The Swedish Jordan Expedition 2014 at Tall Abu al-Kharaz. Preliminary results from areas 12 and 13

Abstract

In previous seasons excavations have concentrated on the periphery of the city of Tall Abu al-Kharaz, a multi-period tell in the Central Jordan Valley. Tall Abu al-Kharaz flourished from the Early Bronze to Islamic times, from roughly 3200 BC to the 10th century AD. The main object of the field work in 2014 was to investigate the area around the geographical centre of the city (Area 12). Preference was given to further investigation of the Iron Age sequence, i.e. the period from the 12th to the 7th centuries BC (local Phases IX–XV). Another task was to extend the excavations in the northern part of the city, Area 7, which produced essential information on the Iron Age, towards the south (Area 13) in order to generate a coherent picture of Iron Age occupation in the city’s northern half. Domestic structures and a system of fortified walls were uncovered. The rich find assemblage confirmed connections with the Cypriote and Phoenician sphere of culture. The exposure of the remains in general stopped when Late Bronze Age levels were reached. Nevertheless, remnant “islands” of Late and Early Bronze Age remains, left aside by the Iron Age settlers, were uncovered. A burial pit with the skeleton of a female from Byzantine or Abbasid times was found in Area 12, cut into Iron Age layers.