Complex Communities: The Archaeology of Early Iron Age West-Central Jordan

223 Pages·2013·1.87 MB·English

by  Benjamin W. Porter

Complex Communities

Complex Communities
The Archaeology of Early
Iron Age West- Central
Jordan
Benjamin W. Porter
tucson
The University of Arizona Press
© 2013 The Arizona Board of Regents
All rights reserved
www .uapress .arizona .edu
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Porter, Benjamin W., 1974–
Complex communities : the archaeology of early Iron Age West- Central Jordan /
Benjamin W. Porter.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978- 0- 8165- 3032- 8 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Jordan— Antiquities. 2. Iron Age— Jordan. 3. Human settlements— Jordan—
History. I. Title.
DS153.3.P64 2013
956.95—dc23
2012046519
Publication of this book is made possible in part by funding from the University of
California, Berkeley.
Manufactured in the United States of America on acid- free, archival- quality paper
containing a minimum of 30% post- consumer waste and proc essed chlorine free.
18 17 16 15 14 13 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to my parents, Joseph and Athna
May Porter, for teaching me the resilience that I have used
throughout my life.

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Ac know ledg ments xi
1. Introduction: The Per sis tence of Community 1
2. Communal Complexity on the Margins 13
3. Mea sur ing Social Complexity in the Early Iron Age 38
4. Producing Community 69
5. Managing Community 104
6. Conclusion: The Complex Community 133
Notes 149
References 169
Index 197
vii

Illustrations
Figures
1.1. Map of the southern Levant 8
3.1. Map of Early Iron Age settlements in west- central Jordan 50
3.2. (A) Map of Lahun’s Early Iron Age settlement
(B) Aerial image of Lahun looking south 63
3.3. (A) Map of al-‘Aliya denoting buildings and other structures
(B) Aerial image of al-‘Aliya looking north 64
3.4. (A) Map of al- Mu‘arradja denoting various structures
(B) Aerial image of al- Mu‘arradja looking south 65
4.1. Al-‘Aliya Building 200 76
4.2 Al-‘Aliya Building 600 77
4.3. Fortifi cation walls of al-‘Aliya 79
4.4. Fortifi cation walls of al- Mu‘arradja 80
4.5. (A) Al-‘Aliya tower looking east
(B) Corner of al- Mu‘arradja tower illustrating
free- standing tower 81
4.6. The wadi riparian zone below al-‘Aliya and al- Mu‘arradja 84
4.7. Al- Mu‘ammariyya citadel building 92
4.8. Al-‘Aliya Building 100 93
4.9. Bowls, kraters, jars, cooking pots, and juglets from al-‘Aliya 97
ix