Social Complexity in Northern Jordan
Settlement Patterns in the First Millennium BCE through Archaeological Survey and Excavation
Will be published approx. on 1. October 2026
Book
Hardback
216 pages
978-1-350-52133-9 (ISBN)
Description
This open access investigation of Northern Jordan in the first millennium BCE offers new insights into the mechanisms of social complexity, showing how communities adapted to their environments, negotiated power and interacted with their neighbours.
The Iron Age Levant is a pivotal period in human history, representing a crucial phase in the evolution of complex societies. This era witnessed the emergence of new political structures, economic systems and cultural expressions that have had a lasting impact on subsequent civilizations. With the focus on Northern Jordan, a region much less studied than the surrounding areas of the Levant, the case studies of Tall Ya'moun and Tall al-Assara present the most recent archaeological excavations and surveys from fortified settlement sites and their surroundings.
Individual chapters discuss topics such as observations on architecture, the results of different types of scientific analyses, and detailed analyses of specific artefacts such as pottery, stone vessels and bones. The contributors employ cutting-edge digital and analytical methodologies, such as soil geochemistry, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, network analysis, GIS and 3D technologies. As a result, this book presents an important step forward in outlining the role of Northern Jordan in the political and cultural map of the Iron Age Levant, and it also sheds light on the origins of many modern cultural and religious practices.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Research Council of Finland.
The Iron Age Levant is a pivotal period in human history, representing a crucial phase in the evolution of complex societies. This era witnessed the emergence of new political structures, economic systems and cultural expressions that have had a lasting impact on subsequent civilizations. With the focus on Northern Jordan, a region much less studied than the surrounding areas of the Levant, the case studies of Tall Ya'moun and Tall al-Assara present the most recent archaeological excavations and surveys from fortified settlement sites and their surroundings.
Individual chapters discuss topics such as observations on architecture, the results of different types of scientific analyses, and detailed analyses of specific artefacts such as pottery, stone vessels and bones. The contributors employ cutting-edge digital and analytical methodologies, such as soil geochemistry, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, network analysis, GIS and 3D technologies. As a result, this book presents an important step forward in outlining the role of Northern Jordan in the political and cultural map of the Iron Age Levant, and it also sheds light on the origins of many modern cultural and religious practices.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Research Council of Finland.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
27 bw illus and 16 in-text colour illus
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
387 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-52133-9 (9781350521339)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Marta Lorenzon is Academy Research Fellow and docent in archaeology at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Melis Uzdurum is Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Paula Gheorghiade is Postdoctoral Researcher at the Social Resilience Lab, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Antti Lahelma is University Lecturer and docent in archaeology at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Melis Uzdurum is Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Paula Gheorghiade is Postdoctoral Researcher at the Social Resilience Lab, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Antti Lahelma is University Lecturer and docent in archaeology at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Content
List of Illustrations
Notes on Contributors
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Part I: Framing Complexity in Northern Jordan
1. Introduction
Antti Lahelma (University of Helsinki, Finland), Maher Tarboush (Yarmouk University, Jordan), Marta Lorenzon (University of Helsinki, Finland), Stefan L. Smith (Leibniz-Zentrum fuer Archaologie (LEIZA), Germany) and Paula Kouki (Hamina Museum, Finland)
2. Complexity and Networks During the First Millennium in Northern Jordan
Dries Daems (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Paula Gheorghiade (University of Aarhus, Denmark)
Part II: Regional Connectivity
3. Tracing Connections: Pottery Typologies from Northern Jordan
Paula Gheorghiade (University of Aarhus, Denmark), Stanley Klassen (University of Toronto, Canada), and Dries Daems (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands)
4. Archaeometry and Connectivity in Ceramic Technologies
Elisabeth Holmqvist (University of Helsinki, Finland) and Ahmed Al-Shorman (Yarmouk University, Jordan)
5. Chipped Stone Tool Assemblages in Northern Jordan during Prehistoric and Protohistoric Times
Samuele Mugnai (University of Florence, Italy) and Domenico Lo Vetro (University of Florence, Italy)
Part III: Materialities: The Case Study of Tall Ya'moun and Tall al-Assara
6. Resilience and Assertion in the Jordanian Highlands
Antti Lahelma, Maija Holappa, Saimi Kautonen, Samuel Reinikainen, Anu Ketonen, and Kirsi Valkama (all University of Helsinki, Finland)
7. Pottery Traditions: Regionality, Longevity and Specialization
Paula Gheorghiade ((University of Aarhus, Denmark), Stanley Klassen (University of Toronto, Canada), and Dries Daems (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands)
8. Environmental Archaeology: Faunal and Floral Remains
Matteo Penco (University of Florence, Italy) and Doga Karakaya (University of Helsinki, Finland)
9. Architecture and the Built Environment
Marta Lorenzon (University of Helsinki, Finland), Tia Sager (University of Toronto, Canada), Keenan Drake (Archaeologist and cultural resource manager), and Benjamin Cutillas-Victoria (University of Madrid, Spain)
Part IV: Synthesis
10. Pathways of Social Complexity: Evidence from Northern Jordan during the First Millennium BCE
Melis Uzdurum and Antti Lahelma (both University of Helsinki, Finland)
Part V: Community Outreach and Preservation
11. Local Heritage, Unauthorised Excavation, and Community Engagement in Northern Jordan
Ahed al-Smadi (Yarmouk University, Jordan), Paeivi Miettunen (University of Helsinki, Finland), Rick Bonnie (University of Helsinki, Finland), Ali Khwaileh (Yarmouk University, Jordan), and Mohammed Shunnaq (Yarmouk University, Jordan)
12. Towards Future Research
Marta Lorenzon (University of Helsinki, Finland), Paula Gheorghiade (University of Aarhus, Denmark),and Hussein Al-Sababha (Yarmouk University, Jordan)
Index
Notes on Contributors
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Part I: Framing Complexity in Northern Jordan
1. Introduction
Antti Lahelma (University of Helsinki, Finland), Maher Tarboush (Yarmouk University, Jordan), Marta Lorenzon (University of Helsinki, Finland), Stefan L. Smith (Leibniz-Zentrum fuer Archaologie (LEIZA), Germany) and Paula Kouki (Hamina Museum, Finland)
2. Complexity and Networks During the First Millennium in Northern Jordan
Dries Daems (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Paula Gheorghiade (University of Aarhus, Denmark)
Part II: Regional Connectivity
3. Tracing Connections: Pottery Typologies from Northern Jordan
Paula Gheorghiade (University of Aarhus, Denmark), Stanley Klassen (University of Toronto, Canada), and Dries Daems (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands)
4. Archaeometry and Connectivity in Ceramic Technologies
Elisabeth Holmqvist (University of Helsinki, Finland) and Ahmed Al-Shorman (Yarmouk University, Jordan)
5. Chipped Stone Tool Assemblages in Northern Jordan during Prehistoric and Protohistoric Times
Samuele Mugnai (University of Florence, Italy) and Domenico Lo Vetro (University of Florence, Italy)
Part III: Materialities: The Case Study of Tall Ya'moun and Tall al-Assara
6. Resilience and Assertion in the Jordanian Highlands
Antti Lahelma, Maija Holappa, Saimi Kautonen, Samuel Reinikainen, Anu Ketonen, and Kirsi Valkama (all University of Helsinki, Finland)
7. Pottery Traditions: Regionality, Longevity and Specialization
Paula Gheorghiade ((University of Aarhus, Denmark), Stanley Klassen (University of Toronto, Canada), and Dries Daems (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands)
8. Environmental Archaeology: Faunal and Floral Remains
Matteo Penco (University of Florence, Italy) and Doga Karakaya (University of Helsinki, Finland)
9. Architecture and the Built Environment
Marta Lorenzon (University of Helsinki, Finland), Tia Sager (University of Toronto, Canada), Keenan Drake (Archaeologist and cultural resource manager), and Benjamin Cutillas-Victoria (University of Madrid, Spain)
Part IV: Synthesis
10. Pathways of Social Complexity: Evidence from Northern Jordan during the First Millennium BCE
Melis Uzdurum and Antti Lahelma (both University of Helsinki, Finland)
Part V: Community Outreach and Preservation
11. Local Heritage, Unauthorised Excavation, and Community Engagement in Northern Jordan
Ahed al-Smadi (Yarmouk University, Jordan), Paeivi Miettunen (University of Helsinki, Finland), Rick Bonnie (University of Helsinki, Finland), Ali Khwaileh (Yarmouk University, Jordan), and Mohammed Shunnaq (Yarmouk University, Jordan)
12. Towards Future Research
Marta Lorenzon (University of Helsinki, Finland), Paula Gheorghiade (University of Aarhus, Denmark),and Hussein Al-Sababha (Yarmouk University, Jordan)
Index