Ancient Ammon (Studies in the History and Culture of the Ancient Near East)

290 Pages·1999·50.9 MB·English

by  Burton MacDonald

ANCIENT AMMON
STUDIES IN THE HISTORY
AND CULTURE OF
THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
EDITED BY
B. HALPERN M.H.E. WEIPPERT
AND
VOLUME XVII
ANCIENT AMMON
EDITED BY
BURTON MACDONALD RANDALL W. YOUNKER
AND
BRILL
LEIDEN . BOSTON · KOLN
1999
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ancient Ammon / edited by Burton MacDonald and Randall W. Younker.
p. cm.-(Studies in the history and culture of the ancient
Near East, ISSN 0169-9024 ; v. 17)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 9004107622 (cloth: alk. paper)
I. Ammonites. 2. Jordan- Antiquities. 3. Excavations
(Archaeology)--Jordan. I. MacDonald, Burton, 1939-
II. Younker, Randall W. III. Series.
DS 154.215.A53 1999
933- dc21 99-24375
GIl'
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnalune
Ancient Anunon I ed. by Burton Macdonald and Randall W.
Younker. - Leiden ; Boston; K61n : Brill, 1999
(Studies in the history and culture or the ancien! Ncar East ; Vol. J 7)
ISBN 90-04-10762-2
ISSN 0169-9024
ISBN 9004 107622
o
Copyright 1999 by KOlJ.inklijke Bn"ll J\'V, Ltidtll, The Netherlands
All rights restTVed. No part f!! this Pu.blication may be rtproduad, tralls/alld, stored
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Fees afe subject 10 change.
PRIl\'TEO IN TilE NETHERI.ANOS
CONTENTS
List of Figures and Tables
VII
Chapler One: Review of Archaeological Research
in Ammon
RANDALL W . YOUNKER
Excursus: Salient Features of Iron Age Tribal
K.ingdoms ............ ............ ............. .......... ............................. 19
0YSTEIN LilllANCA
Chapter Two: Ammonite Territory and Sites 30
BURTON J\1ACDONALD
Chapter Three: Central Jordanian Ceramic
Traditions 57
GLORIA loNDON
Chapter Four: "Ammonite" Monumental
Architecture . . .................. . 103
M OHAMMED NAlJAR
Chapter Five: Domestic Architecture in Iron Age Ammon:
Buildings ~hlcrials, Construction Techniques,
and Room Arrangement .................................... . 113
P.M.M. DAVIAU
Chapter Six: Burial Customs and Practices in
Ancielll Ammon ................................ . 137
KHAIR Y ASSINE
Chapter Seven: The Religion of the Ammonites 152
E.
''''ALTER AUFRECI-IT
Chapter Eight: Ammonite Texts and Language 163
'tV ALTER E. AUFRECHT
Chapter Nine: The Emergence of the Ammonites 189
RANDALL 'tV. YOUNKER
vi
CONTENTS
Chapter Ten: The Ammonites in the Late Iron Age
and Persian Period ...... ". ........................... . 219
LARRY C. HERR
Index of Names ..... 239
Index of Places 242
Index of Subjects ... 245
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Fig. 1. I- Map of Ammon with sites listed in text
Fig. 2. I- Map of Ammon sho\'ving course ofJ abbok and Its Tlibut.'lrics
Fig. 3.1- excess clay from upside down pOL
Fig. 3.2-----voltcr adding coils to form rim
Fig. 3.3- collarcd rim jar ('Umayri)
Fig. 3.4-POls from 'Umayri
Fig. 3.S- P01S from 'Umayri
Fig. 3.6- Lamps from 'Umayri
Fig. 4. I- Ammonite Tower Rujm al-Malfur
Fig. 4.2- Ammonitc Tower closeup
Fig. 4.3- Stairs leading into pillared house
Fig. 4.4-\-Valls built directly on leveled bedrock (Khilda)
Fig. 4.5- Khilda- monolithic piers in the pillared house
Fig. 4.6- Nichcs between piers at Khilda
Fig. 4.7- 'Amman Citadel- access to the underground water reservoir
Fig. 4.8- Proto-acolic capital at 'Amman Citadel
Fig. 4.9- ProlO-aeolic column base at 'Amman Citadel
Fig. 4.10- The plaster on the exterior face of the lower at Khilda
Fig. 5.I- Bouldcr-and-chink walls with doorway
Fig. 5.2- Monolithic stone pillars in Building 800
Fig. 5.3a-b- Stacked boulder walls; a) rectilincar pillars with cobble
stone connecting units (W8014); b) combination of pillar types
(\'''3027); c) rounded boulder pillared wall with cobblestone con
necting units (,""3005).
Fig. 5.4-Building 300 at Tall Jawa
Fig. 55- Building 800 at Tall Jawa
Fig. 9.I- Table of Settlement Pattern in Ammon: Middle Bronze
to Iron Age
Fig. 9.2- Table of Ammon LB IIBlIron IA Sites
Fig. 9.3- Table of Ammon Iron IA- B Sites
Fig. 1O .I- Aclial photo of the walls of" the Ammonite/Pcrsian Admin-
istralive complex
Fig. IO.2- Plan of the buildings in fig. 13. (plan]
Fig. 10.3- Scal impression of Ba'alyasha<. rphoto]
Fig. 10.4-Drawing of" the seal impression of Ba'alyasha'. [drawing]
Fig. 10.5- Seal of 'In btl brk'L. [photo]
Fig. 10.6- Seal impression of the Persian provincc of Ammon. [photo]

CHAP'TER ONE
REVIEW OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL
RESEARCH IN AMMON
RA."lDALL \ V. YOUNKER
Andrc\\"$ University
Introduction
The Ammonites, known from both biblical and extra-biblical sources,
were an ancient people who inhabited the northern Central Trans
jordanian plateau Oocaled in the modern Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan) from the latter part of the second millennium B.C. until the
middle of the first millennium B.C. Their country was known as
Ammon, while their capital was called Rabbath-Ammon, or simply
Ammon. They arc best known for their numerous encounters with
the biblical Israelites. However, they are also important because their
territory was astride the major caravan routes that connected Arabia
with the major cultural centers of the Fertile Crescent. Occasional
references to the Ammonites, therefore, also appear III the ancient
records of these early empires.
Modern research in Ammon began in the early part of this cen
lllry just prior 10 World War I and has continued up to the pre
sent. Because scholarly attention has tended to focus on Ammon's
neighbors to the west Israel and Judah, there has been lillie anempt
to systematically either summarize or utilize the results of the numer
ous surveys and excavations that have been conducted in Tran~ordan
during the last 90 years. Thus, it seems appropriate to set the stage
for the essays in this volume by presenting a brief review of the
research thal has been conducted on the other side of the Jordan.
Howard Crosby Butler Survey
Some of the first sUlveys in Ammon tn the twentieth celltUlY were
undertaken by H.C. Butler of Princeton University. In 1904 he pro
vided a detailed study of 'Iraq al-Amir, later the home of the Tobiads,
a family who were elosely associated with the Ammonites during the