A Nabataean and Roman Domestic Area at the Red Sea Port of Aila

Abstract

This report summarizes in preliminary form the results from the first four seasons of excavation at a Nabataean and Roman domestic area in Aila (Aqaba). The first houses were mudbrick and were built in the Late Nabataean period. After a brief phase of abandonment in the early second century A.D., the area was rebuilt with mudbrick and stone domestic buildings, in use through to the late third century A.D. The area was used as a cemetery in the Early Byzantine period, following the final abandonment of the domestic dwellings. Aila is considered here in two cultural contexts: as a Red Sea port, with comparanda in Egypt, and as a Nabataean settlement. Few domestic areas spanning the Nabataean and Roman periods, and very few mudbrick structures, have been excavated in Nabataea. Quantities of ceramic slag and kiln wasters, as well as local ceramic forms, point to a pottery industry here. Imports including glass and ceramics from Egypt and Gaza, fine wares from Petra, Eastern Sigillata, and various transport amphorae inform on Aila's economic role.