Exploration undertaken in Al-Thulaythuwat/Jabal Kabd area, in the framework of the south-eastern Badia Archaeological Project, identified an extensive funerary phenomenon dating back to either, the Late Neolithic, or a transitional Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic phase. Excavation of a small but representative sample of burial structures, along with an analysis of the cairns and associated structures, highlighted different levels of variability. However, when viewed as a whole, this necropolis on the south-eastern arid margins of Jordan demonstrates a marked level of consistency. While our interpretations remain tentative, we have tried here to offer working hypotheses for this variability.

No abstract

There are many 19th-early 20th centuries villages in the region of Petra, southern Jordan, which

The aim of this research is to assign the provenance of marble samples uncovered from the extra-mural Byzantine Church of Udhruh (Augustopolis), south Jordan. The church is a three-nave basilica that most probably was built in the fifth century CE. In later expansion phases, it was remodeled by the addition of two side chapels and several rooms. The research investigated the physical, mineralogical, and isotopic properties of twenty-four marble samples of different functions using naked eyes, lenses, and multiple analytical techniques including optical microscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the architectural elements were made of the gray calcitic Proconnesus-1 marble (Marmara, Turkey); while the four fonts or basins were carved out of the beige dolomitic Thasos-3 marble (Thasos Island, Cape Vathy, Greece); and the small squared column of unknown function was carved out of the fine-grained white calcitic Penteli marble (Mount Pentelikon, Attica, Greece). The results indicate that the most popular supply of the ecclesial marble to the south (and north) Jordan during the Byzantine period was the gray Proconnesus-1. The use of white Penteli and Thasos-3 marbles were limited to ritual elements.

À partir du Néolithique récent-début du Chalcolithique, le pastoralisme nomade spécialisé s'est imposé comme le mode de subsistence privilégié dans les régions désertiques du Levant Sud, bien qu'il semble peu représenté dans le nord-est de la Jordanie et le sud-est de la Syrie. Une des raisons permettant d'expliquer ces disparités tient à la nature des territoires concernés. Les périphéries désertiques du centre-est et du sud-est jordanien constituent en effet un environnement favorable au développement du mode de subsistance pastoral. La demande accrue pour les matières premières et les biens produits dans le désert, en particulier les racloirs tabulaires, a participé au développement de ces régions. La fabrication des racloirs tabulaires s'est intégrée dans un réseau d'échanges et dans les itinéraires de transhumance saisonniers couvrant le sud du Levant et le nord de l'Arabie. Les nouvelles recherches entreprises dans la région orientale du Wadi Bayir, aussi désignée sous le nom de Ardh as-Suwwan (le territoire du silex), ont permis de démontrer, grâce aux datations radiocarbone, une augmentation significative du nombre d'établissements de pasteurs nomades au cours du Néolithique récent/ début du Chalcolithique. L'étude de cette ccupation pastorale nomade soulève la question de l'interaction avec les populations des régions voisines et en particulier avec les sociétés agricoles pratiquant d'autres formes d'élevage à proximité des agglomérations sédentaires. Un nomadisme pastoral enclavé est aussi possible dans les zones proches des villages agricoles, mais très peu de villages ont été trouvés dans le Levant Sud.Mots-clés -Secteur occidental de Bayir, Chalcolithique, racloirs tabulaires, pastoralisme nomade.Abstract -By the Late Neolithic-Early Chalcolithic period, specialized pastoral-nomadism became the dominant way of life in the desert regions of the southern Levant, but it was almost absent from north-eastern Jordan and south-eastern Syria. This shift from the north-eastern steppe to the central-eastern and south-eastern steppe/desert may be because the marginal landscapes of Jordan were more suitable for a predominantly pastoral lifestyle, and that the increasing demand for raw materials and goods produced in the desert, particularly tabular scarpers, made exploiting these areas viable. The production of tabular scrapers became an integral part of pastoral nomads' trade networks and seasonal movements between different regions in the southern Levant and northern Arabia. New investigations in the eastern Bayir region, also called Ardh-as-Suwwan (land of the flint), has proved, through carbon dating, that there are an increasing number of Late Neolithic-Early Chalcolithic sites in this area which were occupied by pastoral nomads. Studying the pastoral nomads raises the question of what kind of relationships they had with other regions, particularly with farmers who were also practicing herding near their villages. Dependant pastoral nomadism is also possible in the areas close to the farming villages, but v...