Dhiban Excavation and Development Project

Introduction

The Dhiban Excavation and Development Project (DEDP) investigates the archaeology, environment, and history of Dhiban, a Middle Eastern town located today in west-central Jordan. Dhiban has been settled intermittently over the past five millennia and is today the largest town on the Dhiban Plateau. Started in 2004, the DEDP is a collaborative project involving scholars from Europe, the Middle East, and North America, and is directed by Katherine Adelsberger (Knox College), Danielle S. Fatkin (Knox College), Benjamin W. Porter (University of California, Berkeley), and Bruce Routledge (University of Liverpool).

A durable and persistent attachment to place is readily observed at Dhiban, located approximately 70 kilometers south of 'Amman, Jordan's capital city. Over the last five millennia, Dhiban has seen repeated attempts to organize large sedentary populations in unique configurations, only to see these efforts languish after only a few centuries. Physical evidence for these trials are found throughout Dhiban's vicinity, but are most concentrated in a 15-hectare tall adjacent to the modern settlement. Here, physical evidence from the Early Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic settlements can be recovered using archaeological research methods.

The Dhiban Excavation and Development Project's research design reflects its multi-disciplinary concerns that span history, geology, anthropology, tourism studies, and the materials sciences. The following six goals currently shape the project's research design. More information can be found in the DEDP's publications.

Determining the size, date, and nature of Dhiban's various settlement episodes

An important goal of any archaeological project is to define the size, location, and nature of each settlement episode. This goal is particularly challenging at Dhiban, where most evidence is found in stratified contexts. The careful excavation of particular kinds of organic evidence allows the DEDP to date each settlement episode using radiocarbon dating techniques. The DEDP is also determining the size and nature of each settlement episode using surface survey and excavation of randomly selected units.

Documenting landscape use in Dhiban's vicinity

While its position on the King's Highway in part explains why this location witnessed repeated settlement, Dhiban is barely suitable for large-scale human habitation. No natural springs are found at Dhiban and the area receives less than 300 millimeters of precipitation per year, making rain-fed agricultural production risky and successful water storage a necessity. Why, despite these adverse conditions, did Middle Easterners return--and indeed, continue to return--to this place is an intriguing question that drives us to explore Dhiban's ancient and modern communities.

Reconstructing agricultural, pastoralist, and craft economies

A number of agricultural, pastoral, and craft industries were organized at Dhiban over the past five millennia. Sheep and goat, wheat and barley, commonly produced products in Near Eastern societies, were popular at Dhiban, as were other niche industries. Excavations indicate that the various communities consumed ceramic, stone, metal, and glass objects, some of which were likely produced at or near the settlement. Paleoethnobotanical (i.e., the study of ancient carbonized seeds), zooarchaeological (i.e., the study of ancient animal remains), and materials scientific analytical techniques help piece together how these industries were organized, what resources were used, and how they changed over time.

Measuring the impacts of imperial interventions

Like the rest of the Levant, Dhiban fell under the sway of different empires throughout its history. Written sources and archaeological evidence suggest that at least seven empires were present at Dhiban, from the Assyrian, Roman, and Byzantine to the Ummayad, Mamluk, Ottoman, and finally, the British Empires. The effects these empires had on Dhiban's society and economy, however, differed depending on a number of factors. In some instances, empires introduced new economic demands that led to an increase in Dhiban's population and the intensification of its industries. Just how these processes unfolded at the local level demand careful investigation, making it a key concern for the DEDP.

Understanding the contemporary community's relationship with ancient Dhiban

Sitting south of Tall Dhiban is a thriving Jordan community mainly consisting of families from the Bani Hamida tribe, one of the largest tribes in the kingdom. The community was founded during the British Mandate Period (1918-1948) by nomadic pastoralists. Given the ancient site's proximity to the current town, the two spaces are intertwined in a number of interesting relationships. The site is still used as a park for children and picnickers, and grazing ground for pastoralists living near the site. The DEDP is exploring how the site is used as well as the narratives that circulate about ancient Dhiban.

Planning Dhiban's development as an interpretive site and tourism destination

Dhiban's abundant archaeological resources and its position on a well travelled tourism route, the King's Highway, makes it an ideal destination where guests can learn about Jordan's cultural history as well as how a community with limited natural resources has persisted for the last five millennia. Plans are underway to develop ancient Dhiban's archaeological resources.

Acknowledgements

The project wishes to thank the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, particularly its director, Dr. Ziad al-Sa’ad, the American Center of Oriental Research in 'Amman, and the Council for British Research in the Levant. A complete list of project sponsors is listed here:

Bibliography:

Fatkin, Danielle Steen, Benjamin W. Porter, Katherine Adelsberger, Bruce Routledge, Alan Farahani, and Warren Schultz

Fatkin, Danielle Steen, Katherine Adelsberger, Alan Farahani, Alysia Fischer, Sarah Whitcher Kansa, Justin Lev-Tov, Colleen Morgan, Benjamin W. Porter, Bruce Routledge, and Andrew T. Wilson

Routledge, Bruce

Routledge, Bruce

Routledge, Bruce, Benjamin W. Porter, Danielle S. Fatkin, Katherine Adelsberger, and Andrew Wilson

Routledge, Bruce, Danielle S. Fatkin, Benjamin W. Porter, Katherine Adelsberger, and Andrew Wilson

Pearson, Jeffrey, Colleen Morgan, Alan Farahani, Antonietti Catanzariti, and Benjamin Porter

Adelsberger, Katherine A., Bruce Routledge, Benjamin W. Porter, Danielle S. Fatkin and Andrew Wilson

Porter, Benjamin, Bruce Routledge, Danielle Fatkin, William Zimmerle, John Hakes, Johanna Salvant, and Warren Schultz

Porter, Benjamin

Porter, Benjamin

Porter, Benjamin, Bruce Routledge, Danielle Fatkin, William Zimmerle, John Hakes, Johanna Salvant, and Warren Schultz

Fatkin, Danielle, Jennifer Jacobs, Benjamin Porter, and Bruce Routledge

Jacobs, Jennifer, and Benjamin Porter

Porter, Benjamin and Robert J. Speakman

Porter, Benjamin, Bruce Routledge, Danielle Steen, and Firas al-Kawamlha

Porter, Benjamin, Bruce Routledge, Danielle Steen, Carla Parslow, Lidewijde DeJong, and William Zimmerle

Porter, Benjamin, Bruce Routledge, and Danielle Steen

Routledge, Bruce E.

JSON View settings
API (Machine-readable) representation of this item