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OCCIDENT & ORIENT Newsletter of the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology in Amman

The Institute 2001/2002: Strengthening German-Jordanian Cooperation - News and Activities

Since the publication of our last Kingdom and present them to a Vol. 7, No. 1, March 2002 Newsletter in September 2001 the broader public. CONTENTS institute was involved in a variety of Turning to 2002 one of the main scientific activities. Among others it • Ancient Settlements in the projects planned by our institute will was hosting the European Salon, a Plain of Akkar/ Northern Le- 2 be an archaeological excavation at banon round organized alternately by the Johfiyeh, an site situ­ • New Touristic Sign-Posts French (IFAPO), British (CBRL) and Inaugurated at Umm ated some 7.5 km southwest of German (DEI) archaeological insti­ Qeis/ and Rujm el- 4 , in northern (Fig. 1). tutes in Amman, a DAAD (German Malfuf (Amman) The project is planned as a coop­ • The Tell Halaf-Restoration- 5 Academic Exchange Programme) erative effort between our institute Project committee interviewing and select­ • Donors to the Library 6 and the Institute of Archaeology and ing candidates for a scholarship in • The City Walls Project: Anthropology (IAA) at Yarmouk Germany and last but not least a Excavations 2001 7 University, Irbid. A workshop con­ • Arrival of a New Cultural reception welcoming provost M. cerning scientific restoration of dif­ Attache at the German Em- 9 Reyer and his wife, who only re­ bassy ferent materials which had to be cently arrived in the region. • New Discovery in Jordan at cancelled in 2001 due to the events Beit-Ras Region (Ancient 9 A further, very important event of 11/09/01 should be made up this Capitolias) • Fellows in Residence and 12 during the last months was the in­ year in close cooperation with the Associated Fellows auguration of new trilingual (, Goethe-Institute, Amman, a restau- • The Engagement of the Fried- German, English) sign-posts put up ration laboratory from Konstanz, the rich Ebert Foundation in the at the major archaeological monu­ Department of Antiquities of Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jor- 13 dan ments at Umm Qeis and the so Amman, and Yarmouk University, • The ash-Shudayfah Plateau called Rujm el-Malfuf building, Irbid. North of (Jordan) 15 which is situated in the heart of Furthermore, our varied activities • A Newly Discovered Byzan­ Jebel Amman just opposite the tine Laura Near Jordan River 17 all over the country, e.g. in Umm building of the Department of Anti­ • The Region of Gadara/Umm 18 Queis and its hinterland, will con­ Qeis Project quities (DoA). The work done by the tinue. Logistical support will be • A Nabataean at Rujm 19 German Protestant Institute of Ar­ given among others to visiting Taba chaeology in Amman (DEI) and the • Farewell to a great friend 21 scholars and excavation teams German Archaeological Institute working in Tell Zera'a and Umm (DAI) in Berlin in close cooperation • Published twice a year by the Ger­ Qeis. • man Protestant Institute of Archaeo­ with the Department of Antiquities logy in Amman. of Jordan is aiming at a better un­ POBox 183, Amman 11118, Jordan. derstanding of the ancient monu­ . Tel. 06/5342924, Fax 06/5336924. ments and might become an exam­ E-mail: [email protected]. ple for more archaeological sites

• Editors: Roland Lamprichs and Arnd within Jordan. Kulla. Inspired by the fruitful cooperation • Technical and editorial assistance: between German and Jordanian Susanne Helbig, DEI Hannover, partners our institute is looking for­ Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland. ward to further close cooperation • Newsletter logo above by Samir with the concerned authorities in Shraydeh. order to help to protect the archaeo­ Fig. 1: Tell Johfiyeh from the south­ logical remains in the Hashemite east 2 OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 Ancient Settlements in the Plain of Akkar/Northern . First Results of Archaeological Survey Work in 1997 and 1999

By: Karin Bartl, Freie Universitat Berlin in cooperation with Anis Chaaya, Direction Generate des Antiquites du Liban

Introduction (N/S) x 20 km (S/W-N/E) x 17 km BC (Helck 1962; Klengel 1992), (E/W) which descends gently from and the later periods since the Northern Lebanon represents a re• west to east and is bordered by a formation of the gion which is divided by its topo• chain of flat hills which form the . The last period of supra- graphy into several units: the rather northern spur of the Lebanese regional importance was the narrow coastal strip, bordered by a mountains. The permanent water Crusader's period, when the plain hilly region and the high mountains supply of the region is mainly of Akkar became part of the county to the east, the highest peak being guaranteed by large springs and of (Runciman 1958; Qornet es Saouda. Like the adja• several rivers which traverse the Salame-Sarkis 1980; Leriche cent regions to the south and north plain in a southeast-northwestern 1983). the coastal and hilly regions offer direction. The most important of very favourable settlement condi• the perennial water courses is the tions which led to development of Preliminary Results Nahr el Kebir, today the border line rather dense occupation since the between Lebanon and Syria. To• In total, more than 70 places at the earliest times. gether with the adjacent Buqaia plain and the adjacent hilly region to However, systematic archaeologi• plain the Akkar region forms one of the south and east could be defined cal research focused rather late on the most important routes con• as archaeological sites, i.e. settle• northern Lebanon. It was only dur• necting the Mediterranean coast ments, tombs, necropoles and ing the early seventies that ar• and inland Syria. worked rocks (Fig. 2). Besides, chaeological fieldwork at Tripoli nd many spots with sherd concentra• (Salame-Sarkis 1975-76, 1980, From the 2 mill. BC on• tions along the main river courses 1983), Tell Arde (ancient Ardata) wards, the area is mentioned (Nahr Aarqa, Nahr Estouene and (Salame-Sarkis 1972, 1973) and repeatedly in written sources Nahr el Kebir) were discovered thus Tell ' (ancient Irqata, resp. which show the involvement of pointing to former houses or farm• Area ) (Thalmann 1978a, the region in international politi• steads which are now totally de• 1978b, 1990, 1997; Hakimian, cal affairs. At various periods stroyed by agricultural activities like Salame-Sarkis 1988) started. Be• the plain of Akkar became a deep-ploughing. For example, one side this, archaeological surface in• border region between different of those spots was site no. 129.1 vestigations of the entire area were spheres of influence or was in• which is marked on the map Liban carried out during that period but corporated into larger political 1:20.000/Beyrouth 1962-63 as a had to be discontinued (Saidah units. It seems that for only a small tell but today is not recog• 1969; Sapin 1978-79; Thalmann, few centuries it was politically nizable any more. Maqdissi 1989). The results of this autonomous and independent. research, which already had shown Concerning the the rich archaeological potential of written evidence, the region, led to the systematic periods of spe• survey of one of the most favour• cial interest are the second half able settlement areas of northern nd Lebanon, the plain of Akkar, which of the 2 mill. was carried out in 1997 and 1999 BC when the as a joint project of Free University area was invol• Berlin and the Direction Generale ved in the Egyp- des Antiquites du Liban (Bartl, tian-Hittite strug• Chaaya in press a, b). gle for domina• tion in Syria and The plain of Akkar represents a later became very fertile landscape which is part of the newly nowadays divided into two parts: established king• the northern part in Syria and the dom of Amurru, southern part in northern Lebanon the period of (Fig. 1). The Lebanese part of the Assyrian pres• Akkar plain is a nearly triangular ence since the area with an extent ofca. 15 km end of the 8th cent. Fig. 1: The plain of Akkar OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 3

t-H the 9th cent. BC. tombs of different shapes: shaft Till HoMn |ii : Ml lb. Surface finds of graves, chamber tombs and red-slipped Iron age cave-like structures. As already pottery indicate that mentioned none of tnese yielded f:..i<. period. any pottery sherds or other finds. It might be that most of them date to ill Among the settle• the space of time between the Hel• ments which are lenistic and Byzantine periods since occupied since the the settlement density of the Akkar Early Bronze age, plain increased during these centu• Tell Hmaira/AS ries. Moreover, it seems that during 140.1 seems to be PLAIN OF AKKAR that period the hilly flanks have the most important been settled for the first time. Sites one. Like other like Nfeisse/AS 164.1 and El ««.< sites mentioned Qlouaa/AS 27.1, today totally de• above it has con• stroyed by agricultural activities, tinuously been oc• point to the existence of small vil• cupied from the 3rd lages of the Roman/Byzantine peri• mill. BC to the 1st aft n* mmm ods in that area. The lack of earlier -1 mill. AD. Of special sites in the hills might be connected interest are several with a still dense wood coverage in finds of almost the 2nd and beginning 1st mill. BC. completely preser• ved Late Bronze •»r • » :j0 age vessels deriv• ing from robbery • trenches and kept by villagers nearby (Fig. 3). Adjacent to Tell Hmaira, a Fig. 2: Ancient settlements in the plain of Akkar (Transcription of the site small site (AS 140.2) covered with names according to map collection late pottery and flint tools Liban 1:20.000, Beyrouth 1962-63) (Fig. 4) is situated which represents one of the few find spots of that period in the plain. In general, it can be stated that due to intensive cultivation of the entire plain and the existence of many Fig. 4: Late Neolithic flint tools from fenced plantations a complete in• AS 140.2 vestigation of the region is almost impossible. Although this limits the following assertions to a certain degree, specific trends of occupa• tion are discernible. One of these is the distinct increase of settlement intensity during the post-Iron age periods when all of the larger sites were inhabited. This concerns mainly the Hellenistic to Late Ro• man/Early Byzantine periods of which the pottery, the main surface material, is rather easy to recog• nize. Fig. 3: Late Bronze age pottery from All of the settlements are of me• Tell Hmaira/AS 140.1 dium or small size (2-3 ha). Tell Hmaira, Tell Sebael, Tell Kiri, Tell Besides tell sites and flat settle• Biri, Tell Hayat and Cheikh Zennad ments, necropoles form another Fig. 5: Rock-cut tombs in Dahr are the most important sites. It large group of sites. These are situ• Naaous/AS 102.1 might be that Cheikh Zennad the ated mostly on the hilly region to the east and south of the plain (Fig. 5), necropolis of which was excavated Summary already in 1924 (Brosse 1926) is only a few of them like Qoubbet synonymous with the ancient city of Chamra/AS 42.1 were found in the To sum up, settlement density in Maisa, reported in Assyrian texts of plain. All of them consist of rock-cut the plain of Akkar differs in the peri- 4 OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 ods of research. The settlement period (Crusader's time) that the Salame-Sarkis, H., Arde-Ardata dans pattern which can be seen since the plain of Akkar became the hinter• le Liban-Nord, une nouvelle citee ca- end of the 3rd mill. BC (EB IV) in land of the supra-regional center of naeenne identifie, Melanges de detail is of a rather simple structure. Tripoli/Trablus. I'Universite St. Joseph 47, 1972, 123-145. Certainly, the main centre through the ages was Tell 'Arqa, situated at Salame-Sarkis, H., Chronique archeo- References: the southern fringe of the plain. logique du Liban-Nord II: 1973-1974, Bulletin de Musee de Beyrouth 26, Several medium-sized villages were Bartl, K.; Chaaya, A., Akkar Survey 1973, 91 ff. spread in the plain most of which 1997. Archaeological Surface Investiga• show occupation traces of all peri• tions in the Plain of Akkar/Northern Salame-Sarkis, H., Wahlia-Mahallata- ods between the 3rd mill. BC and Lebanon, Bulletin d'Archeologie et Tripoli?, Melanges de l Universite St. d'Architecture Libanaises 4, in press a. Joseph 49, 1975-76, 551 ff. the Islamic resp. Ottoman periods. An increase of the number of set• Bartl, K.; Chaaya, A., Archaologische Salame-Sarkis, H., Tripoli: Textes et tlements is seen along the river Untersuchungen der siidlichen Akkar- Fouilles, 31, 1983, 129-143. courses and in the hills as well as in Ebene/Nord-Libanon. Voriaufige Ergeb- Salame-Sarkis, H., Tripoli: Contribu• nisse einer Oberflachenprospektion, the plain itself since the Hellenis• tion a I'histoire de Tripoli et sa region a Orient-Arch aologie, Neue Forschungen tic/Roman periods. Sites of the pre- lepoque de Croisades. Problemes vol. 5, in press b. d'histoire, d'architecture et de cerami• Bronze age are situated at specific que, Paris 1980. places near river courses and at Brosse, C.-L., La necropole de Cheikh Zenad, Syna 7, 193-208, 1926. crossing points between the plain Sapin, J., Archaologische Gelande- and the hills (El Qambar/AS 178.1, Hakimian, S.; Salame-Sarkis, H., begehung im Grabenbruch von Horns, Archiv fur Orienrforschung 26, 1978-79, Jindi bridge/AS 162.2, Tell 'Arqa- Ceramique medievales trouvees dans 174-176. fields/AS 90.1), a fact which could une citerne a Tell 'Arqa, Syria 65, 1-65, be explained with well known pre• 1988. Thaimann, J.-P., Tell Arqa, cam- pagnes 1972-1974, Syria 55, 1978a, historic subsistence strategies using Helck, W., Die Beziehungen Agyptens 1-151. habitats with different resources. zu Vorderasien im 3. und 2. Jahr- tausend v. Chr., Wiesbaden 1962. Thaimann, J.-P., Tell Arqa 1978- In general, it can be stated that 1979, Bulletin de Musee de Beyrouth Klengel, H., Syria, 3000-300 B.C. A the Lebanese part of the plain of 30, 1978b, 61-75. Handbook of Political History, Berlin Akkar was rather densely settled 1992. Thaimann, J.-P., Tell 'Arqa, de la since the end of the Early Bronze conquete assyrienne a l epoque perse, age. While the settlement structure Leriche, P., Les defenses orientales Transeuphratene 2,1990, 51-56. of the early periods is rather difficult de Tell Arqa au Moyen Age, Syria 60, 1983,111-132. Thaimann, J.-P., Avant Tripoli: Tell to define it seems that the post-Iron Arqa et la plaine du Akkar aux ages du age periods are characterized by a Runcimann, S., Geschichte der Bronze et du Fer, Archeologie et three- or four-tired pattern consist• Kreuzzuge vol. 2. Das Konigreich Jeru• Patrimoine 7, 1997, 11-19. ing of one center (Tell 'Arqa), sev• salem und der frankische Osten 1100- 1187, Munchen 1958. Thaimann, J.-P.; Maqdissi, M., eral medium-sized villages, few Prospection de la trouee de Horns. Les small villages and many single Saidah, R., Archaeology in Lebanon, sites de la plaine du "Akkar Syrien, farmsteads. It is only in the Islamic Berytus 18. 1969, 142. Contribution Francaise a I'Archeologie Syrienne, Damas 1989, 98-101 .• Towards a Better Understanding of the Archaeological Remains in Jordan: New Touristic Sign-Posts Inaugurated at Umm Qeis/Gadara and Rujm el-Malfuf (Amman)

By: Roland Lamprichs, German Protestant Institute of Archaeology (DEI), Amman (Jordan)

In cooperation with the Department Qeis. The opening ceremony was to Jordan) and H.E. Dr. T. Rifa'i of Antiquities of Jordan (DoA) the held in the presence of H.E. Dr. T. preluded the unveiling of the new German Archaeological Institute in Rifa'i, Minister of Tourism and An• signs by the minister. A guided tour Berlin (DAI) and the German Prot• tiquities of Jordan, at the Umm Qeis and reception at the resthouse estant Institute of Archaeology in museum (Beit Rusan) on 8/10/2001 concluded the event. Amman (DEI) put up new trilingual (Fig. 1). Brief addresses given by Another sign-post which is do• (Arabic, German, English) signposts Dr. R. Lamprichs (DEI-Amman), nated by the German embassy to at the major archaeological monu• Prof. Dr. A. Hoffmann (DAI), H.E. the Department of Antiquities and ments excavated in a joint effort Dr. F. Khraysheh (DoA), H.E. Dr. M. the people of Jordan was put up in during the last four decades in Umm Schneller (Ambassador of Germany the heart of Jebel Amman one day OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 5 earlier on 7/10/2001 (Fig. 2). The new sign in Arabic, German and English is aiming at a better under• standing of the so called "Rujm el- Malfuf building", situated right oppo• site of the Department of Antiquities in Amman. The work was planned, organized and carried out by the German Protestant Institute of Ar• chaeology in Amman and the Orient section of the German Archaeologi• cal Institute in Berlin in close coop• eration with the Department of Antiquities of Jordan. The opening ceremony was held in presence of H.E. Dr. F. Khraysheh (DoA) and representatives of the German em• bassy and the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology in Amman. The new postings in Umm Qeis and Amman should become an example for the rest of the Jorda• nian archaeological sites. Inspired by the fruitful cooperation the participating German partners are looking forward to further close cooperation with the concerned authorities in order to help to protect the archaeological remains in the Hashemite Kingdom and present them to a broader public.B

Fig. 2: Rujm el Malfuf: Opening ceremony The Return of the Gods - The Tell Halaf-Restoration-Project

By: Nadja Cholidis, Vorderasiatisches Museum SMB PK, Berlin (Germany)

In the course of future reconstruc• water region of the Khabur River ings the of Kapara (also tions on the Berlin Museumsinsel, near Ras al-'Ain. After three cam• West or Temple Palace), an the rebuilding of the famous Tell paigns (1911-1913, 1927, 1929) the Assyrian temple, parts of the town Halaf West Palace front is planned. settlement history revealed two wall and several graves; above all The figured entrance support was major archaeological sequences: the sculptural remains of the West the attraction of the Tell Halaf Mu• Palace received international atten• On the one hand the Chalcolithic tion. seum, which was destroyed during lh th World War II in Berlin. Max von period, dated from the 6 to 5 mil• Oppenheim (1860-1946) discovered lennium BC, with a distinctive ce• The findings, which were brought the site in 1899 when he travelled ramic assemblage. After a long to Berlin in 1927, were exhibited in from Aleppo to determine the best settlement hiatus of more than 3000 a former iron-foundry until the location route for the proposed years an Aramaean ruler named building was destroyed during an air Bagdad railways. The German dip• Bahianu founded his new capital attack in 1943. Walter Andrae, then Guzana on the top of the older oc• director of the Vorderasiatisches lomat and intimate expert of the th Arabian world was so impressed by cupation In the late 9 century BC Museum, spared no pains to re• the sculptures and relief slabs that the residence was sacked by Adad- cover the debris and stored the 3 he resigned in 1909 to start a new nirari III. (810-781 BC) and annexed fragments, nearly 80 m of basalt, in profession as an archaeologist. with the surrounding countryside by the cellars of the Pergamonmu- the Assyrian empire. The excava• seum. The political circumstances Tell Halaf is located in the head• tions uncovered among other build• after 1945, the still unsolved ques- 6 OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 tions of ownership after von Oppen• Salje, and her collaborator Lutz heim's death a year later and last Martin filed an by the Deutsche but not least the shortage of finan• Forschungsgemeinschaft to support cial funds and personnel prevented the Tell Halaf-Restoration-Project any attempt of documentation or with personnel means. The author, further protection by the Vorder- who got involved after the granting, asiatisches Museum. has to organize the methodical and scholarly work whereas the direc• tion and execution of the restoration is up to Stefan Geismeier, restorer of the Vorderasiatisches Museum. Without the generous financial aid of the Sal. Oppenheim Foundation and the warm unreserved support of the Oppenheim family the project would not have been realized within the provided time. Fig. 2: Double statue of a seated The rebuilding of the palace en• couple; from left to right: Beate Salje, trance represents a great challenge Lutz Martin, Nadja Choiidis and for archaeologists, architects and Stefan Geismeier (Photo: 0. Tessmer) restorers. More than 60 years after the devastation of the Tell Halaf Besioes constructional renovation Fig. 1: Plaster casts of the West Pal• Museum we are getting the unique of altogether five museums (Altes ace facade. Tell Halaf Museum chance to fulfil von Oppenheim's and Neues Museum, Alte National- (Courtesy Bankhaus Sal. Oppenheim jr. lifework. & Cie.) galerie, Bodemuseum and Perga- monmuseum), the "Masterplan" in References: A preliminary examination of the eludes a glass structure, which material after the reunion of the two locks up the courtyard of the Per- Choiidis, N. and Martin, L, Kopf hoch! German states showed that the gamonmuseum to the west. At the Mut hoch! und Humor hoch! Der Tell restoration of some monuments same time this new building will be Halaf und sein Ausgraber Max Freiherr von Oppenheim, 2002. including the palace front was within the official entrance to the Vorder- the realm of possibility. In 1999 the asiatisches Museum within the Per- Oppenheim, M. von, Tell Halaf. A New ideas concerning the rebuilding gamonmuseum. In the blueprint of Culture in Oldest Mesopotamia, London could be combined with the rede• the architect's office O.M. Ungers, 1933. velopment concept of the whole Cologne, the Tell Halaf front is Teichmann, G. and Voelger, G. on Museumsinsel. Since 2001 the Tell given a perfect place facing Egyp• behalf of the Max Freiherr von Halaf West Palace facade is an tian monuments. Oppenheim-Stiftung (eds.), Faszination integral part of the "Masterplan". Orient. Max von Oppenheim: Forscher, In December 1999 the Director of Sammler und Diplomat, Cologne the Vorderasiatisches Museum in 2001M application for subsidy Berlin, Beate OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 7 The Earliest Hellenistic Tomb Find in Jerash or on the Chrysorhoas. The Jerash City Walls Project: Excavations 2001

By: Ina Kehrberg, Center of British Research in the , Amman (Jordan) and John Manley, Sussex Archaeological Society (Great Britain)

The positive results of a sondage which had built up gently sloping Bowsher, and his first along the city wall in 2000, dating against the wall (following more or preliminary readings (pers. comm. the wall foundation there unequivo- less the contours of the natural cited here) are: The coin of the cably to the early 2nd century AD rocky terrain) during the 3rd century tomb (wall/trench 100) is Late Hel• (Braun, Kehrberg and Manley 2001, AD, the excavation revealed the lenistic late 2nd century BC, those of 446-448; Kehrberg and Man-ley entrance to a sealed hypogean wall/trench 300 are two coins of 2001; Kehrberg and Manley tomb that reached partly under the Aretas IV and two 2nd century coins, 2001/2002), gave rise to the 'Jerash city wall and what is today the mod• in a different context, of the Roman City Walls Project' (JCWP). In two ern road built on top of the outer Imperial provincial period; they are seasons, 2001 and 2002, a small wall tumble (Fig. 1). The one cham• totally corroded but appear of team examines the foundations and ber had a neatly carved entrance 'classic' earlier Imperial date. The their stratigraphy at carefully se• preceded by a shaft or straight last and latest coin comes from the lected points along each sector of sunken dromos. There was no top layer of wall/trench 200 the enclosure wall. A third season is monolithic door but the doorway (contaminated) and belongs to the planned for post-excavation work was closed by tightly packed ir• Late Roman late third to early 4th and a survey of standing remains of regular large blocks wedged and century AD. J. Bowsher will publish the first wall. The records of the held in place by an earth-clay a report on the coins of the 2001 survey will be used for a feasibility binder. The burial chamber was just season in the JCWP preliminary re• study and proposal to the Depart• big enough to hold a single burial, it port, together with the authors, in ment of Antiquities of conservation seemed to have been tailored for an the next issue of the Annual of the and preservation/protection for the adolescent or young adult, perhaps Department of Antiquities of Jordan most threatened parts of the wall. a female, with the head resting at (46/2002). the entrance and facing north, in alignment with the layout of the hypogean tomb. The skeleton is almost intact and is with the Institute of Archaeology and Anthro• pology (IAA), Yarmouk Uni• versity, Irbid, for exami• nation and conservation, together with the corroded iron object, a possible tri• pod. The reports will be published by the examiners together with other reports in the JCWP publications. Fig. 2: The sacrificial bull, before cleaning Fig. 1: The Late Hellenistic tomb and The ceramic and other objects the city wall, north sector (trench (Figs. 2-4) in the tomb and the pot• The pottery models and the rhyton 100) tery sherds in the dromos fill leave no doubt as to a date in the Late are unique finds, preliminary en• The first find at the beginning of the : they belong to quiries have so far failed to unearth season in September 2001 was not the later 2 century or at the latest similar contemporary finds in Jor• a wall foundation trench. Almost to the early 1* century BC. dan. Following ancient trade, a immediately below the thin top layer wider search along land and sea (originally covered by tumbled This date has been confirmed by routes from the blocks of the wall) was a southward the one Late Hellenistic coin found to the African coast may provide sloping rocky outcrop on which the at the feet of the deceased; prelimi• better clues if any, especially in first course of that part of the north• nary reading has placed the coin in contemporary Gulf countries like western wall stands. Barely half a the late 2ndcentury BC. The coins Bahrain. There is also some evi• metre below a residual dirt layer of the JCWP are being studied by dence which suggests possibly 8 OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002

Ptolemaic Egyptian influence, not 200) and third sounding (trench which were found in key contexts. only because of superficially shared 300) were nearer the North Gate, In fact, the entire terrain shows re• political climates and relations in also on the west side of Gerasa. markable homogeneity, well sealed northern Jordan at the time of the below the exposed surface which All three trenches revealed how burial but also with regard to con• was sealed in antiquity by the tum• the builders adapted the founda• temporary funerary rituals. bled remains of the wall. It also tions of the city wall to the topogra• shows with regard to the ceramics a phy of the terrain: trench/wall pronounced domestic activity from 100 was founded on the rock- the Late Hellenistic period on, Iron cut upper strata of the tomb Age sherds adding to the already covered by ancient dirt (the familiar Jerash picture of occupation tomb remained obviously (from tombs and the tell of Camp hidden from the builders). Hill) during that time. Trench/wall 200 showed a foundation trench cut into the The results confirm the early 2nd 'Jerash soil', or 'terra rossa', to century AD dating of the western place three courses of city wall, north of the South Theatre. foundation blocks founded on A detailed pottery study of the first natural sloping bedrock; excavation (South Theatre trench trench/wall 300 was founded 2000) and this JCWP 2001 season on 8 courses of foundation wall is in preparation and will be pub• with the lowest courses fitted lished together with the 2002 finds. into a neat trench cut into the clayey Fig. 3: A camel carrying Rhodian red 'Jerash soil'. The large size of amphorae, before cleaning Acknowledgements: the built foundations and its depth The burial is significant because of at sondage 300 is due to the slope The 2001 team of the Jerash City its unique and undisturbed finds. toward the deep wadi bed in that Wall Project (JCWP) was: Iman The models, excepting the Indian area: the foundations had to allow Oweis, Representative of the De• 'Brahman-type' bull adorned with a for the force of the weight of the partment of Antiquities/Curator of fen/a for sacrifice and the ritualistic upper structure built on that slope. the Jerash Archaeological Museum; rhyton (both probably not of local The cuts of foundations in 200 and Kate Wolrige, Trench Supervisor; manufacture), may allow some spe• 300 are clearly visible and the Andrew Card, Assistant Trench culation about the young owner: colour of the fill easily Supervisor; Marita Manley, volun• perhaps they are not funerary ritual distinguishable from the prewall teer helper; four workers from the vessels but were originally 'play baulk. Department of Antiquities. Co-Di• models' which were once a precious rectors of JCWP 2001-2003 are Ina possession early in the life of the Kehrberg, David Kennedy and John deceased. Could it be that these Manley. Gabriel Humbert super• models or perhaps 'toys' represent vised the preliminary conservation a real life situation and tell us that of the tomb finds and mended the the buried person or child was a complete forms. The JCWP is affili• member of a merchant family ated and has been funded by the whose trade was in oil and wine? Council for British Research in the f if The remaining pottery, as well as Levant (CBRL). The Department of the gold leaf pectoral, studied for Antiquities generously assisted in publication by Iman Oweis (Fig. 4), providing the workers, field equip• the glass finds, studied and pub• ment and housing. lished by Daniel Keller, and the iron fit fin's strygil make second century BC References: Gerasa, or rather Antioch on the Chrysorhoas, irrevocably part of the Braun, J.P.; Kehrberg, I. and Manley, Late Hellenistic Mediterranean J., The First Jerash City Walls world. Excavations, American Journal of Fig. 4: The gold pectoral, after Archaeology 105/3 (2001), 446-448. The actual objective of the JCWP cleaning (Photo: L. Borel) Kehrberg, I. and Manley, J., New 2001 season was to examine the archaeological finds for the dating of the stratification and nature of the wall The good quantity, well stratified Gerasa Roman City Wall, Annual of the foundation in three different loca• contexts and variety of pottery in all Department of Antiquities of Jordan 45 tions along the north sector of the three trenches provide a safe date (2001), 437-446. city wall, the 'tomb trench' (trench for construction of the foundations Kehrberg, I. and Manley, J., Les 100) being the westernmost from early in the 2nd century AD, nouvelles fouilles a Jerash 2001, Le the North Gate. The second (trench corroborated by the coins all of Monde de la Bible 142 (2001/2002). • OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 9

Arrival of a New Cultural Attache at the German Embassy

By: Andreas Fiedler, German Embassy Amman (Jordan)

Since July 2001 I have been posted opening of new sign posts in Umm DEI kindly hosted the selection th as cultural and press attache at the Qais on the 8 of October 2001. In committee on humanities, headed German Embassy in Amman. the realization of this project, the by the cultural attache. Further• These first six months have basi• German Archaeological Institute more, director Dr. Roland cally been used to establish con• (DAI), the DEI, the Jordanian De• Lamprichs directly took part in the tacts and to get in touch with life in partment of Antiquities and the selection as member of the com• Amman and with my various part• German Embassy had joint all their mittee. ners. As representative of Germany efforts in order to create and to in• my focus should be to cooperate stall an exemplary trilingual tour Now, after a first period of getting with Jordanian partners in order to through this marvellous archaeo• in touch with Amman, I have to set deepen the bilateral relations and in logical site. The role of the Em• my cultural targets for the upcoming particular on a university level. But bassy in this case was on the one year 2002 and even for 2003 and a second pillar, and a very impor• hand to facilitate the importation of 2004. According to the policy of the tant one, is the European coordina• the sign posts and of necessary German Foreign Ministry I will prob• tion. Only in the framework of joint material and on the other hand to ably stay until that time, i.e. for European efforts cultural events like represent Germany beside the Jor• three years. On an archaeological the annual Film Festival can be danian Minister of Tourism, H.E. Dr. level, these years will certainly be organized. The third part of my field Taleb RifaT, on the occasion of the marked by the preparation of the of action is the dealing with the opening ceremony. This assured a big Jordan Exhibition in Berlin in German institutes and foundations high media presence for the whole 2004. It will be a pleasure to me to in Amman and among them the project and provided the possibility be helpful to the DEI during this German Protestant Institute of Ar• to the German scholars to explain time and I know that services deliv• chaeology (DEI). The role of the the new guiding system in a very ered in relation to the DEI or to any Embassy cannot be to control or to comprehensive way directly to a other cultural institution are never a advise archaeological experts on greater audience. one-way road. The personal experi• their very specific work. But we can ences made by contributing to the be helpful in the case of administra• Another point of contact between achievement of scientific and cul• tive needs and especially in pro• me and the DEI was last year's tural targets are so enriching and moting the output of the archaeo• selection meeting for the scholar• interesting that it is worth twice do• logical work. A good illustration of ships of the German Academic Ex• ing the job of a cultural attache in this public relation work was the change Programme (DAAD). The Amman.• New Discovery in Jordan at Beit-Ras Region (Ancient Capitolias) By: Wajeeh Karasneh (Irbid Antiquities Office), Khaled al-Rousan (Field Supervisor), Jafer Telfah (Field Supervisor)

2 Modern Beit-Ras, the ancient Ro• 6 donoms (6000 m ) of a grove the north. These remains were man city of Capitolias of the Deca- planted with olives trees. partly exposed just 150 m east of polis, is located 6 km north of Irbid the already known row of nine east- The main two objectives of the ex• governorate, about 100 km from west vaults adjacent to the mosque cavations were to reveal some own in the centre of the village. Amman, and arises to an altitude of important architectural features of a 600 m above sea level. structure covered with fill (Fig.1), to The remains of the theatre are lined by remnants of backstage The site was documented by sev• determine its nature, and to collect data about when it was erected and rooms (scaena) of which the door• eral European explorers from the ways were blocked in the Byzantine early 19th to 20th century, and map reused in the later occupation peri• ods. period. Three of the doorways are ped in 1886 during a surface survey well-preserved in the western side, done by G. Schumacher. Excava• The recently discovered remains, while the upper parts of the other tions were carried out during the probably parts of a big theatre, rest blocked doorways had been re• 2000-2001 seasons at Beit-Ras in a on top of a hillside commanding moved and reused in the same limited area covering approximately Wadi el-Khallah (Khallah's valley) to period (Fig. 2). OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 11

BEIT RAS 2001 Areo :B Square: C Locus OCK Scdel/1 Drawn., by Soha Dlgamony

Fig. 5: Blocked room of the back• stage

Acknowledgements: Our thanks go indeed and foremost to the head of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, Prof. Dr. Fawwaz al-Khraysheh, who continued ceaselessly the excavations at Beit-Ras over the last two years. For his constant support, encouragement, and interest deep thanks are due again. •

EOT RAS 2001 \ Areo: A \ Square: j1 \. Locus . 005 ^ Drown, by Soha Dlopmony.

Fig. 7a,b: Stamped Late Roman pottery from Beit-Ras region Fig. 6: Supporting wall in front of the backstage doorways 12 OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002

Fellows in Residence and Associated Fellows (October 2001 - January 2002)

• Mr. Wolfram Spreer, Universitat Hohenheim (Germany). Research for his "master thesis" in cooperation with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

• Dr. Gunther Schauerte, Stiftung PreuRischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin (Germany) and his excavation team "Umm Queis".

• Prof. Dr. Dr. Dieter Vieweger, Biblisch Archaologisches Institut (BAI), Wuppertal (Germany) and his excavation team "Tell Zera'a".

• Dr. Arnulf Hausleiter, Freie Universitat, Berlin (Germany).

• Prof. Dr. Klaus-Stefan Freyberger, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut (DAI), (Syria).

• Dr. Markus Gschwind, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut (DAI), Damascus (Syria).

• Dr. Karel Vriezen, University of Utrecht (Netherlands) and his excavation team "Tell Zera'a".

• Mr. Peter Grunwald, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut (DAI), Berlin (Germany).

• Ms. Claudia Schmid, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut (DAI), Berlin (Germany).

• Mr. Michael Rieke (Vikar), Lutheran of the Redeemer, .

• Mr. Bernhard Lucke, Brandenburgisch Technische Universitat, Cottbus (Germany). Research for his "master thesis" at Abila in cooperation with the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, Irbid.

• Mr. Arnd Kulla (Vikar), German Protestant Institute of Archaeology in Amman (Jordan).

• Scholars holding a travel scholarship of the Deutsches Archaologisches Institut (DAI): Dr. Kai Kaniuth; Dr. Andreas Gruner.

• Ms. Anja Dreiser, Trainee at the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, Amman (Jordan).

• Prof. Dr. Donny Youkhanna, Department of Research and Studies, State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, Baghdad (). , I OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 13

The Engagement of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

By: Paul Pasch, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Amman (Jordan)

The Amman office of the Friedrich • As a solution for the economic prochement towards Syria as well Ebert Foundation, founded in 1986, obstacles Jordan faces, and in or• as establishing a collegial working is accredited through a longstand• der to stimulate an economic relation with Bashar Al Assad. ing partnership with the Royal Sci• growth out of a poor country that Extending these efforts, King Ab• entific Society. Starting off as a possesses only few resources, the dullah did not preach normalization project of scientific cooperation, king established an Economic Con• with but nevertheless, even today's activities of the Amman sultancy Council to promote eco• despite the impact of the Palestin• office are part of a regional project nomic sectors like information tech• ian Al-Aqsa Intifada on Jordan's run by the Friedrich Ebert Founda• nologies, tourism, certain branches internal affairs, he maintains strong tion in the Middle East, called "Pro• of the chemical and medical sector, links with both his immediate motion of Democracy". as well as the service sector which neighbours to the west - the Pales• was subject to privatization of tele• tinian Authority and Israel. communication and state owned Recent socio-economic and po• • Jordan's regional role was once enterprises. Moreover, there are litical developments in Jordan more manifested with the launching serious efforts to improve the edu• of the Jordanian Egyptian Initiative, • Within the three years of his re• cational system and to promote which jointly with the recommenda• foreign direct investments to gency, King Abdullah demonstrated tions of the Mitchell Report aims at achieve an export orientated eco• a sense of political stability to his reducing the tension in the Middle nomic growth. people. Though the young king pos• East and calls for a continuous dia• sesses a completely different ap• • The establishment of the Eco• logue between the Palestinian Au• proach of ruling compared to his nomic Consultancy Council in• thority and Israel towards a final father, Abdullah's main efforts were creased the engagement of young settlement. directed towards domestic political members of the private sector who affairs. • Furthermore, besides the delicate were motivated to accommodate balancing act Jordan sided with the • After the end of this transitional the requirements of globalization international alliance in the combat period, the movements towards and modernization. against terrorism. By the end of modernization seem to win the • The energies invested by King November 2001 Jordan dispatched struggle between the old elite and Abdullah towards enhanced diplo• troops to Afghanistan to secure the the enforcing younger generation of macy have mainly been channeled distribution of humanitarian aid to reformers as already indicated in towards redefining Jordan's Pales• the Afghan people. the change of government in June tinian legacy and restoring political 2000 from that of Abdul Ra'uf Al- and economic relationship with Rawabdeh, a traditional and tribal Emphasis of Work Agenda Arab countries. Jordan also seeks figure, to that of Ali Abu Al-Ragheb, The Amman office of the Friedrich to gain western financial support a liberal businessman. This is also Ebert Foundation aims at providing through the confirmation of the reflected in the composition of the WTO-membership, EU-association a modest contribution towards the new Senate (Nov. 2001) where the agreement, a free-trade agreement achievement of the priorities of Jor• King replaced the stalwarts of his with the USA and the continuous dan's modernization and stabiliza• father by his own loyalists. support of the Bretton Woods Insti• tion as proposed by King Abdullah: • Jordan faces many inner-political tutions. • enhancing the democratization and economic obstacles: one of and modernization process of the • Within the three years of the three Jordanians is living in poverty, young monarch's regime, King Ab• Jordanian society as well as pro• the rate of unemployment exceeds dullah restored Jordan's ties with tecting the national Jordanian iden• 20%, the foreign debts go up to Gulf states and advocated the lifting tity and the country's inner-security; 90% of the gross domestic product of UN sanctions on Iraq in interna• (GDP), while the annual payments • improving the economy to reach tional and regional fora. to release the foreign debts are up international standards of the global to 8.6% of the GDP. The income Jordan became the first Arab economy in order to achieve a sta• per capita rests in the average at country to dispatch a Prime Minister ble economic growth for the pros• 1645 $US and the economic growth to Iraq since crippling sanctions perity of all Jordanians; lies at around 3.3% and thus com• were imposed one decade ago. • strengthening the regional position petes with the enormous growth of Furthermore, the young monarch of Jordan and working towards a the population (3%). has tried to develop a policy of rap• peaceful Middle East; 14 OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002

• promoting women empowerment Amman Centre for Peace and select group of qualified students, in political, social and economic Development professionals and diplomats with spheres as well as preparing the emphasis on developing the profes• A dialogue centre that aims at en• grounds for gender related policies. sional skills required in the conduct couraging and providing a for of modern diplomacy. In addition, face to face contact between the the Institute conducts and partici• Partners in Development people of the Middle East, con• pates in research and study pro• ducting research relevant to peace "International Cooperation is far too grammes. and stability in the region, promote important to be left to governments peace education, regional coopera• alone." (Willy Brandt). The Friedrich Business and Professional tion and development. Ebert Foundation sees its activities Women Amman in Jordan as a contribution to: Arab Archive Institute The association was set to develop • supporting the democratization a comprehensive framework of A research and documentation process and strengthening of the structure to provide the necessary centre, aims at carrying out studies civil society; education, advocacy, networking, and research on social develop• training, professional support and • improving general political, eco• ment and democracy in the Arab opportunity for the empowerment nomic and social conditions; countries with respect to interna• and active participation of women in tional standards of individual's • reinforcing free trade unions; the social, business and economic rights. The Institute organizes Jor• development of the country and to dan's Transparency Information • endorsing independent media assure their rightful place in all de• Chapter as well as it is a consultant structures; cision making processes. for international human rights or• • facilitating regional and worldwide ganizations. cooperation; Jordanian German Business • gaining recognition for human Centre for Defending Freedom of Council Journalists (CDFJ) rights and gender policies; The members of the JGBC commit • promoting peace and under• It provides legal advice to journal• themselves to work and lobby for standing between people. ists victims of human rights viola• better business environment and for tions, filing lawsuits on behalf of close economic ties between Jor• The Amman office of the Friedrich victim journalists; legally represent• dan and Germany. The JGBC iden• Ebert Foundation is cooperating ing defendants or initiating litigation, tifies projects and activities whereby with the Royal Scientific Society monitoring and documenting infor• businessmen get a better idea of since 1986 in several scientific pro• mation that concerns legislation and the economic business environment jects, mainly in the realm of eco• judicial rulings that address jour• and investment opportunities in nomic spheres. Through this sus• nalists and media issues as well as both Jordan and Germany. tainable partnership, the Friedrich conducting research on related Ebert Foundation gained the re• subjects. The CDJF also runs a free Noor Al-Hussein Foundation spect of the Jordanian authorities of charge Internet Cafe for Jordan's The Foundation initiates and sup• as a trustworthy partner in devel• journalists. opment. Today the Amman office of ports national and international projects in the fields of integrated the Friedrich Ebert Foundation is Centre for Strategic Studies/Uni• community development, education, also cooperating with the following versity of Jordan institutions: culture, children's welfare, family The Centre was established as an health, women and gender equality academic unit of the University of and enterprise development. Al-Urdun Al-Jadid Research Cen• Jordan concerned with research in tre the fields of regional conflicts, inter• Royal Scientific Society national relations and security and A research centre that aims to The institution was established with has expanded to include research achieve sustainable social, eco• the aim of conducting scientific and into democratization, political plu• nomic and political development in technological research and devel• ralism, the peace process, devel• Jordan and the Arab world. The opment work related to the devel• opment, the economy and environ• Centre achieves its goals through opment process in Jordan with spe• ment. The CSS is the only research conducting studies on critical issues cial attention to industrial research center in Jordan to execute public at the local and regional levels, and services. It also aims at dis• opinion polls. initiating dialogue on topics of public seminating awareness in the scien• concern, holding workshops, semi• tific and technological fields and Institute of Diplomacy nars and conferences as well as providing specialized technical con• publishing research and studies and It provides advanced higher educa• sultations and services to the public conducting training programmes. tion and training programmes for a and private sectors. OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 15

World Affairs Council (WAC) Out of the foundation's commit• ratic Party of the Left, which aims to ment to enhance and develop the gain membership to the Socialist The WAC was established to status of national trade unions and International (SI). encourage rational and positive aiming to strengthen their role in debate of important Arab and The Amman office of the Friedrich civil society, the Amman office of international issues in the interest of Ebert Foundation in close coopera• the Friedrich Ebert Foundation em• public information and education. tion with the local partners is set to barked on cooperation with the For the purposes of achieving its achieve its aims through the imple• General Federation of Jordanian objectives, the Council publishes mentation of training programmes, Trade Unions (GFJTU) and the studies and periodicals, carries out seminars, workshops, conferences MENA office of the International research, holds public lectures and and lectures as well as applied sci• Confederation of Free Trade Unions seminars, as well as it encourages entific research and publications.• (ICFTU) in Amman. and organizes the exchange of visits among individuals and groups Furthermore the Friedrich Ebert involved in the areas of concern of Foundation started an intensive the council in various countries. dialogue with the Jordanian Democ• Outlines of a Promising Archaeological Project: The ash- Shudayfah Plateau North of Petra (Jordan)

By: Manfred Lindner, Naturhistorische Gesellschaft Nurnberg (Germany)

Introduction cess is a built (probably ancient) provide corn for the mountain donkey path from the northern foot stronghold. In fact, it is a mountain To survey an extremely interesting of Baboul Ba'ja. The plateau is a fortress itself. archaeological site and not being in sporn of the Jabal Halil. a position to undertake a final ex• amination and excavation is frus• trating. Usually the first discoverer An Iron II (Edomite) fortress or his/her organization owns a spe• cial claim of (scientific) possession, Near the western rim of the plateau hoping to find an efficient team of at 1245 m, an Iron II (Edomite) for• specialists to continue or implement tress of 36.50 m x 33 m was identi• the project. If this is not possible, I fied by E.A. Knauf. think it is fair to leave such a claim 'Amarin Bedouins had built the to scientists who, of course with the lower part of a house to the north• permission of the Department of east of its centre. The fortress and Antiquities, are able and willing to its surroundings were sherded but do the job. no excavation was performed. The pottery was collected, drawn and The ash-Shudayfah plateau partly published (Lindner; Genz Fig. 1: The Iron II (Edomite) fortress The ash-Shudayfah plateau (short: 2000, 47-85). H. Genz compared the finds with other Iron II sites in Shudayfah YU 366 681, according "Standing and tumbled stones" to the 1:50 000 map of Jordan) was southern Jordan, and dated the first spotted through binoculars ca. Shudayfah pottery generally to the Shudayfah impresses on first sight 1.5 km to the north from Umm Ba- Iron Age. According to a theory with a lot of complexes of standing bayn, an Early Bronze Age, Na- advanced by E.A. Knauf (Lindner; and tumbled stones which might bataean-Roman, Bedouin site Knauf 1997) that there existed a have been roughly worked originally (Lindner; Genz 2000, 48). As found kind of cooperation between the but are now featureless or, like one out by teams of the Naturhistorische Edomite mountain strongholds and specimen of 1.20 m height, mush• Gesellschaft (NHG) Nurnberg, di• the plateau settlements, Shudayfah room-shaped due to ext/eme ero• rected by the author in 1995 and might have been the plateau set• sion by heat, frost, wind and inter• 1997, there are two accesses to the tlement corresponding to the vention by herders and animals. Shudayfah plateau. The one from mountain stronghold of Ba'ja III. But Erosion was facilitated by the soft• the Petra-Shobak road at ca. there is not enough arable land ness of the Ordovician white sand• 1350 m is wearisome. The other ac• around the Shudayfah fortress to stone that, on the other hand, 16 OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 erodes in a tabular form, and pro• by H. Genz to the Early Bronze Age Petroglyphs vided thereby easily the "standing II, according to parallels from Arad High quality petroglyphs of animals stones". It is debatable if the local• lll/ll and Barqa el-Hetiye (Lindner; were discovered on the Shudayfah ization and configuration of the Genz 2000, 57). plateau. Unfortunately they cannot stone complexes allow a general be dated. There is only the certainty interpretation. Some specimens that they are no recent Bedouin seem to stand in a row, others like work (Lindner 2001, 278) examples an upright monolith of 1.65 m length of which were also found. and 1.20 m width or a horizontal monolith of 2.20 m length look quite different. None seem to be part of a Summary defensive wall. At first regarded Short outlines for a promising ar• spontaneously as graves, sur• chaeological project using prelimi• rounded by stone slabs and single nary results of two surveys of the cornerstones, it seemed that not all Naturhistorische Gesellschaft (NHG) stone complexes could be inter• Niimberg are given as an incentive preted that way. In U. Hubner's to continue and implement the re• opinion, no such graves exist in the search on the Shudayfah plateau Iron II period or in the Early Bronze north of ancient Petra, revealing so Age (pers. comm.). Meanwhile, far Early Bronze Age II, Iron II after the excavation of houses sur• (Edomite), Nabataean-Roman and rounded by (less eroded) wall slabs Fig. 2: "Standing and tumbled Late Islamic occupations since al• and cornerstones on the Umm Say- Stones" most 5000 years. saban plateau, also Shudayfah could have sported such structures. Among other surface finds, there At Umm Saysaban four excavated were perforated quartzite 4 m x 5 m structures were ex• mace heads, used as plained by their contents as storage hammers to hammer stone houses in the Arad house style or as a weapon or as a (Lindner; Hiibner; Genz in print). On sign of status or only as a Shudayfah houses might have sup• stone ring for weighting a ported people who lived temporarily digging stick. They can be in tents. Another explanation for the placed in the Early Bronze Shudayfah complexes is theoreti• Age, according to parallels cally possible. As e.g. G. Philip from Timna (Bourke 2001, (2001, 200) mentions dolmens at 1421). Tabular scrapers Early Bronze Age dwellings, nothing are well represented in the is certain, before some complexes Bror.ze Age l-lll according will be carefully sounded and exca• to H.G.K. Gebel, though vated, nothing of which has been being "distinctive tools but done so far. indistinctive chronological markers". The scrapers The Early Bronze Age pottery and from Shudayfah were drawn and Fig. 3: New pottery finds other finds described by H.G.K. Gebel (2000, 63-65. 82-85). A large quern could Acknowledgements Of course, the problem hinges on not be dated. the EB pottery found all around the Thanks are due to the Directors- place, though on the surface not apt The much scattered and shattered General of the Department of An• to localize any special subsites. ceramic material taken from the tiquities of Jordan and their local Thus places like a rectangular 4 m x ground by E.A. Knauf in 1 m x 1 m representatives. Members of my 6 m structure by the landmark of an areas attests four periods of settling team were Prof. Dr. E.A. Knauf, old Quercus calliprinos, a kind of or other occupation: an Early Prof. Dr. U. Hiibner, Baumeister- courtyard, a few tumuli, corner• Bronze, an Iron II (Edomite), a Na- Ing. E. Gunsam, I. Kiinne, A. stones perhaps of a 7 m x 8 m pen, bataean-Roman and a Late Islamic Schmid, E. Schreyer. Dakhlallah or a heap of tumbled building period. Several rims out of Knaufs Qublan and his son Ismael were stones on the plateau opposite Je- collection were additionally drawn. reliable guides and, more than that, bel Fidre with another Early Bronze Three of them, collected on the way thankfully accepted mentors. Dr. H. Age "station", cannot clearly be from the Petra-Shobak road, were Genz has to be thanked for analyz• identified by ceramic finds and Middle Bronze Age specimens from ing the pottery. should be sounded and/or exca• undiscovered settling near or rather vated. Generally, the EB finds col• below the above mentioned road lected from the surface were dated (Fig. 3). OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 17

Gebel, H.G.K., Tabular Scrapers from Lindner, M.; Hiibner, U.; Genz, H., the Petra Area (Collections M. Lindner), The Early Bronze Age Settlement on in: Bienert, H.D.; Muller-Neuhof, B. Umm Saysaban North of Petra (Jordan) (eds.), At the Crossroads. Essays on and its Topographical Context. Report the Archaeology, History and Current on the 1998/99 Survey, in print. Affairs of the Middle East, Amman Lindner, M.; Knauf, E.A., Between the 2000, 63-85. Plateau and the Rocks. Ecomite Eco• Lindner, M., Uber Petra hinaus: Die nomic and Social Structure. Studies in Naturhistorische Gesellschaft im ar- the History and Archaeology of Jordan chaologischen Norden der antiken VI, Amman 1997, 261-264. Stadt in: Jubilaumsausgabe Natur und Lindner, M.; Knauf, E.A.; Hubl, J., The Mensch. Zum 200jahrigen Bestehen Greater Petra Region. Survey of (1801-2001) Naturhistorische Gesell• Naturhistorische Gesellschaft 1995 schaft (NHG) Numberg e.V., 2001, 263- Season, Report to the Department of 290. Antiquities of Jordan, 1995. Lindner, M.; Genz, H., Five Early Fig. 4: High quality petroglyphs from Philip, G., The Early Bronze l-lll Ages, Shudayfah Bronze Age Sites North of Petra (Jor• dan) Discovered in 1993-1997. Prelimi• in: Mac Donald, B.; Adams, R.; nary Report on Exploratory Surveys of Bienkowski, P. (eds.), The Archaeology of Jordan, Sheffield 2001, 163-232.B References: the Naturhistorische Gesellschaft (NHG) Niirnberg, in: Bienert, H.D.; Muller-Neu• Bourke, S., The Chalcolithic Period, hof, B. (eds.), At the Crossroads. Es• in: Mac Donald, B.; Adams, R.; says on the Archaeology, History and Bienkowski, P. (eds.), The Archaeology Current Affairs of the Middle East, Am• of Jordan, Sheffield 2001, 107-162. man 2000, 47-61. A Newly Discovered Byzantine Laura Near Jordan River

By: Mohammed Waheeb, Department of Antiquities, Amman (Jordan)

the 1999-2000 season of excava• The western wall of this room which The Jordanian Department of An• tions. Several test trenches were measures 0.75 m, probably added tiquities team, working on the east• conducted in different locations on in a later period, served as a divi• ern side of the Jordan River at the and near the site, then more Byz• sion wall between the two rooms. site of Jesus' baptism under the antine pottery sherds and well cut The square shaped room measures direction of the author, has exca• ashlars were revealed. A systematic 5.55 m x 6.10 m. The walls of the vated a multi-room complex. The comprehensive excavation started room were built of well cut dressed site, discovered over two years ago, at the site aiming to discover the ashlars of sand stone. The doorway was located 50 m east from the lower remains and to understand is 1.00 m wide. river and was surrounded by tama• the relations between the site and risk trees from all sides. The struc• The two original connected rooms the Jordan River and the other Byz• ture is bordered by the Lissan marl were reused in the Ottoman period. antine building remains discovered cliffs with its caves to the east, by Two rectangular rooms were added at the site of Jesus' baptism. The the Jordan River to the west and by to the eastern side of the structure excavation has revealed two rooms the famous remains of John the during this period. from the 5lh-6th century (Byzantine Baptist church 100 m to the south. period) and two other rooms which The surface survey in 1999 re• were added later, probably during Room No. 3 vealed the presence of few Byzan• the Ottoman period: measures 6.00 m x 3.30 m. It was tine pottery sherds mixed with built of local field stones and small sherds of modern pottery. The team pieces of broken sandstone ashlars. Room No. 1 decided not to excavate the site at is located in the western section of A small square structure of 1.85 m x first, because its architecture and 1.65 m was located in the north the discovered structure. It is other artifacts such as pottery square shaped, measures 5.55 m x western corner of the room, proba• sherds suggested that it were rela 6.10 m and was built of well cut bly used as a small storing place. tively modern remains from the turn dressed sand stone ashlars. The of the century, while piles of stones doorway, 1.00 m wide, was built in Room No. 4 and sand on top of the structure the southern wall. measures 9.00 m x 4.90 m and was were remains from recent Jordanian built of local field stones and small army activities. Room No. 2 broken pieces of sand stone ahlars. The site was reexamined during was built adjacent to room No. 1. A small square structure of 1.00 m x 18 OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002

1.20 m, located in the south west• One of the aims of excavating this ern corner, was probably used as a site is to study possible relations of fire place: Some charcoal pieces the original two rooms with the story were found during the excavation of of the life of St. Mary of Egypt. This this place. link is based almost totally on the suggestion by the French scholar The later Ottoman rooms served F.M. Abel from the turn of the cen• perhaps as a part of the Ottoman tury: either that she used the rooms security system in this region, since herself, or that they were built after it was located near several strategic her death in the Byzantine era to fords across the Jordan river. commemorate the spot where she The Byzantine rooms were rebuilt is thought to have lived and have and expanded in the Ottoman era, been buried. using stones that were robbed out The local people who lived in the of the nearby Byzantine era church area during the period between of John the Baptist. This church, 1930 and 1967 still call the two known from pilgrims' accounts from original rooms the "Palace of the the Byzantine and medieval peri• Lady" (Qaser es-Sett). Due to the ods, has been rediscovered and is CtAI'HIC SCALl recovered architectural remains and being excavated by the author. other datable material, it is highly Several black marble blocks from recommended to conclude that the I .100 John the Baptist church were found site has been the Laura of St. Mary reused in the entrance and walls of l»Uf« 01 Si. Maty of Egypt, built during the Byzantine the two rooms. In addition to that period and destroyed by earth• some other fragments were found quakes and floods of the Jordan Fig. 1: Laura of St. Mary reused in the courses of the walls of river in the late Byzantine period. the Ottoman building. This indicates During the 19th century the site was a continuing destruction of John the rebuilt and used by local settlers.H Baptist church even during the Ot• toman period and later by floods of the Jordan river. The Region of Gadara/Umm Qeis Project. Second part of the 2001-season: a test trench on Tell Zera'a

By: Karel Vriezen, Theological Faculty, University of Utrecht (Netherlands)

In continuation of the topographical, be the remains of an ancient de• found in situ. These tabuns were geoelectrical and archaeological fence line. Therefore, the test 0.76 m and 0.54 m in diameter and survey of Tell Zera'a by a team of trench was laid out as to make a the wall of one of them still stood up the Biblisch-Archaologisches Institut cross section over the walls in order to a height of 0.36 m. of the Kirchliche Hochschule Wup- to study them. Then, it soon ap• pertal, a first excavation was carried peared that these walls were not out by a team of the Theological the remains of a defense system of Faculty of the University of Utrecht, an ancient settlement, but that they from 21s' October until 1st Novem• had been built as terrace walls re• ber 2001. taining the soil eroding from the A test trench, measuring 4.50 m x tell's plateau. Two of these walls 7.00 m, was excavated on the that had been visible on the surface western edge of the tell's plateau to could be dated in the Early Islamic investigate the stratigraphy of the Period as a terminus a quo. site. The western one of these walls Prior to the actual digging, it was had been built on a fill deposited supposed that the walls encircling over a Byzantine layer. This layer the western part of the plateau and consisted of a hard packed loamy Fig. 1: Tell Zera'a: an Iron Age House being visible on the surface might floor, on which two tabuns were wall, looking north-east OCCIDENTS. ORIENT- March 2002 19

The eastern terrace wall was built underneath a series of terrace as the successor of an older terrace walls. Of these, especially the wall. This earlier wall had been built stratigraphical definition of the Iron on a fill containing only Iron Age Age is of utmost importance for the pottery. Underneath the fill the re• regional archaeology of the Umm mains of an E-W house wall was Qeis-area. A result most promising uncovered in a context of layers for the future excavations on Tell with exclusively Iron Age pottery Zera'a.a finds. The wall was 0.80 m wide and it had partially been collapsed. In the end of this trial excavation an Iron Age stratum and a Byzantine stratum could be defined Fig. 2: Tell Zera'a: two Byzantine tabuns, looking north A Nabataean Caravanserai at Rujm Taba

By: Benjamin J. Dolinka, Department of Archaeology, University of Liverpool (Great Britain)

Rujm Taba is located in the south• sance and survey of the site, which ing is preserved to an average ern Wadi Araba, ca. 41.5 km north• represented the first detailed inves• height of at least 1.25 m above the east of Aqaba and 4 km south of tigation of Rujm Taba. As a prelimi• desert floor, but in some places the the village of Rahma. The remains nary measure to facilitate future extant architectural remains rise straddle the modern Dead Sea work at the site, the team estab• higher than 2 m. Crude wall lines Highway ca. 1 km north of the Taba lished a permanent site datum and the remains of an internal cor• mudflats, to the southeast of a large along the western side of the high• ner were visible in the south-west• sand-dune field (Fig. 1). Most of the way (36R UTMN 0705502 / UTME ern portion of the structure, but at• archaeological site at Rujm Taba is 3307308, elevation 75 m ASL, ±3 tempts to clean the tops of the walls located along the base of a rounded m). The datum formed the origin for and establish precise wall lengths alluvial fan along the eastern es• an infinitely expanding grid aligned and widths were frustrated by the carpment of the Wadi Araba. The on UTM North and corrected for decomposition of the top course of well-known landmark and important magnetic declination. The main grid masonry, which had become highly regional water source known as Ain was divided into four quadrants, friable from weathering. Where a Taba lies along the road ca. 3.5 km Fields A-D, and further subdivided second course of stone was visible, to the south. In antiquity, the site into 5 m x 5 m squares, a size cho• it seemed to be much better pre• served as a way station along the sen to conform to any future exca• served. Excavation will be required Nabataean route that ran northward vation, which would be conducted to define the architecture. along the eastern escarpment of the on that module. During the RTAP preliminary re• Wadi Araba from Aila (modern Among the three main archaeo• connaissance and survey, two Aqaba) to the southeastern coast of logical components identified by the blocks of thirty-six 5 m x 5 m the Dead Sea. RTAP team at Rujm Taba was a squares were selected for intensive Rujm Taba completely escaped large building (Structure A001) re• surface collection. The first encom• the notice of the and ferred to by previous researchers as passed all of Structure A001. The authors, who fail to mention it either a fortlet or caravanserai. goal of intensive collection was to either directly or indirectly. The site Structure A001 (Fig. 2) is located 55 obtain a body of datable material, remained essentially terra incognita m west of the modern highway, which would be sufficiently large to until it was visited by Fritz Frank between a small wadi and the dune better understand the occupational (1930s), Thomas Raikes (1970s), field. According to a local informant, history of the site. Preliminary as• and Andrew M. Smith II (1990s). It the structure is known as Bir Hel- sessment of the surface pottery should be noted, however, that wan and is located 150 m northwest collected from Structure A001 pro• these archaeological surveys all of the modern well. A001 is a vides a tentative chronological se• had a broader, more regional roughly square structure ca. 20 m x quence for the structure and rein• emphasis; therefore Rujm Taba re• 20 m with at least four internal forces its Nabataean origin. Of the ceived only cursory examination. In rooms. The building seems to have sherds collected, the vast majority August 2001, the "Rujm Taba Ar• been constructed of the pink, grey (74.5%) were of the distinct Na• chaeological Project" (RTAP) and white granite, which is plentiful bataean Fine Painted and Un- conducted a preliminary reconnais• in the nearby alluvial fan. The build• painted Wares, ranging in date from 20 OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 the early 1st through the mid-2nd A001. A culvert installed where the rior. A large pit, ca. 1.50 m deep, centuries AD. Also present were highway begins its gentle curve to now filling with windblown sand, fragments of imported Eastern the northwest now channels a large suggests that there has been con• Sigillata A, Nabataean cooking pots volume of seasonal runoff directly siderable disturbance in the recent of contemporaneous date to the fine towards the structure. In fact, the past. Ironically, the best-preserved wares, and fragments of Nabataean wadi created by this diversion of and least-robbed portion of the unguentaria. Taken together, the water has eaten into the soil at the structure, along the eastern side, is surface evidence suggests continu• southeastern corner of A001 to a also that which is most threatened ous occupation of A001 during the depth of ca. 1.25 m below the de• by the wadi. first two centuries AD. sert floor. The most erosive portion Finally, encroaching sand dunes of the wadi, where it turns 90° to run The architectural plan of Structure located to the west and northwest of south along the western side of the A001 exhibits all of the elements A001 pose yet another threat to the highway (Fig. 2), is now only ca. typical of a Nabataean caravanse• structure. Since the Geological Map 10 m from the corner of the struc• rai, especially when compared with for the 3049 IV Wadi Darba Map ture and will inevitably damage similar structures on either side of Sheet was created in 1986, these A001 in the near future. Further the Wadi Araba valley. Two exten• dunes appear to have moved investigation at Rujm Taba will sive field trips in the Negev and between 60 m and 100 m east; if assess the feasibility of erecting a western Araba, conducted by the the dunes maintain this eastward retaining wall or wadi diversion present writer during autumn 2000, movement, they will eventually along the southeastern section of provided a solid basis for compara• cover Structure A001. A001, where the structure is most tive studies of the typical Na• threatened. Two seasons of excavation are bataean caravanserai. The Na- planned for the RTAP. The first is bataeans seemed to have a prefer• scheduled for the sum• ence for caravanserais that were mer of 2002, and will square (or nearly square) with a focus upon Structure large, central courtyard surrounded A001 - a high-priority by a series of rooms, measuring ca. salvage excavation. The 3 m x 3 m, situated along the inte• main objective for RTAP rior of the outer walls. Nabataean is to record as much of caravanserais generally measured Rujm Taba as possible, from about 20 to 40 square metres before the resource is and were almost always located on lost completely. In order level ground. They often offered to preserve the site for amenities such as "bathtubs" and posterity, RTAP plans to cooking installations (i.e. tabuns), work with the Jordanian such as the caravanserai at Sha'ar Ministry of Tourism and Ramon in the south-central Negev, Antiquities to investigate and were large enough to accom• the cultural tourism po• modate groups of travellers with a tential of this highly ac• relatively small caravan of camels. cessible site. Located Of particular interest is that the Na• along the busy Dead Sea bataean caravanserais on the Highway connecting western side of the Wadi Araba and Amman to Aqaba, Rujm in the Negev were all constructed Taba is well sited to pro• during the 1sl century AD, although vide visitors with a they were often occupied after the TABA REGIONAL MAP glimpse of life at an an• Roman annexation of Nabataea in RUJM TABA ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT: cient Nabataean road AD 106. Structure A001 fits all of SURVEY AND RECONNAISSANCE. AUQUST 2001 station in southern Jor- the criteria for a Nabataean cara• 1. STttUCTUFttAtDl dan. vanserai: it has the right size, shape 2 FEATURES COOt-COIl GCC1-CCC6 i mum and layout; and surface pottery from the RTAP 2001 Survey and Recon• naissance strongly supports a date Acknowiedgements: Fig. 1: Map showing the RTAP 2001 in the 1st century AD for its con• survey area and the regional The RTAP 2001 team was: Benja• struction. environment surrounding Rujm Taba min J. Dolinka (University of Liver• Structure A001 faces numerous pool), Project Director; Khalil Ham- Human activity has also had a threats from both human activity dan (Safi Office), Department of substantial impact on A001. Vehicle and its environmental setting. The Antiquities Representative; R. tracks were clearly visible across construction of the modern Dead James Cook (University of Victoria), the structure, suggesting stone rob• Sea Highway (ca. 1978) has signifi• Assistant Director; and Sean C. bing and/or bulldozing of the inte- cantly altered the landscape around Fraser (Heritage Foundation of OCCIDENT & ORIENT- March 2002 21

Ontario), Project Architect. Many thanks are due to Dr. Fawwaz al- Khreisheh, Director-General of the Department of Antiquities, for per• mission to examine the site. RTAP would also like to thank Sawsan al- Fakhiry, Director of the Aqaba An• tiquities Office, for her logistical assistance and enthusiasm. The project is indebted to Dr. Bill Finlay- son, Dr. Alex Wasse and Nadja Qaisi, from CBRL-Amman, who provided equipment, advice and research support. Special thanks are also due to Andrew M. Smith II (University of Maryland) and Tali Erickson-Gini (Israel Antiquities Authority), for sharing their vast knowledge of the area and for pro• viding unpublished data.H

Fig. 2: Plan showing the western side of the Dead Sea Highway and Struc• ture A001, the Nabataean caravanse• rai. Farewell to a Great Friend of Jordanian Archaeology. An Obituary for Dr. Jum'a Kareem

By: Zeidan Kafafi, Yarmouk University Irbid (Jordan) and Roland Lamprichs, German Protestant Institute of Archaeology, Amman (Jordan)

Dr. Jum'a Kareem who devoted a archaeological field works in Jor• considerable part of his life to the dan. history and archaeology of Jordan Jum'a, we will miss you ! • passed away at the age of 52 on 1S1 February 2002. His family lost a caring father and husband. The academic community lost an excel• lent expert, colleague and friend. Dr. Jum'a Kareem received his B.A. from the University of Jordan in Amman and his M.A. from Yarmouk University in Irbid. He finished his studies with a Ph.D. (Dr. phil.) from the Freie Universitat (FU) Berlin, Germany. After he finished his Ph.D. studies he joined the De• partment of Archaeology at Mu'tah University. Dr. Kareem was well known as a very hard and sincere researcher. Fig. 1: Jum'a Kareem (2"" row 2"° from right) and the excavation He joined and conducted several team "Abu Thawwab" (1985) Donors to the Library

We would like to express our gratitude to the following institutions and persons who made donations to our library:

German Archaeological Institute (DAI), Berlin (Germany); German Archaeological Institute, Damascus Branch (Syria); American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR), Amman (Jordan); The Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (IAA), Yarmouk University, Irbid (Jordan); Friends of Archaeology, Amman (Jordan); University of Jordan, Amman (Jordan); Prof. Dr. R. Dittmann, Westfalische Wilhelms-Universitat, Munster (Germany); Prof. Dr. B. Salje, Vorderasiatisches Museum (VAM), Berlin (Germany); Dr. L. Martin, Vorderasiatisches Museum (VAM), Berlin (Germany); Dr. Dr. M. Lindner, Naturhistorische Gesellschaft Nurnberg (Germany); Dr. K. Vriezen, University of Utrecht (Netherlands).

We would like to extend our gratitude to the Gertrud-und-Alexander-BOhlig-Stiftung, who subsidized our library in 2001 and 2002.