This paper presents laboratory analyses of selected pottery sherds from the ancient site of Udhru... more This paper presents laboratory analyses of selected pottery sherds from the ancient site of Udhruh in southern Jordan. The site exhibits pottery sherds from Nabataean times up to the late Islamic period. However, in this study the samples were randomly chosen. The analyses were carried out using a scanning electron microscope equipped with specialist software. The paper establishes the historical context of Udhruh, the methodology employed, and the results of the study. The results reveal differences in the chemical composition of samples, and a variety of manufacturing techniques, only some of which appear to have been of local inspiration.
This paper sheds more light on Udhruḥ during the Byzantine and Islamic periods, based on both his... more This paper sheds more light on Udhruḥ during the Byzantine and Islamic periods, based on both historical sources and archaeological data. It presents new unpublished Arabic‐Christian inscriptions that were found inside the site’s Byzantine church, which confirm the continuity of Christianity in the region during the Islamic period.
Introduction The Udhruh Archaeological Project was launched in 2011. The project is a joint ventu... more Introduction The Udhruh Archaeological Project was launched in 2011. The project is a joint venture between the Petra College for Tourism and Archaeology of the Al-Hussein Bin Talal University from Wadi Musa – Ma’an (Jordan) and the Faculty of Archaeology of the Leiden University (The Netherlands). The project is an international and interdisciplinary research program that combines archaeology, geoarchaeology, archaeological related disciplines, sustainable tourism and environmental sciences as irrigation and land degradation. With this interdisciplinary approach in mind it is feasible that other research partners will be added to the project in the future.
This paper presents the archaeological evidence for the existence of an ancient road network in t... more This paper presents the archaeological evidence for the existence of an ancient road network in the study area of the Central ash-Sharah area. It presents a detailed description of the route and general characteristics of each road, and its relation with the ancient settlement sites in its proximity and with other ancient roads. The paper discusses also other aspects relevant to the topic such the date of the recorded road network, and the nature of the ancient occupation in the study area.
This paper analyses and discusses marble found at the Roman site of Udhruh in southern Jordan. Ma... more This paper analyses and discusses marble found at the Roman site of Udhruh in southern Jordan. Marble is highly valued in Roman culture, and while its use in architecture was widespread across the empire, there were only a relatively few high quality sources. Southern Jordan was not one of these, and so Udhruh's marble was sufficiently highly regarded to be transported into the region from distant sources. Marble from the site was studied and then sampled followed by petrological, mineralogical, and geochemical investigation techniques to identify the possible source of marble. Results indicate that Udhruh's marble is quite hard calcitic marble exhibits exhibit xenoblastic texture, and the chemical composition indicates marble quarries in Greece with a probable contribution from Petra.
This paper aims to present the results of the rescue excavations conducted at the site of "W... more This paper aims to present the results of the rescue excavations conducted at the site of "Wali Yosha" northeast the Shawbak castle. It first presents a brief about the history and definition of Islamic shrines followed by a short introduction to the history of human settlements in the Shawbak area. The second part of the paper includes an introduction about the site and a discussion of the results of the rescue excavations and the archaeological finds. The pottery shards found at the site indicate that the principle period of occupation at Wali Yosha is the later Islamic period, mainly the Ayyubid-Mamluk (12th – 16th c. AD).
This paper presents the archaeological evidence regarding the path of the Via Nova Traiana betwee... more This paper presents the archaeological evidence regarding the path of the Via Nova Traiana between Petra and al-Khirbet al-Samra from a fieldwork project in 2011 and 2014. It discusses the traceable parts of the Roman road in terms of locations, layout and construction features, and the ancient sites associated with its route. The paper also presents evidence concerning the other ancient roads branching off or intersecting the Roman road between the two sites.
تتناول هذه الدراسة شخصية أردنية عرفت في القرن التاسع عشر الميلادي باسم الشيخ حسين العلاوين، خصوصا... more تتناول هذه الدراسة شخصية أردنية عرفت في القرن التاسع عشر الميلادي باسم الشيخ حسين العلاوين، خصوصا في أدبيات الرحالة الأوروبيين الذين جاءوا لزيارة البترا عن طريق مصر مرورا بالعقبة. وتتناول الدراسة في الجزء الأول ما ورد عند الرحالة والمراجع المعاصرة من معلومات عن العلاوين الذين لم يعد اسمهم شائعا أو حتى مستخدما في الوقت الحاضر. أما الجزء الثاني من الدراسة فيتناول الشيخ حسين العلاوين من حيث نسبه وعائلته وحياته وصفاته وشخصيته وغيرها من الأمور، كحياته الاقتصادية، ودوره في تأمين الرحلات إلى البترا من خلال ما جاء من أخبار ومعلومات عنه في كتب الرحالة.
Adjacent to this region is Arabia, which on one side adjoins the country of the Nabataei, a land ... more Adjacent to this region is Arabia, which on one side adjoins the country of the Nabataei, a land producing a rich variety of wares and studded with strong castles and fortresses, which the watchful care of the early inhabitants reared in suitable and readily defended defiles, to check the inroads of neighbouring tribes.
This paper presents and discusses the archaeological evidence for Ancient rock art and Thamudic i... more This paper presents and discusses the archaeological evidence for Ancient rock art and Thamudic inscriptions from a site in al-Rajif south of Petra in southern Jordan. The site is a large sandstone called Umm Qraieh “Mother of reading” by the local people in the village of al-Rajif. Human and animal figures, inscriptions, footprints and other symbols were engraved on the upper surface of the stone during multiple periods. The paper includes a reading of the deciphered inscriptions and a discussion concerning rock art in general and the significance of Umm Qraieh in particular.
Since ancient times, irrigation has been fundamental for achieving large agricultural yields, esp... more Since ancient times, irrigation has been fundamental for achieving large agricultural yields, especially in the more arid areas of the world. An example of this practice is represented by the vast water infrastructures found near Udhruḥ (southern Jordan). These engineering works were constructed, maintained and restored from the Nabataean to early Islamic periods (first century BCE to eighth century CE). It still remains unknown why the ancient agricultural landscape of the region shifted towards an unproductive desert. In this study, we analysed the soil chemical and physical properties of an ancient irrigated field to assess whether ancient agricultural practices have altered soil properties that are still noticeable today, and might have contributed to the abandonment of the area. Soil samples were taken randomly from within an ancient qanat-irrigated agricultural field and from adjacent surfaces believed never to have been irrigated. Our results indicate that the Geoarchaeology.
This paper presents a linguistic and etymological analysis of three North Arabian inscriptions ca... more This paper presents a linguistic and etymological analysis of three North Arabian inscriptions carved on a relatively small stone. The stone was found east of al-Jafr in southern Jordan, near the Jordanian-Saudi border. The content of the three inscriptions in terms of writing style, topic, and vocabulary is similar to other North Arabian inscriptions. Nevertheless, the three inscriptions include new words that have not been attested before in other inscriptions of the same type. Some rock drawings were also found in the same rujm.
This paper presents laboratory analyses of selected pottery sherds from the ancient site of Udhru... more This paper presents laboratory analyses of selected pottery sherds from the ancient site of Udhruh in southern Jordan. The site exhibits pottery sherds from Nabataean times up to the late Islamic period. However, in this study the samples were randomly chosen. The analyses were carried out using a scanning electron microscope equipped with specialist software. The paper establishes the historical context of Udhruh, the methodology employed, and the results of the study. The results reveal differences in the chemical composition of samples, and a variety of manufacturing techniques, only some of which appear to have been of local inspiration.
This paper sheds more light on Udhruḥ during the Byzantine and Islamic periods, based on both his... more This paper sheds more light on Udhruḥ during the Byzantine and Islamic periods, based on both historical sources and archaeological data. It presents new unpublished Arabic‐Christian inscriptions that were found inside the site’s Byzantine church, which confirm the continuity of Christianity in the region during the Islamic period.
Introduction The Udhruh Archaeological Project was launched in 2011. The project is a joint ventu... more Introduction The Udhruh Archaeological Project was launched in 2011. The project is a joint venture between the Petra College for Tourism and Archaeology of the Al-Hussein Bin Talal University from Wadi Musa – Ma’an (Jordan) and the Faculty of Archaeology of the Leiden University (The Netherlands). The project is an international and interdisciplinary research program that combines archaeology, geoarchaeology, archaeological related disciplines, sustainable tourism and environmental sciences as irrigation and land degradation. With this interdisciplinary approach in mind it is feasible that other research partners will be added to the project in the future.
This paper presents the archaeological evidence for the existence of an ancient road network in t... more This paper presents the archaeological evidence for the existence of an ancient road network in the study area of the Central ash-Sharah area. It presents a detailed description of the route and general characteristics of each road, and its relation with the ancient settlement sites in its proximity and with other ancient roads. The paper discusses also other aspects relevant to the topic such the date of the recorded road network, and the nature of the ancient occupation in the study area.
This paper analyses and discusses marble found at the Roman site of Udhruh in southern Jordan. Ma... more This paper analyses and discusses marble found at the Roman site of Udhruh in southern Jordan. Marble is highly valued in Roman culture, and while its use in architecture was widespread across the empire, there were only a relatively few high quality sources. Southern Jordan was not one of these, and so Udhruh's marble was sufficiently highly regarded to be transported into the region from distant sources. Marble from the site was studied and then sampled followed by petrological, mineralogical, and geochemical investigation techniques to identify the possible source of marble. Results indicate that Udhruh's marble is quite hard calcitic marble exhibits exhibit xenoblastic texture, and the chemical composition indicates marble quarries in Greece with a probable contribution from Petra.
This paper aims to present the results of the rescue excavations conducted at the site of "W... more This paper aims to present the results of the rescue excavations conducted at the site of "Wali Yosha" northeast the Shawbak castle. It first presents a brief about the history and definition of Islamic shrines followed by a short introduction to the history of human settlements in the Shawbak area. The second part of the paper includes an introduction about the site and a discussion of the results of the rescue excavations and the archaeological finds. The pottery shards found at the site indicate that the principle period of occupation at Wali Yosha is the later Islamic period, mainly the Ayyubid-Mamluk (12th – 16th c. AD).
This paper presents the archaeological evidence regarding the path of the Via Nova Traiana betwee... more This paper presents the archaeological evidence regarding the path of the Via Nova Traiana between Petra and al-Khirbet al-Samra from a fieldwork project in 2011 and 2014. It discusses the traceable parts of the Roman road in terms of locations, layout and construction features, and the ancient sites associated with its route. The paper also presents evidence concerning the other ancient roads branching off or intersecting the Roman road between the two sites.
تتناول هذه الدراسة شخصية أردنية عرفت في القرن التاسع عشر الميلادي باسم الشيخ حسين العلاوين، خصوصا... more تتناول هذه الدراسة شخصية أردنية عرفت في القرن التاسع عشر الميلادي باسم الشيخ حسين العلاوين، خصوصا في أدبيات الرحالة الأوروبيين الذين جاءوا لزيارة البترا عن طريق مصر مرورا بالعقبة. وتتناول الدراسة في الجزء الأول ما ورد عند الرحالة والمراجع المعاصرة من معلومات عن العلاوين الذين لم يعد اسمهم شائعا أو حتى مستخدما في الوقت الحاضر. أما الجزء الثاني من الدراسة فيتناول الشيخ حسين العلاوين من حيث نسبه وعائلته وحياته وصفاته وشخصيته وغيرها من الأمور، كحياته الاقتصادية، ودوره في تأمين الرحلات إلى البترا من خلال ما جاء من أخبار ومعلومات عنه في كتب الرحالة.
Adjacent to this region is Arabia, which on one side adjoins the country of the Nabataei, a land ... more Adjacent to this region is Arabia, which on one side adjoins the country of the Nabataei, a land producing a rich variety of wares and studded with strong castles and fortresses, which the watchful care of the early inhabitants reared in suitable and readily defended defiles, to check the inroads of neighbouring tribes.
This paper presents and discusses the archaeological evidence for Ancient rock art and Thamudic i... more This paper presents and discusses the archaeological evidence for Ancient rock art and Thamudic inscriptions from a site in al-Rajif south of Petra in southern Jordan. The site is a large sandstone called Umm Qraieh “Mother of reading” by the local people in the village of al-Rajif. Human and animal figures, inscriptions, footprints and other symbols were engraved on the upper surface of the stone during multiple periods. The paper includes a reading of the deciphered inscriptions and a discussion concerning rock art in general and the significance of Umm Qraieh in particular.
Since ancient times, irrigation has been fundamental for achieving large agricultural yields, esp... more Since ancient times, irrigation has been fundamental for achieving large agricultural yields, especially in the more arid areas of the world. An example of this practice is represented by the vast water infrastructures found near Udhruḥ (southern Jordan). These engineering works were constructed, maintained and restored from the Nabataean to early Islamic periods (first century BCE to eighth century CE). It still remains unknown why the ancient agricultural landscape of the region shifted towards an unproductive desert. In this study, we analysed the soil chemical and physical properties of an ancient irrigated field to assess whether ancient agricultural practices have altered soil properties that are still noticeable today, and might have contributed to the abandonment of the area. Soil samples were taken randomly from within an ancient qanat-irrigated agricultural field and from adjacent surfaces believed never to have been irrigated. Our results indicate that the Geoarchaeology.
This paper presents a linguistic and etymological analysis of three North Arabian inscriptions ca... more This paper presents a linguistic and etymological analysis of three North Arabian inscriptions carved on a relatively small stone. The stone was found east of al-Jafr in southern Jordan, near the Jordanian-Saudi border. The content of the three inscriptions in terms of writing style, topic, and vocabulary is similar to other North Arabian inscriptions. Nevertheless, the three inscriptions include new words that have not been attested before in other inscriptions of the same type. Some rock drawings were also found in the same rujm.
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