Life, death, and the destruction of architecture: Hunter-gatherer mortuary behaviors in prehistoric Jordan

Leaving home: Technological and landscape knowledge as resilience at pre-Holocene Kharaneh IV, Azraq Basin, Jordan

“…The lower terrace stratigraphy is described as fine, light brown silt overlying a clay layer containing root traces and greenish-white calcareous concretions. Both the silt and clay contain Epi artifacts, which are similar to the depositional sequence documented at Kharaneh IV (Maher et al, 2021). Underlying the clay is a pebble layer containing unpatinated Middle and Upper Paleolithic flints.…”

“…The stratigraphy recorded in Area B (and small soundings around this area) indicates there were several phases of Early Epipalaeolithic occupation covering much of the eastern side of the site (Maher, 2019;Maher et al, 2016), while the stratigraphy in Area A documents two main phases of Early Epipalaeolithic occupation overlain by Middle Epipalaeolithic occupations (Macdonald et al, 2018), suggesting extensive and expansive use of the site since its earliest occupations. Some of the more notable finds from the Early Epipalaeolithic in Area B include the oldest hut structures in Jordan, one with a human burial placed inside on the floor of the structure prior to its conflagration (Macdonald and Maher, 2020;Maher et al, 2012aMaher et al, , 2021. While the Early Epipalaeolithic deposits shed valuable insights into the intertwined symbolic and domestic worlds of Epipalaeolithic peoples, it is the end of occupation that we will focus on here.…”

“…Perhaps the most fruitful of these deep soundings was the West Section of R/S2/60 in Area B, representing an expansion from Muheisen’s sounding here where he documented several pit features, a floor, and two human burials (Muheisen, 1983, 1988a). Not only were we able to re-expose several of these features and discover several additional surfaces and hearths, but we excavated two extensive brush hut structures and one additional burial from this area (Maher, 2019; Maher et al, 2012a; Maher and Conkey, 2019; Maher et al, 2021). Most notably, we were able to provide a high-resolution chronology for the complex sequence of the Early Epipalaeolithic occupations in this portion of the site (Richter et al, 2013).…”

“…Domestication is also linked to cultural patterns during the Neolithic including the construction of structures, art, groundstone, and burials. Although classically described as “revolutionary,” the cultural behaviors witnessed in the Neolithic were neither fast nor sudden changes, rather these cultural patterns are seen earlier in the Epipalaeolithic (Maher et al, 2012b), including at sites like Kharaneh IV (Maher et al, 2021). In keeping with this trend of long-term patterns toward domestication stretching from the Pleistocene into the Holocene, it reasons that the close interactions with nature seen in the Neolithic may have earlier roots.…”

One Hundred Years of Archaeological Research in Jordan

“…A new campaign of excavations at Kharaneh IV began in 2008 (Maher et al 2012), and the excavations have continued since then (e.g. Maher 2019;Maher et al 2021) producing details of semi-permanent occupation at the site and paleoecological and paleoclimatic data in abundance (Ramsey et al 2018). Because of "the wetland, the inhabitants at Kharaneh IV were able to aggregate in large groups and settle for longer than ever before in one place, facilitating the development of a rich social and material existence" (Ramsey et al 2016: 3).…”