Papers by Hussein Al-sababha
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Mar 18, 2023
In the semi-arid 'Decapolis region' in northern Jordan, due severe land degradation in th... more In the semi-arid 'Decapolis region' in northern Jordan, due severe land degradation in the past, 'barren' and 'impoverished' landscapes can be found today. It is widely believed that land degradation in these regions was caused by ancient land use, e.g. overgrazing due to ‘Arab mismanagement'. However, the connection of degradation with land use is far from certain. The 'Decapolis region' is located in an approximately 100 km wide transition zone from Mediterranean to steppe and desert climate. Therefore, the landscape in this region is highly sensitive to climate variations. A major sedimentation phase in the late 6th century AD appears to represent a significant climate change towards more aridity, and might be connected with a cluster of heavy rainfall events in northern Jordan. In fact, more recent studies have found that periods of predominantly pastoral land use in northern Jordan were connected with natural reforestation. Since a dating of ...
International Journal of Conservation Science
"This paper aims to analyze and evaluate the function of two types of ancient mortars in the... more "This paper aims to analyze and evaluate the function of two types of ancient mortars in the bathhouse at al-Muwaqqar archaeological site in Jordan to promote the awareness level of cultural heritage conservation of ancient buildings and mortars in Jordan. The conservation of archaeological structures requires a thorough characterization and identification of the mortar components before carrying out the restoration, after the preserved results, and during the restoration process to decide how it responds. This work creates an experimental contribution through FTIR to study the influence of organic components on the mechanical performance of the mortar. The application of new techniques in terms of sustainability and compatibility is nowadays more and more important to preserve historical monuments, especially in the context of the increasing damage to the mortar joints in the al-Muwaqqar site. The paper presents new results concerning the identification of the binding materials of mortars, especially the organic parts as egg white or other organic components used in the bathhouse to connect the mosaics, and the collection of further information for compatibility challenges. The results will provide a new pioneering approach application in Jordan in the field of ancient restoration using mortar. The study concludes that it is easy to identify all the organic components of the mortar using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in the different bands of the organic material supported by thermogravimetric analysis TGA/SEMEDX. The investigations of both methods have provided accurate information about the technology of mortar production and have indicated a proteinaceous additive in the mortar."
Chemical analysis of glasses excavated from the archaeological site Hayyan al-Mushriff during the... more Chemical analysis of glasses excavated from the archaeological site Hayyan al-Mushriff during the Byzantine Islamic period
Season’s Progress and Research Questions •Wall Damage Reports and Earthquake Evidence • Building ... more Season’s Progress and Research Questions •Wall Damage Reports and Earthquake Evidence • Building Stone Manufacturing and Building in Ba`ja • Enigma Sounding 1 of Area A. Resumed Excavations • Sounding 1 of Area A. The Chipped Lithics • Test Unit 9a-c in Area G: Capturing the FPPNB/ PPNC Occupation • Continued Excavations in Area D • The Mural of Room DR26.2. Reappraising Extension and Preservation • Continued Excavations in Room CR28 • Rooms CR5 and CR6: Interfering Ritual and Domestic Evidence •The Hoard of Locus CR5:45. A Biography of Mixing Ritual and Domestic Contexts • Continued Excavation of Collective Burial Remains in Room CR17 • The Season’s Intramural Subadult Burials • Extraction of Jamila`s Grave C1:46 • Season’s Summary and Progressing Research Perspectives
Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn, Oct 31, 2018
This study brought a new data with reference to the water system of Umm Qais during the Hellenist... more This study brought a new data with reference to the water system of Umm Qais during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. One of the most prominent characteristics of Umm Qais (Gadara) is the water supply system that produced a fine example of human ingenuity and skill to react with the available natural resources. The water supply system and its associated installations, such as cisterns, tunnels, channels and pools, collected and stored water from rainwater and the springs surrounding the site or far away from it. The discovered tunnel is located below the Hellenistic temple in the lower part of the city to the north of the Decumanus Maximus. The systematic excavation work sheds light on the nature of the water system and the nature of settlement in this area of the site. Excavation revealed that the hydraulic system consists of a central tunnel associated with several pipelines and cisterns to collect and store water. Confidently according to the nature of the tunnel system, we can ...
Archaeological objects exhibited in museums are affected by two different environments: long-term... more Archaeological objects exhibited in museums are affected by two different environments: long-term burial and display [1-3]. Identification of environmental conditions and their influence on these objects allow museums to make appropriate decisions for their long-term stabilization and protection [4]. A major role in the history of metals has been occupied by copper and its alloys. Copperbased objects are exhibited in almost every archaeological museum due to their aesthetic, historical, technological, and scientific values. Museums should provide the appropriate environmental conditions to ensure long term stability of these objects. There are many factors that control the nature and extent of the corrosion of copperbased artefacts. Some factors are related to the metallurgy of the artefacts such as their composition and manufacture. Other factors are related to the duration and physical and
Patterns and intensities of past land use are mostly unknown. However, soils in the vicinity of a... more Patterns and intensities of past land use are mostly unknown. However, soils in the vicinity of archaeological sites usually carry significant amounts of material culture (mostly pottery sherds) which testify to past human activity. We surveyed surface transects of material culture and soil distribution, radiating from the city center of ancient Abila of the Decapolis. The city had been abandoned during the Medieval and was never resettled, which minimizes the presence of material culture from younger periods. In addition, earlier studies suggested that soil erosion of the rather level limestone plateau surrounding the site was rather limited, indicating that actual land surfaces largely represent those of antiquity. Our survey encountered strongly varying quantities of material culture, which correspond to some soil properties such as concentrations of faeces biomarkers of pork excrements. As the material culture mainly dates to Late Antiquity, and as pork consumption during the Is...
Levant, 2012
European travel reports of the 19th century and excavations in Transjordan created the impression... more European travel reports of the 19th century and excavations in Transjordan created the impression that population numbers were strongly reduced during the Islamic periods, leading to 'empty' lands which were only resettled during the early 20th century. This development was considered to be caused by bad (Muslim) governance, nomadic incursions, and environmental degradation. However, our case study near the ancient site Abila of the Decapolis in northern Jordan found that the land was never empty and always fertile, but there is evidence for a rapid and intense landscape change during the Late Byzantine period. This was probably caused by a significant shift to aridity which also triggered socioeconomic changes in subsistence strategies from agriculture to nomadism. The climatic change seems to have occurred rapidly within approximately 100 years in the late 6th and early 7th centuries AD and was accompanied by heavy rainfall events. It might have been caused or triggered by the climatic event of the 'Mystery Veil' which the Byzantine historian Procopius described in the year 536 AD. During the Medieval period, settlement density increased again until another decline took place in the late Ottoman period. However, the vicinity of Abila was probably never abandoned and the continuity of place names speaks against a larger exchange of population. Rising population numbers and favourable climatic conditions in the early 20th century caused most tribes to settle again, which improved government control.
Levant, 2012
European travel reports of the 19th century and excavations in Transjordan created the impression... more European travel reports of the 19th century and excavations in Transjordan created the impression that population numbers were strongly reduced during the Islamic periods, leading to 'empty' lands which were only resettled during the early 20th century. This development was considered to be caused by bad (Muslim) governance, nomadic incursions, and environmental degradation. However, our case study near the ancient site Abila of the Decapolis in northern Jordan found that the land was never empty and always fertile, but there is evidence for a rapid and intense landscape change during the Late Byzantine period. This was probably caused by a significant shift to aridity which also triggered socioeconomic changes in subsistence strategies from agriculture to nomadism. The climatic change seems to have occurred rapidly within approximately 100 years in the late 6th and early 7th centuries AD and was accompanied by heavy rainfall events. It might have been caused or triggered by the climatic event of the 'Mystery Veil' which the Byzantine historian Procopius described in the year 536 AD. During the Medieval period, settlement density increased again until another decline took place in the late Ottoman period. However, the vicinity of Abila was probably never abandoned and the continuity of place names speaks against a larger exchange of population. Rising population numbers and favourable climatic conditions in the early 20th century caused most tribes to settle again, which improved government control.
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Papers by Hussein Al-sababha