Tulul adh-Dhahab
Encyclopedia
The Tulul adh-Dhahab Jordan
, are two adjacent tells in Wadi az-Zarqa, a sidevalley of the Jordan Valley about an hour's drive northwest of Amman
in Jordan
. The western of the twin hills was populated at least from Bronze Age to Late Antiquity, a beginning of settlement in the Neolithic period is also possible. After the collapse of the ancient buildings probably by an earthquake in Late Antiquity there was no subsequent settlement on the site. Because of the unfortunate name ("hill of gold") there have been extensive recent disruptions.
'Telan' rather than the singular' Tell 'and' Tall ') are situated - about only 35 km northwest of the Jordanian capital, Amman - in the Wadi az-Zarqa
(valley of Jabbok) at the opening of the southern Wadi Hajjaj. The two twin-like natural hills, both of them bearing ruins, are both app. 120 m above the riverbed and forcing the Zarqa River
on a winding course around them. Until the 20th century the twin hills obstructed the way to the Wadi az-Zarqa heading east. Ancient hikers had to dodge the way into to the Wadi az-Zarqa and head to the Wadi Hajjaj, the shortest way to settlement area of the Ammon
ites. That is the reason why the Tulul adh-Dhahab had, until the construction of the Roman road at the exit of Wadi az-Zarqa in Jordan Valley near the present village of Abu Zighan, a high strategic importance. Only about 6.5 kilometers west of the Tulul adh-Dhahab there is the large Tell of Dayr 'Alla (also written as Deir Alla
), dating to the Bronze and Iron Age.
On the two highest terraces of the hill so far three settlement phases were detected archaeologically. (I) The earliest settlement dates from the period 1300 - 970 BC (14C data
); previously no associated architectural remains were found, but layers and a wide variety of finds. At least one predecessor of the fortified wall that surrounds Terrace I and II is contemporary to this earliest phase. The carved lime rock ashlars that were embedded in the later architecture (II-III) as building material could originate from a cult or representative building of this earliest phase or a little later from the period 900-700 BC. The three largest and most interpretable fragments that were found so far show (a) the head of a decorated lion, (b) a woman or child with a goat, and (c) a with (a-b) stylistically similar illustration of two (seated?) beardless persons, each are holding an instrument in front of them that surmount their heads considerably, maybe a harp. - (II) So far only few sections on the top terrace showed foundations of buildings built in the period 375 - 175 BC. Most of these features were destroyed during the construction of the youngest phase. - (III) On the highest plateau a palatial building of approximately 30 x 30 meters was built with two adjacent peristyle courts, each about 15 x 15 meters in size and angled eastwards. The fragments of architecture of this palace are stylistically placed in the late Hellenistic period or the early years of Herod I.
(73 - 4 BC), coins and 14C data corroborate this time approach. Detailed findings suggest that some of this architecture were two-story buildings. Besides lime stone also mud bricks were used as building material. This palace ended with a fire event probably after about 50-25 BC, then the facility was vacated and not used again. Later most of the still standing architecture collapsed in an earthquake. - The top two terraces on the steep eastern and south slope were surrounded by a today about 0.5 - 1.5m high preserved wall, its original height is not known. At its inner line room like foundations are set. The layer and period relationship of these walls with the two successive palaces (II and III) could not be clarified yet.
Only slightly above the Jabbok river (Nahr az-Zarqa), but safely above the flood line, at the southern foot of the West Tulul adh Dhahab lays a Bronze Age settlement. The previously oldest charcoal from the upper terraces, which has been dated to 1960 -1750 BC (14C date) probably belongs to this settlement and was associated with building materials that were transported to the top of the hill.
, Mahanaim
) or mentioned by the ancient historian Flavius Josephus
(Amathous, Essa) are discussed.
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, are two adjacent tells in Wadi az-Zarqa, a sidevalley of the Jordan Valley about an hour's drive northwest of Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. The western of the twin hills was populated at least from Bronze Age to Late Antiquity, a beginning of settlement in the Neolithic period is also possible. After the collapse of the ancient buildings probably by an earthquake in Late Antiquity there was no subsequent settlement on the site. Because of the unfortunate name ("hill of gold") there have been extensive recent disruptions.
Location
The double hills (hence the plural 'Tulul', proper: dualDual (grammatical number)
Dual is a grammatical number that some languages use in addition to singular and plural. When a noun or pronoun appears in dual form, it is interpreted as referring to precisely two of the entities identified by the noun or pronoun...
'Telan' rather than the singular' Tell 'and' Tall ') are situated - about only 35 km northwest of the Jordanian capital, Amman - in the Wadi az-Zarqa
Zarqa River
The Zarqa River is the second largest tributary of the lower Jordan River, after the Yarmouk River. It is the third largest river in the region by annual discharge, and its watershed encompasses the most densely populated areas east of the Jordan River...
(valley of Jabbok) at the opening of the southern Wadi Hajjaj. The two twin-like natural hills, both of them bearing ruins, are both app. 120 m above the riverbed and forcing the Zarqa River
Zarqa River
The Zarqa River is the second largest tributary of the lower Jordan River, after the Yarmouk River. It is the third largest river in the region by annual discharge, and its watershed encompasses the most densely populated areas east of the Jordan River...
on a winding course around them. Until the 20th century the twin hills obstructed the way to the Wadi az-Zarqa heading east. Ancient hikers had to dodge the way into to the Wadi az-Zarqa and head to the Wadi Hajjaj, the shortest way to settlement area of the Ammon
Ammon
Ammon , also referred to as the Ammonites and children of Ammon, was an ancient nation located east of the Jordan River, Gilead, and the Dead Sea, in present-day Jordan. The chief city of the country was Rabbah or Rabbath Ammon, site of the modern city of Amman, Jordan's capital...
ites. That is the reason why the Tulul adh-Dhahab had, until the construction of the Roman road at the exit of Wadi az-Zarqa in Jordan Valley near the present village of Abu Zighan, a high strategic importance. Only about 6.5 kilometers west of the Tulul adh-Dhahab there is the large Tell of Dayr 'Alla (also written as Deir Alla
Deir Alla
Deir Alla , is the site of an ancient Near Eastern town thought to be Pitru/Pethor.-History:...
), dating to the Bronze and Iron Age.
Discovery
The research of the late 19th and 20th century was confirmed by the descriptions of the Tulul adh-Dhahab by S. Merrill (1878, 1881), G. Gustav Dalman, C. Steuernagel and others. M. North conducted a topographic surveys by 1955. But it were the American archaeologists Robert L. Gordon and Linda E. Villiers who carried out a major survey in the years of 1980 and 1982. They published the first map of the ruins that were still visible at this time.The excavations since 2005
A team from the University of Dortmund, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Thomas Pola, investigated in cooperation with the Jordanian Department of Antiquities (DoA) the western of the two hills more closely since 2005. Since 2006 is a team of the University of Basle is involved in the excavations. They are specialised in the geomagnetic prospection, the tachymetrical 3D surveying and the production of short-range aerial photographs. In addition to the work of RL Gordon in 1980/82, there is now for the first time a detailed map of the entire excavation site available in which all the visible surface artifacts are measured.On the two highest terraces of the hill so far three settlement phases were detected archaeologically. (I) The earliest settlement dates from the period 1300 - 970 BC (14C data
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
); previously no associated architectural remains were found, but layers and a wide variety of finds. At least one predecessor of the fortified wall that surrounds Terrace I and II is contemporary to this earliest phase. The carved lime rock ashlars that were embedded in the later architecture (II-III) as building material could originate from a cult or representative building of this earliest phase or a little later from the period 900-700 BC. The three largest and most interpretable fragments that were found so far show (a) the head of a decorated lion, (b) a woman or child with a goat, and (c) a with (a-b) stylistically similar illustration of two (seated?) beardless persons, each are holding an instrument in front of them that surmount their heads considerably, maybe a harp. - (II) So far only few sections on the top terrace showed foundations of buildings built in the period 375 - 175 BC. Most of these features were destroyed during the construction of the youngest phase. - (III) On the highest plateau a palatial building of approximately 30 x 30 meters was built with two adjacent peristyle courts, each about 15 x 15 meters in size and angled eastwards. The fragments of architecture of this palace are stylistically placed in the late Hellenistic period or the early years of Herod I.
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
(73 - 4 BC), coins and 14C data corroborate this time approach. Detailed findings suggest that some of this architecture were two-story buildings. Besides lime stone also mud bricks were used as building material. This palace ended with a fire event probably after about 50-25 BC, then the facility was vacated and not used again. Later most of the still standing architecture collapsed in an earthquake. - The top two terraces on the steep eastern and south slope were surrounded by a today about 0.5 - 1.5m high preserved wall, its original height is not known. At its inner line room like foundations are set. The layer and period relationship of these walls with the two successive palaces (II and III) could not be clarified yet.
Only slightly above the Jabbok river (Nahr az-Zarqa), but safely above the flood line, at the southern foot of the West Tulul adh Dhahab lays a Bronze Age settlement. The previously oldest charcoal from the upper terraces, which has been dated to 1960 -1750 BC (14C date) probably belongs to this settlement and was associated with building materials that were transported to the top of the hill.
Identification
The discussion about the question with what ancient place Tulul adh-Dhahab could be identified is controversial. Sites mentioned in the Old Testament (Pnuël / PenuelPenuel
Penuel , also known as the "face of God", is a place not far from Succoth, on the east of the Jordan and north of the river Jabbok. It is also called "Peniel" by Jacob, meaning 'face of God', "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." Here Jacob wrestled "with a man"...
, Mahanaim
Mahanaim
Mahanaim is a place near Jabbok, beyond the Jordan River, mentioned a number of times by the Bible. The precise location of Mahanaim is very uncertain, the Biblical data being inconclusive. Although two possible sites have been identified, the one most widely accepted lies about ten miles east of...
) or mentioned by the ancient historian Flavius Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
(Amathous, Essa) are discussed.
External links
- Album with pictures, videos and audio files- Official project homepage at the website of the TU Dortmund
- Article in the german newspaper TAZ on the 2005 excavation
- Press release of the TU Dortmund for the 2006 excavation
- Report on the Excavation TU Dortmund 2006
- Press release of the TU Dortmund for the 2007 excavation
- Article in the Jordan Times for the 2008 campaign
- Rule of the german newspaper WAZ in the excavation project
- Photo of a head made of ceramics