Project summary

The aim of this project is to integrate scientific environmental archaeology techniques with ethnography to study Neolithic villages in the Levant.

Project details

Location: Jordan

Year(s): 2018

Project director(s): Sarah Elliott

Lead institutions and funding:

• Bournemouth University
• CBRL

Project description

This fellowship involved continuing research into Jordan’s post 1750 cultural heritage. This research comes under an ethnoarchaeological theme which will eventually integrate scientific environmental archaeology techniques with ethnography (now being conducted with British Academy funding at Bournemouth University in partnership with CBRL). Part of this fellowship involved the selection of appropriate houses and/or villages for studying. In particular, time during the fellowship was spent with residents and owners of traditional houses in order to establish a relationship where I would be able to return to the site to study, sample and analyse traditionally built structures which come under the umbrella of post 1750 cultural heritage.

Eventually the ethnoarchaeological results will be used in the interpretation of Neolithic villages in the Levant. One such village is the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A site of WF16. During this fellowship in 2018 I was also involved in the archiving, recording and movement of all materials from the site of WF16 (where they were stored in CBRL Amman’s basement) down to the newly opened Wadi Faynan Museum. Over 600 crates needed to be documented and moved. As I had worked at the site of WF16 I was equipped to assist in the documenting and movement of material by using the IADB (integrated archaeological database) and my prior knowledge of the site and materials.

Project bibliography

Elliott, Sarah. 2020. Documenting, protecting and reviving the historic cultural heritage of Jordan. Bulletin of the Council for British Research in the Levant 2018-2019, p 22.

Published:26 November 2021