is to document the
complete section using photogrammetric methods and
drawing, though our limited time in 2013 allowed us to
concentrate only on its northern part. A sounding (2 x
5 m) was also excavated down to virgin soil. Based on
the sections, it is clear that the stratigraphic sequence
of Tall al-Magass comprises two different entities.
Above virgin soil we found a sequence of ashy layers
3 m high with very few stone walls, several pits coated
with unburned clay, and sporadic pottery sherds. Nu-
merous bone fragments, some bone tools (needles and
awls), a small broken basalt hammerstone, and an un-
worked shell were also discovered. No remains of cop-
per metallurgy were observed in the lower portions of
the sequence. The uppermost layer is quite different
and characterized by abundant evidence of stone-wall
and even mudbrick-wall construction. Pottery sherds
are also more numerous, and among the other finds
are several pieces of green copper slag.
2014] ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS
The excavations also provided nine new radiocarbon
dates, adding considerably to the five dates already pub-
lished for Tall al-Magass. According to the five samples
obtained during the 1998 survey, settlement activity was
shown to fall within the range of the charcoal sample
of cal B.C.E. 4240–3990 (2σ) and charcoal samples of
cal B.C.E. 3720–3530 (2σ). Samples collected in 2013
include matching radiocarbon dates from two charcoal
samples of tamarisk that provide a date of cal B.C.E.
4336–4241 (2σ), and a charcoal sample of hardwood
gives a date of cal B.C.E. 4360–4261 (2σ), suggesting
an earlier beginning of settlement activity.
contributing authors
Lorraine Abu-Azizeh, lorraine.abuazizeh@gmail.com
Wael Abu-Azizeh, wabuazizeh@yahoo.fr
Fawzi Abudanah, fawziabudanh@yahoo.co.uk
Russell B. Adams, rbadams@uwaterloo.ca
Erin Addison, addison.usufruct@gmail.com
Peter M.M.G. Akkermans, P.M.M.G.Akkermans@arch.
leidenuniv.nl
Christopher J. H. Ames, cjhames@berkeley.edu
Karin Bartl, bartl@damaskus.dainst.org
Ghazi Bisheh, gbisheh@hotmail.com
Jeannette Boertien, jhboertien@gmail.com
Kent V. Bramlett, kbramlet@lasierra.edu
Christopher Bravo, bravoc@berkeley.edu
Stephanie Brown, brown.stephanie85@berkeley.edu
Claudia Bührig, Claudia.Buehrig@dainst.de
Teresa Bürge, teresa.buerge@gmx.ch
Carlos E. Cordova, carlos.cordova@OKstate.edu
Meredith S. Chesson, mchesson@nd.edu
Douglas R. Clark, dclark@lasierra.edu
Glenn J. Corbett, acor@acorjordan.org
Christina Danielli, christinaudanielli@gmail.com
Erin Darby, edarby1@utk.edu
Robert Darby, rdarby2@utk.edu
Giovanna De Palma, giovanna.depalma@beniculturali.it
Bert de Vries, dvrb@calvin.edu
Mark Driessen, m.j.driessen@arch.leidenuniv.nl
Caroline Durand, carolinedurand@yahoo.fr
Steven Edwards, steven.edwards@mail.utoronto.ca
Susan Ellis, suellis1@wsc.edu
Tali Erickson-Gini, talixgini@gmail.com
Cynthia Finlayson, calderfin@aol.com
Peter M. Fischer, peter@fischerarchaeology.se
Debra Foran, dforan@wlu.ca
Hannah A. Friedman, hannah.friedman@ttu.edu
Sumio Fujii, fujii@kenroku.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
David D. Gilbertson, dave.gilbertson@plymouth.ac.uk
Laurent Gorgerat, laurent.gorgerat@bs.ch
John P. Grattan, jpg@aber.ac.uk
Jehad Haron, jnia4@yahoo.com
This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
675
Craig A. Harvey, caharvey@umich.edu
Jutta Häser, haeser@bai-wuppertal.de
Keith Haylock, kih8@aber.ac.uk
Austin C. Hill, austin.hill@uconn.edu
David Johnson, david_johnson@byu.edu
Jennifer E. Jones, jejones@d.umn.edu
Zeidan Kafafi, zeidan.kafafi@gmail.com
Chrysanthos Kanellopoulos, chrys_kane@hotmail.gr
Donald R. Keller, acor@bu.edu
Morag M. Kersel, mkersel@depaul.edu
Lutfi Khalil, lakhalil@ju.edu.jo
Øystein S. LaBianca, labianca@andrews.edu
Silvia Leporatti, silvialeporatti@libero.it
Achim Lichtenberger, Achim.Lichtenberger@ruhr-
uni-bochum.de
Jesse C. Long, Jr., jesse.long@lcu.edu
Danielle A. Macdonald, Danielle.macdonald@cepam.
cnrs.fr
Lisa Maher, maher@berkeley.edu
Bernd Müller-Neuhof, bmn@orient.dainst.de
Noor Mulder-Hymans, noor.mulder.2@home.nl
Tina M. Niemi, NiemiT@umkc.edu
Lorenzo Nigro, Lorenzo.Nigro@uniroma1.it
Friedbert Ninow, friedbert.ninow@thh-friedensau.de
April Nowell, anowell@uvic.ca
Michele Nucciotti, michele.nucciotti@unifi.it
Gaetano Palumbo, gpalumbo@wmf.org
Thomas R. Paradise, trparadise@gmail.com
S. Thomas Parker, parker@ncsu.edu
Megan A. Perry, perrym@ecu.edu
Pauline Piraud-Fournet, p.piraudfournet@gmail.com
James Pokines, jpokines@bu.edu
Konstantinos D. Politis, kdpolitis@hsnes.org
Barbara A. Porter, acor@acorjordan.org
Benjamin W. Porter, bwporter@berkeley.edu
Elisa Pruno, elisa.pruno@unifi.it
Rubina Raja, rubina.raja@cas.au.dk
François Renel, francois.renel@inrap.fr
M. Barbara Reeves, reevesb@queensu.ca
Suzanne Richard, richard002@gannon.edu
Gary O. Rollefson, rollefgo@whitman.edu
Maria Elena Ronza, gigele@yahoo.it
Yorke M. Rowan, ymrowan@uchicago.edu
John D. Rucker, jdr1066@yahoo.com
Tahani al-Salhi, t.msalhi@pra.gov.jo
Klaus Schmidt, Klaus.Schmidt@dainst.de
Jacques Seigne, jacques.seigne@gmail.com
Asma Shhaltoug, shhltg@yahoo.com
Ulrike Siegel, Ulrike.Siegel@dainst.de
Andrew M. Smith II, amsii@gwu.edu
Margreet Steiner, f2hmsteiner785@hetnet.nl
Mohammad Tarawneh, mohnaram_tara@yahoo.com
Laurent Tholbecq, laurent.tholbecq@ulb.ac.be
Christopher A. Tuttle, christopher.a.tuttle@gmail.com
676 G.J. CORBETT ET AL., ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN, 2012 AND 2013 SEASONS

Qais Tweissi, tweissiq@gmail.com Lucy Wadeson, lucy.wadeson@gmail.com

Andrea Vanni Desideri, vandesan@inwind.it
Claude Vibert-Guigue, claude.vibert-guigue@ens.fr
Dieter Vieweger, vieweger@uni-wuppertal.de
David Vila, DVila@jbu.edu
Matthew L. Vincent, mlvincen@ucsd.edu
Monique D. Vincent, moniquev@uchicago.edu
Bethany J. Walker, bwalker@uni-bonn.de
Alex Wasse, amrwasse@gmail.com
Thomas Weber, tweber@uni-mainz.de
Robert Wenning, robwenn@uni-muenster.de
Andrew Wilson, a.wilson@bangor.ac.uk
Rikke Wulff Krabbenhöft, rikkewulff@gmail.com

This content downloaded from 78.228.15.27 on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 16:23:43 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms