Excavation results of the Spanish-Italian expeditions

 

Campaign of June/July 2014


The third campaign of excavations to the Early Bronze Age site of Jebel al-Mutawwaq, on the Middle Wadi az-Zarqa, Jordan, was carried on by the Pontificia Facultad San Esteban of Salamanca and by Perugia University in June/July 2014. The excavations were concentrated on the Eastern Sector of the Early Bronze Age village on the southern slope of the mountain. The Spanish-Italian team opened three excavation areas denominated Area C West, Area C Center and Area C East.

The first one was an excavation trench on the western side of a large circular structure of 1500 ca. square meters (Area C East). The structure (denominated Great Circle) is composed by an huge wall of ca. 2 meters wide, preserved in some points for three courses of large stone blocks. Inside the wall, two circular small buildings were identified, presenting a stone installation on one of their inner side. The pottery coming from the area dates to the EB I period, contemporary to the settlement composed by the apsidal houses, though some sherds could suggest a further use of the structure till the beginning of the EB II. The large complex seems to be related to economical activities involving all the population of the village, perhaps linked to animal husbandry or food processing. This could indicates an increase of the complexity of the social organization of the village during the Early Bronze Age I. Another excavation trench was centered on an open rectangular courtyard (Area C West), related to an apsidal building (Building C) similar to the private houses of the village, connected through a street with the large circular structure investigated in Area C East. Inside the courtyard some samples of entire flint objects, like blades and scrapers, were discovered. All the materials date to the EB I, confirming the connection between the two areas of the village. Against the eastern door of Building C a circular stone platform was identified, never noted since now on the private houses of the site. Here an entire loop handle jar was recovered in place near the entrance of the building.

Furthermore, another area (C Center) was excavated around a large dolmen built against the street of Area C West, connecting the courtyard with the Great Circle. The dolmen (no. 534) is different from the other six dolmens excavated by the mission in the past two years, presenting more regular stone slabs and blocks and a heavy circular wall in front of the entrance, that was recovered completely sealed. Inside the burial chamber, that was partially robbed in modern time from the back of the tomb, many bronze objects, as arrow points, a ring, a pin and a plaque, were recovered, together with two jugs. Despite of the late chronology of some bronze objects (in particular an arrow points recovered outside the chamber), the jugs dated to the EB II, suggesting the first construction of the dolmen in this period. Inside the burial chamber, scattered human bones and teeth was discovered, disturbed by the modern robbery. The stratigraphy, the architecture and the findings of the dolmen could indicate that its belongs to a second phase of use of the site, although more extensive excavations of this area are needed to reach a final conclusion. However, this significant discovery attests the continuation of the use of the dolmen in the funerary architecture of the Levantine people through the Bronze Age in the same site of Jebel al-Mutawwaq.

Area C East, the Great Circle, from South

Materials from Dolmen 534

Excavation of Dolmen 534

Loop handle jar recovered in the Courtyard of Building C

General view of 2014 excavation areas, from South