Tell Madaba Archaeological Project
| Preliminary Report - 2006 Field Season (June 5th to July 13th) |
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Click below to see archival footage of excavations at Tell Madaba in 2006.
INTRODUCTION:
The city of Mādabā, located 30 km southwest of Amman amidst the fertile rolling plains of the Central Jordanian Plateau, represents an exceptional example of this phenomenon. Continuing an urban tradition of some 5,000 years, the modern town engulfs the ancient settlement, preserved in the form of a large low-lying tall and acropolis that still forms a visible rise in the town center. Clearly, Mādabā’s historical prominence necessitates a thorough assessment of its role in the long and eventful history of the Central Highlands of Jordan. The Tall Mādabā excavations were conceived with the goal of pursuing this investigation. By focusing on the central site of Mādabā, the project has been working since 1996 to anchor an emerging regional database, and to facilitate analysis of the changing economic and sociopolitical organization of communities on a regional level. For more detailed descriptions of the project’s research objectives and history, the reader is referred to previous reports submitted to the Department of Antiquities, and to published and forthcoming articles in the Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.
In addition to excavation, time and resources were also devoted to improving the overall appearance of the site and assuring the protection of these remains after the field season. The 2006 season was conducted between June 5 and July 13, with the author acting as Project and Field Director, Andrew Graham overseeing the excavations in Field B in his capacity as Assistant Field Director, and Timothy Harrison continuing as overall Project Director. An archaeological field school for students from the University of Toronto was also run in conjunction with the 2006 field season.** Khaled Hawari and Abdullah al-Bawareed served as the Department of Antiquities representatives.
Previous seasons of excavation in Field C have uncovered the remains of a monumental building dating to the Late Byzantine/Early Islamic period. The primary objectives of the 2006 field season were to finish uncovering this structure, and thus perhaps clarify its exact nature. The 2006 excavations in Field C focused on two areas: (1) the western and southern extent of the bedrock ledge that forms the southwestern portion of the building; and (2) Room 6 – the area to the west of Room 5.
Excavation in 5L22O2 succeeded in exposing an unpaved room equipped with a large entrance and a hydrological installation. In the southeast corner of Room 6 a shallow curvilinear basin (5L22O2:13) was uncovered. It is carved directly from the bedrock, except along the southwestern edge where the rim of the basin has been constructed from stone and mortar. The majority of the rim is coated in plaster that is incised with chevron-like decorations (similar to that found at other Early Islamic sites such as Umm al-Walid, the Amman Citadel Palace, and Qasr Hallabat). The plaster then extends to seal against the southern side of the large doorway to the north. A water channel exposed during the 2000 field season connects to the southwestern corner of the basin. The floor in this area slopes downward indicating that this channel was used as a drain for the basin. It is unclear how water would have entered the basin. A wall located to the southeast contains a pipe that may have conducted water into this installation. The exact function of this basin is as yet unclear; further study is required to develop a more comprehensive hypothesis as to its nature and association with the rest of the building. As mentioned above, a large doorway (5L22O2:30, 37, 38) measuring over a meter in width was constructed to the north of this basin connecting Rooms 5 and 6. A step carved from the bedrock and located to the west of the threshold stone is coated in plaster. The lowest course of the door frame is also carved from bedrock. The stones forming the frame are well-cut and coated in plaster. They may have been used as springers for the arches that supported the ceiling of this room. To the east of the threshold is a small cobble-paved area that originally sealed against the mosaic floor in Room 5. A large lintel stone removed from this area of the building in 2001 was most likely associated with this doorway. The size of this entrance and the care that was taken in its construction may be an indication of the importance of Room 5. This doorway was probably added to the building during the Early Islamic period when other alterations were made to the Field C building (including the plaster niche in Room 5, the doorway into Room 2, and the vault in Room 1).
The 2006 field season of the Tell Madaba Archaeological Project were conducted in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, which provided guidance and access to field equipment. The season’s results would not have been possible without the dedicated help of Dr. Fawwaz al-Khraysheh, Director General of the Department of Antiquities, and Mr. Ali al-Khayyat, Director of the Department of Antiquities Office in Madaba. **In addition to the Project/Field Director and Assistant Field Director, the staff consisted of Miranda Angus, Sarah Jagelewski, Jennifer Lewis, Sarah Lynchehaun, and Jessica Self. The student participants were Sanadalia Genus, Michael Golloher, Laura Herman, Laurna Jones, Tegan Kenward, John Krissilas, Sebastian Laforce, Eugenia Lui, Iam MacLeod, Lisa Malcolm, Zandra Mallinson, Anthony Pugh, Paulo Raposo, Alyse Runyan, Ellie Sufrin-Disler, Tanit Thorne, Florence Ting, Micheline Welte, Callum Wiggins, Tory Woolcott, and Bryan Wyshnicki.
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Given the current concern in Jordan for developing, or re-introducing, economic strategies that conserve scarce cultural and natural resources, these research objectives address issues of contemporary relevance and importance. Within this broader research framework, the Tall Mādabā excavations were initiated for the specific purpose of gathering archaeological data from the presumed urban center of a regional settlement network for comparison with existing data sets from comparable contexts (e.g. domestic/residential, administrative/public, etc.) at contemporary rural village sites in the region. In the modern Middle East, with its long history of urbanism, the consequences of urban continuity present a daunting challenge to this type of archaeological research.
In keeping with the Tall Mādabā Archaeological Project (TMAP) objective to map architecture and assemble quantifiable artifact assemblages for each of the principal phases of occupation at the site, the 2006 field season saw a continuation of the excavations begun in 1998 along the west acropolis (Fields B and C). The primary objectives of the 2006 TMAP field season, therefore, were:
Excavations have been ongoing in Field B since 1998, and in that time deposits dating to the Late Ottoman (FP 1), Early Roman/Nabataean (FPs 2 and 3), Late Hellenistic (FPs 4 and 5), and Iron II (FP 6) periods have been exposed. As stated above, the primary goal of the 2006 season in Field B was to continue excavation of the Iron Age remains first encountered during the 1998 season. To this end, two units (Squares 5M21V3 and 5M21U4) on the northern edge of the previously excavated area, and to the east of the large fortification wall, were reopened (Figure 3).
The Iron IIB settlement (FP7) at Tell Madaba is represented by a large pillared building that is oriented N-S about 1.5 meters in from the fortification wall. This building had two exterior walls represented by 5M21U4:112 and 5M21V3:118. A series of pillars (5M21V3:147,148 and 149) were clearly constructed equidistant to the exterior walls to provide support for either the roof or 2nd story of the building. Surfaces associated with this building are most clear in the sequence recovered from 5M21U4 and are evident in the southern baulk as L.164 at the 786.33m ASL level. This surface (L.164) represents the 1st occupational surface of the Iron IIB settlement corresponding to FP7.2. The end of the Iron IIB phase of occupation at Tell Madaba has been described as the result of a “destruction” (the nature of which is yet undetermined), however the complete excavation of the FP7 structures has yielded a surprisingly small amount of cultural material. Ceramic counts are conspicuously low and posit either abandonment or an aggressive reconstruction/reuse campaign by the FP6 “squatters”. A monolithic post (5M21V3:160) was discovered, partially situated in the southern baulk but in line with the central pillars of this building creating a “doorway” from the eastern side of the pillared building to the western side. Due to the restricted size of the excavation area it was difficult to trace the occupational surface (5M21U4:164) into this area, however based on construction phasing – it would seem likely. Some problems continue to exist in determining the phasing of this building, particularly in the NE quadrant of 5M21V3 where L.130 seems to abut the line of pillars (at L. 147). Based on the lack of surfaces sealing against L.130 its possible that the FP6 “squatters” cut into FP7 to install L.130 as a companion wall to L.76/93, however only the removal of L.130 will be definitive in this matter.
One of the highlights of the 2006 season was the discovery of an earlier Iron Age occupation at Tell Madaba represented by the appearance of large walls lying directly under the FP7, Iron IIB pillared building (Figure 6). While only partially exposed in both 5M21U4 and 5M21V3, this structure was clearly more “monumental” than its later Iron IIB/FP7 counterpart – the preservation of which is due in part to the FP7 builders using these walls as foundation supports (particularly clear in the case of pillar 5M21V3:149 over 5M21U4:158). A restricted probe was conducted against two of these walls in 5M21U4 to determine the nature of this building which revealed a possible sub-phase represented by a hearth lying directly on-top of the primary surface (L.186) of the building. While no stratigraphic link can be made at this point it is important to note that the elevation of L.186 at 784.86m ASL corresponds well with the elevation of the beaten earth surface found in the NW sondage at the 784.75m ASL level. This correspondence continues when the ceramic evidence is examined. The surface of L.186 was littered with large pithoi that are reminiscent of Iron I/IIA collared-rim variants, however, no secure diagnostics were recovered. 
The removal of the northern balk of 5L22T3 exposed more of the bedrock ledge already present in this unit and 5L22T1. It is now clear that the upper bedrock ledge extends to the north and is cut with several small water channels. The eastern corner of the northern balk of 5L22S4 was also excavated. A small north-south wall (5L22S4:9) was exposed that probably connected with an east-west wall to the south previously excavated in 2002. The presence of this wall confirms the hypothesis that the Field C building extended as far as the western edge of the bedrock ledge. Finally, the southern balk of 5L22X4 was removed in order to expose more of the architecture already present in this unit. The southern portion of the north-south wall excavated in 2002 and an east-west wall (5L22X4:57) were uncovered. Excavation was undertaken in 5L22S2 in order to completely expose the northwestern section of the Field C building and expose the western extent of the bedrock. The bedrock in this area is stepped and several channels have been cut into it (see image above). These channels may have been used to conduct water into the large cistern at the base of the building. 5L22S2 produced a total of 9 coins. Although cleaning and further study is needed, the size of the coins indicates that they may be Nabatean. Square 5L22X3 was also excavated during the 2006 field season in an effort to expose the area of the building to the south of the large cut in the bedrock. A large threshold stone (5L22X3:7) was uncovered along the southern balk indicating the entrance into this part of the building. A small retaining wall (5L22X3:10) runs up to the eastern side of the threshold and there appears to be a stone step to the south. The bedrock in the southern half of this unit has been plastered further supporting the idea that the residents of this building altered the bedrock in order to lay the foundations of the structure. Excavations were also undertaken in squares 5L21C2 and 5L22W4. Partial excavation in 5L21C2 during the 1999 field season produced a badly preserved white mosaic floor on the upper bedrock ledge and two large Hellenistic storage jars under the ledge to the west. The likelihood of finding a cave in this area prompted the re-opening of the unit; however, excavation simply revealed a pronounced overhang in the bedrock. A circular bin (5L21C2:23) was uncovered directly beneath this overhang. Although the material cultural recovered from the bin is mixed, this installation closely resembles those excavated by Prof. Timothy Harrison in Field A in 1996. This association may indicate an Early Bronze occupation of this area of the site. Excavation was begun in 5L22W4 in order to further explore the bedrock overhang present in 5L21C2. A small wall running east-west (5L22W4:4) up to the western face of the bedrock ledge was initially exposed. A more substantial north-south wall (5L22W4:7) was then uncovered to the north. This second wall forms the western boundary of a large circular bin (5L22W4:16) carved into the bedrock. The walls of the bin slope inward and are inscribed with tooling marks. The exact function of this installation is as yet unclear. It may have been used for food storage or water collection. As in previous seasons, the excavation activities on the bedrock areas of Field C produced a significant amount of pottery containing important examples from the Early Roman/Nabatean, Late Byzantine/Early Islamic, and Ayyubid/Mamluke periods. In addition several notable artifacts were also recovered including a large collection of coins and a ceramic lamp with a Greek inscription. One common feature of the excavation of this area of Field C is the natural crevices present in the bedrock. The soil contained in these channels is consistently sterile, perhaps as a result of deliberate filling in order to employ these natural elements in the hydrological activities in the building. A number of deep, smoothly-cut holes have been found in the bedrock ledges in Field C. Initially these were interpreted as door post-holes associated with the Byzantine/Early Islamic building; however, upon further reflection, these installations appear to pre-date the construction of this structure and are in no way related to the 6th/7th century CE material. The exact function of these smoothly cut holes remains unknown. 
A small area to the west of Room 5 was left unexcavated in 2002. The area was given the single square designation 5L22O2.