Archaeology In Jordan Research Articles

Teaching and Researching the History and Archaeology of Jordan during the Bronze and Iron Ages (ca. 3600 – 1200 BC)

The history of nations is their political and cultural identity, but this recorded history, which began with the knowledge of writing in the East about 3200 years BC and has continued until the present, has seen difficulties and declines in civilizations. What concerns us in this article is shedding light on an important period of Jordan’s ancient history – the Bronze and Iron Ages (c. 3600-332 BC) – which scholars of religion and the Bible contect with stories in the Bible beginning with the the Israelites leaving Egypt, their coming to Palestine and their establishing their state. It is important for us to shed light on who undertook and undertakes recording that history and the methodologies followed and the interpretation of antiquities and ancient inscriptions related to that history. We have seen that it is necessary to the extent possible to clarify Jordan’s role in the study of Jordan’s ancient history by the Jordanian universities that study history and archaeology and related fields. Since the establishment of the emirate in 1921, Jordan has attached great importance to archaeology, establishing a Department of Antiquities that remained under the control of the Mandate until the Arabization of the army in 1956. Also, in the same year in which the University of Jordan was established (1962), a Department of History and Archeology was established, and the university sent students abroad to study ancient history. Some other Jordanian universities did likewise. Unfortunately, recent years have seen a decline in research and teaching about the Bronze and Iron Ages; a number of faculty members in this field have retired, and universities have either refrained from sending students abroad or have stopped hiring new faculty members. In addition, the sub-sciences related to archaeology have overshadowed the original, hoping that students will get a job, as a result of graduates in archaeology flooding the market. In order for the matter to be rectified, it is necessary to establish a research center or centers based on scientific research and publishing in the ancient history of Jordan, following a unified approach based on scientific evidence.

The Archaeology of Jordan: A Condensed History

AbstractAlthough Western travelers, from the Byzantine period forward, visited and described the landscape and ancient sites of Jordan as well as Palestine, archaeological expeditions mostly were concentrated west of the Jordan River in what was considered to be the “real” Holy Land. Archaeological interest in Jordan itself did not begin to intensify until the middle of the twentieth century when Nelson Glueck's survey spurred the interest of Americans and Europeans. Since then, archaeological excavations and surveys, especially by Western scholars, have increased exponentially. Concomitantly, Jordanian universities continued to produce archaeologists with a strong interest in exploring the past of their homeland, resulting in archaeological exploration also of prehistorical and later historical periods. Heritage preservation and the integration of new technologies into archaeological research are changing the face of Jordanian archaeology.

Competitive Archaeology in Jordan: Narrating Identity from the Ottomans to the Hashemites by Elena D. Corbett. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014. 312 pp.

Competitive Archaeology in Jordan: Narrating Identity from the Ottomans to the Hashemites by Elena D. Corbett. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014. 312 pp.

Archaeology in Jordan, 2014 and 2015 Seasons

The 2016 edition of the “Archaeology in Jordan” newsletter presents short reports on selected archaeological projects conducted during 2014 and 2015 in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Reports are generally organized geographically, starting with the eastern panhandle and then moving from north to south. In all, 43 projects are presented, and, where possible, footnotes and bibliographic references have been included to provide clarity and additional context; please contact the authors directly for more information. The authors’ email addresses as well as a list of works cited can be found at the end of the report. Additional figures can be found under this article’s abstract on AJA Online.

Online-Only Content

Next article FreeOPEN ACCESS ON AJA ONLINE (www.ajaonline.org)Online-Only ContentPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreOnline-only content accompanying American Journal of Archaeology Volume 120, Number 4 (October 2016)VOLUME INDEXVolume 120 (2016) IndexSUPPLEMENTARY CONTENTImage Gallery: Tortoise-Shell Lyres from Phrygian Gordion, by Samuel HolzmanImage Gallery: Archaeology in Jordan, 2014 and 2015 Seasons, by Glenn J. Corbett, Donald R. Keller, Barbara A. Porter, and China P. SheltonBOOK REVIEWSThe Archaeology of Kinship: Advancing Interpretations and Contributions to Theory, by Bradley E. Ensor. Reviewed by Katherine HarrellDeath and Changing Rituals: Function and Meaning in Ancient Funerary Practices, edited by J. Rasmus Brandt, Marina Prusac, and Håkon Roland. Reviewed by Borja Legarra HerreroCommunity and Identity in Ancient Egypt: The Old Kingdom Cemetery at Qubbet el-Hawa, by Deborah Vischak. Reviewed by Leslie Anne WardenThe Old Kingdom Town at Buhen, by David O’Connor. Reviewed by Christian KnoblauchCommunities of Style: Portable Luxury Arts, Identity, and Collective Memory in the Iron Age Levant, by Marian H. Feldman. Reviewed by Erika Fischer and Dirk WickeL’art du siège néo-assyrien, by Fabrice De Backer. Reviewed by Jan P. StronkThe Prehistory of the Paximadi Peninsula, Euboea, by Tracey Cullen, Lauren E. Talalay, Donald R. Keller, Lia Karimali, and William R. Farrand. Reviewed by John F. CherryFouilles exécutées à Malia: Les abords Nord-Est du palais I. Les recherches et l’histoire du secteur, edited by Pascal Darcque. Reviewed by Elisabetta BorgnaThe Archaeology of Greek and Roman Troy, by Charles Brian Rose. Reviewed by Nicholas K. RauhL’alabastre attique: Origine, forme et usages, by Isabelle Algrain. Reviewed by Panayota BadinouCorpus vasorum antiquorum. Germany 97. Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Skulpturensammlung 2: Attisch rotfigurige Keramik, by Eva Hofstetter-Dolega. Reviewed by Victoria SabetaiIndustrial Religion: The Saucer Pyres of the Athenian Agora, by Susan I. Rotroff. Reviewed by Sarah A. JamesChildren in the Hellenistic World: Statues and Representation, by Olympia Bobou. Reviewed by John H. OakleyLes potiers d’Étrurie et leur monde: Contacts, échanges, transferts. Hommages à Mario A. Del Chiaro, edited by Laura Ambrosini and Vincent Jolivet. Reviewed by Dominique FrèreThe North African Boom: Evaluating Economic Growth in the Roman Province of Africa Proconsularis (146 B.C.–A.D. 439), by Matthew S. Hobson. Reviewed by David L. StoneList of Books Received Next article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by American Journal of Archaeology Volume 120, Number 4October 2016 The journal of the Archaeological Institute of America Views: 21Total views on this site Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3764/aja.120.4.online Copyright © 2016 by the Archaeological Institute of America. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Elena Corbett , Competitive Archaeology in Jordan: Narrating Identity from the Ottomans to the Hashemites (Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, 2014). Pp. 306. $55.00 cloth. ISBN: 9781477309902

Elena Corbett , Competitive Archaeology in Jordan: Narrating Identity from the Ottomans to the Hashemites (Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, 2014). Pp. 306. $55.00 cloth. ISBN: 9781477309902 - Volume 48 Issue 4

Elena D. Corbett, Competitive Archaeology in Jordan: Narrating Identity from the Ottomans to the Hashemites. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014.

Elena D. Corbett, Competitive Archaeology in Jordan: Narrating Identity from the Ottomans to the Hashemites. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014.

Intensification of production in Medieval Islamic Jordan and its ecological impact: Towns of the Anthropocene

Medieval Islamic archaeology in Jordan is relevant to the ‘Anthropocene’ discourse because of state investment in intensive land use, including irrigation and diversion of local agricultural economies from subsistence crops to cash crops. Archaeology offers a deep-time perspective on these issues. Previous archaeological and historical studies indicate that major centers of Medieval agriculture deteriorated at some point during the 15th century, in part because of state economic withdrawal and this impacted land use. In this paper, we use phytoliths to understand agricultural practices of Medieval Hisban (Mediterranean vegetation zone), Tawahin as-Sukkar, Khirbet as-Sheikh Isa, and Beidha (semi-arid region of the Jordan Valley) to offer new insights into state agricultural policies in relation to ecological and environmental history. Our results show control of irrigable land by subsistence farmers gave them resilience and contributed to sustainable farming. However, state-managed agricultural systems expropriated irrigable land, emphasizing production of cash crops for state revenue, thus reducing sustainability and putting pressure on the landscape. Sugarcane production replaced cereal cultivation and led to wood fuel burning, enhancing landscape erosion. Phytoliths from Beidha indicate that intensive agricultural production extended to marginal areas with the use of irrigation, thus creating greater human impact on sensitive environments.

Archaeology in Jordan, 2012 and 2013 Seasons

The 2014 edition of the “Archaeology in Jordan” newsletter presents short reports on selected archaeological projects conducted during 2012 and 2013 in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Reports are generally organized geographically, starting with the eastern panhandle and then moving from north to south (fig. 1). Bibliographic references and footnotes have been omitted to make space for more entries; please contact the authors directly for more information. The authors’ email addresses are listed at the end of the report.*

Scientific Visualization, 3D Immersive Virtual Reality Environments, and Archaeology in Jordan and the Near East

Scientific visualization allows researchers to examine their data in high definition 2D and 3D environments. Field research conducted in the Middle East by the UC San Diego Levantine and Cyber-Archaeology Lab, in collaboration with the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Art, Architecture and Archaeology (CISA3) takes full advantage of a suite of state-of-the-art visualization platforms at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute. Research interests include terascale scientific visualization and virtual reality, image-based modeling and rendering, as well as distributed and remote visualization. The Qualcomm Institute's team has been active in virtual reality research for over a decade and the stringent VR requirements have served as important performance criteria for our large-scale distributed data analysis and visualization projects. Through collaborative work both on campus and abroad, our group has contributed to making a significant transformative impact to both diagnostics and the preservation of cultural heritage. Here we briefly summarize a range of 3D applications using data from our research in Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

ARCHAEOLOGY AND COMMUNITY IN JORDAN AND GREATER SYRIA: Traditional Patterns and New Directions

From its inception, archaeology was perceived as the domain of expert practitioners of the scientific method. The history of disjuncture between archaeological site research and local community dev...

Archaeology in Jordan, 2010 and 2011 Seasons

Claudia Buhrig, Lisa Berger, and Georg Pasewald, Orient Department, German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, report: Recent research on the ancient city of Gadara (present-day Umm Qeis), with its focus on settlement development in Hellenistic to Roman times, is currently being expanded to include a multiperiod survey in the hinterland (online fig. 1). The first two campaigns provided knowledge about the urban hinterland’s settlement, traffic, supply and fortification systems, agricultural and economic use of the region, and the first traces of prehistoric settlements in the area. In the course of reconstructing the environmental and economic conditions in the region, numerous remnants of ancient agriculture and water supply systems, as well as extensive limestone quarries and mining regions for flint, were documented. The survey results also detail various construction activities: defensive watch towers, agricultural installations, homesteads, a Roman villa(?), smaller settlements, and numerous tombs and cemeteries. Preliminary examination of the pottery, lithics, and stone artifacts confirms the theory that there was continuous settlement activity in the region from prehistoric until early modern times. This is supported by favorable topographic and natural conditions, such as springs, fertile soils, available building materials, and flint deposits. Two extra-urban hilltop sanctuaries were located and documented: the sanctuary on al-Qabu and the cult place ‘Arqub Rumi. In 2010, a rough plan of the monumental structure on al-Qabu was drawn, and a test trench in the western area verified the presence of a podium temple; in the eastern part of the site, building structures of unknown use were documented. Pottery, marble fragments, and architectural elements (Corinthian capitals, cornices, bases) were found in abundance throughout the entire site. It is currently presumed that a Late Augustan monumental sanctuary complex was located atop al-Qabu. The sanctuary is visible and easily accessible from the main temple complex in Gadara, the so-called theater-temple area, and it had a direct connection to a main east–west supraregional transit route. There may also have been a functional connection with ‘Arqub Rumi, the cult complex for which a topographic map was made in 2011 (online fig. 2). The ceramic material found in both campaigns illustrates the great chronological depth of occupation in the region. For instance, the hilltop with ‘Arqub Rumi shows clear signs of occupation from Late Hellenistic to Roman times, but there is no evidence of use during the following periods. In contrast, the pottery from al-Qabu has revealed the continuous use of this hilltop from at least Late Hellenistic times through the Early Islamic period.

BURIAL PRACTICES IN JORDAN FROM THE NATUFIANS TO THE PERSIANS

Jordan, rich in archaeological sites and the related funerary attributes, has the potential to reconstruct the life of past societies and deduce burial practices that, in turn, may assist in understanding these societies and tracking the changes of social adjustments chronologically. This study utilizes archaeological reports and manuscripts to synthesize the social archaeology in Jordan from the Natufian period to the Persian. The study shows a prominent variability in burial practices over the various archaeological periods that were triggered by culture change, where the latter was imposed by the intertwined socio-political and environmental factors. The simplicity or complexity in burial practices followed those of the society itself, where burial types and practices started as simple during the Natufian period and gradually intensified and complicated in the latter periods.

Archaeology in Jordan, 2008 and 2009 Seasons

Archaeology in Jordan, 2008 and 2009 Seasons

Flying Past: Jordan's Changing Landscapes from the Air

AbstractA significant grant from the Packard Humanities Institute has allowed the development of a long-standing project of Aerial Archaeology in Jordan. In 2008 the number of flying hours, sites recorded and associated ground-work time trebled. Hundreds of sites, not previously recorded, have been added to the database. A web-based archive of the entire collection of aerial photos taken since 1997 is now under construction.

Word about Recent Book: I. Recommended Reading on Archaeology and the Bible: The Archaeology of Jordan

Word about Recent Book: I. Recommended Reading on Archaeology and the Bible: The Archaeology of Jordan

Word about Recent Book: I. Recommended Reading on Archaeology and the Bible: Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan

Word about Recent Book: I. Recommended Reading on Archaeology and the Bible: Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan

Jordan: an archaeological reader

1. Archaeology in Jordan: A Brief History (Russell Adams)2. Evolving Landscape and Environment in Jordan (Phillip G. Macumber)3. The Paleolithic Period, Including the Epipalaeolithic (Deborah Olszwewski, University of Pennsylvania)4. The Neolithic Period (Gary Rollefson, Whitman College)5. The Chalcolithic Period (Stephen Bourke, University of Sydney)6. The Early Bronze Age I-III (Graham Philip, Durham University)7. The Early Bronze Age IV (Gaetano Palumbo, World Monuments Fund)8. The Middle Bronze Age (Steven Falconer, Arizona State University)9. The Late Bronze Age (John Strange, University of Copenhagen)10. The Iron Age (Larry Herr, Canadian University College, and Mohammed Najjar)11 The Persian Period (Piotr Bienkowski, University of Manchester)12. The Hellenistic Period and the Nabataeans (Stephen Schmid, University of Montpellier)13 The Roman Period (Philip Freeman, University of Liverpool)14 The Byzantine Period (Pamela Watson, University of New England)15. The Umayyad and Abbasid Periods (Donald Whitcomb, The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago)16. The Middle Islamic and Crusader Periods (Alan Walmsley, University of Copenhagen)17. The Ottoman Period (Alison McQuitty)

Aerial archaeology in Jordan

AbstractThe authors have provided some of Antiquity's most stunning frontispieces since we introduced them in 2006. We asked them to show how aerial archaeology has developed in Jordan over some 90 years, tell us about the techniques and approaches used and its potential here and in other desert and mountainous lands.

Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan. By Tom Levy, P. M. Michèle Daviau, Randall Younker, and May Shaer.

<i>Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan</i>. By Tom Levy, P. M. Michèle Daviau, Randall Younker, and May Shaer.