2016 AND 2017 SEASONS i ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN ii Archaeology in Jordan Newsletter: 2016 and 2017 Seasons Edited by John D.M. Green, Barbara A. Porter, and China P. Shelton © 2018 by ACOR – The American Center of Oriental Research PO Box 2470 Amman, 11181, Jordan November 2018 www.acorjordan.org/archaeology-jordan-aij/ [email protected] Original design by Jawad Hijazi Layout by Starling Carter Arabic site and project names compiled by Samya Kafafi The Archaeology in Jordan Newsletter in an open access (OA) online publication by ACOR. All the original reports published in this journal are free to access immediately from the date of publication. We do not charge fees for any reader to download articles for their own scholarly or educational use. The Archaeology in Jordan Newletter operates under the Creative Commons Licence CC-BY-NC-ND. This allows for the reproduction of articles, free of charge, for non-commercial use only and with the appropriate citation information. 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Cover image: Detail of wall painting from the Bayt Ras Tomb (Orthographic photo: Soizik Bechetoille-Kaczorowski/Ifpo Amman) ISBN: 978-0-578-41390-7 The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan The Deposit Number at the National Library ( د /2018/5550) 2016 AND 2017 SEASONS iii المحتوى CONTENTS 1 خريطة المشاريع والمواقع MAP OF SITES AND PROJECTS 1 2 المقدمة INTRODUCTION 2 3 جبل قرمة JABAL QURMA 3 5 مشروع البادية الشرقية األثري EASTERN BADIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT 5 7 مشروع المسح األثري للحرة الغربية WESTERN HARRA SURVEY PROJECT 7 9 KHARANEH IV 9 الخرانة ٤ 11 MUSHASH 163 11 ُمشاش ١٦٣ 13 UMM EL-JIMAL 13 أم الجمال 16 GADARA/UMM QEIS HINTERLAND SURVEY 16 المسح األثري لمنطقة أم قيس 18 NORTHERN JORDAN PROJECT 18 مشروع شمال االردن 19 ABILA OF THE DECAPOLIS 19 أبيال )إحدى مدن الديكابوليس( 21 BAYT RAS 21 بيت راس 23 PELLA 23 بيال )طبقة فحل( 25 WADI HAMMEH 27 25 وادي الحمة ٢٧ KHIRBET UM AL-GHOZLAN 27 27 خربة ام الغزالن JERASH NORTHWEST QUARTER PROJECT 29 29 مشروع جرش، الربع الشمالي الغربي LATE ANTIQUE JARASH PROJECT 31 31 مشروع جرش األثري JARASH EAST BATHS 33 33 حمامات جرش الشرقية TALL DAMIYAH 35 35 تل دامية WADI SHU’AIB ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROJECT 37 37 مشروع المسح األثري لوادي شعيب JABAL AL-MUTAWWAQ 39 39 جبل المطوق KHIRBET AL-BATRAWY 41 41 خربة البتراوي AMMAN: THE ROMAN NYMPHAEUM 43 43 عمان: سبيل الحوريات الروماني TALL AL-‘UMAYRI 45 ٤٥ تل عميري HISBAN CULTURAL HERITAGE PROJECT 47 ٤٧ مشروع حسبان التراثي الثقافي KHIRBET AL-MUKHAYYAT 49 ٤٩ خربة ّالمخيط TALL JALUL 51 ٥١ تل جلول MADABA REGIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL 53 ٥٣ متحف مأدبا األثري اإلقليمي MUSEUM PROJECT ٥٥ مريغة MURAYGHAT 55 ٥٧ مكاور MACHAERUS 57 ٥٩ خربة اسكندر KHIRBAT ISKANDAR 59 61 KHIRBET AL-BALU’A ٦١ خربة بالوعة 63 GHAWR AS-SAFI ٦٣ غور الصافي 65 EXPEDITION TO THE DEAD SEA PLAINS ٦٥ بعثات سهول البحر الميت 67 HARRAT JUHAYRA 2 ٦٧ حرة جهيرة ٢ 69 PETRA: SHKARAT MSAIED ٦٩ البتراء : اشكارة مسيعد 71 PETRA: BA‘AJA ٧١ البتراء: بعجة 73 PETRA REGION GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY ٧٣ المسح الجيوأركولوجي لمنطقة البتراء 74 PETRA: ISLAMIC BAYDHA PROJECT ٧٤ البتراء: مشروع بيضا االسالمية 76 PETRA: WADI AGLAT ٧٦ البتراء: وادي عاقالت PETRA: UMM SAYSABAN 78 ٧٨ البتراء: أم سيسبان PETRA: AD-DEIR MONUMENT AND PLATEAU PROJECT 79 ٧٩ البتراء: الدير، مشروع النصب التذكاري PETRA: WADI MATAHA 81 ٨١ البتراء: وادي مطاحة PETRA: NORTH-EASTERN PETRA PROJECT 82 ٨٢ مشروع شمال شرق البتراء األثري PETRA NORTH RIDGE PROJECT 84 ٨٤ مشروع التل الشمالي األثري PETRA: TEMPLE OF THE WINGED LIONS 86 ٨٦ البتراء: معبد األسود المجنحة PETRA: COLONNADED STREET FLOOD DEPOSIT ANALYSIS 88 ٨٨ البتراء: شارع األعمدة PETRA: QASR AL BINT 90 ٩٠ البتراء: قصر البنت UDHRUH 92 ٩٢ أذرح AYN GHARANDAL 94 ٩٤ عين غرندل WADI RUM: COMMUNITY-BASED ROCK ART AND 96 ٩٦ وادي رم: المجتمع الصخري القائم على الفن EPIGRAPHIC RECORDING PROJECT ٩٨ مشروع األرث البحري لخليج العقبة AQABA MARINE HERITAGE PROJECT 98 ١٠٠ للتواصل مع المؤلف CONTRIBUTOR CONTACT INFORMATION 100 2016 AND 2017 SEASONS 1 MAP OF SITES AND PROJECTS Visualization by Thomas Paradise ARCHAEOLOGY IN JORDAN 2 INTRODUCTION John D.M. Green, Barbara A. Porter, and China P. Shelton The first edition of the “Archaeology in Jordan” Fujii, the discovery of marble statuary on the Petra Newsletter appeared in the American Journal of North Ridge by Tom Parker and Megan Perry, and Archaeology in 1991 with the intention of presenting the report on the elaborate Roman era painted recent fieldwork conducted in Jordan to a broad chamber at Bayt Ras by Jehad Haron and Claude academic audience. The series was initiated by Vibert-Guige (cover image). Notable also is the the then ACOR director, Bert de Vries. From that first report on maritime archaeology in theAIJ , with time, the newsletter was published annually (1991— the presentation of findings from the early Islamic 2008) and bi-annually (2010—2016) resulting in 22 harbor at ancient Ayla by Ehab Eid, Sawsan Al editions published within the AJA, all of which are Fakhri, and Islam Sleim. available as open content online. Subsequent editors after de Vries also came from ACOR or The editors recognize that all authors acknowledge were closely affiliated. AJA’s regional newsletters the support and partnership of the Department are an integral part of its history, coming to an of Antiquities (DOA) of Jordan. Due to the short end in 2016. To continue this important tradition length of these entries, many expressions of the Archaeology in Jordan Newsletter, or AIJ for thanks and acknowledgment are omitted for the short, is relaunched here as an open-access sake of brevity. During the time these field projects online publication through ACOR. It is intended to were undertaken, the Director-General was H.E. serve as a platform for recent archaeological and Dr. Monther Jamhawi, to whom all contributors cultural heritage management projects. Official expressed their thanks. Not all specific funding and complete reports from project directors agencies mentioned by project directors are continue to be published in the Annual of the acknowledged for the sake of being concise. Of Department of Antiquities of Jordan (ADAJ). course every project relies on funding and support, often from their own institutions as well as from This edition presents reports on projects that other sources. It is appropriate here to thank all took place in Jordan between January 2016 and who support these endeavors. December 2017. As in prior editions, reports are generally organized from north to south by region This newsletter was produced by ACOR and (map on p. 1). In all, there are 50 projects with a funded through the ACOR Cultural Heritage Fund wide range of periods and regions represented, and ACOR’s Publication Fund. Layout and editing and 89 listed contributors. There is a strong cohort were finalized by freelance designer Jawad Hijazi of projects focused on prehistory in the Eastern and Starling Carter of ACOR. Samya Kafafi of Desert region of Jordan, the Early Bronze Age in ACOR compiled Arabic site and project names various parts of the country, and numerous projects in the contents listing. The electronic version of in the Petra region focusing on the Nabataean/ this newsletter is intended to be easily accessible Roman through the Islamic eras. While the number for those interested in knowing about current of projects being undertaken in Jordan has not archaeological work in Jordan. Many projects have changed much over the past decade, there has websites, and links are provided where possible. been a trend in recent years towards shortened A considerable number of projects can also be or alternating seasons within smaller areas of found on Facebook. For more information on the excavation. This can be related in many cases to projects, please contact the authors directly (see the financial and logistical challenges faced by list on pages 100–101 for contact information). project directors due to the combined impact of All figures are courtesy of the individual project rising expenses and cuts in funding for research and directors unless otherwise noted. grants. Nevertheless, major achievements continue to be made. Some key discoveries presented in For further information on AIJ and links to past this edition include the unusual Chalcolithic tailed newsletters, please visit: https://www.acorjordan. ossuaries at Harrat Juhayra as reported by Sumio org/archaeology-jordan-aij/ 2016 AND 2017 SEASONS 3 Fig. 1. Ring cairn in the Jabal Qurma region, with its typical conical shape (Photo: Peter Akkermans) The Jabal Qurma Archaeological Landscape Project seeks JABAL QURMA to examine settlement and subsistence practices in Jordan’s Peter M.M.G. Akkermans north-eastern basalt desert from the Palaeolithic up to the Leiden University present day, through survey and excavation in the Jabal Qurma region, some 30 km east of Azraq. Our surveys in the area have identified many hundreds of burial cairns of different shapes and sizes. Fieldwork in 2016 and 2017 focused on the excavation of a number of these cairns (cf. Akkermans and Brüning 2017). Investigation of cairns is not always easy. An unfortunate (predominantly modern) development is the very considerable looting of tombs. Other constraints relate to matters of skeletal preservation (often poor) and the palimpsest of contents resulting from the continual reuse of the tombs. Often the reuse could only be accomplished through disturbing or even obliterating older burials in the mounds. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the burials in the desert are often notoriously difficult to date.