- University of Western Australia
M205
Stirling HWY
CRAWLEY WA 6009
AUSTRALIA
- Archaeology of Jordan, Roman military archaeology, Aerial Archaeology, Remote Sensing, Google Earth and Virtual Globes, Roman Frontiers (Archaeology), and 13 moreArabian/Persian Gulf Archaeology, Roman Archaeology, Aerial Photography, Syria (Archaeology), Saudi Arabia, Roman Army, Levantine Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Satellite Remote Sensing (Archaeology), Jordan, Roman History, Petra, and Social mobility and education. Social class. Ethnicity/'race' and minority studies. Roma/Gypsy/Travellers. Mixed methods researchedit
- BA (Manchester), D. Phil (Oxford), FSA, FAHA, FRGS. Emeritus Professor and Senior Honorary Research Fellow in Roman A... moreBA (Manchester), D. Phil (Oxford), FSA, FAHA, FRGS. Emeritus Professor and Senior Honorary Research Fellow in Roman Archaeology and History at the University of Western Australia and Honorary Research Associate, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford. He specializes in the archaeology and history of the Eastern Roman Empire. Since 1997 David has conducted annual aerial reconnaissance over Jordan as part of the Aerial Archaeology in Jordan project. His other projects have included the Jarash Hinterland Survey with Fiona Baker (2005-2011), a rescue project at the Classical city of Zeugma on the Euphrates (1993-2001) and currently the Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East. He has been a Member at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and a Fellow at Princeton University. He is also Chair of the Roman Archaeology Group, Perth, established in 2004 to promote interest in Roman archaeology in perhaps the city most remote from it.edit
A web site dedicated to researching western travellers in – broadly, the lands east of the Rift Valley from Aqaba to the source of the Jordan, from Petra to Palmyra. As these travellers also one or more neighbouring countries, the... more
A web site dedicated to researching western travellers in – broadly, the lands east of the Rift Valley from Aqaba to the source of the Jordan, from Petra to Palmyra.
As these travellers also one or more neighbouring countries, the postings often also include Egypt and the Near East.
As these travellers also one or more neighbouring countries, the postings often also include Egypt and the Near East.
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The full text of M A Stein's unpublished Report (his aerial and ground reconnaissances in Iraq and Transjordan in 1938-1939) edited and with a commentary and bibliography. (BAR -S272, 1985)
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Pres de Petra la forteresse nabateenne d’Udrhuh devient en 106 un castrum romain. Description des vestiges (enceinte, principia). Decouverte en 2005 d’une inscription en latin, dedicace aux tetrarques par la legion VI Ferrata, avec... more
Pres de Petra la forteresse nabateenne d’Udrhuh devient en 106 un castrum romain. Description des vestiges (enceinte, principia). Decouverte en 2005 d’une inscription en latin, dedicace aux tetrarques par la legion VI Ferrata, avec martelage du nom de Maximien, donc datee entre 293 et 305. Mention d’une reconstruction du camp. Recherches sur les carrieres du dux (Aurelius Heraclides), du praeses de la province (Aelius Flavianus) et du prefet de legion (Aurelius Mucianus) mentionnes
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Aerial photography is so fundamental an instrument of modern archaeology that we often take it for granted. But its methods are surprisingly specific and its most important experimental theatre was probably the territory of the Levant—and... more
Aerial photography is so fundamental an instrument of modern archaeology that we often take it for granted. But its methods are surprisingly specific and its most important experimental theatre was probably the territory of the Levant—and especially the rocky terrain of Jordan. The author, a prominent aerial archaeologist of our own day, takes time off to review the achievements of the pioneers, serving officers who established routes over the desert to deliver mail between Egypt and Iraq. The fabulous ancient landscape they discovered could only be appreciated through the low-level window provided by these slow-moving rickety machines and their intrepid pilots. In these days of jet travel, the precious basalt landscape is in danger of slipping off the agenda again—both for researchers and conservers.
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L'A presente quelques inscriptions decouvertes au cours d'un programme de recherche d'archeologie aerienne mene en Transjordanie sur le site de Qasr el-Hallabat. Il evoque, tout d'abord, les evenements qui ont aboutit a ce... more
L'A presente quelques inscriptions decouvertes au cours d'un programme de recherche d'archeologie aerienne mene en Transjordanie sur le site de Qasr el-Hallabat. Il evoque, tout d'abord, les evenements qui ont aboutit a ce projet et a la realisation de ces photographies par S. A. Stein. Il etudie ensuite ces inscriptions : celles-ci, gravees, pour la plupart, sur des bornes milliaires, fournissent des informations sur les installations militaires romaines dans la region.
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In the 1920s pilots overflying the Transjordan panhandle discovered thousands of enigmatic stone-built structures which the beduin called ‘’The Works of the Old Men’. We now know these works are several thousand years old, extend from... more
In the 1920s pilots overflying the Transjordan panhandle discovered thousands of enigmatic stone-built structures which the beduin called ‘’The Works of the Old Men’. We now know these works are several thousand years old, extend from Syria to Yemen and probably number a million or more, making them far older and significantly more extensive than Peru’s Nazca Lines. Like the
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Geochemistry, Remote Sensing, Aerial Archaeology, and 13 moreArchaeological Science, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Jordan, Prehistory, Google Earth and Virtual Globes, Seasonality, Google Earth, History of Pre-Islamic Arabia, Archaeology of Jordan, Stone Structures, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, and High Resolution Satellite Imagery
Archaeologically, Saudi Arabia is one of the least explored parts of the Middle East. Now, thanks to Google Earth satellite imagery, a number of high-resolution ‘windows’ have been opened onto the landscape. Initial investigations already... more
Archaeologically, Saudi Arabia is one of the least explored parts of the Middle East. Now, thanks to Google Earth satellite imagery, a number of high-resolution ‘windows’ have been opened onto the landscape. Initial investigations already suggest large parts of the country are immensely rich in archaeological remains and most of those identified are certainly pre-Islamic and probably several thousand years
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Geochemistry, Remote Sensing, Aerial Archaeology, and 12 moreArchaeological Science, Saudi Arabia, Neogeography, Google Earth and Virtual Globes, Middle East, Google Earth, Case Study, Google Earth Saudi Arabia neogeography archaeology virtual globe, Satellite Imagery, High Resolution, Death and Burial Archaeology, and Stone Structures
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An academic directory and search engine.
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ABSTRACT The traces of dispersed houses in desert or steppic regions of northern Jordan and southern Syria have been augmented by recent discoveries and fieldwork. The evidence suggests that they are dated to the Umayyad period, although... more
ABSTRACT The traces of dispersed houses in desert or steppic regions of northern Jordan and southern Syria have been augmented by recent discoveries and fieldwork. The evidence suggests that they are dated to the Umayyad period, although often with traces of Late Roman/Jafnid (Ghassanid) origins. The new discoveries allow an enrichment of our knowledge for the period and provide a contrast with the better known Desert Castles and Qusur that dominate the evidence for this period.
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There is, now, the scope for developing the project dramatically. A generous grant from the Packard Humanities Institute will allow us to work on the archives and create a web site on which all our images can be displayed and searched. It... more
There is, now, the scope for developing the project dramatically. A generous grant from the Packard Humanities Institute will allow us to work on the archives and create a web site on which all our images can be displayed and searched. It will also allow us to treble the number of hours fl own and increase the associated ground exploration. Aerial Archaeology was pioneered in the Middle East in the 1920s with dramatic aerial photographs taken in Syria by the great French scholar, Pere Antoine Poidebard. His discoveries resulted in a book, now a collectors’ item, La trace de Rome dans le desert de Syrie (Paris, 1934). Despite important work in Iraq, Transjordan and Iran, there was nothing to equal Poidebard’s contribution. Collectively, a great deal was achieved in the 1920s and 30s though some countries in the region prohibited it entirely — Turkey is the obvious case. However, a new World War and independence for the countries of the region brought an end to virtually all aerial archaeology throughout the Middle East by about 1950.
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AbstractA significant grant from the Packard Humanities Institute has allowed the development of a long-standing project of Aerial Archaeology in Jordan. In 2008 the number of flying hours, sites recorded and associated ground-work time... more
AbstractA significant grant from the Packard Humanities Institute has allowed the development of a long-standing project of Aerial Archaeology in Jordan. In 2008 the number of flying hours, sites recorded and associated ground-work time trebled. Hundreds of sites, not previously recorded, have been added to the database. A web-based archive of the entire collection of aerial photos taken since 1997 is now under construction.
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Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
Hundreds of thousands of aerial photographs of Middle Eastern countries have been taken since the beginning of the First World War. The majority has been destroyed, but tens of thousands survive in archives in several countries.... more
Hundreds of thousands of aerial photographs of Middle Eastern countries have been taken since the beginning of the First World War. The majority has been destroyed, but tens of thousands survive in archives in several countries. Identification of and research on these collections has grown rapidly in recent years. Although the potential value of these ‘historical’ photographs has long been known, the rapid and dramatic development in Middle Eastern countries, affecting archaeological sites and landscapes, has accelerated the need for such records. This chapter surveys the present state of our knowledge of historical archive aerial photography, illustrates its use through specific examples and sets out a programme for increasing access to the ‘archive’ and opening it up to researchers through a web-based collection.
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Research Interests: History, Geography, Iron Age, City, Bronze Age, and 7 moreReservoir, Near East, Aerial Photography, Settlement, Habitat, Publication, and Route
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The authors have provided some... more
The authors have provided some ofAntiquity's most stunning frontispieces since we introduced them in 2006. We asked them to show how aerial archaeology has developed in Jordan over some 90 years, tell us about the techniques and approaches used and its potential here and in other desert and mountainous lands.
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The authors have provided some... more
The authors have provided some ofAntiquity's most stunning frontispieces since we introduced them in 2006. We asked them to show how aerial archaeology has developed in Jordan over some 90 years, tell us about the techniques and approaches used and its potential here and in other desert and mountainous lands.
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Between Biblical ‘Ammon’ and Early Umayyad ‘Amman’ lie a thousand years of Graeco-Roman Philadelphia. During this period the population of the classical city and its hinterland reached a peak not seen again until the 20th century. During... more
Between Biblical ‘Ammon’ and Early Umayyad ‘Amman’ lie a thousand years of Graeco-Roman Philadelphia. During this period the population of the classical city and its hinterland reached a peak not seen again until the 20th century. During the Middle Ages, however, the population shrank dramatically, the city was abandoned, an island of crumbling grandeur, surrounded by an equally depopulated landscape—the skeleton of a once thriving network of roads, villages, farms, monasteries, and field-systems. Even after re-settlement began at Amman in the 1870s, population in city and hinterland was thin and scattered, the abundant ruins often well-preserved. Development throughout the Belqa—the extensive fertile hinterland of Amman, was evident but relatively slow for some 70 years. After 1948, the impact of successive waves of refugees on top of a region-wide population explosion, began to transform the landscape and devastate the archaeological record. The process is accelerating and spread-
ing. Even in the city, many substantial buildings captured on 19th century photographs have been lost to development; in the hinterland, the vital rural context of a great Classical city has been extensively overwhelmed.
Nevertheless, much can yet be salvaged. Beginning with Seetzen in 1806, westerners began to explore ‘east of Jordan’. Many recorded their observations and some mapped, painted, drew, and increasingly photographed —including from the air. Collectively, the corpus of evidence is considerable, ranging from the observations of scores of early western visitors to the more recent archaeological surveys of the 1970s. Appropriately for present purposes, outstanding amongst such visitors and explicitly scientific and systematic were the PEF surveys of Warren in 1867 and Conder in 1881.
ing. Even in the city, many substantial buildings captured on 19th century photographs have been lost to development; in the hinterland, the vital rural context of a great Classical city has been extensively overwhelmed.
Nevertheless, much can yet be salvaged. Beginning with Seetzen in 1806, westerners began to explore ‘east of Jordan’. Many recorded their observations and some mapped, painted, drew, and increasingly photographed —including from the air. Collectively, the corpus of evidence is considerable, ranging from the observations of scores of early western visitors to the more recent archaeological surveys of the 1970s. Appropriately for present purposes, outstanding amongst such visitors and explicitly scientific and systematic were the PEF surveys of Warren in 1867 and Conder in 1881.
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The availability of high-resolution satellite imagery of Saudi Arabia on publicly available platforms such as Google Earth and Bing Maps has been transformational for archaeology. Within just a few years tens of thousands of sites... more
The availability of high-resolution satellite imagery of Saudi Arabia on publicly available platforms such as Google Earth and Bing Maps has been transformational for archaeology. Within just a few years tens of thousands of sites previously unrecorded and scarcely known to the academic world have been mapped.
Especially rich in sites are the successive lava fields (harret) stretching from southern Syria through Jordan and down the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula to Yemen, and characterised by the stone-built structures known to the Bedouin as the ‘works of the old men’. Sites now being revealed include many types familiar from previous research in the wider region but also others of a form previously unknown. ‘Gates’ are one such type, found in large numbers in and around the Harret Khaybar in west-central Saudi Arabia. They are stone-built, the walls roughly made and low as with other ‘works’, but quite unlike them in form.
Identification, mapping, and preliminary interpretation imply an early date in the sequence of the works—perhaps the very earliest—but no obvious explanation of their purpose can be discerned. Fieldwork is a desideratum.
Especially rich in sites are the successive lava fields (harret) stretching from southern Syria through Jordan and down the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula to Yemen, and characterised by the stone-built structures known to the Bedouin as the ‘works of the old men’. Sites now being revealed include many types familiar from previous research in the wider region but also others of a form previously unknown. ‘Gates’ are one such type, found in large numbers in and around the Harret Khaybar in west-central Saudi Arabia. They are stone-built, the walls roughly made and low as with other ‘works’, but quite unlike them in form.
Identification, mapping, and preliminary interpretation imply an early date in the sequence of the works—perhaps the very earliest—but no obvious explanation of their purpose can be discerned. Fieldwork is a desideratum.
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This project uses satellite imagery and historic air photographs to discover and interpret archaeological sites. It has created an open access database of archaeological records that provides basic information so that the sites can be... more
This project uses satellite imagery and historic air photographs to discover and interpret archaeological sites. It has created an open access database of archaeological records that provides basic information so that the sites can be better understood and preserved in the future. The threats to sites in the Middle East and North Africa are increasing and creating a record of previously unrecorded sites using this methodology may be our last chance before they are destroyed.
Bewley, R., Wilson, A. I., Kennedy, D., Mattingly, D., Banks, R., Bishop, M., Bradbury, J., Cunliffe, E., Fradley, M., Jennings, R., Mason, R., Rayne, L., Sterry, M., Sheldrick, N., and Zerbini, A. (2016). 'Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Introducing the EAMENA Project', in S. Campana, R. Scopigno, G. Carpentiero, and M. Cirillo (eds), CAA2015. Keep the Revolution Going: Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (Archaeopress Archaeology). Oxford, 919–32.
Bewley, R., Wilson, A. I., Kennedy, D., Mattingly, D., Banks, R., Bishop, M., Bradbury, J., Cunliffe, E., Fradley, M., Jennings, R., Mason, R., Rayne, L., Sterry, M., Sheldrick, N., and Zerbini, A. (2016). 'Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Introducing the EAMENA Project', in S. Campana, R. Scopigno, G. Carpentiero, and M. Cirillo (eds), CAA2015. Keep the Revolution Going: Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (Archaeopress Archaeology). Oxford, 919–32.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Middle East & North Africa, Cultural Heritage, North Africa Studies, Aerial Archaeology, and 11 moreCultural Heritage Management, World Cultural Heritage, Satellite Remote Sensing (Archaeology), Libyan archaeology, Middle East, Libya, North Africa, Satellite Imagery, Qanat systems, Foggaras, and Endangered Archaeology
One of the most popular writers for travellers to Egypt, the Holy Land and Syria in the later nineteenth century was William Cowper Prime. His journey of 1855–1856 resulted in two books which went through multiple editions over a period... more
One of the most popular writers for travellers to Egypt, the Holy Land and Syria in the later nineteenth century was William Cowper Prime. His journey of 1855–1856 resulted in two books which went through multiple editions over a period of twenty years, a stimulus to follow in his footsteps and a standard text in the hands of many pious Christians. A series of five long articles published anonymously in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in the mid- to late 1850s can be shown as by Prime. All have been accepted as factual reports of actual events, places, and people but closer examination leaves little doubt they are fictitious. In the light of these conclusions, it is clear Prime had a taste not just for the wild exaggeration parodied by Mark Twain, but also outright invention and we must be cautious in using his writings as sources.
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Linear features have attracted attention from the beginnings of Aerial Archaeology, one of the most enigmatic being the so-called Khatt Shebib. With the aid of remote sensing, this paper will illustrate this structure's character, explore... more
Linear features have attracted attention from the beginnings of Aerial Archaeology, one of the most enigmatic being the so-called Khatt Shebib. With the aid of remote sensing, this paper will illustrate this structure's character, explore its route and investigate intersecting and associated structures. What emerges is more complex than just a single wall.
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Extensive prehistoric stone structures in Jordan are known as the “Works of the Old Men”.We date by OSL a category of the “Works” known as “wheels”.OSL dates the wheels from eastern Jordan to the Late Neolithic, and Early Bronze... more
Extensive prehistoric stone structures in Jordan are known as the “Works of the Old Men”.We date by OSL a category of the “Works” known as “wheels”.OSL dates the wheels from eastern Jordan to the Late Neolithic, and Early Bronze Age.Spatial statistics on the wheels reveals that they are organized in clusters.In this paper we generate chronological constraints through optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on extensive prehistoric stone structures that stretch out in the Arabian Desert and appear as geometric lines, known as the “Works of the Old Men”. Two major types of the “Works” that are common throughout the Arabian Desert are the “wheels” and the more intensively investigated “desert kites”. Here, OSL dating was applied to “wheels” in the Wadi Wisad area, in the eastern badia of Jordan. OSL dating generated ages that fall into the Late Neolithic to Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods. This chronological spectrum is consistent with the well-documented prehistoric activities at the archaeological site of Wisad Pools, also located in the Wadi Wisad area. Spatial analyses of the “Works” in Wadi Wisad and in the Azraq Oasis revealed that: 1) the wheels are organized in clusters, 2) the spatial distribution of the wheels is predetermined by the kites, 3) the kites were most probably created earlier than the wheels in the study areas and 4) a cluster of wheels nearby the Azraq Oasis tentatively demonstrates ranking and, perhaps, tendency for alignment, although this is not the case for the other wheel-clusters studied. Despite the progress toward understanding the chronological and spatial aspects of the wheels, a great deal of research remains to resolve the actual nature of these enigmatic stone structures.
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This paper is concerned principally with two questions: first, the numerical strength of the praetorian cohorts in the second and third centuries and, second, the length of service for guardsmen in the third century. The first question... more
This paper is concerned principally with two questions: first, the numerical strength of the praetorian cohorts in the second and third centuries and, second, the length of service for guardsmen in the third century. The first question was discussed in 1938 by M. Durry whose conclusions have been widely, but not universally, accepted as the standard guide. The aim of Part I of this paper is to challenge his enumeration and to suggest an alternative. Part II requires no comment at this juncture.
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In modern times the town of Zarqa has been a stopping place on the Pilgrim Road and a halting place on the Hijaz Railway. Today, swollen by refugees and Jordan's rising population, it has spread rapidly. At the heart of old Zarqa is the... more
In modern times the town of Zarqa has been a stopping place on the Pilgrim Road and a halting place on the Hijaz Railway. Today, swollen by refugees and Jordan's rising population, it has spread rapidly. At the heart of old Zarqa is the medieval khan (Qala'at Zarqa) but not far off is another site, apparently Roman and once perhaps more important than Zarqa. Although Qaryat al-Hadid was known to scholars in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it is not well-known today; indeed, it is one of the more elusive archaeological sites of modern Jordan. The rare nineteenth-century accounts suggest a major settlement, perhaps a fort; of the two reports from this century, the most recent cast doubt on the interpretation of these predecessors. The precise location was uncertain and recent research on old air photographs was inconclusive. Now study of an air photograph taken by the German air force in 1918 provides a precise location and allows more recent air photographs to be exploited.
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The purpose of the present article is to report on recent developments and to explain and illustrate the potential of an active programme of aerial archaeology.
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Re-examination of known Roman roads and milestones, and of new evidence for both in North-east Jordan, has considerably improved on a survey of the same area published in 1982. The present study brings together published accounts from the... more
Re-examination of known Roman roads and milestones, and of new evidence for both in North-east Jordan, has considerably improved on a survey of the same area published in 1982. The present study brings together published accounts from the intervening years, presents new data from fieldwork and air photographic analysis, and offers some suggestions for future investigations and academic priorities in this region.
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In an arid land water is vital. Where rainfall is the only source of water, humans long ago found methods of collecting and concentrating it to supply their own needs and those of their stock and crops. Jordan is a region in which the... more
In an arid land water is vital. Where rainfall is the only source of water, humans long ago found methods of collecting and concentrating it to supply their own needs and those of their stock and crops. Jordan is a region in which the methods used can be seen widely, not least in the fertile but ill-watered regions of the Southern Hauran along the border with Syria. This study explores water collection and use with special reference to two sites in that region, Deir el-Khaf and Umm el-Quttein. The data arise from fieldwork and the scrutiny of air photographs not normally available for Middle Eastern countries, and from comparison with evidence in other arid regions. The result is an insight into how water was collected, the potential of the enterprise, and its influence on both the location, extent, and morphology of individual sites, and on settlement patters in general.
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The end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 saw a burgeoning interest by westerners in Egypt and the ‘Holy Land’. Egypt offered astonishing ancient remains but also the attractions of its healthy winter climate, and exploration in the Levant... more
The end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 saw a burgeoning interest by westerners in Egypt and the ‘Holy Land’. Egypt offered astonishing ancient remains but also the attractions of its healthy winter climate, and exploration in the Levant drew attention to the immense ruins of Graeco-Roman civilization. Then came Burckhardt’s re-discovery of Petra in 1812. Within a few years a pattern of travel emerged for westerners which included one or more of several months sailing down the Nile, undertaking the c. 40 days of the Long Desert Route from Cairo to Petra and Jerusalem, exploration of the Decapolis cities beyond the Jordan and a bold lunge across the desert to Palmyra. Any one of these was demanding and a large minority of these travellers – who included some women, became ill or suffered injuries; a few died. Many travellers kept notes or extensive journals, and some sent letters home. Some off these were later published but invariably sanitised. In recent years dozens of unpublished accounts have emerged including two Travel Diaries of the Rev. Thomas Bowles. Bowles undertook the demanding Long Desert Route in 1854. He records places seen and the experiences of often harsh travel conditions. More than that he met and travelled with many people along the way, representing a wonderful cross-section of often fascinating people: travellers, tourists, soldiers, businessmen, administrators, and many clergymen; mainly British and American; largely young – Bowles was 32; and a handful of courageous women. Transcribed here is the part of the diaries which took Bowles from Sri Lanka to Egypt and the Levant then on home. Complementing it are chapters explaining and amplifying what Bowles often took for granted and illustrating what he saw. Within them are biographical notes on many of his companions, not least the fifteen other westerners with whom he explored Petra in March 1854.
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The Roman Near East has been a source of fascination and exasperation - an immense area, a rich archaeological heritage as well as documents in several local languages, a region with a great depth of urbanisation and development … yet... more
The Roman Near East has been a source of fascination and exasperation - an immense area, a rich archaeological heritage as well as documents in several local languages, a region with a great depth of urbanisation and development … yet relatively neglected by modern researchers and difficult to work on and in. Local archaeologists are often under-funded and the Roman period viewed as an earlier phase of western colonialism.
Happily, the immense surge in archaeological and historical research on the Roman period everywhere has included the Roman Near East and there have been significant academic developments.
This collection of studies on the Roman Near East represents Professor Kennedy’s academic assessment of the region, which began with his doctoral thesis on the contribution of Syria to the Roman army. Although the thesis was never published, several articles owe their genesis to work done then or soon after and are included here (VI, VII, IX, XII). Initial visits to military sites in Syria and Jordan swiftly brought out the presence in many cases of associated civil settlements and - though often now gone, the traces of ancient field systems. Hence, the two prominent sub-themes in this collection are the Roman military and various aspects of society and settlement - settlement types, farming, logistical underpinning and communications.
Happily, the immense surge in archaeological and historical research on the Roman period everywhere has included the Roman Near East and there have been significant academic developments.
This collection of studies on the Roman Near East represents Professor Kennedy’s academic assessment of the region, which began with his doctoral thesis on the contribution of Syria to the Roman army. Although the thesis was never published, several articles owe their genesis to work done then or soon after and are included here (VI, VII, IX, XII). Initial visits to military sites in Syria and Jordan swiftly brought out the presence in many cases of associated civil settlements and - though often now gone, the traces of ancient field systems. Hence, the two prominent sub-themes in this collection are the Roman military and various aspects of society and settlement - settlement types, farming, logistical underpinning and communications.
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Jordan is part both of the Fertile Crescent and the Holy Land. Its archaeological remains extend in time from prehistory to the British Empire. The country is, of course, renowned for the magnificent ruins at Petra - a World Heritage Site... more
Jordan is part both of the Fertile Crescent and the Holy Land. Its archaeological remains extend in time from prehistory to the British Empire. The country is, of course, renowned for the magnificent ruins at Petra - a World Heritage Site - and the superb remains of the Roman city of Jerash. But beyond these high profile places is a rich and varied cultural heritage. Sites are everywhere in this great outdoor museum: one tally has calculated over 25,000 sites visible above ground alone, making Jordan one of the great treasure houses of the world. Even at ground level these sites are striking and memorable, but the best view, as is so often the case, is seen from the air. The book contains over 200 high quality colour photographs, taken from the air, illustrating the breathtaking range of sites. Chapters deal with periods through history from prehistoric times through the Nabateans, Greeks and Romans, the early Islamic period, the Crusaders and Saracens, to the Ottoman and British Empires. The photographs are accompanied by descriptions of the sites pictured.
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A synthesis of the available evidence for the Roman army in Jordan, covering archaeological remains, inscriptions and literary texts, supported by numerous photographs and plans of the archaeological sites. 236p
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Rome's eastern desert fronteir, stretching from the Red Sea to Norther Iraq, was one of the most important in her empire. Using the pioneering aerial photographs o the 1920s and 1930s alongside evidence from field work, epigraphy and... more
Rome's eastern desert fronteir, stretching from the Red Sea to Norther Iraq, was one of the most important in her empire. Using the pioneering aerial photographs o the 1920s and 1930s alongside evidence from field work, epigraphy and ancient literature, David Kennedy and Derrick Riley examine over 100 of the best-preserved military sites of this inadequately understood region.
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The full text of M.A. Stein's unpublished Limes Report (his aerial and ground reconnaissances in Iraq and Transjordan in 1938-39)
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In an arid land water is vital. Mere rainfall is the only source of water, humans long ago found methods of collecting and concentrating it to supply their own needs and those of their stock and crops. Jordan is a region in which the... more
In an arid land water is vital. Mere rainfall is the only source of water, humans long ago found methods of collecting and concentrating it to supply their own needs and those of their stock and crops. Jordan is a region in which the methods used can be seen widely, not least in the fertile but ill-watered regions of the Southern Hauran along the border with Syria. This study explores water collection and use with special reference to two sites in that region, Deir el-Kahf and Umm el-Quttein. The data arise from fieldwork and the scrutiny of air photographs not normally available for Middle Eastern countries, and from comparison with evidence in other arid regions. The result is an insight into how water was collected, the potential of the enterprise, and its influence on both the location, extent, and morphology of individual sites, and on settlement patterns in general.
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Recent availability of declassified satellite images of landscapes and ancient cities in Turkey offer new and valuable material for archaeolgical research. Here David Kennedy explains the significance and use of some images in the... more
Recent availability of declassified satellite images of landscapes and ancient cities in Turkey offer new and valuable material for archaeolgical research. Here David Kennedy explains the significance and use of some images in the Euphrates Valley.
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Re-examination of known Roman roads and milestones, and of new evidence for both in north-east Jordan, has considerably improved on a survey of the same area published in 1982. The present study brings together published accounts from the... more
Re-examination of known Roman roads and milestones, and of new evidence for both in north-east Jordan, has considerably improved on a survey of the same area published in 1982. The present study brings together published accounts from the intervening years, presents new data from fieldwork and air photographic analysis, and offers some suggestions for future investigations and academic priorities in this region.
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Research Interests:
In modern times the town of Zarqa has been a stopping place on the Pilgrim Road and a halting place on the Hijaz Railway. Today, swollen by refugees and Jordan's rising population, it has spread rapidly. At the heart of old Zarqa is the... more
In modern times the town of Zarqa has been a stopping place on the Pilgrim Road and a halting place on the Hijaz Railway. Today, swollen by refugees and Jordan's rising population, it has spread rapidly. At the heart of old Zarqa is the medieval khan (Qala'at Zarqa) but not far off is another site, apparently Roman and once perhaps more important than Zarqa. Although Qaryat al-Hadid was known to scholars in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it is not well-known today; indeed, it is one of the more elusive archaeological sites of modern Jordan. The rare nineteenth-century accounts suggest a major settlement, perhaps a fort; of the two reports from this century, the most recent cast doubt on the interpretations of these predecessors. The precise location was uncertain and recent research on old air photographs was inconclusive. Now study of an air photograph taken by the German air force in 1918 provides a precise location and allows more recent air photographs to be exploited.
Research Interests:
It has become increasingly common in archaeology to utilise virtual globes for regions where few if any aerial photographs are available. Saudi Arabia is one such and it has proved specially useful for identifying and mapping the... more
It has become increasingly common in archaeology to utilise virtual globes for regions where few if any aerial photographs are available. Saudi Arabia is one such and it has proved specially useful for identifying and mapping the prolific structures commonly referred to as the ‘Works of the Old Men’, most prominently kites. These are now generally accepted as hunting traps for migratory animals. Although a few were known in Saudi Arabia, the increasing availability of high resolution ‘windows’ on virtual globes has revealed them in ever-larger numbers. Such windows can be exploited to define and map archaeological remains and develop methodologies. One particular region with such potential is Harret Khaybar. Progressive additions of high-resolution windows for this harra have revealed 917 kites. Beyond mere counting, analysis allows the development of typologies and identification of locally distinctive forms—notably the ‘barbed’ form; mapping and the interpretation of patterns in relation to geology, soils, water sources and vegetation; and associations with other ‘works’, with scope for creating at least relative chronologies. The present study provides data and preliminary analysis, and guidance for such a holistic ground-based archaeological project should the opportunity arise.