Lamia El-Khouri  AOAT 353
 
Roman Settlements in the Region of Northwest Jordan. Archaeological Studies ISBN  978-3-86835-010-4
 227 pp. + folding map
(Land-use and Landscape Development)    
66,- EUR
2009    

El-Khouri’s manual provides the reader with a comprehensive catalogue of even the smallest remains of  Roman settlements in Northwest Jordan (chapter 3), supplemented by on overview of the geographical and the historical background (chapter 1) and a survey of the archaeological landscape of the region (chapter 2).

Whereas “previous studies of the Roman period in Northwest Jordan have concentrated mostly on urban sites, e.g. cities of the Decapolis , (...) less attention has been given to rural sites. In order to give a more balanced view of the nature of the Roman settlements as a whole and to put the Decapolis in their regional contexts it is important to study major as well as minor sites. (...) The data collected should be useful for creating regional maps to clarify the distribution of Roman settlements, the association between urban and rural settlements, and the type and size of each occupational site. (...) The strategic location of the region as a bridge between the two provinces of Egypt and Syria made it attractive for intensive occupation not only during the Roman period but during other historical periods as well. Several international trade routes passed through the region. Apart for the important urban centres, the region was densely populated by a rural agricultural population.”

 

Acknowledgment

    7

List of Abbreviations of Place Names

     9

List of Figures

  11

List of Tables

  12

Introduction

   13

Chapter One: Geographical and Historical Background

   15

    I. Natural Geography of Northwest Jordan

   15

    II. Regional History in the Roman Period

   18

Chapter Two: Roman Settlements: Archaeological Landscape

   27

    I. History of Archaeological Field Works

   27

    II. Nature and Distribution of Settlements

   32

    III. Association between Urban and Rural Settlements

   44

    IV. Roman Roads and Ancient Trade Routes

  47

    V. Ancient Land-use and Agricultural Practices

  53

Chapter Three: Catalogue of Roman Sites

  61

    The Northern Sector

  63

    The Western Sector

  94

    The Central and Southern Sectors

120

    The Eastern Sector

134

Conclusion

141

Bibliography

145

Table I, Time Table (Roman Period in Jordan) 63 BC – 324 AD

163

Table II, Roman Settlements in Northwest Jordan

167

Figures

181

Index of Sites

217