Abstrakt:

Southern Jordan between Neolithic and Bronze Age.

Recent research of the Jagiellonian University in At-Tafileh, Shawbak and Feynan microregions.

During his lecture, Dr Piotr, Kołodziejczyk, Jagiellonian University, Cracow will present the results of research led since 2017 by the Jagiellonian University team in southern Jordan, with special attention to the excavations conducted between 2019 and 2021.

The Polish team carried out a series of test trenches at three sites located in selected microregions of At-Tafileh, Shawbak and Feynan which allowed new interesting observations about the human occupation of this territory during the Late Prehistory. Excavations at the sites of Umm Tuweyrat, Huseinya and Wadi Feynan 101 brought about a new picture of the everyday life of their inhabitants, elements of their spiritual culture but also a new assessment of interaction with the surrounding landscape.

At the dolmen field at Umm Tuweyrat, Shawbak, some observations were made regarding the site's extent, its dating and construction techniques for dolmen graves in this area. A significant and rare discovery of a preserved burial in one of the dolmens, currently under the detailed study, will hopefully allow confirming the dating of the group of dolmens at this site.

At the second site – Huseiniya, a remarkable fragment of a stone residential building was uncovered, initially dated at the turn of the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age. The building was a half-dugout, with a large hearth against one of the walls. A decorated bone weaving tool was found inside the building. Ongoing radiocarbon analysis of the charcoal samples is aimed at the verification of the structure's dating and, subsequently, its inclusion in the network of many others located in the multi-hectare complex.

The latest research conducted in 2021 in Wadi Feynan at the site WF101, which was identified already several decades ago by British archaeologists, allowed us to reconsider previous observations based on surface finds and establish new interpretations for the stone structures located here as residential buildings and farm structures.