Near Eastern Archaeology

The valleys and margins of the intermountain plains between Harsin and Bisotun are some of the most important regions in the Central Zagros, where numerous sites from different prehistoric periods have been discovered. Archaeological evidence from the region indicates that scattered human groups were present in the foothills and intermountain areas during the late Pleistocene period. Most archaeological studies in the region have focused on Mount Bisotun. Therefore, an intensive and thorough study is required in order to find new Paleolithic sites in the intermountain valleys leading to the city of Harsin. Archaeological surveys in the region have led to the identification of twenty-one new sites from the Middle Paleolithic to the Epipaleolithic period. In this article, the results of the archaeological survey of the middle Paleolithic to Epipaleolithic sites in the region are discussed.

Wadi Zarqa Ma’in 1 (WZM-1) is a natural faunal trap sinkhole ten kilometers southwest of the city of Madaba in Jordan, near the Dead Sea. The limestone karst feature measures over thirty meters in maximum depth and is a significant regional source of faunal, microbotanical, and sedimentological data recording climate change and paleoecology. A new method of sampling was tested during summer 2019 involving the use of a backpacksized Shaw Portable Core Drill that allowed a narrow-bore sampling through the mixed fine sediment and boulder matrix. The maximum depth reached below surface through a combination of test pitting and coring was 8.8 m. Multiple locations could be sampled for radiocarbon analysis, and the deepest (7.85 m) sample yielded a calibrated date of 3644–3382 BCE.

The Royal Steward Inscription is one of the more famous artifacts in biblical archaeology, but its original context and setting is less-known due to the circumstances following Charles Clermont-Ganneau’s discovery in 1870. The acquisition and removal of the inscriptions from Silwan resulted in the fragmentation of the once prominent monolithic sepulcher of an important official. Today, the inscriptions are in the British Museum separated from the tomb they once adorned. The tomb in Jerusalem is surrounded by the modern residences of Silwan. The visible nature of the inscribed monument is lost. Recently identified nineteenth-century photographs of the Royal Steward Inscription in situ, however, shed light on the inscription’s context and offer a rare window into the viewshed of the tomb. The photographs provide the impetus for a history of research that reveals many ironies surrounding the Tomb of the Royal Steward and the inscriptions it once bore.

Archival work among the Tell en-Naṣbeh materials housed in the Badè Museum in Berkeley, California, turned up evidence of a previously unpublished assemblage of in situ storage jars that was excavated in April, 1932. These jars seem to belong to the Babylonian–Persian periods. While the assemblage was obviously known to the excavators, for some unknown reason the jars were not published or discussed as such in the original 1947 site report. This paper discusses how the archival material was discovered, issues involving the interpretation of these old excavation materials, the unusual context of the jars, parallels for the jars and how they add to our knowledge of the site and its history following the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.

A project to restore the function of an ancient Nabatean flood control system that had previously protected the Plaza of the Treasury (Al-Khazna), Petra, is described herein. The project involves a large, multidisciplinary team, numerous stakeholders, and a difficult setting. It involves training, outreach, documentation, archaeological investigation, hydrological modeling, architectural conservation and rehabilitation. Previous studies had indicated that such flood control systems operate by controlling water flow from the headwaters in order to prevent sudden surges of water. Since Petra often suffers from the effects of flash floods, the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA) asked the researchers to explore the possibility of controlling modern-day floods using these systems. This culminated in the partial rebuilding of the flood control system and important lessons on their limitations and how they work.

A double nonadult burial excavated at the Ottoman period (1600–1800 CE) cemetery at Tell el-Hesi was hypothesized to belong to a set of stillborn twins. This study incorporated the use of multiple bioarchaeological techniques in order to assess both the age and survival of the perinates. Cranial and long-bone measurements were undertaken to determine age at death, while stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were considered alongside microCT assessments of bacterial bioerosion in the cortices of long bones to identify whether these infants were born alive and had breastfed. Ancient DNA analysis can now identify twins with greater certainty and was also employed to confirm the sex and biological relationship between these two individuals. Using these various lines of evidence, we test two hypotheses, ultimately finding support for both: (1) the two perinates buried together from Tell el-Hesi were fraternal female twins; and (2) these perinates were likely stillborn.