The Iron Age Pottery from Khirbat en-Nahas, Jordan: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The 2002 excavations at the Iron Age copper metal production center of Khirbat en-Nahas have sparked lively scholarly debate concerning the dating of the Iron Age in southern Jordan as well as the processes that led to the rise of the biblical/historical kingdom of Edom. Until now, the important ceramic data from these excavations have been lacking in this debate. Here, the first detailed preliminary analysis of the Iron Age ceramic assemblage from this industrial site is presented. This new ceramic study provides an important data set, along with previously published high-precision radiocarbon dates and other artifacts for considering the emergence of Iron Age local social complexity during the 10th through 9th century B.C.E.—and perhaps as early as the 11th century B.C.E.