A Wayside Shrine in Northern Moab: Excavations in the Wadi Ath-Thamad 9781785707087, 1785707086

Table of contents :
Frontcover
Title
Copyright
Contents
List of tables and charts
List of illustrations
Preface
Team members (1996–2003)
Part 1 The site and its excavation
1 Introduction and geographical setting
2 Approaches to religious rituals and cultic behaviour
3 Stratigraphy, architecture and finds at WT-13
Part 2 The finds from the Stratum II shrine
4 The anthropomorphic figurines and statues: images of gods and worshipers
5 Typology of the small finds
6 WT-13 pottery and the Central Jordan tradition
7 Tripod cups, miniature and specialized vessels
8 The provenance of anthropomorphic statues, figurines and pottery
9 The WT-13 faunal bone collection
10 Recent shells and fossil invertebrates from WT-13
11 Fossil sea urchins from WT-13
12 The beads
13 Nabataean and Roman pottery and objects
Part 3 Landscape archaeology
14 Regional survey and landscape archaeologyat WT-13 and WT-18 (al-Rumayl)
15 Sacred landscape in central Jordan
Bibliography
Subject Index
Geographical Name Index

Citation preview

A Wayside Shrine in Northern Moab: Excavations in Wadi ath-Thamad

A WAyside shrine in northern MoAb: excAvAtions in WAdi Ath-thAMAd

P. M. MichÈLe dAviAU with contributions by

gabrielle cole, carlos e. cordova, christopher M. Foley, Jan gunneweg and Marta balla, robert M. Kerr, david Lipovitch, Kenneth J. Mcnamara, david s. reese and Margreet L. steiner

WAdi Ath-thAMAd ProJect i Edited by

P. M. MichÈLe dAviAU and MArgreet L. steiner

Oxford & Philadelphia

Published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by OXBOW BOOKS The Old Music Hall, 106–108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JE and in the United States by OXBOW BOOKS 1950 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083 © Oxbow Books and the individual authors 2017 Hardback Edition: ISBN 978-1-78570-708-7 (hardback) Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-78570-709-4 (epub) A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library and the Library of Congress All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in writing. Printed in Malta by Melita Press Ltd Typeset in India by Lapiz Digital Services, Chennai

For a complete list of Oxbow titles, please contact: UNITED KINGDOM Oxbow Books Telephone (01865) 241249, Fax (01865) 794449 Email: [email protected] www.oxbowbooks.com UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Oxbow Books Telephone (800) 791-9354, Fax (610) 853-9146 Email: [email protected] www.casemateacademic.com/oxbow Oxbow Books is part of the Casemate Group

Front cover: Photos of assorted artefacts from the site courtesy of Dr B. A. Haberstroh, M.D.

Contents

List of tables and charts List of illustrations Preface Team members (1996–2003)

vii ix xii xiv

PART 1: THE SITE AND ITS EXCAVATION 1. Introduction and geographical setting P. M. Michèle Daviau with an excursus by Carlos E. Cordova 2. Approaches to religious rituals and cultic behaviour P. M. Michèle Daviau 3. Stratigraphy, architecture and finds at WT-13 P. M. Michèle Daviau

3 16 22

PART 2: THE FINDS FROM THE STRATUM II SHRINE 4. The anthropomorphic figurines and statues: images of gods and worshipers P. M. Michèle Daviau 5. Typology of the small finds P. M. Michèle Daviau 6. WT-13 pottery and the Central Jordan tradition Margreet L. Steiner 7. Tripod cups, miniature and specialized vessels P. M. Michèle Daviau 8. The provenance of anthropomorphic statues, figurines and pottery Jan Gunneweg and Marta Balla 9. The WT-13 faunal bone collection David Lipovitch 10. Recent shells and fossil invertebrates from WT-13 David S. Reese 11. Fossil sea urchins from WT-13 Kenneth J. McNamara 12. The beads P. M. Michèle Daviau and Gabrielle Cole 13. Nabataean and Roman pottery and objects P. M. Michèle Daviau with an Excursus by Robert M. Kerr

81 137 171 179 201 204 213 220 224 238

vi

Contents

PART 3: LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY 14. Regional survey and landscape archaeology at WT-13 and WT-18 (al-Rumayl) Christopher M. Foley with contributions by P. M. Michèle Daviau 15. Sacred landscape in central Jordan P. M. Michèle Daviau

247

Bibliography Subject Index Geographical Name Index

279 304 306

www resources: https://downloads.wlu.ca/WadiThamad Databases Field Images Pottery Artefacts Beads

273

List of tables and charts

Tables Table 1A. Stratigraphic sequence Table 1B. Artefacts in the Madaba Museum Table 2A. Correlates for identifying a cultic structure at WT-13 Table 2B. Questions regarding the nature of the cult Table 2C. Questions regarding cultic behaviour Table 3A. Pottery and objects from Stratum IIIB surfaces and cooking areas Table 3B. Pottery and objects from Stratum IIIA ash layer Table 3C. Pottery and objects from Stratum IIC fill Table 3D. Stratum II wall sizes Table 3E. Walls of WT-13 Table 3F. Pottery and objects from Stratum IIB eastern surface Table 3G. Pottery and objects from Stratum IIB lower western surfaces Table 3H. Pottery and objects from Stratum IIB upper surfaces Table 3I. Pottery and objects from Stratum IIA western surfaces Table 3J. Pottery and objects from Strata IIA outside the temenos and in disturbed loci Table 3K. Pottery and objects from Strata IIA rockfall inside the temenos Table 5A. Artefact types represented at WT-13 Table 5B. Cultic and multifunctional objects identified in the domestic cult Table 5C. Summary of equipment found at WT-13, Ḥorvat Qiṭmit and