Photo: A statue of the Moabite bull-shaped deity Hadad on display among other finds from what archaeologists described as a ‘historic Iron Age discovery’ on Wednesday (Photo by Taylor Luck).

Archaeologists on Wednesday unveiled what they described as one of the most important Iron Age discoveries in the region, including a 3,000-year-old Moabite temple.

By Taylor Luck, Amman (Jordan) | The Jordan Times, September 2nd, 2010

At a press conference yesterday, Department of Antiquities (DoA) Director General Ziad Saad announced the recent discovery of the largest early Iron Age temple in the region, dating back to between 1200 and 600 BC.

The three-storey temple, which includes a 12-by-12-metre courtyard, yielded over 300 Moabite artefacts, leading experts to believe it was once a political and religious base for the Moabite kingdom.

Vessels, jars and statues of deities were among recent Moabite discoveries at Khirbet Ataruz, near Dhiban, some 50 kilometres south of Amman, located on the western slope of Jabal Bani Hamida. With the items, many of which were unearthed last month, experts now have a more complete view of the civilisation and Jordan’s heritage, according to Saad.

“The story of Iron Age Jordan is a story to be told,” he stressed.

More than 1,000 years before the Nabataeans built an empire of trade through the rose-red city of Petra, the Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites dominated the region in what is seen as a time of science, expansion and culture.

“This is a very important period of Jordan’s history. The Iron Age was a period of great historical and political importance and strong kingdoms that saw many technological advancements,” he said.

Until the Ataruz discovery, however, most knowledge of the period was gleaned from historical documents and stories of wars and treaties.

Ataruz is mentioned both in the Bible and the Mesha Stele as “Ataroth”, but the true meaning of the name “has yet to be uncovered”, Saad told The Jordan Times.

Although historical documents frequently refer to the Iron Age kingdoms east of the River Jordan, Saad pointed out that the Khirbet Ataruz findings mark the first time experts have archaeological evidence to back up theories of the civilisations’ scientific, cultural and economic sophistication.

The bulk of the historic findings were uncovered last month by a joint DoA-University of La Sierra team that has been excavating Khirbet Ataruz since 2000.

Among the findings are a statue of the bull-faced Moabite god Hadad and nearly 300 vessels, lamps and altars for religious rituals.

The quality, diversity and condition of the pieces, made from clay, stone, basalt and bronze, show an advanced technology and a thriving economy on the east bank of the River Jordan over three millennia ago.

Previously, most Iron Age finds in Jordan were from households and small farmsteads, giving only fragmentary glimpses into the once great civilisation, according to archaeologists.

Despite being in good condition, most of the Ataruz pieces were broken, indicating that the Moabite temple in central Jordan met a violent end, Saad said.

The Moabites are believed to have been Canaanite tribes that settled in the land between the River Jordan and the Eastern Desert near what is now Dhiban in the 14th century BC. Their reign came to an end with the Persian invasion around the 7th century BC.

Much of what is known of the Moabite civilisation has been learned from King Mesha, immortalised in a basalt tablet listing his victories and accomplishments. Known as the Mesha Stele, the tablet was discovered near Dhiban and is now on display in the Louvre in Paris.

According to Saad, experts will now work to catalogue, test and research the Ataruz artefacts in order to get a full picture of the Iron Age kingdoms that once ruled Jordan.

Once “the story is complete”, the DoA will prepare interpretation to share the story of the Moabites with the rest of the world, he said.

...


Jordania descubre un templo de hace 3.000 años

Foto: El director de antigüedades de Jordania Ziad al-Saad, fuera de la foto, anuncia el descubrimiento de un templo de 3.000 años de antigüedad, con una rica colección de figurines, durante una conferencia de prensa en Amán el miércoles 1 de septiembre del 2010 Nader Daoud / AP Foto.
Por DALE GAVLAK, AMAN, Jordania, The Associated Press.

Jordania anunció el miércoles haber descubierto un templo de la edad de hierro de 3.000 años de antigüedad dotado de una rica colección de figuras de deidades y vasijas de arcilla usadas en rituales religiosos.

El director de antigüedades, Ziad al-Saad, dijo que los arqueólogos desenterraron el santuario del siglo VIII aC en Khirbat 'Ataroz cerca de la ciudad de Mabada, a 32 kilómetros (20 millas) al sudoeste de la capital Amán.

El templo consta de una habitación principal de 30 x 13 metros (97 x 43 pies), como también dos antecámaras y un patio descubierto, dijo al-Saad.

El santuario y sus artefactos -trabajados en piedra caliza y basalto o moldeados con arcilla y bronce- muestran los complejos rituales religiosos del antiguo reino bíblico moabita en Jordania, según al-Saad.

"Hoy tenemos las pruebas materiales, las pruebas arqueológicas sobre el nivel de progreso de la tecnología y la civilización en ese período de la historia", afirmó.

Los moabitas, cuyo reino se ubicaba en las costas orientales montañosas jordanas sobre el Mar Muerto, estaban íntimamente vinculados con los israelitas, aunque ambos pueblos estaban en frecuente conflicto. Los babilonios conquistaron a los moabitas en el 582 aC.

Los arqueólogos también desenterraron unas 300 vasijas, figurines o deidades. Al-Saad dijo que era inusual descubrir tantos objetos de la edad de hierro en un solo sitio.

Las excavaciones comenzaron en Khirbat 'Ataroz en el 2000 en colaboración con la Universidad La Sierra, de California, aunque la mayoría de los objetos se descubrió en los últimos meses.

Entre los artículos en exhibición el miércoles había un dios cuadrúpedo Hadad, como también vasijas circulares empleadas en rituales sagrados. Al-Saad dijo que los objetos indican que los moabitas adoraban a muchas deidades.

Los artículos serán sometidos a análisis científicos y conservados antes de ser expuestos en el museo arqueológico de Jordania.