Excavations at 'Ain Waida', Jordan : New Insights into Pottery Neolithic Lifeways in the Southern Levant

Excavations conducted at the site of 'Ain Waida ', on the north side of the Wadi Dhra ', Jordan, have exposed the remains of a Pottery Neolithic village. Test excavations reveal at least two phases of occupation at 'Ain Waida ', with good preservation of extensive architectural, lithic, and ceramic materials. The earliest occupation of the site has been dated by radiocarbon to 6,100 BP uncalibrated (5,240-4,940 cal. ВС), in the Late Pottery Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic period. The remains of 10-15 rectangular stone buildings visible on the surface, and extensive cultural deposits observable in exposed sections, indicate that this was a relatively large hamlet. Taken in combination with the Jericho IX Neolithic remains identified at Dhra ' directly across on the south side of the Wadi Dhra ', this settlement provides new evidence for occupational continuity of the southeastern Dead Sea plain through multiple phases of the Pottery Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods.Les fouilles conduites sur le site de 'Ain Waida ', sur la rive nord du Wadi Dhra ' (Jordanie) ont révélé les restes d'un village PN. Des sondages ont montré que 'Ain Waida ' avait connu au moins deux phases d'occupation ; les vestiges d'architecture sont étendus et bien conservés ; les différents niveaux ont livré du matériel lithique et céramique. La première occupation du site a été datée par le 14 С 6 100 BP non cal. (5 240-4 940 cal. ВС), с 'est-à-dire du LPN/Chalcolithique ancien. Les restes de 10 à 15 bâtiments rectangulaires en pierre sont visibles en surface, et des dépôts anthropiques très étendus peuvent être observés dans les coupes, ce qui témoigne d'un établissement relativement grand. Celui-ci, si on le rapproche des vestiges néolithiques Jéricho IX, identifiés à Dhra ', sur la rive sud du wadi Dhra ', apporte une nouvelle preuve de la continuité de l'occupation de la plaine située au S.E. de la mer Morte. Celle-ci serait habitée pendant les diverses phases des périodes PN et Chalcolithique.Kuijt Ian, Chesson Meredith S. Excavations at 'Ain Waida', Jordan : New Insights into Pottery Neolithic Lifeways in the Southern Levant. In: Paléorient, 2002, vol. 28, n°2. pp. 109-122

Domestic animal production and consumption at Tall al-Handaquq South (Jordan) in the Early Bronze III

The Early Bronze Age (EBA) in the Southern Levant saw the emergence of socioeconomic inequality, fortified towns, and craft specialization. Livestock production was key to facilitating these socioeconomic changes, but the precise forms of animal husbandry and the economic contributions of domestic animal herding to EBA economies in the Southern Levant remain underexplored. Here, we investigate faunal remains recovered from Tall al-Handaquq South (THS), a walled Early Bronze III settlement located in the northern Jordan Valley. Zooarchaeological analyses indicate that small-stock (sheep and goat) herding formed the basis of subsistence and surplus production, while cattle husbandry provided much needed labour for intensive cereal production. The high relative abundance of cattle and the preference for goats, which thrive on low quality forage typical for more marginal landscapes beyond the valley floor, over sheep may indicate use of a more extensive herding strategy that kept herds off of agricultural fields while maintaining animal production. Notably, caprine management systems shifted throughout the EB III at THS from strategies emphasizing the optimal production of meat obtained from prime-aged sheep and goats to one focused on the exploitation of older animals, perhaps for fiber production. During this time, however, goats continued to outnumber sheep, possibly reflecting the longterm importance of grain production, which is expected to be reflected in the faunal record by high proportions of goats and cattle. Comparing the data from THS to other sites in the Southern Levant, the data indicate an evolution towards a greater focus on agricultural and livestock commodity production, factors that may have contributed to the abandonment of THS and, perhaps, other walled sites in the region.L’âge du Bronze ancien (BA) au Levant Sud est marqué par le développement des inégalités socioéconomiques et l’émergence de villes fortifiées et de productions spécialisées. La production de bétail, en particulier de ruminants, est un élément clé qui a favorisé ces changements, mais les formes précises de l’élevage et leurs contributions aux économies du BA dans le Sud du Levant restent encore mal comprises. Nous présentons ici une analyse des restes fauniques trouvés à Tall al-Handaquq Sud (THS), un village fortifié datant du début du Bronze ancien III, situé dans le nord de la vallée du Jourdain. Les analyses archéozoologiques indiquent que l’élevage des petits ruminants (ovins et caprins) constituait la base de la production de subsistance et de surplus, tandis que l’élevage bovin a permis la production intensive de céréales. L’abondance relativement élevée des bovins et l’exploitation préférentielle des chèvres qui peuvent se nourrir de végétaux de plus faible qualité au-dessus des fonds de vallée, par rapport aux moutons, suggèrent un élevage plus extensif qui maintient les troupeaux hors des champs agricoles tout en assurant la production animale. Ainsi, les systèmes de gestion des caprinés ont évolué au cours du Bronze ancien III, passant de stratégies ciblant la production optimale de viande de moutons et de chèvres en pleine force de l’âge à un élevage orienté sur l’exploitation d’animaux plus âgés, peut-être pour la production intensive de fibres (toison). À la même période, cependant, les chèvres continuent à être plus abondantes que les moutons, ce qui pourrait refléter l’importance de la production de céréales. Dans l’ensemble, les données indiquent une évolution vers une plus grande attention portée sur la production agricole et animale, facteurs qui peuvent avoir contribué à l’abandon de THS et, peut-être, d’autres sites fortifiés dans la région.Price Max D., Makarewicz Cheryl A., Chesson Meredith S. Domestic animal production and consumption at Tall al-Handaquq South (Jordan) in the Early Bronze III. In: Paléorient, 2018, vol. 44, n°1. pp. 75-91

\u3ci\u3eDaily Life, Materiality, and Complexity in Early Urban Communities of the Southern Levant\u3c/i\u3e

Editor: Meredith S. Chesson; Associate Editors: Walter Aufrecht and Ian Kuijt Chapter, Calcite: A Hard Habit to Break, co-authored by Robert Shuster, UNO faculty member. This volume emerges from a session honoring Walter E. Rast and R. Thomas Schaub held during the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Atlanta, Georgia and includes expanded versions of many of the papers presented in that session. By gathering in Atlanta, and by participating in this volume, the contributors honor the careers and scholarly passions of Walt and Tom, whose work in southern Levantine archaeology began in the 1960s when they were young scholars working with Paul Lapp. The breadth and depth of experience of the contributors disciplinary and theoretical interests reflects the shared influence of and esteem for Walt s and Tom s own scholarly gifts as archaeologists, mentors, collaborators, and intellectual innovators. The primary disciplinary homes for the scholars contributing to this volume encompass a broad range of methods and approaches to learning about the past: anthropological archaeology, Near Eastern archaeology, biblical archaeology, and physical anthropology. Their institutional homes include universities and institutes in Canada, Denmark, Israel, Jordan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States; their theoretical homes include the broadly-conceived archaeological frameworks of culture-history, processualism, and post-processualism. Collectively, these papers reflect the enormous breadth of influence that Tom s and Walt s scholarly contributions have made to EB studies.Walt and Tom shared a gift that many have benefited from: gentle listening, questioning, and pushing for more sophisticated analyses of Early Bronze Age life. Their eager engagement of younger scholars, as well as their involvement with their peers, arises from their dedication to listening well, devoting time to others ideas and perspectives, and a generous willingness to give freely to others out of the rich depths of their lifelong scholarly pursuits and profound understanding of the Early Bronze Age, archaeology, and life in general. Many of the contributors to this volume have gained greater understanding because of Walt\u27s and Tom\u27s gift of listening, keen insights, and bottomless enthusiasm for learning more about the past and the present in the southern Levant. The 18 essays presented here are to honor both men for these gifts both to the discipline of archaeology and to so many of us engaged in that intellectual endeavor.https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/facultybooks/1331/thumbnail.jp

Tell Es-Sukhne North : an Early Bronze Age II Site in Jordan

Outside of the Jordan Valley, the Early Bronze Age II of northern Jordan remains largely uninvestigated, though surveys have identified EB II sites throughout the region. Surface collections and test excavations at Tell es-Sukhne North in the central Zarqa Basin provide evidence of settlement and economic organization at a multi-component EB II site : identified extensive architectural remains, significant lithic and ceramic materials, including a cylinder seal impression. This paper presents an overview of the archaeological research at Tell es-Sukhne North within a general discussion of known Early Bronze Age II sites along the semi-arid ecotone of the central Zarqa Basin.Hors de la Vallée du Jourdain, les recherches approfondies en Jordanie septentrionale sur le Bronze Ancien II sont encore rares; les prospections au Nord de la Jordanie ont toutefois permis d'identifier dans toute la région des gisements de cette période. Prospections, sondages, étude géoarchéologique ont apporté des éléments sur l'organisation d'un établissement et l'économie d'un site du B. A. II dans le bassin du haut Zarqa.Chesson Meredith S., Flender Matthias, Genz Hermann, Hourani Fuad, Kuijt Ian, Palumbo Gaetano. Tell Es-Sukhne North : an Early Bronze Age II Site in Jordan. In: Paléorient, 1995, vol. 21, n°1. pp. 113-123

The Twentieth Century Invention of Ancient Mountains: The Archaeology of Highland Aspromonte

The high mountains of the Mediterranean are often considered as refuges of ancient traditions, particularly of pastoralism and brigandage. Is this image true? This paper reports the first systematic archaeological research on Aspromonte, Southern Calabria. Archaeological, cartographic and air photo evidence suggests that people used the high mountains in all periods from the Neolithic onwards. However, early usage was lowintensity and probably for special purposes such as iron-smelting, charcoal-burning and logging; only in the Classical Greek period was there sustained effort at inhabiting higher areas. The real development of the mountains came in the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From the 1920s onwards, there were large-scale, state-fostered projects for economic exploitation of forests, political control of territory, and creation of a recreational landscape. These endeavors tied into modernist ideas of the state, as well as period concepts such as Alpinism and healthy outdoor recreation for city dwellers. Ironically, as soon as these modern efforts made the high mountains accessible, they were assigned a chronotope, and were reimagined as the exemplification of an ancient way of life