The 2008 Season at Tall al-’Umayri and Subsequent Studies
Edited by Larry G. Herr, Douglas R. Clark, Lawrence T. Geraty, and Monique Roddy
The 2008 Season at Tall al-’Umayri and Subsequent Studies
Edited by Larry G. Herr, Douglas R. Clark, Lawrence T. Geraty, and Monique Roddy
This volume presents the official report of the 2008 excavation season at Tall al-ʿUmayri, a key settlement for understanding the Bronze and Iron Ages in western Jordan. Part of the long-running Madaba Plains Project, it documents the discoveries, methods, and personnel of that summer’s fieldwork while situating them within the project’s broader aim of tracing cycles of growth, decline, and adaptation in ancient settlement and land use.
- Description
- Bio
- Table of Contents
Combining technical rigor with comprehensive scope, the report serves as both a detailed catalog of finds and a permanent archive for future study. It publishes architectural remains, artifacts, environmental data, and specialized analyses spanning the Late Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period. Introductory chapters summarize major discoveries and the site’s occupational history across all seasons since 1984, while stratigraphic reports present the evidence layer by layer in its wider Near Eastern context. Substantial studies address pottery and ceramic technology (including the construction of pithoi), artifact assemblages, human skeletal remains, and the hinterland site of Drayjat, likely a strategic fortress. A typological study of collared pithoi traces the vessel form’s development from the Late Bronze / Iron I transition into the early Persian period.
This report, eleventh in the series, marks a mature stage in the project’s development, reflecting large-scale collaboration and systematic integration of decades of accumulated data. Richly illustrated and data-driven, it will be an essential resource for archaeologists, historians of the ancient Near East, and advanced students seeking authoritative documentation of this pivotal site.
Larry G. Herr is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Burman University.
Douglas R. Clark is Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology at La Sierra University.
Lawrence T. Geraty is Associate Director of the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology at La Sierra University.
Monique Roddy is Associate Professor of History and Codirector of the Honors Program at Walla Walla University.
Dedication to Suha and Gary Huffaker
Stratum Chart for Tall al-ʿUmayri
List of Figures
PART ONE: OVERVIEW
Chapter 1 An Overview of the 2008 Season of the Madaba Plains Project at Tall al-ʿUmayri
Larry G. Herr
Chapter 2 Excavation and Cumulative Results, 1984 to 2008 Seasons
Larry G. Herr
PART TWO: TALL AL-ʿUMAYRI
Chapter 3 Field A: Iron I and Iron II Buildings
Robert D. Bates
Larry G. Herr
Chapter 4 Fields B and N: The Northwest Sector
Kent V. Bramlett
Chapter 5 Field H: The Southwestern Sector
Monique D. Roddy
Chapter 6 Field L: The Southcentral Edge of the Site
David C. Hopkins
Mary Petrina Boyd
Larry G. Herr
Chapter 7 Field M: The Central Top of the Tell
Aren S. LaBianca
PART THREE: SUBSEQUENT STUDIES
Chapter 8 The Pottery
Larry G. Herr
Chapter 9 Collar Rim Store Jar Manufacturing Techniques, Pre-fire Markings, Repair Holes, 413
Reshaped Sherds, and Other Features of Pottery Excavated at Tall al-ʿUmayri, 2008
Gloria London
Chapter 10 The Objects and Artifacts
Douglas R. Clark
Chapter 11 Tall ad-Drayjat Hinterland Excavations, 1989
Larry G. Herr
with Randall W. Younker and Paul J. Ray
Chapter 12 The Excavation and Field Analysis of a Late Human Skeleton Found at Tall al-ʿUmayri,
Jordan, in July 2008
Julie L. Cormack
Chapter 13 Descriptive Analysis of Isolated Human Skeletal Fragments Found at Tall al-ʿUmayri,
Jordan
Julie L. Cormack
Chapter 14 The Development of the Collared Pithos on the Central Plateau of Transjordan during
the Iron Age
Larry G. Herr
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