The Third Season of Investigations at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Site of Zahrat adh-Dhraʿ 2 on the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan

Abstract

The first two seasons of work at Zahrat adh-Dhraʿ 2 (ZAD 2) in Jordan established it as one of the final Pre-Pottery Neolithic A sites and provided evidence for a later transition to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period in the southern Levant than had been previously expected. The third season of excavations concentrated on lateral clearance of the uppermost phase of occupation. A small area in one of the curvilinear dwellings (Structure 2) yielded bone tools, a ceramic figurine, and three incised limestone pieces bearing similar geometric designs, together with evidence for the production of other incised stones. Micromorphological studies revealed that fill deposits within the dwellings consisted of gradually accreted local sediments, that materials used to build walls and plaster floors were procured from the Jordan Valley edge to the east of the site, and that fired-lime technology was probably not utilized in the preparation of floor surfaces.