Abstract
The site of Wadi Zarqa Maʿin 1 (WZM-1), in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, was test excavated beneath a large fissure that is a frequent roost for barn owls (Tyto alba). The site is located approximately 730 m above mean sea level, and 10 km south-southwest of Madaba, Jordan. This large limestone sinkhole is a natural faunal trap and roosting site for multiple species of raptor, accumulating significant faunal remains from their prey within its deposits. The mammalian taxa Suncus etruscus, Crocidura suaveolens, Spalax leucodon, Cricetulus migratorius, Gerbillus dasyurus, Meriones tristrami, Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, Acomys cahirinus, Allactaga euphratica, Microtus guentheri, Otonycteris hemprichii, and Hemiechinus auritus were identified, with a total MNI of n = 1,713 from a maxilla and mandible NISP of n = 5,465. Mollusk, bird, reptile, amphibian, and scorpion remains were also collected and are under analysis. This site was investigated as part of a larger regional palaeoecological project. WZM-1 has the potential to be a significant source of faunal, sedimentary, palynological, and macrobotanical data regarding climate change in Jordan, with deposits that may span the entire history of domestication in the Near East and extend well into the Pleistocene.
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