1""

In#Smaller#Things#Forgotten:##Using#Microdebris#to#Enhance#our#Understanding#of#Middle#Islamic#Dhiban#(Jordan)#

Nicholas)P.)Ames"Presented(at(the(SAA(Annual(Meeting(in(San(Francisco,(2015(

(

" [SLIDE]"In"the"era"of"exploring"new"uses"for"the"ever"growing"array"of"digital"

phenomena,"it"is"easy"to"forget"that"there"is"still"much"to"be"done"in"terms"of"streamlining"

our"techniques"for"understanding"hard,"physical"data."And"while"much"has"been"dedicated"

to"classification"and"analysis"of"the"more"visually"obtrusive"materials,"the"collective"

methods"we"have"come"to"employ"systematically"neglects"microartifacts"despite"their"

demonstrated"significance."While"the"argument"for"the"need"to"include"microartifactual"

data"in"our"investigations"is"not"a"new"one,"I"feel"the"call"for"recognition"of"what"can"be"

contributed"by"this"artifact"type"is"one"that"needs"constant"reiteration"as"we"begin"to"focus"

on"nonEinvasive"and"comprehensive"analytical"techniques."The"propensity"of"microartifacts"

to"escape"domestic"cleaning,"sweeping"and"postEdepositional"activities"result"in"an"

unintentional,"yet"perhaps"more"nuanced,"patterning"of"human"behavior"of"specific"site"

areas.""Thus,"microartifacts"fall"right"into"this"comprehensive"niche"of"trending"highE

resolution"digital"methods,"the"differences"being"1)"it"has"always"been"available"(i.e."not"

dependent"on"technological"development);"and"2)"it"is"accessible"through"standard"

archaeological"practices"(i.e."not"financially"expensive"or"complicated"to"collect)."""

So"I"hope"to"present"to"you"briefly"the"continued"importance"of"microartifacts"in"the"

archaeological"record"and"the"insight"it"can"provide"us,"both"within"economic"and"socioE

political"contexts"as"well"as"regarding"current"methodological"biases,"using"a"case"study"at"

the"tell"site"of"Dhiban,"Jordan.""

"

2""

[SLIDE]"To"put"the"study"into"a"social"and"economic"context,"the"site"of"Dhiban"is"

located"in"WestECentral"Jordan."[SLIDE]"It"is"perhaps"best"known"for"being"the"capital"of"the"

Iron"Age"polity"known"as"Moab,"its"history"made"famous"by"the"rediscovery"of"the"Mesha"

Inscription"in"1868."This"site"[SLIDE]"as"with"most"of"the"Levantine"region,"encompasses"an"

extremely"long"period"of"repeated"habitation,"occupied"intermittently"for"almost"5,000"

years"by"both"local"and"foreign"political"entities"beginning"during"the"Bronze"Age"and"

continuing"into"the"present."Despite"this"repeated,"intensive"use,"high"levels"of"output"

would"have"been"difficult"to"maintain"given"Dhiban’s"semiEarid"environment."[SLIDE]"The"

plateau"receives"approximately"250"mm"of"precipitation"during"the"winter"growing"

months,"barely"enough"for"rainEfed"grain"production."Soil"beds"that"have"not"been"eroded"

are"only"average"in"production"quality."This"unideal"situation"gives"rise"to"many"questions"

regarding"the"sustainability"of"this"historic"town,"not"only"in"producing"for"immediate"

social"needs,"but"in"adapting"to"regional"economic"intensification"and"imperial"and"market"

demands."While"this"presentation"won’t"be"addressing"these"questions"directly,"such"

answers"are"the"aim"of"the"larger"Dhiban"Exploration"and"Development"Project.""

[SLIDE]"My"study"in"particular"focuses"on"a"multiEphase"Middle"Islamic"domestic"

occupation"occurring"near"the"top"of"the"tell,"dating"to"the"13thE15th"centuries"CE.""

"

[SLIDE]"The"samples"I"used"were"collected"with"the"intent"of"mitigating"

unsymmetrical"deposition"and"subjected"to"flotation"in"order"to"separate"the"heavy"from"

light"fraction."Once"dried,"the"heavy"fraction"was"sorted"using"geologic"sieves"in"intervals"

down"to"4mm"in"size."The"remaining"unsorted"microdebris"(the"residual"material"smaller"

3""than"4mm)"was"then"collected"for"comparative"analysis"alongside"the"standard"heavy"

fraction"materials.""

"

To"address"the"issue"of"timeEcost"often"associated"with"a"microartifacual"study,"I"conducted"

an"initial"pilot"study"that"split"several"microEdebris"samples"into"standardized"subEsamples"

of"100mL,"and"then"analyzed"each"of"the"subE"samples"autonomously,"before"crossE

comparing"the"results."The"result"was"a"94E96%"correlation"between"the"count,"weight"and"

presence"of"specific"material"types"occurring"in"all"of"the"correlating"subEsamples."Thus"I"

concluded"that"I"was"able"to"only"analyze"a"single"subEsample"from"a"unit"and"still"get"an"

accurate"proportional"representation"of"the"types"of"microEmaterials"present"throughout"

the"entirety"of"the"sample."""

" [SLIDE]"For"the"rest"of"the"analytical"process,"16"microEdebris"samples"were"selected"

from"the"103"analyzed"heavy"fraction"samples,"and"were"reEsieved"in"the"laboratory"

through"2mm"and"1mm"meshes."The"total"samples"were"then"weighed,"measured"by"

volume,"riffled,"and"then"subEsampled"to"50ml"(for"the"1mm"material)"or"100ml"(for"the"

2mm"material)"of"preEsorted"sediment."In"total,"I"counted"11,119"items"of"interest"(either"

an"artifact"or"ecoEfact)"distributed"within"the"16"samples,"with"2469"of"these"occurring"in"

the"2mm"and"8650"in"the"1mm"material."The"average"densities"of"the"counts"per"mL"for"the"

2mm"microE"artifacts"were"determined"to"be"1.05"items"per"mL,"and"5.75"items"per"mL"for"

the"1mm"materials,"respectively."[SLIDE]"When"considering"the"relative"standard"error"of"

count"density"by"sample"number"and"artifact"type,"we"see"a"similar"consistency"between"

the"individual"samples"and"their"respective"artifacts"and"ecofacts."Ultimately,"we"decided"to"

base"our"interpretations"on"ubiquity"and"artifact"density"by"weight"rather"than"item"count"

4""because"of"the"variability"in"breakage"patterns"that"characterize"different"materials."For"

example,"ceramic"is"highly"durable,"and"therefore"does"not"fracture"to"the"microE"scale"as"

does"other"material"types"such"as"eggshell."Similarly,"the"fracturing"patterns"of"bone"causes"

small"fragments"to"flake"off"more"frequently,"therefore"resulting"in"a"single"bone"producing"

hundreds"of"fragments"that"appear"in"the"microEdebris."[SLIDE]"By"also"basing"our"study"on"

density"by"weight,"we"are"able"to"account"for"countEbias"by"viewing"the"material"

proportionally"based"on"presence"in"densityEvolume"compared"to"other"materials"collected"

(an"example"of"the"variability"in"item"count"appearing"in"the"various"fraction"sizes"is"shown"

in"this"slide"here)."

"

" [SLIDE]"What"this"study"found"is"that"there"are"different"types"of"artifacts"present"

between"the"micro"and"macro"sample"sizes."For"example,"whereas"marine"taxa"(e.g."fish)"

are"relatively"absent"in"the"larger"fraction"sizes,"their"presence"increases"in"the"smaller"

fraction"sizes."Similarly,"eggshell"is"nearly"absent"in"the"larger"fraction"sizes"yet"it"is"nearly"

ubiquitous"in"the"2mm"and"1mm"fraction"sizes."Conversely,"ceramics"dominate"the"larger"

fraction"sizes,"yet"are"limited"among"the"1mm"and"2mm"sized"artifacts."[SLIDE]"Looking"

specifically"at"the"presence"of"fish"remains"within"the"samples,"we"see"as"many"fish"remains"

appearing"in"1mm"and"2mm"sizes"only,"as"we"do"in"the"entirety"of"the"16"associated"larger"

fraction"sizes."

"

Because"Dhiban"is"located"in"a"semiEarid"climatic"zone"distant"from"any"major"water"

sources,"it"seems"logical"that"tax"documents"from"the"Middle"Islamic"period"seldom"

mention"fish."But"the"ubiquity"of"small"fish"remains"seen"here"implies"repeated"successful"

5""fish"capture,"perhaps"by"netting,"rather"than"the"occasional"capture"of"large"organisms."

Therefore,"these"microEdebris"provide"insight"into"movement"across"the"landscape"to"

perennial"water"sources,"or"techniques"of"intensive"procurement"(netting)"of"possible"

consumption"or"trade"items."""

" [SLIDE]"On"a"wider"scale,"Dhiban"is"also"located"directly"on"top"of"the"King’s"Highway,"

one"of"the"main"NorthESouth"trade"routes"that"ran"from"Aqaba"to"Damascus,"present"as"

early"as"the"Middle"to"Late"Bronze"Age"(around"1700"BCE)."Because"of"this"routine"

accessibility"and"the"persistent"Transjordanian"structural"fluidity,"at"least"a"portion"of"the"

trade"that"was"occurring"at"Dhiban"would"have"been"with"caravans"traveling"along"this"

major"route,"which"carried"‘oriental’"goods"on"their"way"to"Egypt"and"Syria."The"numbers"in"

these"caravans"were"often"large,"and"on"many"occasions"numbered"between"18,000"and"

20,000"camels.""

Though"small"trade"did"occur"around"the"Dead"Sea"(the"closest"body"of"water"to"Dhiban)"in"

the"form"of"bitumen,"salt,"dry"desert"fruits"such"as"apharsimon"and"dates,"as"well"as"

freshwater"resources"collected"from"tributaries"feeding"into"the"sea"(such"as"the"Wadi"Wala"

and"Wadi"alEMujib),"harvesting"from"its"waters"would"have"proved"to"be"more"of"a"

hindrance"than"benefit"in"the"case"of"economics."This"is"due"to"the"size"of"the"sea"(in"terms"

of"the"landscape’s"impact"on"social"and"economic"development)"and,"as"implied"by"its"

name,"deadly"content"of"the"water"(with"an"average"salinity"of"33.7%)."To"put"it"into"

perspective,"this"is"8½"times"saltier"than"the"Pacific"Ocean,"which"is"an"average"of"3.5%"

salinity.""

" [SLIDE]"As"a"result,"finding"marine"shell"in"the"storeroom"(in"conjunction"with"the"

rest"of"the"artifact"assemblage)"is"likely"a"reflection"of"the"aforementioned"commerce,"as"

6""the"shells"themselves"are"a"presumed"product"of"the"distant"Red"Sea."

These"marine"items"are,"with"a"few"exceptions,"unrepresented"in"the"larger"fraction"sizes."

[SLIDE]"(One"exception"being"a"pharyngeal"grinding"mill"from"the"parrotfish"family"

Scaridae"found"most"commonly"in"the"IndioEPacific,"and"not"at"all"in"the"nearby"

Mediterranean"during"that"time)."

" In"focusing"on"a"particular"material"type"(i.e."fish)"it"can"thus"be"demonstrated"that"

without"this"analysis,"the"extent"of"these"types"of"procurement"and"processing"at"Dhiban"

would"have"been"vastly"underestimated."If"one"relies"solely"on"the"macroEmaterial"from"

these"samples"to"determine"spatial"activities"within"the"site,"it"would"lead"to"a"much"

different"understanding"of"area"use"than"when"the"microEmaterial"is"taken"into"

consideration."The"entirety"of"the"data"E"especially"the"presence"on"microEdebris"–"in"part"

changes"the"interpretation"and"scope"of"activities"occurring"on"site."Due"to"the"qualitative"

variation"of"material"types"appearing"in"the"microdebris"versus"that"that"found"in"the"larger"

fractions,"I"argue"that"there"is"high"value"in"smaller"fraction"sizes"in"aiding"in"the"

interpretation"of"onEsite"activities.""

This"discrepancy,"however,"goes"both"ways."The"near"absence"of"other"ecoE"and"artifact"

types,"such"as"ceramics,"in"the"minute"portions"of"the"samples"reminds"us"that"the"use"of"

microEdebris"as"an"analytical"tool"must"be"done"in"conjunction"with"the"standard"analysis"

of"heavy"fraction"material,"not"as"a"substitution."""

Another"unpleasant"revelation"resulting"from"using"microartifact"analysis"is"that"it"

highlights"subtle"biases"occurring"in"other"sample"and"analytical"techniques."

[SLIDE]"The"most"obvious"example"of"this"is"the"ubiquitous"presence"of"charcoal"and"the"

occasional"carbonized"seed"in"the"microartifact"2"and"1mm"samples."Because"the"collection"

7""technique"for"this"data"is"done"most"easily"in"conjunction"with"the"light"fraction"botanical"

collection"by"flotation,"subsequent"nonEthorough"agitation"of"the"flot"sample,"or"simply"

stubborn"carbonized"remains"that"do"not"escape"the"‘heavy’"part"of"the"sample,"cause"a"

degree"of"overlap"between"the"sample"contents"and"result"in"an"incomplete"analysis"of"the"

intended"data."This"can"cause"issues"when"using"raw"counts"or"weights"to"determine"

density"distribution"of"sample"types.""

"

It"is"as"much"for"this"identification"of"other"innate"analytical"issues"as"for"the"

nuanced"contribution"to"our"understanding"of"the"economic"relationships"and"structural"

use"of"space"that"microdebris"should"be"one"of"the"staples"in"establishing"site"histories"and"

social"frameworks"in"the"archaeological"record.""

By"using"this"data"type"in"conjunction"with"more"common"analytical"methods,"we"can"

further"work"to"mitigate"these"biases"and"elucidate"the"subtle"aspects"of"the"historical"

record"that"act"as"the"foundation"of"everyday"experiences."As"archaeology"works"towards"a"

more"informed"and"controlled"means"of"investigating"our"historical"matter,"we"must"focus"

ourselves"on"gaining"as"much"from"existing"data"as"possible"as"we"are"on"developing"new"

techniques"to"investigate"that"past."[SLIDE]"

Thank"you."

(http://www.thenew

sking.com/paris-m

usee-du-louvre-stele-de-mesha/)

Iron Age

Periods of Occupation at Dhiban

Nabataean / Roman Period Middle Islamic PeriodByzantine Period

Present

1950 CE1200 CE650 CE100 CE1000 BCE3000 BCE

Bronze Age Iron Age “Classical”

323 BCE

Early Middle

1550 CE5000 BCE

Chalcolithic

9000 BCE

NeolithicPaleolithic Late

Moabite Roman Byzantine UmayyadAbbasidFatimid

CrusaderAyyubidMamluk

(Photo by Ben Porter, 2005)

Iron Age

Periods of Occupation at Dhiban

Nabataean / Roman Period Middle Islamic PeriodByzantine Period

Present

1950 CE1200 CE650 CE100 CE1000 BCE3000 BCE

Bronze Age Iron Age “Classical”

323 BCE

Early Middle

1550 CE5000 BCE

Chalcolithic

9000 BCE

NeolithicPaleolithic Late

Moabite Roman Byzantine UmayyadAbbasidFatimid

CrusaderAyyubidMamluk

Sampling(Farahani, unpublished 2012)

Flotation

Processing

Artifact 1mm Count Density (n=8)

Ecofact 1mm Count Density (n=8)

Artifact 2mm Count Density (n=8)

Ecofact 2mm Count Density (n=8)

MicroartifactsRelative Standard Error

VsNumber of subsamples(Based on count density)

Proportion of Material Count in each Fraction Size (n=16)

n=16

Main Trading Routes of the Levant – The King’s Highway is in bright red

Dhiban

Dead Sea

Red Sea

Excavation Phase 2D Surface

‘Bin’ ‘Tabun’

Ubiquities of microdebris items (n=16)

Dr. Benjamin Porter, Dr. Lisa Maher,Dr. Alan Farahani, Hanna Huynh,

the UC Berkeley McCown ArchaeobotanyLaboratory (PI Christine Hastorf),

the Dhiban Excavation and Development Project, and URAP Students:

Daniela Alaniz-Roux, Kyleigh Suro,Paquita Esterly, and Ryan Poska