prehistoric environment and settlement in the azraq basin: an interim report on the 1989 excavation...

37
LEVANT XXVI 1994 Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin: an Interim Report on the 1987and 1988Excavation Seasons Andrew Garrard*, Douglas Bairdt, Susan Colledge*, Louise Martin* and Katherine Wright* (With contributions by Jonathan Bather, Dimitra Mylona, Adrienne Powell and David Reese) * Instt'tute of Archaeology~ University College~ 31-34 Gordon Square~London WC1H OPY. t Department of Archaeology, 16-20 George Square, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH89JZ. t Department of Archaeology and Prehistory, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN. Recent excavations in the south-west Azraq Basin (Jordan) have shed significant new light on the origins of pastoralism, the "burin site" phenomenon and arid-land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the Late Neolithic. This article outlines results of excavations at four neighbouring sites in the Wadi el-Jilat which were occupied at stages between c. 7,500 and 5,500 B.C. uncalibrated. 1. Introduction During the 1980s, five seasons of excavations were conducted at Epipalaeoiithic and Neolithic sites in the steppe, desert and oasis environs of the Azraq Basin in north-central Jordan. Preliminary reports on three of these have been published in previous issues of LEV ANT (Garrardetal.1986, 1987,Bairdetal. 1992), but that for the 1987 and 1988 seasons has been delayed until now. During 1987and 1988, five months field research was undertaken in the Wadi el-Jilat, a tributary of the Wadi ed-Dabi (Wadi Dhobai) in the south-west of the Azraq Basin (Fig. la). The area presently lies at the steppe/de- sert interface about 35 km. to the east of the nearest regions in which either rain-fed or irrigated cultivation are practised today. A detailed description of the environmental context has been published in earlier papers (Garrard et ale 1988, 40-42) and is not repeated 1a 1b 35' 36' 37' 36' 39' 39' 37' JORDAN '::.':' .:" ":~"'. ::; /.: 1_' ~.oo ,.. ... <'..>~.- ... >'\," ~.. ~::.\~tr~~9:I:' r/) .. l Jilat \- .•••.. "',1 33" 32" 3" 30' Figure 1. a: Location of Wadi el-Jilat. Dotted line = rainfall isohyets. Dashed line = Azraq drainage catchment; b: Location of excavated Epipalaeolithicand Neolithic sites in the lower Wadi el-Jilat. 73

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LEVANT XXVI 1994

Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin anInterim Report on the 1987and 1988Excavation Seasons

Andrew Garrard Douglas Bairdt Susan ColledgeLouise Martin and Katherine Wright(With contributions by Jonathan Bather Dimitra MylonaAdrienne Powell and David Reese) Instttute of Archaeology~ University College~31-34 Gordon Square~London WC1H OPYt Department of Archaeology 16-20 George Square University of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH89JZt Department of Archaeology and Prehistory University of Sheffield Sheffield S10 2TN

Recent excavations in the south-west Azraq Basin (Jordan) have shed significant new light onthe origins of pastoralism the burin site phenomenon and arid-land adaptations between theEarly Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the Late Neolithic This article outlinesresults of excavations at four neighbouring sites in the Wadi el-Jilat which were occupied at stagesbetween c 7500 and 5500 BC uncalibrated

1 Introduction

During the 1980s five seasons of excavations wereconducted at Epipalaeoiithic and Neolithic sites in thesteppe desert and oasis environs of the Azraq Basin innorth-central Jordan Preliminary reports on three ofthese have been published in previous issues of LEVANT(Garrardetal1986 1987Bairdetal 1992)but that for the1987 and 1988 seasons has been delayed until now

During 1987and 1988 five months field research wasundertaken in the Wadi el-Jilat a tributary of the Wadied-Dabi (Wadi Dhobai) in the south-west of the AzraqBasin (Fig la) The area presently lies at the steppede-sert interface about 35 km to the east of the nearestregions in which either rain-fed or irrigated cultivationare practised today A detailed description of theenvironmental context has been published in earlierpapers (Garrard et ale 1988 40-42) and is not repeated

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73

74 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

here During the two field seasons excavations wereconducted at four Neolithic sites found by Waechter etale (1938) which lie on either side of the Jilat gorge (Fig1b) immediately downstream from the historic dam(Politis 1993) The sites lie within 500 m of each otherand were occupied at periods between c 7500 and 5500BC (uncalibrated) The earliest of these Jilat 7 (WJ7)has a sequence which extends from Early throughMiddle to possibly Late Pre- Pottery Neolithic B(PPNB) Jilat 26 (WJ26) was occupied during themiddle PPNB and Jilat 13 (WJ13) and Jilat 25 (WJ25)during the Early Phase of the Late Neolithic (LN)

2a

Wadi el Jilat 7Site plan

t~- Limit of artifact scalier+ Site datum 101middot82m (arbitrary)

2bWadi el Jilat 7

Their sequences are of considerable interest in provid-ing an insight into adaptations to the steppe and desertenvirons of the southern Levant at the time thatcultivation pastoralism and permanent villages ap-peared in the Mediterranean zone

The report which follows is divided into elevensections which describe the stratigraphy and architec-ture worked stone bone and shell assemblages and theanimal and plant remains from each of the settlementsDiscussion is included in each of the authored sectionsand is drawn together in the conclusions

All sediments from the excavations were sieved

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 75

through a 5 mm mesh and substantial samples wereprocessed in an earth flusher to remove charcoal andthen sieved through a 1middot5 mm mesh

2 Stratigraphy and architecture (AndrewGarrard)

21 Jilat 7 (= Wadi Dhobai C) (UTM grid 2546 E x34884 N)

The site of Jilat 7 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge 700 m downstream from the dam (Fig Ib)I t forms a low mound on a promontory at the confluencebetween the gorge and a tributary channel (Fig 2a) Atthis point there is a deep basin in the bed of the ravinewhich may have been artificially enlarged (at unknowndate) This fills with water after winter storms Theartifact scatter on the promontory covers 2250 sqm Inthe central 700 sqm there are three clusters ofstructures visible at the surface (Garrard et ale 1986 fig7 p 18)

During the 1984 field season two 4 sqm soundingswere excavated sounding 1 (sq 1-4) in an open area onthe eastern slope and sounding 2 (sq 5-8) within thesouth-eastern cluster of structures (Fig 2a) The formerrevealed 60 cm of sands and silts intercalated withoccupational deposits and the latter a 90 em sequence ofarchitectural features occupational horizons and nat-ural fills (Garrard et ale 1986 17) The main featureexposed was a segment of a curvilinear wall built fromupright stone slabs Inside this the bedrock had beenhollowed out and there were various internal stonefeatures These were remodelled later in the sequence(Fig 2c) C14 dates were obtained from early andmiddle occupational fills of 8810 +- 110 bp (OxA-526) and 8520 +- 110 bp (OxA-527) respectively

During the 1987 and 1988 field seasons three largertrenches were excavated area B adjacent to sounding 2in the south-eastern structural complex and area A andits extension area C in the north-central complex (Fig2a)

211 Areas A and C (Fig 2b)

Areas A and C covered 51middot75 sqm and containeddeposits of up to 90 em depth Three main phases ofconstruction were discerned but the collapse revamp-ing and possible robbing of stone from certain featuresmade interpretation of some of these difficult

Early Phase (Early PPNB)Two artificial cuts were found in bedrock which arethought to predate the earliest fill The primary depositwas a fairly compact ashy material which extended overmuch of the excavated area Two C14 dates have been

obtained from this deposit but both are substantiallylater than one would expect from the associatedindustry which is regarded as Early PPNB The dates of8390 + - 80 bp (OxA~2413) and 5840 + - 100 bp(OxA -1799) were obtained from small flecks of charcoalusing the accelerator technique The older sample mayderive from a possible Late PPNB occupation at the sitebut the younger is later than any archaeological remainsfound during surveyor excavation A number of walls orsub-structures overlay or were set into the primary fillof which the most extensive was that enclosing threesides of a rectangular area measuring 3 x 3middot5 m in area Cand the north-east of area A (C9CI0A26) Whilst theeastern wall was largely robbed the southern andwestern walls were built from a combination of coursedstones and uprights with rubble packing Eleven circularholes were cut into bedrock within the area of thisrectangle Ten were small (c 5 cm diam and 5 emdepth) and the other larger (30 em diam and 15 emdepth) These may have served to support stakespostsor as bedrock mortars It is uncertain if these pre-date orare contemporary with the erection of the structure

Other walls or stone alignments belonging to this earlyphase were found in the north-west north-centre andsouth-east of area A That in the north-west (AI2)consisted of three courses of stones whilst the othersconsisted of one or two courses with rubble aboveLightly-ashy silts and sands accumulated within each ofthese features

Middle and Late Phases (Middle PPNB)Subsequently several new stone alignments wereerected in the centre of area A (A30 A33 All) Thesewere mainly built from upright slabs rather thancoursed stones

The latest phase of construction occurred in thesouth-west quadrant of area A A pit was cut throughearlier deposits and into bedrock and a curvilinear wallwas erected from upright slabs of up to 1 m height(A41) Further alignments of upright slabs were erectedwithin and outside this creating a series of small sub-compartments A sand and silt fill was found withinthese features

212 Area B (Figs 2c 7a)

Area B covered 25 sqm and contained deposits of up to90 em depth It revealed the sub-structural remnants ofa single building which was remodelled at various stagesin the sequence Three phases of occupation wererecognised

Early phase (Middle PPNB)Excavations revealed an oval structure built fromupright slabs of stone (BI8 B48) with internaldimensions of 3middot6 x 4middot8 m This was entered from the

76 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 77

south -east through a 60 cm wide entranceway (B53)Prior to the dwellings construction a pit had been cutto accommodate the structure and this has left anirregular scar in the bedrock A bedrock shelf was left inthe north-western sector and a series of probable stake-holes as well as a partition of stone uprights (B49) wasbuilt along its southern edge An entrance to the sub-compartment was left at its eastern end A series of otherstone features which may have buttressed or formed partof partitions were found around the inside of the mainstructure (B19 B20 B54 B55) A relatively sterile siltcovered bedrock but overlying this was a series of ashymidden deposits with two unlined hearths

Middle and Late Phases (Middle PPNB and Middle orLate PPNB)Following the early phase of occupation two modifica-tions were made within the structure Firstly theentranceway into the south-east was altered by theerection of the stone alignment B42 Secondly thesubcompartment in the north-west was revamped bythe erection of four new upright slabs along its northernwall (B15) and by the laying of a stone slab pavement(B14) The large paving slab placed across the entranceto the sub-compartment had two circular holes cut intoit These were above two similar (stake) holes whichhad been cut into bedrock in the earlier phase Acompacted occupational deposit was found over thispavement

Subsequently the centre of the structure appears tohave fallen into disuse Several of the former uprightslabs collapsed and rubble was dumped in the interiorThis is overlain by a sequence of sandy silts

22 Jilat 26 (= Wadi Dhobai A) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 26 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge 200 m downstream from the dam (Fig 1b)The artifact scatter covers 7850 sqm and extends in anarc around the western and southern sides of anerosional gully which drains into the main ravine (Fig4a) The tops of upright slabs which form the sub-structures of Neolithic buildings are clearly visiblerunning in a semi-circle within the artifact spreadDetailed mapping (Fig 3) indicates that there are c20 main sub-structural units arranged in a linear fashionaround the semi-circle These comprise (from thenorthern end) 2 interlocking circular units an 8 mgap c 15 circular units which divide into 3 or 4 closely-spaced interlocking groups 2 rectangular units a 26 mgap 1-2 circular units Entrances where visible opento the inside of the semi-circle and thus the structureshave their backs to the prevailing westerly winds(presumed to be from the same direction in theNeolithic) A number of smaller features and stone-

lined hearths were found within the sheltered area to theeast of the buildings A few were also found to the northand south After excavating a preliminary sounding(area D) four trenches were dug during the 1987 and1988 seasons (areas A B C E) exposing an area of 164middot5sqm

221 Area C (Figs 4c 7b)

Area C covered 42 sqm and contained up to 50 cm ofdeposits It was selected for excavation as it encompassedone of the clearest circular structures within the arc ofbuildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)Excavations revealed a circular structure with anexternal diameter of 5 m and an internal one of 3middot5 mThe unit was bounded by two parallel rows of uprightslabs separated by c 80 cm of rubble and silt packingThis wide bench may have been required as afoundation for a superstructure but it is equally possiblethat the outer slabs served as the base or attachment for asuperstructure and that the bench served as an internalstorage shelf It would also have provided goodinsulation Surface mapping indicates that the majorityof the other circular structures at Jilat 26 were of similarconstruction (Fig 3) The inner row of upright slabswere larger than the outer and included three stones setat right angles which may have supported internalpartitions or other features The whole unit was cutthrough pre-constructional sediments into bedrockThe structure was entered from the south-east througha stone slab entrance of 60 em width with two steps(C16) One meter inside a circular hole of 25 em diamand 20 cm depth was cut into bedrock This may haveserved as a mortar a hearth or alternatively to support aroofpost A stone-lined hearth was found in a centralposition within the primary fill Two C14 dates wereobtained from early occupations of 8720 +1- 100 bp(OxA-2407) and 8690 +- 110 bp (OxA-1802)

Middle and Late phases (Middle PPNB)Following the primary occupational phase additionalfeatures were constructed within the building Firstlytwo parallel rows of stones were positioned at thenorthern end (C11 C12) It is unclear whether thesehad a supporting role Somewhat later two largehorizontal slabs (C4) were placed on a rubble founda-tion at the western side These may have served as a worksurface Subsequently a stone blocking was placed inthe entrance and further sediments filled the structure

222 Area A (Figs 4b 7c)

Area A covered 72 sqm and contained deposits of up to50 cm depth The area was selected for excavation inorder to establish the nature and relative date of the

78 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 79

rectangular structures at the southern end of the semi-circle of buildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)The structure built in the early phase of area A wasquadrangular in shape the northern and eastern wallsbeing 5 m in length and the southern and western 4 mThe unit was cut into pre-constructional sediments andin some areas into bedrock The outer wall (A20) wasbuilt from upright stone slabs and the inner fromparallel upright slabs in the western sector (A21) andfrom horizontally coursed slabs forming a low shelf inthe eastern (A19) A gap in the northern wall is likely tohave served as an entrance The centre of the unit wasdivided by opposing piers These were constructed fromupright slabs with silt and rubble packing and may haveserved as low benches or as foundations for some form ofsuperstructure Whilst the western pier was L-shaped inplan (A13) the eastern was rectangular (All) Nohearth was found associated with the early use of thisstructure

Late phase (Middle PPNB)Subsequently rough stone pavements were laid invarious sections of the interior Curious solitary stoneuprights were erected in each of the four quadrantscreated by the piers (A24 A25 A28 A29) (see Fig 7c)Each was associated with one of the paved areas and mayhave served to buttress internal features which havesince perished However if this was the case space formovement would have been extremely limited and it isquite possible they had a non-structural role

At some stage an annex (A34) was built to the northof the original structure This was constructed fromdouble coursed walls rather than upright slabs Thespace within the annex was partitioned by an apsidalfeature (A35 A49 A51)

223 Areas E and B (Middle PPNB) (Fig 4d)

Areas E and B lie in the sheltered area on the eastern sideof the buildings and were excavated to learn more ofactivities undertaken outside the main structures

Area E which covered 36 sqm attracted attentionprior to excavation because several stone-lined hearthswere visible at the surface and 8 bedrock mortars orstakeholes (7-11 cm diam and 3-16 cm depth) wereexposed in a deflated area in the south -east Excavationrevealed two coursed walls (E48) meeting at an obtuseangle to the west of these features Two upright slabswere positioned parallel to these walls (E52 E53) If thebedrock cuts were mortars it is possible that thesefeatures provided shelter for pounding and otherprocessing activities Alternatively they may representthe fragmentary remains of a more substantial structureThe central and western sectors of area E contained a

sequence of stone-lined and unlined hearths whichpostdated the walls These ranged from 0middot5 to 1 m indiameter A C14 date of8 740 + 1- 110 bp (OxA-2969)was obtained from one of these Area B covered 12middot5sqm and contained 40 cm of deposits Two unlinedhearths and an alignment ofmiddotsmall stones was found

23 Jilat 13 (= Wadi Dhobai B) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 13 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge immediately east of Jilat 26 (Fig 1b) It issituated on a narrow promontory at the confluence of atributary wadi with the main ravine (Fig Sa) Artifactswere found eroding out over an area of 800 sqm and attheir centre upright slabs were visible belonging to alarge oval Neolithic structure To the immediate south-east was a bedouin mosque a square enclosure witha niche or mihrab on its southern side outlined by asingle course of ashlar blocks (probably removed fromthe dam) and by the tops of upright slabs which maybelong to a second in situ Neolithic structure During 1937-38 Waechter et al (1938) excavated a 9

sqm trench between the oval structure and the bedouinmosque (Fig 5a) He identified three sedimentary layersand described a Neolithic chipped stone industry withnovel features This became known as the Dhobaianindustry During our own field work in 1987 and 1988we excavated a 73middot5 sqm area to the north of Waechterstrench encompassing the oval building described above(Areas A-C) Deposits were found to a depth of 80 cmand the sequence was divided into three main phases

Early Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5bc 7d)During the Early LN a large oval structure measuringlOx 6middot5 m was erected in Areas A-C As with the otherJilat structures this was semi-subterranean but in thisparticular case use was made of a natural gully in itsconstruction Thus the eastern and north -easternwalls of the oval structure consisted of the naturalrock-wall of the gully with an alignment of stone blocksperched along its rim (B39 C30) The north-westernand western walls were built from upright slabs erectedalong an artificially created sill in bedrock (C126 A28)No well defined wall was found to the south although itis possible that feature B16 and the upright slab B120which had been erected just inside the gully werecomponents of a southern boundary There are severalarrangements of upright slabs around the inside of theperimeter wall which may have served as supports for

internal partitions and other features (eg C48 A13A29) There are also holes cut in bedrock which mayhave served to support a superstructure These includethe three circular holes with shallow rims which werefound equally spaced in an alignment along the centre of

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 81

the gully (Cl09 C118 B9l) Certain of these featuresmay however have been used as bedrock mortars

The interior was filled by a series of occupationdeposits and then a pavement of stone slabs was laid at itswestern end Within this a cache of two tile knives and two large elongated lanceolate bifacials were carefullyburied To the south of the pavement are two stoneuprights One of these had had its top broken off inantiquity but its base was carefully pecked into a conicalform and inserted into a socket in bedrock (pillar B125fig 5c) It is possible that this was the base of a statue oritem of symbolic significance (section 422) A numberof stone-lined hearths were found in the primarydeposits in the southern and eastern sectors Two C14dates have been obtained from early fills one of 7920+- 100 bp (OxA-1800) and the other of 7870 +-100 bp (OxA-180l)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5c 7d)During the middle phase of occupation the western endof the structure was separated off by a partition builtfrom two parallel rows of upright slabs (A30 etc) Thisoverlay the early phase pavement Just south of centrethe partition contained a niche or sub-compartment(A8) Isolated upright slabs were erected elsewherewithin the structure perhaps as supports for featureswhich have since perished In the eastern sector two pitsand several stone-lined hearths are associated with thisphase

Late Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5d 7d)The most impressive feature of the late occupation is acarefully-laid stone-slab pavement which was set on arubble foundation This extended from a potentialentranceway in the south-east to the middle phasepartition in the western sector The pavement wasbroader and also slightly raised at its western endWithin the pavement there were several unusualfeatures These included three stone uprights whichprojected through the centre of the slabs from an earlierphase (C50 C65 C125 see Fig 5c and 5d) Thefunction of these is unknown There was also a largehorizontal limestone slab lying adjacent to the partitionat the western end A section of this appears to have beenroughened for grinding (see quern Fig 5d) To thewest of the partition two pieces of statuary were foundlying on their sides (see pillar statues section 422 andFigs 5d lOb) Several stone-lined hearths were cutthrough the north-eastern sector of the pavement Theuse of some of these may have been contemporary withthe use of the pavement Two C14 dates were obtainedfrom these one an accelerator date of 7900 +- 80 bp(OxA-24ll) based on a small sample of charcoal and theother a conventional date of 7829 + - 89 bp (UB-3462) based on a larger sample These were obtained

from separate laboratories It will be noted that they aresimilar to dates from the early phase

24 Jilat 25 (= Wadi Dhobai D) (UTM grid 2543 E x34884 N)

Jilat 25 lies on the northern side of the Jilat gorge 450 meast of the dam The surface spread of artifacts covers3200 sqm and within this the uprights of a single ovalNeolithic structure were visible Two later cairns liewithin the artifact scatter The oval structure measures 7x 4middot5 m and the north -eastern half was excavated in atrench (area A) measuring 21 sqm This contained60 cm of stratified deposits (Fig 6a)

Early phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Excavations revealed that the oval structure had beenerected within a pit which had been cut through pre-constructional deposits into bedrock The external wallswere built from upright slabs of larger dimensions thanthose used in the PPNB structures ( lt 1middot4 m) A rubblepacking was placed behind the slabs There was a gap inthe north-eastern sector of the wall which may haveserved as an entrance although no evidence of a porch orsteps were found There were several circular holes cutin bedrock A22 was a relatively large circular featurewith a shallow rim resembling those aligned along thecentre of the gully at Jilat 13 This could have served as ahearth a mortar or as a structural support To its northwas a V-shaped formation of 6 smaller holes which arelikely from their alignments to have had a supportingfunction A lightly-ashy primary fill was found withinthe structure which yielded a C14 date of 8020 +- 80bp (OxA-2408)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Following the accumulation of the primary depositstwo circular stone features were constructed in shallowpits at the centre of the structure (19 A12) Theyclosely resemble the stone-lined hearths found in Jilat13 but contained no charcoal and showed no traces ofburning There is a possibility that they served as smallbins or structural supports Two definite hearths werefound in this phase one of which was unlined whilst theother lay adjacent to a solitary upright block on theeastern side (A38) Two other uprights situated adjacentto the external walls may belong to this phase (A39A40)

Late Phase (Early LN and possibly later) (Fig 6b)Following occupation a mass of stone rubble accumu-lated within the structure and potential entrance area Itseems from its nature and orientation to have derivedfrom dumping rather than from a collapsed superstruc-ture As at all the Jilat sites the roofing is likely to havebeen made from perishable materials A sandy siltcontaining Early LN chipped stone overlay this rubble

82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Roodenberg JJ (1986) Le mobilier en pierre de BouqrasNederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Is-tanbul61

Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

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Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

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74 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

here During the two field seasons excavations wereconducted at four Neolithic sites found by Waechter etale (1938) which lie on either side of the Jilat gorge (Fig1b) immediately downstream from the historic dam(Politis 1993) The sites lie within 500 m of each otherand were occupied at periods between c 7500 and 5500BC (uncalibrated) The earliest of these Jilat 7 (WJ7)has a sequence which extends from Early throughMiddle to possibly Late Pre- Pottery Neolithic B(PPNB) Jilat 26 (WJ26) was occupied during themiddle PPNB and Jilat 13 (WJ13) and Jilat 25 (WJ25)during the Early Phase of the Late Neolithic (LN)

2a

Wadi el Jilat 7Site plan

t~- Limit of artifact scalier+ Site datum 101middot82m (arbitrary)

2bWadi el Jilat 7

Their sequences are of considerable interest in provid-ing an insight into adaptations to the steppe and desertenvirons of the southern Levant at the time thatcultivation pastoralism and permanent villages ap-peared in the Mediterranean zone

The report which follows is divided into elevensections which describe the stratigraphy and architec-ture worked stone bone and shell assemblages and theanimal and plant remains from each of the settlementsDiscussion is included in each of the authored sectionsand is drawn together in the conclusions

All sediments from the excavations were sieved

2cSounding 2

LEGEND FIGS 2bc

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~ Middle phase

IIIIlI Late phase

o Unknown phase

() Upright slab

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Figure 2 Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 a site plan b Areas A and C c Area B

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 75

through a 5 mm mesh and substantial samples wereprocessed in an earth flusher to remove charcoal andthen sieved through a 1middot5 mm mesh

2 Stratigraphy and architecture (AndrewGarrard)

21 Jilat 7 (= Wadi Dhobai C) (UTM grid 2546 E x34884 N)

The site of Jilat 7 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge 700 m downstream from the dam (Fig Ib)I t forms a low mound on a promontory at the confluencebetween the gorge and a tributary channel (Fig 2a) Atthis point there is a deep basin in the bed of the ravinewhich may have been artificially enlarged (at unknowndate) This fills with water after winter storms Theartifact scatter on the promontory covers 2250 sqm Inthe central 700 sqm there are three clusters ofstructures visible at the surface (Garrard et ale 1986 fig7 p 18)

During the 1984 field season two 4 sqm soundingswere excavated sounding 1 (sq 1-4) in an open area onthe eastern slope and sounding 2 (sq 5-8) within thesouth-eastern cluster of structures (Fig 2a) The formerrevealed 60 cm of sands and silts intercalated withoccupational deposits and the latter a 90 em sequence ofarchitectural features occupational horizons and nat-ural fills (Garrard et ale 1986 17) The main featureexposed was a segment of a curvilinear wall built fromupright stone slabs Inside this the bedrock had beenhollowed out and there were various internal stonefeatures These were remodelled later in the sequence(Fig 2c) C14 dates were obtained from early andmiddle occupational fills of 8810 +- 110 bp (OxA-526) and 8520 +- 110 bp (OxA-527) respectively

During the 1987 and 1988 field seasons three largertrenches were excavated area B adjacent to sounding 2in the south-eastern structural complex and area A andits extension area C in the north-central complex (Fig2a)

211 Areas A and C (Fig 2b)

Areas A and C covered 51middot75 sqm and containeddeposits of up to 90 em depth Three main phases ofconstruction were discerned but the collapse revamp-ing and possible robbing of stone from certain featuresmade interpretation of some of these difficult

Early Phase (Early PPNB)Two artificial cuts were found in bedrock which arethought to predate the earliest fill The primary depositwas a fairly compact ashy material which extended overmuch of the excavated area Two C14 dates have been

obtained from this deposit but both are substantiallylater than one would expect from the associatedindustry which is regarded as Early PPNB The dates of8390 + - 80 bp (OxA~2413) and 5840 + - 100 bp(OxA -1799) were obtained from small flecks of charcoalusing the accelerator technique The older sample mayderive from a possible Late PPNB occupation at the sitebut the younger is later than any archaeological remainsfound during surveyor excavation A number of walls orsub-structures overlay or were set into the primary fillof which the most extensive was that enclosing threesides of a rectangular area measuring 3 x 3middot5 m in area Cand the north-east of area A (C9CI0A26) Whilst theeastern wall was largely robbed the southern andwestern walls were built from a combination of coursedstones and uprights with rubble packing Eleven circularholes were cut into bedrock within the area of thisrectangle Ten were small (c 5 cm diam and 5 emdepth) and the other larger (30 em diam and 15 emdepth) These may have served to support stakespostsor as bedrock mortars It is uncertain if these pre-date orare contemporary with the erection of the structure

Other walls or stone alignments belonging to this earlyphase were found in the north-west north-centre andsouth-east of area A That in the north-west (AI2)consisted of three courses of stones whilst the othersconsisted of one or two courses with rubble aboveLightly-ashy silts and sands accumulated within each ofthese features

Middle and Late Phases (Middle PPNB)Subsequently several new stone alignments wereerected in the centre of area A (A30 A33 All) Thesewere mainly built from upright slabs rather thancoursed stones

The latest phase of construction occurred in thesouth-west quadrant of area A A pit was cut throughearlier deposits and into bedrock and a curvilinear wallwas erected from upright slabs of up to 1 m height(A41) Further alignments of upright slabs were erectedwithin and outside this creating a series of small sub-compartments A sand and silt fill was found withinthese features

212 Area B (Figs 2c 7a)

Area B covered 25 sqm and contained deposits of up to90 em depth It revealed the sub-structural remnants ofa single building which was remodelled at various stagesin the sequence Three phases of occupation wererecognised

Early phase (Middle PPNB)Excavations revealed an oval structure built fromupright slabs of stone (BI8 B48) with internaldimensions of 3middot6 x 4middot8 m This was entered from the

76 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 77

south -east through a 60 cm wide entranceway (B53)Prior to the dwellings construction a pit had been cutto accommodate the structure and this has left anirregular scar in the bedrock A bedrock shelf was left inthe north-western sector and a series of probable stake-holes as well as a partition of stone uprights (B49) wasbuilt along its southern edge An entrance to the sub-compartment was left at its eastern end A series of otherstone features which may have buttressed or formed partof partitions were found around the inside of the mainstructure (B19 B20 B54 B55) A relatively sterile siltcovered bedrock but overlying this was a series of ashymidden deposits with two unlined hearths

Middle and Late Phases (Middle PPNB and Middle orLate PPNB)Following the early phase of occupation two modifica-tions were made within the structure Firstly theentranceway into the south-east was altered by theerection of the stone alignment B42 Secondly thesubcompartment in the north-west was revamped bythe erection of four new upright slabs along its northernwall (B15) and by the laying of a stone slab pavement(B14) The large paving slab placed across the entranceto the sub-compartment had two circular holes cut intoit These were above two similar (stake) holes whichhad been cut into bedrock in the earlier phase Acompacted occupational deposit was found over thispavement

Subsequently the centre of the structure appears tohave fallen into disuse Several of the former uprightslabs collapsed and rubble was dumped in the interiorThis is overlain by a sequence of sandy silts

22 Jilat 26 (= Wadi Dhobai A) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 26 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge 200 m downstream from the dam (Fig 1b)The artifact scatter covers 7850 sqm and extends in anarc around the western and southern sides of anerosional gully which drains into the main ravine (Fig4a) The tops of upright slabs which form the sub-structures of Neolithic buildings are clearly visiblerunning in a semi-circle within the artifact spreadDetailed mapping (Fig 3) indicates that there are c20 main sub-structural units arranged in a linear fashionaround the semi-circle These comprise (from thenorthern end) 2 interlocking circular units an 8 mgap c 15 circular units which divide into 3 or 4 closely-spaced interlocking groups 2 rectangular units a 26 mgap 1-2 circular units Entrances where visible opento the inside of the semi-circle and thus the structureshave their backs to the prevailing westerly winds(presumed to be from the same direction in theNeolithic) A number of smaller features and stone-

lined hearths were found within the sheltered area to theeast of the buildings A few were also found to the northand south After excavating a preliminary sounding(area D) four trenches were dug during the 1987 and1988 seasons (areas A B C E) exposing an area of 164middot5sqm

221 Area C (Figs 4c 7b)

Area C covered 42 sqm and contained up to 50 cm ofdeposits It was selected for excavation as it encompassedone of the clearest circular structures within the arc ofbuildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)Excavations revealed a circular structure with anexternal diameter of 5 m and an internal one of 3middot5 mThe unit was bounded by two parallel rows of uprightslabs separated by c 80 cm of rubble and silt packingThis wide bench may have been required as afoundation for a superstructure but it is equally possiblethat the outer slabs served as the base or attachment for asuperstructure and that the bench served as an internalstorage shelf It would also have provided goodinsulation Surface mapping indicates that the majorityof the other circular structures at Jilat 26 were of similarconstruction (Fig 3) The inner row of upright slabswere larger than the outer and included three stones setat right angles which may have supported internalpartitions or other features The whole unit was cutthrough pre-constructional sediments into bedrockThe structure was entered from the south-east througha stone slab entrance of 60 em width with two steps(C16) One meter inside a circular hole of 25 em diamand 20 cm depth was cut into bedrock This may haveserved as a mortar a hearth or alternatively to support aroofpost A stone-lined hearth was found in a centralposition within the primary fill Two C14 dates wereobtained from early occupations of 8720 +1- 100 bp(OxA-2407) and 8690 +- 110 bp (OxA-1802)

Middle and Late phases (Middle PPNB)Following the primary occupational phase additionalfeatures were constructed within the building Firstlytwo parallel rows of stones were positioned at thenorthern end (C11 C12) It is unclear whether thesehad a supporting role Somewhat later two largehorizontal slabs (C4) were placed on a rubble founda-tion at the western side These may have served as a worksurface Subsequently a stone blocking was placed inthe entrance and further sediments filled the structure

222 Area A (Figs 4b 7c)

Area A covered 72 sqm and contained deposits of up to50 cm depth The area was selected for excavation inorder to establish the nature and relative date of the

78 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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4c

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Wadi el Jilat 26

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 79

rectangular structures at the southern end of the semi-circle of buildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)The structure built in the early phase of area A wasquadrangular in shape the northern and eastern wallsbeing 5 m in length and the southern and western 4 mThe unit was cut into pre-constructional sediments andin some areas into bedrock The outer wall (A20) wasbuilt from upright stone slabs and the inner fromparallel upright slabs in the western sector (A21) andfrom horizontally coursed slabs forming a low shelf inthe eastern (A19) A gap in the northern wall is likely tohave served as an entrance The centre of the unit wasdivided by opposing piers These were constructed fromupright slabs with silt and rubble packing and may haveserved as low benches or as foundations for some form ofsuperstructure Whilst the western pier was L-shaped inplan (A13) the eastern was rectangular (All) Nohearth was found associated with the early use of thisstructure

Late phase (Middle PPNB)Subsequently rough stone pavements were laid invarious sections of the interior Curious solitary stoneuprights were erected in each of the four quadrantscreated by the piers (A24 A25 A28 A29) (see Fig 7c)Each was associated with one of the paved areas and mayhave served to buttress internal features which havesince perished However if this was the case space formovement would have been extremely limited and it isquite possible they had a non-structural role

At some stage an annex (A34) was built to the northof the original structure This was constructed fromdouble coursed walls rather than upright slabs Thespace within the annex was partitioned by an apsidalfeature (A35 A49 A51)

223 Areas E and B (Middle PPNB) (Fig 4d)

Areas E and B lie in the sheltered area on the eastern sideof the buildings and were excavated to learn more ofactivities undertaken outside the main structures

Area E which covered 36 sqm attracted attentionprior to excavation because several stone-lined hearthswere visible at the surface and 8 bedrock mortars orstakeholes (7-11 cm diam and 3-16 cm depth) wereexposed in a deflated area in the south -east Excavationrevealed two coursed walls (E48) meeting at an obtuseangle to the west of these features Two upright slabswere positioned parallel to these walls (E52 E53) If thebedrock cuts were mortars it is possible that thesefeatures provided shelter for pounding and otherprocessing activities Alternatively they may representthe fragmentary remains of a more substantial structureThe central and western sectors of area E contained a

sequence of stone-lined and unlined hearths whichpostdated the walls These ranged from 0middot5 to 1 m indiameter A C14 date of8 740 + 1- 110 bp (OxA-2969)was obtained from one of these Area B covered 12middot5sqm and contained 40 cm of deposits Two unlinedhearths and an alignment ofmiddotsmall stones was found

23 Jilat 13 (= Wadi Dhobai B) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 13 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge immediately east of Jilat 26 (Fig 1b) It issituated on a narrow promontory at the confluence of atributary wadi with the main ravine (Fig Sa) Artifactswere found eroding out over an area of 800 sqm and attheir centre upright slabs were visible belonging to alarge oval Neolithic structure To the immediate south-east was a bedouin mosque a square enclosure witha niche or mihrab on its southern side outlined by asingle course of ashlar blocks (probably removed fromthe dam) and by the tops of upright slabs which maybelong to a second in situ Neolithic structure During 1937-38 Waechter et al (1938) excavated a 9

sqm trench between the oval structure and the bedouinmosque (Fig 5a) He identified three sedimentary layersand described a Neolithic chipped stone industry withnovel features This became known as the Dhobaianindustry During our own field work in 1987 and 1988we excavated a 73middot5 sqm area to the north of Waechterstrench encompassing the oval building described above(Areas A-C) Deposits were found to a depth of 80 cmand the sequence was divided into three main phases

Early Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5bc 7d)During the Early LN a large oval structure measuringlOx 6middot5 m was erected in Areas A-C As with the otherJilat structures this was semi-subterranean but in thisparticular case use was made of a natural gully in itsconstruction Thus the eastern and north -easternwalls of the oval structure consisted of the naturalrock-wall of the gully with an alignment of stone blocksperched along its rim (B39 C30) The north-westernand western walls were built from upright slabs erectedalong an artificially created sill in bedrock (C126 A28)No well defined wall was found to the south although itis possible that feature B16 and the upright slab B120which had been erected just inside the gully werecomponents of a southern boundary There are severalarrangements of upright slabs around the inside of theperimeter wall which may have served as supports for

internal partitions and other features (eg C48 A13A29) There are also holes cut in bedrock which mayhave served to support a superstructure These includethe three circular holes with shallow rims which werefound equally spaced in an alignment along the centre of

80 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 81

the gully (Cl09 C118 B9l) Certain of these featuresmay however have been used as bedrock mortars

The interior was filled by a series of occupationdeposits and then a pavement of stone slabs was laid at itswestern end Within this a cache of two tile knives and two large elongated lanceolate bifacials were carefullyburied To the south of the pavement are two stoneuprights One of these had had its top broken off inantiquity but its base was carefully pecked into a conicalform and inserted into a socket in bedrock (pillar B125fig 5c) It is possible that this was the base of a statue oritem of symbolic significance (section 422) A numberof stone-lined hearths were found in the primarydeposits in the southern and eastern sectors Two C14dates have been obtained from early fills one of 7920+- 100 bp (OxA-1800) and the other of 7870 +-100 bp (OxA-180l)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5c 7d)During the middle phase of occupation the western endof the structure was separated off by a partition builtfrom two parallel rows of upright slabs (A30 etc) Thisoverlay the early phase pavement Just south of centrethe partition contained a niche or sub-compartment(A8) Isolated upright slabs were erected elsewherewithin the structure perhaps as supports for featureswhich have since perished In the eastern sector two pitsand several stone-lined hearths are associated with thisphase

Late Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5d 7d)The most impressive feature of the late occupation is acarefully-laid stone-slab pavement which was set on arubble foundation This extended from a potentialentranceway in the south-east to the middle phasepartition in the western sector The pavement wasbroader and also slightly raised at its western endWithin the pavement there were several unusualfeatures These included three stone uprights whichprojected through the centre of the slabs from an earlierphase (C50 C65 C125 see Fig 5c and 5d) Thefunction of these is unknown There was also a largehorizontal limestone slab lying adjacent to the partitionat the western end A section of this appears to have beenroughened for grinding (see quern Fig 5d) To thewest of the partition two pieces of statuary were foundlying on their sides (see pillar statues section 422 andFigs 5d lOb) Several stone-lined hearths were cutthrough the north-eastern sector of the pavement Theuse of some of these may have been contemporary withthe use of the pavement Two C14 dates were obtainedfrom these one an accelerator date of 7900 +- 80 bp(OxA-24ll) based on a small sample of charcoal and theother a conventional date of 7829 + - 89 bp (UB-3462) based on a larger sample These were obtained

from separate laboratories It will be noted that they aresimilar to dates from the early phase

24 Jilat 25 (= Wadi Dhobai D) (UTM grid 2543 E x34884 N)

Jilat 25 lies on the northern side of the Jilat gorge 450 meast of the dam The surface spread of artifacts covers3200 sqm and within this the uprights of a single ovalNeolithic structure were visible Two later cairns liewithin the artifact scatter The oval structure measures 7x 4middot5 m and the north -eastern half was excavated in atrench (area A) measuring 21 sqm This contained60 cm of stratified deposits (Fig 6a)

Early phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Excavations revealed that the oval structure had beenerected within a pit which had been cut through pre-constructional deposits into bedrock The external wallswere built from upright slabs of larger dimensions thanthose used in the PPNB structures ( lt 1middot4 m) A rubblepacking was placed behind the slabs There was a gap inthe north-eastern sector of the wall which may haveserved as an entrance although no evidence of a porch orsteps were found There were several circular holes cutin bedrock A22 was a relatively large circular featurewith a shallow rim resembling those aligned along thecentre of the gully at Jilat 13 This could have served as ahearth a mortar or as a structural support To its northwas a V-shaped formation of 6 smaller holes which arelikely from their alignments to have had a supportingfunction A lightly-ashy primary fill was found withinthe structure which yielded a C14 date of 8020 +- 80bp (OxA-2408)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Following the accumulation of the primary depositstwo circular stone features were constructed in shallowpits at the centre of the structure (19 A12) Theyclosely resemble the stone-lined hearths found in Jilat13 but contained no charcoal and showed no traces ofburning There is a possibility that they served as smallbins or structural supports Two definite hearths werefound in this phase one of which was unlined whilst theother lay adjacent to a solitary upright block on theeastern side (A38) Two other uprights situated adjacentto the external walls may belong to this phase (A39A40)

Late Phase (Early LN and possibly later) (Fig 6b)Following occupation a mass of stone rubble accumu-lated within the structure and potential entrance area Itseems from its nature and orientation to have derivedfrom dumping rather than from a collapsed superstruc-ture As at all the Jilat sites the roofing is likely to havebeen made from perishable materials A sandy siltcontaining Early LN chipped stone overlay this rubble

82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

6a 6bWadi el Jilat 25 Area A

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LEGEND FIG 6b

mill Early phase

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IIIllLate phase

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Wadi el Jilat 25Site plan

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Figure 6 Wad elYilatSite 25 a site plan b Area A

At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Roodenberg JJ (1986) Le mobilier en pierre de BouqrasNederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Is-tanbul61

Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 75

through a 5 mm mesh and substantial samples wereprocessed in an earth flusher to remove charcoal andthen sieved through a 1middot5 mm mesh

2 Stratigraphy and architecture (AndrewGarrard)

21 Jilat 7 (= Wadi Dhobai C) (UTM grid 2546 E x34884 N)

The site of Jilat 7 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge 700 m downstream from the dam (Fig Ib)I t forms a low mound on a promontory at the confluencebetween the gorge and a tributary channel (Fig 2a) Atthis point there is a deep basin in the bed of the ravinewhich may have been artificially enlarged (at unknowndate) This fills with water after winter storms Theartifact scatter on the promontory covers 2250 sqm Inthe central 700 sqm there are three clusters ofstructures visible at the surface (Garrard et ale 1986 fig7 p 18)

During the 1984 field season two 4 sqm soundingswere excavated sounding 1 (sq 1-4) in an open area onthe eastern slope and sounding 2 (sq 5-8) within thesouth-eastern cluster of structures (Fig 2a) The formerrevealed 60 cm of sands and silts intercalated withoccupational deposits and the latter a 90 em sequence ofarchitectural features occupational horizons and nat-ural fills (Garrard et ale 1986 17) The main featureexposed was a segment of a curvilinear wall built fromupright stone slabs Inside this the bedrock had beenhollowed out and there were various internal stonefeatures These were remodelled later in the sequence(Fig 2c) C14 dates were obtained from early andmiddle occupational fills of 8810 +- 110 bp (OxA-526) and 8520 +- 110 bp (OxA-527) respectively

During the 1987 and 1988 field seasons three largertrenches were excavated area B adjacent to sounding 2in the south-eastern structural complex and area A andits extension area C in the north-central complex (Fig2a)

211 Areas A and C (Fig 2b)

Areas A and C covered 51middot75 sqm and containeddeposits of up to 90 em depth Three main phases ofconstruction were discerned but the collapse revamp-ing and possible robbing of stone from certain featuresmade interpretation of some of these difficult

Early Phase (Early PPNB)Two artificial cuts were found in bedrock which arethought to predate the earliest fill The primary depositwas a fairly compact ashy material which extended overmuch of the excavated area Two C14 dates have been

obtained from this deposit but both are substantiallylater than one would expect from the associatedindustry which is regarded as Early PPNB The dates of8390 + - 80 bp (OxA~2413) and 5840 + - 100 bp(OxA -1799) were obtained from small flecks of charcoalusing the accelerator technique The older sample mayderive from a possible Late PPNB occupation at the sitebut the younger is later than any archaeological remainsfound during surveyor excavation A number of walls orsub-structures overlay or were set into the primary fillof which the most extensive was that enclosing threesides of a rectangular area measuring 3 x 3middot5 m in area Cand the north-east of area A (C9CI0A26) Whilst theeastern wall was largely robbed the southern andwestern walls were built from a combination of coursedstones and uprights with rubble packing Eleven circularholes were cut into bedrock within the area of thisrectangle Ten were small (c 5 cm diam and 5 emdepth) and the other larger (30 em diam and 15 emdepth) These may have served to support stakespostsor as bedrock mortars It is uncertain if these pre-date orare contemporary with the erection of the structure

Other walls or stone alignments belonging to this earlyphase were found in the north-west north-centre andsouth-east of area A That in the north-west (AI2)consisted of three courses of stones whilst the othersconsisted of one or two courses with rubble aboveLightly-ashy silts and sands accumulated within each ofthese features

Middle and Late Phases (Middle PPNB)Subsequently several new stone alignments wereerected in the centre of area A (A30 A33 All) Thesewere mainly built from upright slabs rather thancoursed stones

The latest phase of construction occurred in thesouth-west quadrant of area A A pit was cut throughearlier deposits and into bedrock and a curvilinear wallwas erected from upright slabs of up to 1 m height(A41) Further alignments of upright slabs were erectedwithin and outside this creating a series of small sub-compartments A sand and silt fill was found withinthese features

212 Area B (Figs 2c 7a)

Area B covered 25 sqm and contained deposits of up to90 em depth It revealed the sub-structural remnants ofa single building which was remodelled at various stagesin the sequence Three phases of occupation wererecognised

Early phase (Middle PPNB)Excavations revealed an oval structure built fromupright slabs of stone (BI8 B48) with internaldimensions of 3middot6 x 4middot8 m This was entered from the

76 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 77

south -east through a 60 cm wide entranceway (B53)Prior to the dwellings construction a pit had been cutto accommodate the structure and this has left anirregular scar in the bedrock A bedrock shelf was left inthe north-western sector and a series of probable stake-holes as well as a partition of stone uprights (B49) wasbuilt along its southern edge An entrance to the sub-compartment was left at its eastern end A series of otherstone features which may have buttressed or formed partof partitions were found around the inside of the mainstructure (B19 B20 B54 B55) A relatively sterile siltcovered bedrock but overlying this was a series of ashymidden deposits with two unlined hearths

Middle and Late Phases (Middle PPNB and Middle orLate PPNB)Following the early phase of occupation two modifica-tions were made within the structure Firstly theentranceway into the south-east was altered by theerection of the stone alignment B42 Secondly thesubcompartment in the north-west was revamped bythe erection of four new upright slabs along its northernwall (B15) and by the laying of a stone slab pavement(B14) The large paving slab placed across the entranceto the sub-compartment had two circular holes cut intoit These were above two similar (stake) holes whichhad been cut into bedrock in the earlier phase Acompacted occupational deposit was found over thispavement

Subsequently the centre of the structure appears tohave fallen into disuse Several of the former uprightslabs collapsed and rubble was dumped in the interiorThis is overlain by a sequence of sandy silts

22 Jilat 26 (= Wadi Dhobai A) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 26 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge 200 m downstream from the dam (Fig 1b)The artifact scatter covers 7850 sqm and extends in anarc around the western and southern sides of anerosional gully which drains into the main ravine (Fig4a) The tops of upright slabs which form the sub-structures of Neolithic buildings are clearly visiblerunning in a semi-circle within the artifact spreadDetailed mapping (Fig 3) indicates that there are c20 main sub-structural units arranged in a linear fashionaround the semi-circle These comprise (from thenorthern end) 2 interlocking circular units an 8 mgap c 15 circular units which divide into 3 or 4 closely-spaced interlocking groups 2 rectangular units a 26 mgap 1-2 circular units Entrances where visible opento the inside of the semi-circle and thus the structureshave their backs to the prevailing westerly winds(presumed to be from the same direction in theNeolithic) A number of smaller features and stone-

lined hearths were found within the sheltered area to theeast of the buildings A few were also found to the northand south After excavating a preliminary sounding(area D) four trenches were dug during the 1987 and1988 seasons (areas A B C E) exposing an area of 164middot5sqm

221 Area C (Figs 4c 7b)

Area C covered 42 sqm and contained up to 50 cm ofdeposits It was selected for excavation as it encompassedone of the clearest circular structures within the arc ofbuildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)Excavations revealed a circular structure with anexternal diameter of 5 m and an internal one of 3middot5 mThe unit was bounded by two parallel rows of uprightslabs separated by c 80 cm of rubble and silt packingThis wide bench may have been required as afoundation for a superstructure but it is equally possiblethat the outer slabs served as the base or attachment for asuperstructure and that the bench served as an internalstorage shelf It would also have provided goodinsulation Surface mapping indicates that the majorityof the other circular structures at Jilat 26 were of similarconstruction (Fig 3) The inner row of upright slabswere larger than the outer and included three stones setat right angles which may have supported internalpartitions or other features The whole unit was cutthrough pre-constructional sediments into bedrockThe structure was entered from the south-east througha stone slab entrance of 60 em width with two steps(C16) One meter inside a circular hole of 25 em diamand 20 cm depth was cut into bedrock This may haveserved as a mortar a hearth or alternatively to support aroofpost A stone-lined hearth was found in a centralposition within the primary fill Two C14 dates wereobtained from early occupations of 8720 +1- 100 bp(OxA-2407) and 8690 +- 110 bp (OxA-1802)

Middle and Late phases (Middle PPNB)Following the primary occupational phase additionalfeatures were constructed within the building Firstlytwo parallel rows of stones were positioned at thenorthern end (C11 C12) It is unclear whether thesehad a supporting role Somewhat later two largehorizontal slabs (C4) were placed on a rubble founda-tion at the western side These may have served as a worksurface Subsequently a stone blocking was placed inthe entrance and further sediments filled the structure

222 Area A (Figs 4b 7c)

Area A covered 72 sqm and contained deposits of up to50 cm depth The area was selected for excavation inorder to establish the nature and relative date of the

78 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 79

rectangular structures at the southern end of the semi-circle of buildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)The structure built in the early phase of area A wasquadrangular in shape the northern and eastern wallsbeing 5 m in length and the southern and western 4 mThe unit was cut into pre-constructional sediments andin some areas into bedrock The outer wall (A20) wasbuilt from upright stone slabs and the inner fromparallel upright slabs in the western sector (A21) andfrom horizontally coursed slabs forming a low shelf inthe eastern (A19) A gap in the northern wall is likely tohave served as an entrance The centre of the unit wasdivided by opposing piers These were constructed fromupright slabs with silt and rubble packing and may haveserved as low benches or as foundations for some form ofsuperstructure Whilst the western pier was L-shaped inplan (A13) the eastern was rectangular (All) Nohearth was found associated with the early use of thisstructure

Late phase (Middle PPNB)Subsequently rough stone pavements were laid invarious sections of the interior Curious solitary stoneuprights were erected in each of the four quadrantscreated by the piers (A24 A25 A28 A29) (see Fig 7c)Each was associated with one of the paved areas and mayhave served to buttress internal features which havesince perished However if this was the case space formovement would have been extremely limited and it isquite possible they had a non-structural role

At some stage an annex (A34) was built to the northof the original structure This was constructed fromdouble coursed walls rather than upright slabs Thespace within the annex was partitioned by an apsidalfeature (A35 A49 A51)

223 Areas E and B (Middle PPNB) (Fig 4d)

Areas E and B lie in the sheltered area on the eastern sideof the buildings and were excavated to learn more ofactivities undertaken outside the main structures

Area E which covered 36 sqm attracted attentionprior to excavation because several stone-lined hearthswere visible at the surface and 8 bedrock mortars orstakeholes (7-11 cm diam and 3-16 cm depth) wereexposed in a deflated area in the south -east Excavationrevealed two coursed walls (E48) meeting at an obtuseangle to the west of these features Two upright slabswere positioned parallel to these walls (E52 E53) If thebedrock cuts were mortars it is possible that thesefeatures provided shelter for pounding and otherprocessing activities Alternatively they may representthe fragmentary remains of a more substantial structureThe central and western sectors of area E contained a

sequence of stone-lined and unlined hearths whichpostdated the walls These ranged from 0middot5 to 1 m indiameter A C14 date of8 740 + 1- 110 bp (OxA-2969)was obtained from one of these Area B covered 12middot5sqm and contained 40 cm of deposits Two unlinedhearths and an alignment ofmiddotsmall stones was found

23 Jilat 13 (= Wadi Dhobai B) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 13 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge immediately east of Jilat 26 (Fig 1b) It issituated on a narrow promontory at the confluence of atributary wadi with the main ravine (Fig Sa) Artifactswere found eroding out over an area of 800 sqm and attheir centre upright slabs were visible belonging to alarge oval Neolithic structure To the immediate south-east was a bedouin mosque a square enclosure witha niche or mihrab on its southern side outlined by asingle course of ashlar blocks (probably removed fromthe dam) and by the tops of upright slabs which maybelong to a second in situ Neolithic structure During 1937-38 Waechter et al (1938) excavated a 9

sqm trench between the oval structure and the bedouinmosque (Fig 5a) He identified three sedimentary layersand described a Neolithic chipped stone industry withnovel features This became known as the Dhobaianindustry During our own field work in 1987 and 1988we excavated a 73middot5 sqm area to the north of Waechterstrench encompassing the oval building described above(Areas A-C) Deposits were found to a depth of 80 cmand the sequence was divided into three main phases

Early Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5bc 7d)During the Early LN a large oval structure measuringlOx 6middot5 m was erected in Areas A-C As with the otherJilat structures this was semi-subterranean but in thisparticular case use was made of a natural gully in itsconstruction Thus the eastern and north -easternwalls of the oval structure consisted of the naturalrock-wall of the gully with an alignment of stone blocksperched along its rim (B39 C30) The north-westernand western walls were built from upright slabs erectedalong an artificially created sill in bedrock (C126 A28)No well defined wall was found to the south although itis possible that feature B16 and the upright slab B120which had been erected just inside the gully werecomponents of a southern boundary There are severalarrangements of upright slabs around the inside of theperimeter wall which may have served as supports for

internal partitions and other features (eg C48 A13A29) There are also holes cut in bedrock which mayhave served to support a superstructure These includethe three circular holes with shallow rims which werefound equally spaced in an alignment along the centre of

80 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 81

the gully (Cl09 C118 B9l) Certain of these featuresmay however have been used as bedrock mortars

The interior was filled by a series of occupationdeposits and then a pavement of stone slabs was laid at itswestern end Within this a cache of two tile knives and two large elongated lanceolate bifacials were carefullyburied To the south of the pavement are two stoneuprights One of these had had its top broken off inantiquity but its base was carefully pecked into a conicalform and inserted into a socket in bedrock (pillar B125fig 5c) It is possible that this was the base of a statue oritem of symbolic significance (section 422) A numberof stone-lined hearths were found in the primarydeposits in the southern and eastern sectors Two C14dates have been obtained from early fills one of 7920+- 100 bp (OxA-1800) and the other of 7870 +-100 bp (OxA-180l)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5c 7d)During the middle phase of occupation the western endof the structure was separated off by a partition builtfrom two parallel rows of upright slabs (A30 etc) Thisoverlay the early phase pavement Just south of centrethe partition contained a niche or sub-compartment(A8) Isolated upright slabs were erected elsewherewithin the structure perhaps as supports for featureswhich have since perished In the eastern sector two pitsand several stone-lined hearths are associated with thisphase

Late Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5d 7d)The most impressive feature of the late occupation is acarefully-laid stone-slab pavement which was set on arubble foundation This extended from a potentialentranceway in the south-east to the middle phasepartition in the western sector The pavement wasbroader and also slightly raised at its western endWithin the pavement there were several unusualfeatures These included three stone uprights whichprojected through the centre of the slabs from an earlierphase (C50 C65 C125 see Fig 5c and 5d) Thefunction of these is unknown There was also a largehorizontal limestone slab lying adjacent to the partitionat the western end A section of this appears to have beenroughened for grinding (see quern Fig 5d) To thewest of the partition two pieces of statuary were foundlying on their sides (see pillar statues section 422 andFigs 5d lOb) Several stone-lined hearths were cutthrough the north-eastern sector of the pavement Theuse of some of these may have been contemporary withthe use of the pavement Two C14 dates were obtainedfrom these one an accelerator date of 7900 +- 80 bp(OxA-24ll) based on a small sample of charcoal and theother a conventional date of 7829 + - 89 bp (UB-3462) based on a larger sample These were obtained

from separate laboratories It will be noted that they aresimilar to dates from the early phase

24 Jilat 25 (= Wadi Dhobai D) (UTM grid 2543 E x34884 N)

Jilat 25 lies on the northern side of the Jilat gorge 450 meast of the dam The surface spread of artifacts covers3200 sqm and within this the uprights of a single ovalNeolithic structure were visible Two later cairns liewithin the artifact scatter The oval structure measures 7x 4middot5 m and the north -eastern half was excavated in atrench (area A) measuring 21 sqm This contained60 cm of stratified deposits (Fig 6a)

Early phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Excavations revealed that the oval structure had beenerected within a pit which had been cut through pre-constructional deposits into bedrock The external wallswere built from upright slabs of larger dimensions thanthose used in the PPNB structures ( lt 1middot4 m) A rubblepacking was placed behind the slabs There was a gap inthe north-eastern sector of the wall which may haveserved as an entrance although no evidence of a porch orsteps were found There were several circular holes cutin bedrock A22 was a relatively large circular featurewith a shallow rim resembling those aligned along thecentre of the gully at Jilat 13 This could have served as ahearth a mortar or as a structural support To its northwas a V-shaped formation of 6 smaller holes which arelikely from their alignments to have had a supportingfunction A lightly-ashy primary fill was found withinthe structure which yielded a C14 date of 8020 +- 80bp (OxA-2408)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Following the accumulation of the primary depositstwo circular stone features were constructed in shallowpits at the centre of the structure (19 A12) Theyclosely resemble the stone-lined hearths found in Jilat13 but contained no charcoal and showed no traces ofburning There is a possibility that they served as smallbins or structural supports Two definite hearths werefound in this phase one of which was unlined whilst theother lay adjacent to a solitary upright block on theeastern side (A38) Two other uprights situated adjacentto the external walls may belong to this phase (A39A40)

Late Phase (Early LN and possibly later) (Fig 6b)Following occupation a mass of stone rubble accumu-lated within the structure and potential entrance area Itseems from its nature and orientation to have derivedfrom dumping rather than from a collapsed superstruc-ture As at all the Jilat sites the roofing is likely to havebeen made from perishable materials A sandy siltcontaining Early LN chipped stone overlay this rubble

82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

76 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 77

south -east through a 60 cm wide entranceway (B53)Prior to the dwellings construction a pit had been cutto accommodate the structure and this has left anirregular scar in the bedrock A bedrock shelf was left inthe north-western sector and a series of probable stake-holes as well as a partition of stone uprights (B49) wasbuilt along its southern edge An entrance to the sub-compartment was left at its eastern end A series of otherstone features which may have buttressed or formed partof partitions were found around the inside of the mainstructure (B19 B20 B54 B55) A relatively sterile siltcovered bedrock but overlying this was a series of ashymidden deposits with two unlined hearths

Middle and Late Phases (Middle PPNB and Middle orLate PPNB)Following the early phase of occupation two modifica-tions were made within the structure Firstly theentranceway into the south-east was altered by theerection of the stone alignment B42 Secondly thesubcompartment in the north-west was revamped bythe erection of four new upright slabs along its northernwall (B15) and by the laying of a stone slab pavement(B14) The large paving slab placed across the entranceto the sub-compartment had two circular holes cut intoit These were above two similar (stake) holes whichhad been cut into bedrock in the earlier phase Acompacted occupational deposit was found over thispavement

Subsequently the centre of the structure appears tohave fallen into disuse Several of the former uprightslabs collapsed and rubble was dumped in the interiorThis is overlain by a sequence of sandy silts

22 Jilat 26 (= Wadi Dhobai A) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 26 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge 200 m downstream from the dam (Fig 1b)The artifact scatter covers 7850 sqm and extends in anarc around the western and southern sides of anerosional gully which drains into the main ravine (Fig4a) The tops of upright slabs which form the sub-structures of Neolithic buildings are clearly visiblerunning in a semi-circle within the artifact spreadDetailed mapping (Fig 3) indicates that there are c20 main sub-structural units arranged in a linear fashionaround the semi-circle These comprise (from thenorthern end) 2 interlocking circular units an 8 mgap c 15 circular units which divide into 3 or 4 closely-spaced interlocking groups 2 rectangular units a 26 mgap 1-2 circular units Entrances where visible opento the inside of the semi-circle and thus the structureshave their backs to the prevailing westerly winds(presumed to be from the same direction in theNeolithic) A number of smaller features and stone-

lined hearths were found within the sheltered area to theeast of the buildings A few were also found to the northand south After excavating a preliminary sounding(area D) four trenches were dug during the 1987 and1988 seasons (areas A B C E) exposing an area of 164middot5sqm

221 Area C (Figs 4c 7b)

Area C covered 42 sqm and contained up to 50 cm ofdeposits It was selected for excavation as it encompassedone of the clearest circular structures within the arc ofbuildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)Excavations revealed a circular structure with anexternal diameter of 5 m and an internal one of 3middot5 mThe unit was bounded by two parallel rows of uprightslabs separated by c 80 cm of rubble and silt packingThis wide bench may have been required as afoundation for a superstructure but it is equally possiblethat the outer slabs served as the base or attachment for asuperstructure and that the bench served as an internalstorage shelf It would also have provided goodinsulation Surface mapping indicates that the majorityof the other circular structures at Jilat 26 were of similarconstruction (Fig 3) The inner row of upright slabswere larger than the outer and included three stones setat right angles which may have supported internalpartitions or other features The whole unit was cutthrough pre-constructional sediments into bedrockThe structure was entered from the south-east througha stone slab entrance of 60 em width with two steps(C16) One meter inside a circular hole of 25 em diamand 20 cm depth was cut into bedrock This may haveserved as a mortar a hearth or alternatively to support aroofpost A stone-lined hearth was found in a centralposition within the primary fill Two C14 dates wereobtained from early occupations of 8720 +1- 100 bp(OxA-2407) and 8690 +- 110 bp (OxA-1802)

Middle and Late phases (Middle PPNB)Following the primary occupational phase additionalfeatures were constructed within the building Firstlytwo parallel rows of stones were positioned at thenorthern end (C11 C12) It is unclear whether thesehad a supporting role Somewhat later two largehorizontal slabs (C4) were placed on a rubble founda-tion at the western side These may have served as a worksurface Subsequently a stone blocking was placed inthe entrance and further sediments filled the structure

222 Area A (Figs 4b 7c)

Area A covered 72 sqm and contained deposits of up to50 cm depth The area was selected for excavation inorder to establish the nature and relative date of the

78 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 79

rectangular structures at the southern end of the semi-circle of buildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)The structure built in the early phase of area A wasquadrangular in shape the northern and eastern wallsbeing 5 m in length and the southern and western 4 mThe unit was cut into pre-constructional sediments andin some areas into bedrock The outer wall (A20) wasbuilt from upright stone slabs and the inner fromparallel upright slabs in the western sector (A21) andfrom horizontally coursed slabs forming a low shelf inthe eastern (A19) A gap in the northern wall is likely tohave served as an entrance The centre of the unit wasdivided by opposing piers These were constructed fromupright slabs with silt and rubble packing and may haveserved as low benches or as foundations for some form ofsuperstructure Whilst the western pier was L-shaped inplan (A13) the eastern was rectangular (All) Nohearth was found associated with the early use of thisstructure

Late phase (Middle PPNB)Subsequently rough stone pavements were laid invarious sections of the interior Curious solitary stoneuprights were erected in each of the four quadrantscreated by the piers (A24 A25 A28 A29) (see Fig 7c)Each was associated with one of the paved areas and mayhave served to buttress internal features which havesince perished However if this was the case space formovement would have been extremely limited and it isquite possible they had a non-structural role

At some stage an annex (A34) was built to the northof the original structure This was constructed fromdouble coursed walls rather than upright slabs Thespace within the annex was partitioned by an apsidalfeature (A35 A49 A51)

223 Areas E and B (Middle PPNB) (Fig 4d)

Areas E and B lie in the sheltered area on the eastern sideof the buildings and were excavated to learn more ofactivities undertaken outside the main structures

Area E which covered 36 sqm attracted attentionprior to excavation because several stone-lined hearthswere visible at the surface and 8 bedrock mortars orstakeholes (7-11 cm diam and 3-16 cm depth) wereexposed in a deflated area in the south -east Excavationrevealed two coursed walls (E48) meeting at an obtuseangle to the west of these features Two upright slabswere positioned parallel to these walls (E52 E53) If thebedrock cuts were mortars it is possible that thesefeatures provided shelter for pounding and otherprocessing activities Alternatively they may representthe fragmentary remains of a more substantial structureThe central and western sectors of area E contained a

sequence of stone-lined and unlined hearths whichpostdated the walls These ranged from 0middot5 to 1 m indiameter A C14 date of8 740 + 1- 110 bp (OxA-2969)was obtained from one of these Area B covered 12middot5sqm and contained 40 cm of deposits Two unlinedhearths and an alignment ofmiddotsmall stones was found

23 Jilat 13 (= Wadi Dhobai B) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 13 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge immediately east of Jilat 26 (Fig 1b) It issituated on a narrow promontory at the confluence of atributary wadi with the main ravine (Fig Sa) Artifactswere found eroding out over an area of 800 sqm and attheir centre upright slabs were visible belonging to alarge oval Neolithic structure To the immediate south-east was a bedouin mosque a square enclosure witha niche or mihrab on its southern side outlined by asingle course of ashlar blocks (probably removed fromthe dam) and by the tops of upright slabs which maybelong to a second in situ Neolithic structure During 1937-38 Waechter et al (1938) excavated a 9

sqm trench between the oval structure and the bedouinmosque (Fig 5a) He identified three sedimentary layersand described a Neolithic chipped stone industry withnovel features This became known as the Dhobaianindustry During our own field work in 1987 and 1988we excavated a 73middot5 sqm area to the north of Waechterstrench encompassing the oval building described above(Areas A-C) Deposits were found to a depth of 80 cmand the sequence was divided into three main phases

Early Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5bc 7d)During the Early LN a large oval structure measuringlOx 6middot5 m was erected in Areas A-C As with the otherJilat structures this was semi-subterranean but in thisparticular case use was made of a natural gully in itsconstruction Thus the eastern and north -easternwalls of the oval structure consisted of the naturalrock-wall of the gully with an alignment of stone blocksperched along its rim (B39 C30) The north-westernand western walls were built from upright slabs erectedalong an artificially created sill in bedrock (C126 A28)No well defined wall was found to the south although itis possible that feature B16 and the upright slab B120which had been erected just inside the gully werecomponents of a southern boundary There are severalarrangements of upright slabs around the inside of theperimeter wall which may have served as supports for

internal partitions and other features (eg C48 A13A29) There are also holes cut in bedrock which mayhave served to support a superstructure These includethe three circular holes with shallow rims which werefound equally spaced in an alignment along the centre of

80 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 81

the gully (Cl09 C118 B9l) Certain of these featuresmay however have been used as bedrock mortars

The interior was filled by a series of occupationdeposits and then a pavement of stone slabs was laid at itswestern end Within this a cache of two tile knives and two large elongated lanceolate bifacials were carefullyburied To the south of the pavement are two stoneuprights One of these had had its top broken off inantiquity but its base was carefully pecked into a conicalform and inserted into a socket in bedrock (pillar B125fig 5c) It is possible that this was the base of a statue oritem of symbolic significance (section 422) A numberof stone-lined hearths were found in the primarydeposits in the southern and eastern sectors Two C14dates have been obtained from early fills one of 7920+- 100 bp (OxA-1800) and the other of 7870 +-100 bp (OxA-180l)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5c 7d)During the middle phase of occupation the western endof the structure was separated off by a partition builtfrom two parallel rows of upright slabs (A30 etc) Thisoverlay the early phase pavement Just south of centrethe partition contained a niche or sub-compartment(A8) Isolated upright slabs were erected elsewherewithin the structure perhaps as supports for featureswhich have since perished In the eastern sector two pitsand several stone-lined hearths are associated with thisphase

Late Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5d 7d)The most impressive feature of the late occupation is acarefully-laid stone-slab pavement which was set on arubble foundation This extended from a potentialentranceway in the south-east to the middle phasepartition in the western sector The pavement wasbroader and also slightly raised at its western endWithin the pavement there were several unusualfeatures These included three stone uprights whichprojected through the centre of the slabs from an earlierphase (C50 C65 C125 see Fig 5c and 5d) Thefunction of these is unknown There was also a largehorizontal limestone slab lying adjacent to the partitionat the western end A section of this appears to have beenroughened for grinding (see quern Fig 5d) To thewest of the partition two pieces of statuary were foundlying on their sides (see pillar statues section 422 andFigs 5d lOb) Several stone-lined hearths were cutthrough the north-eastern sector of the pavement Theuse of some of these may have been contemporary withthe use of the pavement Two C14 dates were obtainedfrom these one an accelerator date of 7900 +- 80 bp(OxA-24ll) based on a small sample of charcoal and theother a conventional date of 7829 + - 89 bp (UB-3462) based on a larger sample These were obtained

from separate laboratories It will be noted that they aresimilar to dates from the early phase

24 Jilat 25 (= Wadi Dhobai D) (UTM grid 2543 E x34884 N)

Jilat 25 lies on the northern side of the Jilat gorge 450 meast of the dam The surface spread of artifacts covers3200 sqm and within this the uprights of a single ovalNeolithic structure were visible Two later cairns liewithin the artifact scatter The oval structure measures 7x 4middot5 m and the north -eastern half was excavated in atrench (area A) measuring 21 sqm This contained60 cm of stratified deposits (Fig 6a)

Early phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Excavations revealed that the oval structure had beenerected within a pit which had been cut through pre-constructional deposits into bedrock The external wallswere built from upright slabs of larger dimensions thanthose used in the PPNB structures ( lt 1middot4 m) A rubblepacking was placed behind the slabs There was a gap inthe north-eastern sector of the wall which may haveserved as an entrance although no evidence of a porch orsteps were found There were several circular holes cutin bedrock A22 was a relatively large circular featurewith a shallow rim resembling those aligned along thecentre of the gully at Jilat 13 This could have served as ahearth a mortar or as a structural support To its northwas a V-shaped formation of 6 smaller holes which arelikely from their alignments to have had a supportingfunction A lightly-ashy primary fill was found withinthe structure which yielded a C14 date of 8020 +- 80bp (OxA-2408)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Following the accumulation of the primary depositstwo circular stone features were constructed in shallowpits at the centre of the structure (19 A12) Theyclosely resemble the stone-lined hearths found in Jilat13 but contained no charcoal and showed no traces ofburning There is a possibility that they served as smallbins or structural supports Two definite hearths werefound in this phase one of which was unlined whilst theother lay adjacent to a solitary upright block on theeastern side (A38) Two other uprights situated adjacentto the external walls may belong to this phase (A39A40)

Late Phase (Early LN and possibly later) (Fig 6b)Following occupation a mass of stone rubble accumu-lated within the structure and potential entrance area Itseems from its nature and orientation to have derivedfrom dumping rather than from a collapsed superstruc-ture As at all the Jilat sites the roofing is likely to havebeen made from perishable materials A sandy siltcontaining Early LN chipped stone overlay this rubble

82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

6a 6bWadi el Jilat 25 Area A

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At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 77

south -east through a 60 cm wide entranceway (B53)Prior to the dwellings construction a pit had been cutto accommodate the structure and this has left anirregular scar in the bedrock A bedrock shelf was left inthe north-western sector and a series of probable stake-holes as well as a partition of stone uprights (B49) wasbuilt along its southern edge An entrance to the sub-compartment was left at its eastern end A series of otherstone features which may have buttressed or formed partof partitions were found around the inside of the mainstructure (B19 B20 B54 B55) A relatively sterile siltcovered bedrock but overlying this was a series of ashymidden deposits with two unlined hearths

Middle and Late Phases (Middle PPNB and Middle orLate PPNB)Following the early phase of occupation two modifica-tions were made within the structure Firstly theentranceway into the south-east was altered by theerection of the stone alignment B42 Secondly thesubcompartment in the north-west was revamped bythe erection of four new upright slabs along its northernwall (B15) and by the laying of a stone slab pavement(B14) The large paving slab placed across the entranceto the sub-compartment had two circular holes cut intoit These were above two similar (stake) holes whichhad been cut into bedrock in the earlier phase Acompacted occupational deposit was found over thispavement

Subsequently the centre of the structure appears tohave fallen into disuse Several of the former uprightslabs collapsed and rubble was dumped in the interiorThis is overlain by a sequence of sandy silts

22 Jilat 26 (= Wadi Dhobai A) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 26 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge 200 m downstream from the dam (Fig 1b)The artifact scatter covers 7850 sqm and extends in anarc around the western and southern sides of anerosional gully which drains into the main ravine (Fig4a) The tops of upright slabs which form the sub-structures of Neolithic buildings are clearly visiblerunning in a semi-circle within the artifact spreadDetailed mapping (Fig 3) indicates that there are c20 main sub-structural units arranged in a linear fashionaround the semi-circle These comprise (from thenorthern end) 2 interlocking circular units an 8 mgap c 15 circular units which divide into 3 or 4 closely-spaced interlocking groups 2 rectangular units a 26 mgap 1-2 circular units Entrances where visible opento the inside of the semi-circle and thus the structureshave their backs to the prevailing westerly winds(presumed to be from the same direction in theNeolithic) A number of smaller features and stone-

lined hearths were found within the sheltered area to theeast of the buildings A few were also found to the northand south After excavating a preliminary sounding(area D) four trenches were dug during the 1987 and1988 seasons (areas A B C E) exposing an area of 164middot5sqm

221 Area C (Figs 4c 7b)

Area C covered 42 sqm and contained up to 50 cm ofdeposits It was selected for excavation as it encompassedone of the clearest circular structures within the arc ofbuildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)Excavations revealed a circular structure with anexternal diameter of 5 m and an internal one of 3middot5 mThe unit was bounded by two parallel rows of uprightslabs separated by c 80 cm of rubble and silt packingThis wide bench may have been required as afoundation for a superstructure but it is equally possiblethat the outer slabs served as the base or attachment for asuperstructure and that the bench served as an internalstorage shelf It would also have provided goodinsulation Surface mapping indicates that the majorityof the other circular structures at Jilat 26 were of similarconstruction (Fig 3) The inner row of upright slabswere larger than the outer and included three stones setat right angles which may have supported internalpartitions or other features The whole unit was cutthrough pre-constructional sediments into bedrockThe structure was entered from the south-east througha stone slab entrance of 60 em width with two steps(C16) One meter inside a circular hole of 25 em diamand 20 cm depth was cut into bedrock This may haveserved as a mortar a hearth or alternatively to support aroofpost A stone-lined hearth was found in a centralposition within the primary fill Two C14 dates wereobtained from early occupations of 8720 +1- 100 bp(OxA-2407) and 8690 +- 110 bp (OxA-1802)

Middle and Late phases (Middle PPNB)Following the primary occupational phase additionalfeatures were constructed within the building Firstlytwo parallel rows of stones were positioned at thenorthern end (C11 C12) It is unclear whether thesehad a supporting role Somewhat later two largehorizontal slabs (C4) were placed on a rubble founda-tion at the western side These may have served as a worksurface Subsequently a stone blocking was placed inthe entrance and further sediments filled the structure

222 Area A (Figs 4b 7c)

Area A covered 72 sqm and contained deposits of up to50 cm depth The area was selected for excavation inorder to establish the nature and relative date of the

78 LEVANT XXVI 1994

4a

Wadi el Jilat 26

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LEGEND FIGS 4bmiddotd

Cd Early phase

~ Middle phase

~ Late phase

o Unknown phase

o Upright slab

Wadi el Jilat 26 Area C

4c

Wadi el Jilat 26 Area E

4d

_____JE__ ___N

t

Site plan

f

Wadi el Jilat 26

Area A

4b

Figure 4 Wadi el-Jilat Site 26 a site plan b Area A c Area C~middotd Area E

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 79

rectangular structures at the southern end of the semi-circle of buildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)The structure built in the early phase of area A wasquadrangular in shape the northern and eastern wallsbeing 5 m in length and the southern and western 4 mThe unit was cut into pre-constructional sediments andin some areas into bedrock The outer wall (A20) wasbuilt from upright stone slabs and the inner fromparallel upright slabs in the western sector (A21) andfrom horizontally coursed slabs forming a low shelf inthe eastern (A19) A gap in the northern wall is likely tohave served as an entrance The centre of the unit wasdivided by opposing piers These were constructed fromupright slabs with silt and rubble packing and may haveserved as low benches or as foundations for some form ofsuperstructure Whilst the western pier was L-shaped inplan (A13) the eastern was rectangular (All) Nohearth was found associated with the early use of thisstructure

Late phase (Middle PPNB)Subsequently rough stone pavements were laid invarious sections of the interior Curious solitary stoneuprights were erected in each of the four quadrantscreated by the piers (A24 A25 A28 A29) (see Fig 7c)Each was associated with one of the paved areas and mayhave served to buttress internal features which havesince perished However if this was the case space formovement would have been extremely limited and it isquite possible they had a non-structural role

At some stage an annex (A34) was built to the northof the original structure This was constructed fromdouble coursed walls rather than upright slabs Thespace within the annex was partitioned by an apsidalfeature (A35 A49 A51)

223 Areas E and B (Middle PPNB) (Fig 4d)

Areas E and B lie in the sheltered area on the eastern sideof the buildings and were excavated to learn more ofactivities undertaken outside the main structures

Area E which covered 36 sqm attracted attentionprior to excavation because several stone-lined hearthswere visible at the surface and 8 bedrock mortars orstakeholes (7-11 cm diam and 3-16 cm depth) wereexposed in a deflated area in the south -east Excavationrevealed two coursed walls (E48) meeting at an obtuseangle to the west of these features Two upright slabswere positioned parallel to these walls (E52 E53) If thebedrock cuts were mortars it is possible that thesefeatures provided shelter for pounding and otherprocessing activities Alternatively they may representthe fragmentary remains of a more substantial structureThe central and western sectors of area E contained a

sequence of stone-lined and unlined hearths whichpostdated the walls These ranged from 0middot5 to 1 m indiameter A C14 date of8 740 + 1- 110 bp (OxA-2969)was obtained from one of these Area B covered 12middot5sqm and contained 40 cm of deposits Two unlinedhearths and an alignment ofmiddotsmall stones was found

23 Jilat 13 (= Wadi Dhobai B) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 13 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge immediately east of Jilat 26 (Fig 1b) It issituated on a narrow promontory at the confluence of atributary wadi with the main ravine (Fig Sa) Artifactswere found eroding out over an area of 800 sqm and attheir centre upright slabs were visible belonging to alarge oval Neolithic structure To the immediate south-east was a bedouin mosque a square enclosure witha niche or mihrab on its southern side outlined by asingle course of ashlar blocks (probably removed fromthe dam) and by the tops of upright slabs which maybelong to a second in situ Neolithic structure During 1937-38 Waechter et al (1938) excavated a 9

sqm trench between the oval structure and the bedouinmosque (Fig 5a) He identified three sedimentary layersand described a Neolithic chipped stone industry withnovel features This became known as the Dhobaianindustry During our own field work in 1987 and 1988we excavated a 73middot5 sqm area to the north of Waechterstrench encompassing the oval building described above(Areas A-C) Deposits were found to a depth of 80 cmand the sequence was divided into three main phases

Early Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5bc 7d)During the Early LN a large oval structure measuringlOx 6middot5 m was erected in Areas A-C As with the otherJilat structures this was semi-subterranean but in thisparticular case use was made of a natural gully in itsconstruction Thus the eastern and north -easternwalls of the oval structure consisted of the naturalrock-wall of the gully with an alignment of stone blocksperched along its rim (B39 C30) The north-westernand western walls were built from upright slabs erectedalong an artificially created sill in bedrock (C126 A28)No well defined wall was found to the south although itis possible that feature B16 and the upright slab B120which had been erected just inside the gully werecomponents of a southern boundary There are severalarrangements of upright slabs around the inside of theperimeter wall which may have served as supports for

internal partitions and other features (eg C48 A13A29) There are also holes cut in bedrock which mayhave served to support a superstructure These includethe three circular holes with shallow rims which werefound equally spaced in an alignment along the centre of

80 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 81

the gully (Cl09 C118 B9l) Certain of these featuresmay however have been used as bedrock mortars

The interior was filled by a series of occupationdeposits and then a pavement of stone slabs was laid at itswestern end Within this a cache of two tile knives and two large elongated lanceolate bifacials were carefullyburied To the south of the pavement are two stoneuprights One of these had had its top broken off inantiquity but its base was carefully pecked into a conicalform and inserted into a socket in bedrock (pillar B125fig 5c) It is possible that this was the base of a statue oritem of symbolic significance (section 422) A numberof stone-lined hearths were found in the primarydeposits in the southern and eastern sectors Two C14dates have been obtained from early fills one of 7920+- 100 bp (OxA-1800) and the other of 7870 +-100 bp (OxA-180l)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5c 7d)During the middle phase of occupation the western endof the structure was separated off by a partition builtfrom two parallel rows of upright slabs (A30 etc) Thisoverlay the early phase pavement Just south of centrethe partition contained a niche or sub-compartment(A8) Isolated upright slabs were erected elsewherewithin the structure perhaps as supports for featureswhich have since perished In the eastern sector two pitsand several stone-lined hearths are associated with thisphase

Late Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5d 7d)The most impressive feature of the late occupation is acarefully-laid stone-slab pavement which was set on arubble foundation This extended from a potentialentranceway in the south-east to the middle phasepartition in the western sector The pavement wasbroader and also slightly raised at its western endWithin the pavement there were several unusualfeatures These included three stone uprights whichprojected through the centre of the slabs from an earlierphase (C50 C65 C125 see Fig 5c and 5d) Thefunction of these is unknown There was also a largehorizontal limestone slab lying adjacent to the partitionat the western end A section of this appears to have beenroughened for grinding (see quern Fig 5d) To thewest of the partition two pieces of statuary were foundlying on their sides (see pillar statues section 422 andFigs 5d lOb) Several stone-lined hearths were cutthrough the north-eastern sector of the pavement Theuse of some of these may have been contemporary withthe use of the pavement Two C14 dates were obtainedfrom these one an accelerator date of 7900 +- 80 bp(OxA-24ll) based on a small sample of charcoal and theother a conventional date of 7829 + - 89 bp (UB-3462) based on a larger sample These were obtained

from separate laboratories It will be noted that they aresimilar to dates from the early phase

24 Jilat 25 (= Wadi Dhobai D) (UTM grid 2543 E x34884 N)

Jilat 25 lies on the northern side of the Jilat gorge 450 meast of the dam The surface spread of artifacts covers3200 sqm and within this the uprights of a single ovalNeolithic structure were visible Two later cairns liewithin the artifact scatter The oval structure measures 7x 4middot5 m and the north -eastern half was excavated in atrench (area A) measuring 21 sqm This contained60 cm of stratified deposits (Fig 6a)

Early phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Excavations revealed that the oval structure had beenerected within a pit which had been cut through pre-constructional deposits into bedrock The external wallswere built from upright slabs of larger dimensions thanthose used in the PPNB structures ( lt 1middot4 m) A rubblepacking was placed behind the slabs There was a gap inthe north-eastern sector of the wall which may haveserved as an entrance although no evidence of a porch orsteps were found There were several circular holes cutin bedrock A22 was a relatively large circular featurewith a shallow rim resembling those aligned along thecentre of the gully at Jilat 13 This could have served as ahearth a mortar or as a structural support To its northwas a V-shaped formation of 6 smaller holes which arelikely from their alignments to have had a supportingfunction A lightly-ashy primary fill was found withinthe structure which yielded a C14 date of 8020 +- 80bp (OxA-2408)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Following the accumulation of the primary depositstwo circular stone features were constructed in shallowpits at the centre of the structure (19 A12) Theyclosely resemble the stone-lined hearths found in Jilat13 but contained no charcoal and showed no traces ofburning There is a possibility that they served as smallbins or structural supports Two definite hearths werefound in this phase one of which was unlined whilst theother lay adjacent to a solitary upright block on theeastern side (A38) Two other uprights situated adjacentto the external walls may belong to this phase (A39A40)

Late Phase (Early LN and possibly later) (Fig 6b)Following occupation a mass of stone rubble accumu-lated within the structure and potential entrance area Itseems from its nature and orientation to have derivedfrom dumping rather than from a collapsed superstruc-ture As at all the Jilat sites the roofing is likely to havebeen made from perishable materials A sandy siltcontaining Early LN chipped stone overlay this rubble

82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

6a 6bWadi el Jilat 25 Area A

-~ Pit

__ limit of areaexcavated to bedrock

PE Only partiallyexcavated

Bedrock cut

Hearth

LEGEND FIG 6b

mill Early phase

~ Middle phase

IIIllLate phase

D Unknown phase

o Upright slab

N

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+ Site datum 100 m (arbitrary)

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bullbullbull Stone cairn

Wadi el Jilat 25Site plan

~ rn ( ~~

I ~

T

~II

I

lt(0)) iN~--

bull Bedrock mortaror stake hole

rmiddotmiddotmiddot Robbed

Figure 6 Wad elYilatSite 25 a site plan b Area A

At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

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4 65

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6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

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contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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78 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 79

rectangular structures at the southern end of the semi-circle of buildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)The structure built in the early phase of area A wasquadrangular in shape the northern and eastern wallsbeing 5 m in length and the southern and western 4 mThe unit was cut into pre-constructional sediments andin some areas into bedrock The outer wall (A20) wasbuilt from upright stone slabs and the inner fromparallel upright slabs in the western sector (A21) andfrom horizontally coursed slabs forming a low shelf inthe eastern (A19) A gap in the northern wall is likely tohave served as an entrance The centre of the unit wasdivided by opposing piers These were constructed fromupright slabs with silt and rubble packing and may haveserved as low benches or as foundations for some form ofsuperstructure Whilst the western pier was L-shaped inplan (A13) the eastern was rectangular (All) Nohearth was found associated with the early use of thisstructure

Late phase (Middle PPNB)Subsequently rough stone pavements were laid invarious sections of the interior Curious solitary stoneuprights were erected in each of the four quadrantscreated by the piers (A24 A25 A28 A29) (see Fig 7c)Each was associated with one of the paved areas and mayhave served to buttress internal features which havesince perished However if this was the case space formovement would have been extremely limited and it isquite possible they had a non-structural role

At some stage an annex (A34) was built to the northof the original structure This was constructed fromdouble coursed walls rather than upright slabs Thespace within the annex was partitioned by an apsidalfeature (A35 A49 A51)

223 Areas E and B (Middle PPNB) (Fig 4d)

Areas E and B lie in the sheltered area on the eastern sideof the buildings and were excavated to learn more ofactivities undertaken outside the main structures

Area E which covered 36 sqm attracted attentionprior to excavation because several stone-lined hearthswere visible at the surface and 8 bedrock mortars orstakeholes (7-11 cm diam and 3-16 cm depth) wereexposed in a deflated area in the south -east Excavationrevealed two coursed walls (E48) meeting at an obtuseangle to the west of these features Two upright slabswere positioned parallel to these walls (E52 E53) If thebedrock cuts were mortars it is possible that thesefeatures provided shelter for pounding and otherprocessing activities Alternatively they may representthe fragmentary remains of a more substantial structureThe central and western sectors of area E contained a

sequence of stone-lined and unlined hearths whichpostdated the walls These ranged from 0middot5 to 1 m indiameter A C14 date of8 740 + 1- 110 bp (OxA-2969)was obtained from one of these Area B covered 12middot5sqm and contained 40 cm of deposits Two unlinedhearths and an alignment ofmiddotsmall stones was found

23 Jilat 13 (= Wadi Dhobai B) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 13 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge immediately east of Jilat 26 (Fig 1b) It issituated on a narrow promontory at the confluence of atributary wadi with the main ravine (Fig Sa) Artifactswere found eroding out over an area of 800 sqm and attheir centre upright slabs were visible belonging to alarge oval Neolithic structure To the immediate south-east was a bedouin mosque a square enclosure witha niche or mihrab on its southern side outlined by asingle course of ashlar blocks (probably removed fromthe dam) and by the tops of upright slabs which maybelong to a second in situ Neolithic structure During 1937-38 Waechter et al (1938) excavated a 9

sqm trench between the oval structure and the bedouinmosque (Fig 5a) He identified three sedimentary layersand described a Neolithic chipped stone industry withnovel features This became known as the Dhobaianindustry During our own field work in 1987 and 1988we excavated a 73middot5 sqm area to the north of Waechterstrench encompassing the oval building described above(Areas A-C) Deposits were found to a depth of 80 cmand the sequence was divided into three main phases

Early Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5bc 7d)During the Early LN a large oval structure measuringlOx 6middot5 m was erected in Areas A-C As with the otherJilat structures this was semi-subterranean but in thisparticular case use was made of a natural gully in itsconstruction Thus the eastern and north -easternwalls of the oval structure consisted of the naturalrock-wall of the gully with an alignment of stone blocksperched along its rim (B39 C30) The north-westernand western walls were built from upright slabs erectedalong an artificially created sill in bedrock (C126 A28)No well defined wall was found to the south although itis possible that feature B16 and the upright slab B120which had been erected just inside the gully werecomponents of a southern boundary There are severalarrangements of upright slabs around the inside of theperimeter wall which may have served as supports for

internal partitions and other features (eg C48 A13A29) There are also holes cut in bedrock which mayhave served to support a superstructure These includethe three circular holes with shallow rims which werefound equally spaced in an alignment along the centre of

80 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 81

the gully (Cl09 C118 B9l) Certain of these featuresmay however have been used as bedrock mortars

The interior was filled by a series of occupationdeposits and then a pavement of stone slabs was laid at itswestern end Within this a cache of two tile knives and two large elongated lanceolate bifacials were carefullyburied To the south of the pavement are two stoneuprights One of these had had its top broken off inantiquity but its base was carefully pecked into a conicalform and inserted into a socket in bedrock (pillar B125fig 5c) It is possible that this was the base of a statue oritem of symbolic significance (section 422) A numberof stone-lined hearths were found in the primarydeposits in the southern and eastern sectors Two C14dates have been obtained from early fills one of 7920+- 100 bp (OxA-1800) and the other of 7870 +-100 bp (OxA-180l)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5c 7d)During the middle phase of occupation the western endof the structure was separated off by a partition builtfrom two parallel rows of upright slabs (A30 etc) Thisoverlay the early phase pavement Just south of centrethe partition contained a niche or sub-compartment(A8) Isolated upright slabs were erected elsewherewithin the structure perhaps as supports for featureswhich have since perished In the eastern sector two pitsand several stone-lined hearths are associated with thisphase

Late Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5d 7d)The most impressive feature of the late occupation is acarefully-laid stone-slab pavement which was set on arubble foundation This extended from a potentialentranceway in the south-east to the middle phasepartition in the western sector The pavement wasbroader and also slightly raised at its western endWithin the pavement there were several unusualfeatures These included three stone uprights whichprojected through the centre of the slabs from an earlierphase (C50 C65 C125 see Fig 5c and 5d) Thefunction of these is unknown There was also a largehorizontal limestone slab lying adjacent to the partitionat the western end A section of this appears to have beenroughened for grinding (see quern Fig 5d) To thewest of the partition two pieces of statuary were foundlying on their sides (see pillar statues section 422 andFigs 5d lOb) Several stone-lined hearths were cutthrough the north-eastern sector of the pavement Theuse of some of these may have been contemporary withthe use of the pavement Two C14 dates were obtainedfrom these one an accelerator date of 7900 +- 80 bp(OxA-24ll) based on a small sample of charcoal and theother a conventional date of 7829 + - 89 bp (UB-3462) based on a larger sample These were obtained

from separate laboratories It will be noted that they aresimilar to dates from the early phase

24 Jilat 25 (= Wadi Dhobai D) (UTM grid 2543 E x34884 N)

Jilat 25 lies on the northern side of the Jilat gorge 450 meast of the dam The surface spread of artifacts covers3200 sqm and within this the uprights of a single ovalNeolithic structure were visible Two later cairns liewithin the artifact scatter The oval structure measures 7x 4middot5 m and the north -eastern half was excavated in atrench (area A) measuring 21 sqm This contained60 cm of stratified deposits (Fig 6a)

Early phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Excavations revealed that the oval structure had beenerected within a pit which had been cut through pre-constructional deposits into bedrock The external wallswere built from upright slabs of larger dimensions thanthose used in the PPNB structures ( lt 1middot4 m) A rubblepacking was placed behind the slabs There was a gap inthe north-eastern sector of the wall which may haveserved as an entrance although no evidence of a porch orsteps were found There were several circular holes cutin bedrock A22 was a relatively large circular featurewith a shallow rim resembling those aligned along thecentre of the gully at Jilat 13 This could have served as ahearth a mortar or as a structural support To its northwas a V-shaped formation of 6 smaller holes which arelikely from their alignments to have had a supportingfunction A lightly-ashy primary fill was found withinthe structure which yielded a C14 date of 8020 +- 80bp (OxA-2408)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Following the accumulation of the primary depositstwo circular stone features were constructed in shallowpits at the centre of the structure (19 A12) Theyclosely resemble the stone-lined hearths found in Jilat13 but contained no charcoal and showed no traces ofburning There is a possibility that they served as smallbins or structural supports Two definite hearths werefound in this phase one of which was unlined whilst theother lay adjacent to a solitary upright block on theeastern side (A38) Two other uprights situated adjacentto the external walls may belong to this phase (A39A40)

Late Phase (Early LN and possibly later) (Fig 6b)Following occupation a mass of stone rubble accumu-lated within the structure and potential entrance area Itseems from its nature and orientation to have derivedfrom dumping rather than from a collapsed superstruc-ture As at all the Jilat sites the roofing is likely to havebeen made from perishable materials A sandy siltcontaining Early LN chipped stone overlay this rubble

82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

6a 6bWadi el Jilat 25 Area A

-~ Pit

__ limit of areaexcavated to bedrock

PE Only partiallyexcavated

Bedrock cut

Hearth

LEGEND FIG 6b

mill Early phase

~ Middle phase

IIIllLate phase

D Unknown phase

o Upright slab

N

120

+ Site datum 100 m (arbitrary)

bullbull- bullbull Limit of artifact scatter

bullbullbull Stone cairn

Wadi el Jilat 25Site plan

~ rn ( ~~

I ~

T

~II

I

lt(0)) iN~--

bull Bedrock mortaror stake hole

rmiddotmiddotmiddot Robbed

Figure 6 Wad elYilatSite 25 a site plan b Area A

At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Garrard A Colledge S Hunt C and Montague R(1988) Environment and Subsistence During The LatePleistocene and Early Holocene in the Azraq BasinPaleorient 142 40-49

Gebel HG et al (1987) Preliminary report on the firstseasonof excavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic siteof Basta Pp 101-134 in The Prehistory of Jordan vol 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Gopher A (1985) Flint industries of the Neolithic period inIsrael Unpublished PhD thesis Hebrew UniversityJerusalem

-- (1989) Neolithic arrowheads of the Levant resultsand implications of a seriation analysis Paleorient 15143-56

-- (1990) Mujahiya an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bsite in the Golan Heights Tel Aviv 17 115-143

Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

Gould RA and Saggers S (1985) Lithic Procurement inCentral Australia a Closer Look at Binfords Idea ofEmbeddedness in ArchaeologyAmerican Antiquity 501117-136

Hayden B and Cannon A (1984) The Structure ofMaterial Systems Ethnoarchaeology in the Maya High-lands Society for American Archaeology Papers No3Washington

Helbaek H ( 1966) Pre-Pottery Neolithic farming atBeidha a preliminary report Pp 61-66 in Five seasonsatthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic village of Beidha by DKirkbride PEQ 98

Hopf M (1983) Jericho plant remains Pp 576-621 inExcavations at Jericho Volume 5 ed KM Kenyon andTA Holland British School of Archaeology in Jerusa-lem London

Horwitz LK ( 1989) A Reassessment of CaprovineDomestication in the Levantine Neolithic Old Ques-tions New Answers Pp153-181 in People and Culture inChange Part 1 ed I Hershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Kohler-Rollefson I (1987) Goat Husbandry in Jordanfrom a Diachronic Perspective Paper presented at ASORMeeting Proceedings of the Workshops on AncientMediterranean Foodsystems 1982-1985

-- (1988) The aftermath of the Levantine Neolithicrevolution in the light of ecological and ethnographicevidence Paleorient 141 87-93

-- (1992) A Model for the Development of NomadicPastoralism on the Transjordanian Plateau Pp 11-18 inPastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Kohler-Rollefson I Gillespie W and Metzger M(1988) The fauna from Neolithic CAinGhazal Pp 423-430 in The Prehistory of Jordan Part 2 ed AN Garrardand HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Kramer C (1979) An archaeological view of a contempo-rary Kurdish village domestic architecture householdsize and wealth Pp 139-163 in Ethnoarchaeology ed CKramer Columbia University Press

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 109

Martin LA (forthcoming) The Faunal Remains fromEpipalaeolithic and Neolithic Sites in Eastern Jordan PhDThesis University of Sheffield

McCartney CJ (1992) Preliminary report on the 1989excavations at Site 27 of the BurquRuweishid ProjectLevant 24 33-54

Meadow RH (1983) The Vertebrate faunal remains fromHasanlu Period X at Hajji Firuz Pp 369-422 in HasanluExcavation Report Volume 1 ed MM Voigt Philadel-phia University Monograph 50 Philadelphia

Meadow RH (1989) Osteologicalevidence for the processof animal domestication Pp 80-90 in The WalkingLarder ed J~Clutton-Brock Unwin Hyman London

Mylona D (1992) Late Neolithic Economy in Wadi el-JilatNorth-East Jordan Unpublished MSc dissertationUniversity of Sheffield

Neef R (1988) Note on the palaeobotanical remains Pp132 in Preliminary report on the first season ofexcavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Bastaby HG Gebel et al In The Prehistory of Jordan Part 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396

Nissen H Muheisen M and Gebel H (1987) Report onthe first two seasons of excavation at Basta (1986-1987)ADAJ 31 79-119

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Perrot J (1951) La Terrasse del-Khiam Pp 134-178 inLe Paleolithique et Ie Mesolithique du Desert de Judee ed RNeuville Archives de LInstitut de Paleontologie Hu-maine Memoire No 24 Paris

Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

Powell A (1992) An Analysis of the Animal Bones from AreaB Wadi el-Jilat 13 a Late Neolithic Site from NortheastJordan Unpublished MSc dissertation University ofSheffield

Reese D (1991) Marine shells in the Levant UpperPalaeolithic Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Pp 613-628in The Natufian Culture in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosefand FR Valla Prehistory Press Madison

Rollefson GO (1988) Stratified burin classes at AinGhazal implications for the Desert Neolithic of JordanPp 437-449 in The Prehistory of Jordan ed A Garrardand H Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Rollefson GO and Kohler-Rollefson I (1989) Thecollapse of Early Neolithic settlements in the southernLevant Pp 73-89 in People and Culture in Change ed IHershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Ronen A (1984) Sefunim prehistoric sites Mount CarmelIsrael BAR S230 Oxford

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Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

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Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 79

rectangular structures at the southern end of the semi-circle of buildings

Early phase (Middle PPNB)The structure built in the early phase of area A wasquadrangular in shape the northern and eastern wallsbeing 5 m in length and the southern and western 4 mThe unit was cut into pre-constructional sediments andin some areas into bedrock The outer wall (A20) wasbuilt from upright stone slabs and the inner fromparallel upright slabs in the western sector (A21) andfrom horizontally coursed slabs forming a low shelf inthe eastern (A19) A gap in the northern wall is likely tohave served as an entrance The centre of the unit wasdivided by opposing piers These were constructed fromupright slabs with silt and rubble packing and may haveserved as low benches or as foundations for some form ofsuperstructure Whilst the western pier was L-shaped inplan (A13) the eastern was rectangular (All) Nohearth was found associated with the early use of thisstructure

Late phase (Middle PPNB)Subsequently rough stone pavements were laid invarious sections of the interior Curious solitary stoneuprights were erected in each of the four quadrantscreated by the piers (A24 A25 A28 A29) (see Fig 7c)Each was associated with one of the paved areas and mayhave served to buttress internal features which havesince perished However if this was the case space formovement would have been extremely limited and it isquite possible they had a non-structural role

At some stage an annex (A34) was built to the northof the original structure This was constructed fromdouble coursed walls rather than upright slabs Thespace within the annex was partitioned by an apsidalfeature (A35 A49 A51)

223 Areas E and B (Middle PPNB) (Fig 4d)

Areas E and B lie in the sheltered area on the eastern sideof the buildings and were excavated to learn more ofactivities undertaken outside the main structures

Area E which covered 36 sqm attracted attentionprior to excavation because several stone-lined hearthswere visible at the surface and 8 bedrock mortars orstakeholes (7-11 cm diam and 3-16 cm depth) wereexposed in a deflated area in the south -east Excavationrevealed two coursed walls (E48) meeting at an obtuseangle to the west of these features Two upright slabswere positioned parallel to these walls (E52 E53) If thebedrock cuts were mortars it is possible that thesefeatures provided shelter for pounding and otherprocessing activities Alternatively they may representthe fragmentary remains of a more substantial structureThe central and western sectors of area E contained a

sequence of stone-lined and unlined hearths whichpostdated the walls These ranged from 0middot5 to 1 m indiameter A C14 date of8 740 + 1- 110 bp (OxA-2969)was obtained from one of these Area B covered 12middot5sqm and contained 40 cm of deposits Two unlinedhearths and an alignment ofmiddotsmall stones was found

23 Jilat 13 (= Wadi Dhobai B) (UTM grid 2542 E x34882 N)

The site of Jilat 13 is located on the southern bank of theJilat gorge immediately east of Jilat 26 (Fig 1b) It issituated on a narrow promontory at the confluence of atributary wadi with the main ravine (Fig Sa) Artifactswere found eroding out over an area of 800 sqm and attheir centre upright slabs were visible belonging to alarge oval Neolithic structure To the immediate south-east was a bedouin mosque a square enclosure witha niche or mihrab on its southern side outlined by asingle course of ashlar blocks (probably removed fromthe dam) and by the tops of upright slabs which maybelong to a second in situ Neolithic structure During 1937-38 Waechter et al (1938) excavated a 9

sqm trench between the oval structure and the bedouinmosque (Fig 5a) He identified three sedimentary layersand described a Neolithic chipped stone industry withnovel features This became known as the Dhobaianindustry During our own field work in 1987 and 1988we excavated a 73middot5 sqm area to the north of Waechterstrench encompassing the oval building described above(Areas A-C) Deposits were found to a depth of 80 cmand the sequence was divided into three main phases

Early Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5bc 7d)During the Early LN a large oval structure measuringlOx 6middot5 m was erected in Areas A-C As with the otherJilat structures this was semi-subterranean but in thisparticular case use was made of a natural gully in itsconstruction Thus the eastern and north -easternwalls of the oval structure consisted of the naturalrock-wall of the gully with an alignment of stone blocksperched along its rim (B39 C30) The north-westernand western walls were built from upright slabs erectedalong an artificially created sill in bedrock (C126 A28)No well defined wall was found to the south although itis possible that feature B16 and the upright slab B120which had been erected just inside the gully werecomponents of a southern boundary There are severalarrangements of upright slabs around the inside of theperimeter wall which may have served as supports for

internal partitions and other features (eg C48 A13A29) There are also holes cut in bedrock which mayhave served to support a superstructure These includethe three circular holes with shallow rims which werefound equally spaced in an alignment along the centre of

80 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 81

the gully (Cl09 C118 B9l) Certain of these featuresmay however have been used as bedrock mortars

The interior was filled by a series of occupationdeposits and then a pavement of stone slabs was laid at itswestern end Within this a cache of two tile knives and two large elongated lanceolate bifacials were carefullyburied To the south of the pavement are two stoneuprights One of these had had its top broken off inantiquity but its base was carefully pecked into a conicalform and inserted into a socket in bedrock (pillar B125fig 5c) It is possible that this was the base of a statue oritem of symbolic significance (section 422) A numberof stone-lined hearths were found in the primarydeposits in the southern and eastern sectors Two C14dates have been obtained from early fills one of 7920+- 100 bp (OxA-1800) and the other of 7870 +-100 bp (OxA-180l)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5c 7d)During the middle phase of occupation the western endof the structure was separated off by a partition builtfrom two parallel rows of upright slabs (A30 etc) Thisoverlay the early phase pavement Just south of centrethe partition contained a niche or sub-compartment(A8) Isolated upright slabs were erected elsewherewithin the structure perhaps as supports for featureswhich have since perished In the eastern sector two pitsand several stone-lined hearths are associated with thisphase

Late Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5d 7d)The most impressive feature of the late occupation is acarefully-laid stone-slab pavement which was set on arubble foundation This extended from a potentialentranceway in the south-east to the middle phasepartition in the western sector The pavement wasbroader and also slightly raised at its western endWithin the pavement there were several unusualfeatures These included three stone uprights whichprojected through the centre of the slabs from an earlierphase (C50 C65 C125 see Fig 5c and 5d) Thefunction of these is unknown There was also a largehorizontal limestone slab lying adjacent to the partitionat the western end A section of this appears to have beenroughened for grinding (see quern Fig 5d) To thewest of the partition two pieces of statuary were foundlying on their sides (see pillar statues section 422 andFigs 5d lOb) Several stone-lined hearths were cutthrough the north-eastern sector of the pavement Theuse of some of these may have been contemporary withthe use of the pavement Two C14 dates were obtainedfrom these one an accelerator date of 7900 +- 80 bp(OxA-24ll) based on a small sample of charcoal and theother a conventional date of 7829 + - 89 bp (UB-3462) based on a larger sample These were obtained

from separate laboratories It will be noted that they aresimilar to dates from the early phase

24 Jilat 25 (= Wadi Dhobai D) (UTM grid 2543 E x34884 N)

Jilat 25 lies on the northern side of the Jilat gorge 450 meast of the dam The surface spread of artifacts covers3200 sqm and within this the uprights of a single ovalNeolithic structure were visible Two later cairns liewithin the artifact scatter The oval structure measures 7x 4middot5 m and the north -eastern half was excavated in atrench (area A) measuring 21 sqm This contained60 cm of stratified deposits (Fig 6a)

Early phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Excavations revealed that the oval structure had beenerected within a pit which had been cut through pre-constructional deposits into bedrock The external wallswere built from upright slabs of larger dimensions thanthose used in the PPNB structures ( lt 1middot4 m) A rubblepacking was placed behind the slabs There was a gap inthe north-eastern sector of the wall which may haveserved as an entrance although no evidence of a porch orsteps were found There were several circular holes cutin bedrock A22 was a relatively large circular featurewith a shallow rim resembling those aligned along thecentre of the gully at Jilat 13 This could have served as ahearth a mortar or as a structural support To its northwas a V-shaped formation of 6 smaller holes which arelikely from their alignments to have had a supportingfunction A lightly-ashy primary fill was found withinthe structure which yielded a C14 date of 8020 +- 80bp (OxA-2408)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Following the accumulation of the primary depositstwo circular stone features were constructed in shallowpits at the centre of the structure (19 A12) Theyclosely resemble the stone-lined hearths found in Jilat13 but contained no charcoal and showed no traces ofburning There is a possibility that they served as smallbins or structural supports Two definite hearths werefound in this phase one of which was unlined whilst theother lay adjacent to a solitary upright block on theeastern side (A38) Two other uprights situated adjacentto the external walls may belong to this phase (A39A40)

Late Phase (Early LN and possibly later) (Fig 6b)Following occupation a mass of stone rubble accumu-lated within the structure and potential entrance area Itseems from its nature and orientation to have derivedfrom dumping rather than from a collapsed superstruc-ture As at all the Jilat sites the roofing is likely to havebeen made from perishable materials A sandy siltcontaining Early LN chipped stone overlay this rubble

82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

6a 6bWadi el Jilat 25 Area A

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Figure 6 Wad elYilatSite 25 a site plan b Area A

At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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80 LEVANT XXVI 1994

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 81

the gully (Cl09 C118 B9l) Certain of these featuresmay however have been used as bedrock mortars

The interior was filled by a series of occupationdeposits and then a pavement of stone slabs was laid at itswestern end Within this a cache of two tile knives and two large elongated lanceolate bifacials were carefullyburied To the south of the pavement are two stoneuprights One of these had had its top broken off inantiquity but its base was carefully pecked into a conicalform and inserted into a socket in bedrock (pillar B125fig 5c) It is possible that this was the base of a statue oritem of symbolic significance (section 422) A numberof stone-lined hearths were found in the primarydeposits in the southern and eastern sectors Two C14dates have been obtained from early fills one of 7920+- 100 bp (OxA-1800) and the other of 7870 +-100 bp (OxA-180l)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5c 7d)During the middle phase of occupation the western endof the structure was separated off by a partition builtfrom two parallel rows of upright slabs (A30 etc) Thisoverlay the early phase pavement Just south of centrethe partition contained a niche or sub-compartment(A8) Isolated upright slabs were erected elsewherewithin the structure perhaps as supports for featureswhich have since perished In the eastern sector two pitsand several stone-lined hearths are associated with thisphase

Late Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5d 7d)The most impressive feature of the late occupation is acarefully-laid stone-slab pavement which was set on arubble foundation This extended from a potentialentranceway in the south-east to the middle phasepartition in the western sector The pavement wasbroader and also slightly raised at its western endWithin the pavement there were several unusualfeatures These included three stone uprights whichprojected through the centre of the slabs from an earlierphase (C50 C65 C125 see Fig 5c and 5d) Thefunction of these is unknown There was also a largehorizontal limestone slab lying adjacent to the partitionat the western end A section of this appears to have beenroughened for grinding (see quern Fig 5d) To thewest of the partition two pieces of statuary were foundlying on their sides (see pillar statues section 422 andFigs 5d lOb) Several stone-lined hearths were cutthrough the north-eastern sector of the pavement Theuse of some of these may have been contemporary withthe use of the pavement Two C14 dates were obtainedfrom these one an accelerator date of 7900 +- 80 bp(OxA-24ll) based on a small sample of charcoal and theother a conventional date of 7829 + - 89 bp (UB-3462) based on a larger sample These were obtained

from separate laboratories It will be noted that they aresimilar to dates from the early phase

24 Jilat 25 (= Wadi Dhobai D) (UTM grid 2543 E x34884 N)

Jilat 25 lies on the northern side of the Jilat gorge 450 meast of the dam The surface spread of artifacts covers3200 sqm and within this the uprights of a single ovalNeolithic structure were visible Two later cairns liewithin the artifact scatter The oval structure measures 7x 4middot5 m and the north -eastern half was excavated in atrench (area A) measuring 21 sqm This contained60 cm of stratified deposits (Fig 6a)

Early phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Excavations revealed that the oval structure had beenerected within a pit which had been cut through pre-constructional deposits into bedrock The external wallswere built from upright slabs of larger dimensions thanthose used in the PPNB structures ( lt 1middot4 m) A rubblepacking was placed behind the slabs There was a gap inthe north-eastern sector of the wall which may haveserved as an entrance although no evidence of a porch orsteps were found There were several circular holes cutin bedrock A22 was a relatively large circular featurewith a shallow rim resembling those aligned along thecentre of the gully at Jilat 13 This could have served as ahearth a mortar or as a structural support To its northwas a V-shaped formation of 6 smaller holes which arelikely from their alignments to have had a supportingfunction A lightly-ashy primary fill was found withinthe structure which yielded a C14 date of 8020 +- 80bp (OxA-2408)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Following the accumulation of the primary depositstwo circular stone features were constructed in shallowpits at the centre of the structure (19 A12) Theyclosely resemble the stone-lined hearths found in Jilat13 but contained no charcoal and showed no traces ofburning There is a possibility that they served as smallbins or structural supports Two definite hearths werefound in this phase one of which was unlined whilst theother lay adjacent to a solitary upright block on theeastern side (A38) Two other uprights situated adjacentto the external walls may belong to this phase (A39A40)

Late Phase (Early LN and possibly later) (Fig 6b)Following occupation a mass of stone rubble accumu-lated within the structure and potential entrance area Itseems from its nature and orientation to have derivedfrom dumping rather than from a collapsed superstruc-ture As at all the Jilat sites the roofing is likely to havebeen made from perishable materials A sandy siltcontaining Early LN chipped stone overlay this rubble

82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

6a 6bWadi el Jilat 25 Area A

-~ Pit

__ limit of areaexcavated to bedrock

PE Only partiallyexcavated

Bedrock cut

Hearth

LEGEND FIG 6b

mill Early phase

~ Middle phase

IIIllLate phase

D Unknown phase

o Upright slab

N

120

+ Site datum 100 m (arbitrary)

bullbull- bullbull Limit of artifact scatter

bullbullbull Stone cairn

Wadi el Jilat 25Site plan

~ rn ( ~~

I ~

T

~II

I

lt(0)) iN~--

bull Bedrock mortaror stake hole

rmiddotmiddotmiddot Robbed

Figure 6 Wad elYilatSite 25 a site plan b Area A

At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Garrard A Colledge S Hunt C and Montague R(1988) Environment and Subsistence During The LatePleistocene and Early Holocene in the Azraq BasinPaleorient 142 40-49

Gebel HG et al (1987) Preliminary report on the firstseasonof excavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic siteof Basta Pp 101-134 in The Prehistory of Jordan vol 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Gopher A (1985) Flint industries of the Neolithic period inIsrael Unpublished PhD thesis Hebrew UniversityJerusalem

-- (1989) Neolithic arrowheads of the Levant resultsand implications of a seriation analysis Paleorient 15143-56

-- (1990) Mujahiya an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bsite in the Golan Heights Tel Aviv 17 115-143

Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

Gould RA and Saggers S (1985) Lithic Procurement inCentral Australia a Closer Look at Binfords Idea ofEmbeddedness in ArchaeologyAmerican Antiquity 501117-136

Hayden B and Cannon A (1984) The Structure ofMaterial Systems Ethnoarchaeology in the Maya High-lands Society for American Archaeology Papers No3Washington

Helbaek H ( 1966) Pre-Pottery Neolithic farming atBeidha a preliminary report Pp 61-66 in Five seasonsatthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic village of Beidha by DKirkbride PEQ 98

Hopf M (1983) Jericho plant remains Pp 576-621 inExcavations at Jericho Volume 5 ed KM Kenyon andTA Holland British School of Archaeology in Jerusa-lem London

Horwitz LK ( 1989) A Reassessment of CaprovineDomestication in the Levantine Neolithic Old Ques-tions New Answers Pp153-181 in People and Culture inChange Part 1 ed I Hershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Kohler-Rollefson I (1987) Goat Husbandry in Jordanfrom a Diachronic Perspective Paper presented at ASORMeeting Proceedings of the Workshops on AncientMediterranean Foodsystems 1982-1985

-- (1988) The aftermath of the Levantine Neolithicrevolution in the light of ecological and ethnographicevidence Paleorient 141 87-93

-- (1992) A Model for the Development of NomadicPastoralism on the Transjordanian Plateau Pp 11-18 inPastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Kohler-Rollefson I Gillespie W and Metzger M(1988) The fauna from Neolithic CAinGhazal Pp 423-430 in The Prehistory of Jordan Part 2 ed AN Garrardand HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Kramer C (1979) An archaeological view of a contempo-rary Kurdish village domestic architecture householdsize and wealth Pp 139-163 in Ethnoarchaeology ed CKramer Columbia University Press

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 109

Martin LA (forthcoming) The Faunal Remains fromEpipalaeolithic and Neolithic Sites in Eastern Jordan PhDThesis University of Sheffield

McCartney CJ (1992) Preliminary report on the 1989excavations at Site 27 of the BurquRuweishid ProjectLevant 24 33-54

Meadow RH (1983) The Vertebrate faunal remains fromHasanlu Period X at Hajji Firuz Pp 369-422 in HasanluExcavation Report Volume 1 ed MM Voigt Philadel-phia University Monograph 50 Philadelphia

Meadow RH (1989) Osteologicalevidence for the processof animal domestication Pp 80-90 in The WalkingLarder ed J~Clutton-Brock Unwin Hyman London

Mylona D (1992) Late Neolithic Economy in Wadi el-JilatNorth-East Jordan Unpublished MSc dissertationUniversity of Sheffield

Neef R (1988) Note on the palaeobotanical remains Pp132 in Preliminary report on the first season ofexcavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Bastaby HG Gebel et al In The Prehistory of Jordan Part 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396

Nissen H Muheisen M and Gebel H (1987) Report onthe first two seasons of excavation at Basta (1986-1987)ADAJ 31 79-119

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Perrot J (1951) La Terrasse del-Khiam Pp 134-178 inLe Paleolithique et Ie Mesolithique du Desert de Judee ed RNeuville Archives de LInstitut de Paleontologie Hu-maine Memoire No 24 Paris

Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

Powell A (1992) An Analysis of the Animal Bones from AreaB Wadi el-Jilat 13 a Late Neolithic Site from NortheastJordan Unpublished MSc dissertation University ofSheffield

Reese D (1991) Marine shells in the Levant UpperPalaeolithic Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Pp 613-628in The Natufian Culture in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosefand FR Valla Prehistory Press Madison

Rollefson GO (1988) Stratified burin classes at AinGhazal implications for the Desert Neolithic of JordanPp 437-449 in The Prehistory of Jordan ed A Garrardand H Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Rollefson GO and Kohler-Rollefson I (1989) Thecollapse of Early Neolithic settlements in the southernLevant Pp 73-89 in People and Culture in Change ed IHershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

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Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

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Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 81

the gully (Cl09 C118 B9l) Certain of these featuresmay however have been used as bedrock mortars

The interior was filled by a series of occupationdeposits and then a pavement of stone slabs was laid at itswestern end Within this a cache of two tile knives and two large elongated lanceolate bifacials were carefullyburied To the south of the pavement are two stoneuprights One of these had had its top broken off inantiquity but its base was carefully pecked into a conicalform and inserted into a socket in bedrock (pillar B125fig 5c) It is possible that this was the base of a statue oritem of symbolic significance (section 422) A numberof stone-lined hearths were found in the primarydeposits in the southern and eastern sectors Two C14dates have been obtained from early fills one of 7920+- 100 bp (OxA-1800) and the other of 7870 +-100 bp (OxA-180l)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5c 7d)During the middle phase of occupation the western endof the structure was separated off by a partition builtfrom two parallel rows of upright slabs (A30 etc) Thisoverlay the early phase pavement Just south of centrethe partition contained a niche or sub-compartment(A8) Isolated upright slabs were erected elsewherewithin the structure perhaps as supports for featureswhich have since perished In the eastern sector two pitsand several stone-lined hearths are associated with thisphase

Late Phase (Early LN) (Figs 5d 7d)The most impressive feature of the late occupation is acarefully-laid stone-slab pavement which was set on arubble foundation This extended from a potentialentranceway in the south-east to the middle phasepartition in the western sector The pavement wasbroader and also slightly raised at its western endWithin the pavement there were several unusualfeatures These included three stone uprights whichprojected through the centre of the slabs from an earlierphase (C50 C65 C125 see Fig 5c and 5d) Thefunction of these is unknown There was also a largehorizontal limestone slab lying adjacent to the partitionat the western end A section of this appears to have beenroughened for grinding (see quern Fig 5d) To thewest of the partition two pieces of statuary were foundlying on their sides (see pillar statues section 422 andFigs 5d lOb) Several stone-lined hearths were cutthrough the north-eastern sector of the pavement Theuse of some of these may have been contemporary withthe use of the pavement Two C14 dates were obtainedfrom these one an accelerator date of 7900 +- 80 bp(OxA-24ll) based on a small sample of charcoal and theother a conventional date of 7829 + - 89 bp (UB-3462) based on a larger sample These were obtained

from separate laboratories It will be noted that they aresimilar to dates from the early phase

24 Jilat 25 (= Wadi Dhobai D) (UTM grid 2543 E x34884 N)

Jilat 25 lies on the northern side of the Jilat gorge 450 meast of the dam The surface spread of artifacts covers3200 sqm and within this the uprights of a single ovalNeolithic structure were visible Two later cairns liewithin the artifact scatter The oval structure measures 7x 4middot5 m and the north -eastern half was excavated in atrench (area A) measuring 21 sqm This contained60 cm of stratified deposits (Fig 6a)

Early phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Excavations revealed that the oval structure had beenerected within a pit which had been cut through pre-constructional deposits into bedrock The external wallswere built from upright slabs of larger dimensions thanthose used in the PPNB structures ( lt 1middot4 m) A rubblepacking was placed behind the slabs There was a gap inthe north-eastern sector of the wall which may haveserved as an entrance although no evidence of a porch orsteps were found There were several circular holes cutin bedrock A22 was a relatively large circular featurewith a shallow rim resembling those aligned along thecentre of the gully at Jilat 13 This could have served as ahearth a mortar or as a structural support To its northwas a V-shaped formation of 6 smaller holes which arelikely from their alignments to have had a supportingfunction A lightly-ashy primary fill was found withinthe structure which yielded a C14 date of 8020 +- 80bp (OxA-2408)

Middle Phase (Early LN) (Fig 6b)Following the accumulation of the primary depositstwo circular stone features were constructed in shallowpits at the centre of the structure (19 A12) Theyclosely resemble the stone-lined hearths found in Jilat13 but contained no charcoal and showed no traces ofburning There is a possibility that they served as smallbins or structural supports Two definite hearths werefound in this phase one of which was unlined whilst theother lay adjacent to a solitary upright block on theeastern side (A38) Two other uprights situated adjacentto the external walls may belong to this phase (A39A40)

Late Phase (Early LN and possibly later) (Fig 6b)Following occupation a mass of stone rubble accumu-lated within the structure and potential entrance area Itseems from its nature and orientation to have derivedfrom dumping rather than from a collapsed superstruc-ture As at all the Jilat sites the roofing is likely to havebeen made from perishable materials A sandy siltcontaining Early LN chipped stone overlay this rubble

82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

6a 6bWadi el Jilat 25 Area A

-~ Pit

__ limit of areaexcavated to bedrock

PE Only partiallyexcavated

Bedrock cut

Hearth

LEGEND FIG 6b

mill Early phase

~ Middle phase

IIIllLate phase

D Unknown phase

o Upright slab

N

120

+ Site datum 100 m (arbitrary)

bullbull- bullbull Limit of artifact scatter

bullbullbull Stone cairn

Wadi el Jilat 25Site plan

~ rn ( ~~

I ~

T

~II

I

lt(0)) iN~--

bull Bedrock mortaror stake hole

rmiddotmiddotmiddot Robbed

Figure 6 Wad elYilatSite 25 a site plan b Area A

At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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82 LEVANT XXVI 1994

6a 6bWadi el Jilat 25 Area A

-~ Pit

__ limit of areaexcavated to bedrock

PE Only partiallyexcavated

Bedrock cut

Hearth

LEGEND FIG 6b

mill Early phase

~ Middle phase

IIIllLate phase

D Unknown phase

o Upright slab

N

120

+ Site datum 100 m (arbitrary)

bullbull- bullbull Limit of artifact scatter

bullbullbull Stone cairn

Wadi el Jilat 25Site plan

~ rn ( ~~

I ~

T

~II

I

lt(0)) iN~--

bull Bedrock mortaror stake hole

rmiddotmiddotmiddot Robbed

Figure 6 Wad elYilatSite 25 a site plan b Area A

At this stage or later a deep rectilinear cut was madein the north-eastern entrance area This contained astone-lined channel (A46 etc) which terminated at theapproximate edge of the building Its function isunclear

25 Stratigraphy and architecture discussion

The majority of the Neolithic structures (more accura-tely sub-structures) described from Wadi el-Jilat arecircular or oval semi-subterranean and with flimsyexternal walls built from upright slabs of the locallimestone or travertine There is no evidence for stonesuperstructures and it seems likely that upper walls (ifthey existed) and roofs were made from organicmaterials Internally many of the structures containedsupports for partitions hearths and some had stonefeatures which could have served as benches worksurfaces or storage platforms Bedrock cuts were oftendifficult to interpret but some could have served asmortars and others as poststake holes or hearths

The structures have much in common with thoseexcavated at other dry steppe and sub-desert Neolithicsites in the southern Levant and particularly with theLate PPNB and Early LN site of Azraq 31 55 km to thenorth-east of Wadi Jilat (Baird et al 1992) and thosedescribed from Wadi Tbeik and Wadi Jibba in southernSinai (Tchernov and Bar-Yosef 1982 Bar-Yosef 1984)

There is less use of upright slabs in the Neolithicstructures recorded from the basalt steppe desert ofeastern Jordan but this probably relates to the readyavailability of rounded basalt blocks (Betts 1988McCartney 1992) The flimsy nature of the Jilatstructures relative to contemporary dwellings in themoist steppe and woodland regions of the Levantsuggest that they may have been used on a seasonal basisThere are strong parallels between the Jilat structuresand those built for seasonal use by present-day nomadsin southern Jordan (Banning and Kohler-Rollefson1992) Sinai (Bar-Yosef 1984) Turkey (Cribb 1991)and in Iran (Digard 1981)

The two rectilinear structures at the southern end ofthe Jilat 26 semi-circle are intriguing especially as thelithic assemblage from the example in area A could becontemporary with that from the circular building inarea C Stylistically the rectangular structures looksimilar to the pier houses from more fertile areas ofthe southern Levant (eg CAin Ghazal BeisamounJericho Yiftahel Byrd and Banning 1988) Howeverthey are more flimsy and the internal dimensions areslightly smaller The upright slabs protruding throughthe roughly paved areas in the late phase at Jilat 26 A areparticularly enigmatic given the limited floor spacebetween the piers They have no parallels in the pierhouses to the west

The excavated PPNB structures in Wadi el-Jilat aresmaller in internal area than those from the LN The

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 83

Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Figure 7a a Jilat 7area B View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

Figure 7b Jilat 26 area C View west of structure after excavating interior to bedrock Entrance front left Scales = 1 m

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Roodenberg JJ (1986) Le mobilier en pierre de BouqrasNederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Is-tanbul61

Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

84 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Figure 7c Jilat 26area A View west after excavating interior of early phase structure to bedrock Scales = 1 m

Figure 7dJilat 13 Overhead view (north to top) Area A excavated to bedrock Areas B-C in course of excavation Portion oflate phase pavement visible

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Kohler-Rollefson I Gillespie W and Metzger M(1988) The fauna from Neolithic CAinGhazal Pp 423-430 in The Prehistory of Jordan Part 2 ed AN Garrardand HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Kramer C (1979) An archaeological view of a contempo-rary Kurdish village domestic architecture householdsize and wealth Pp 139-163 in Ethnoarchaeology ed CKramer Columbia University Press

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 109

Martin LA (forthcoming) The Faunal Remains fromEpipalaeolithic and Neolithic Sites in Eastern Jordan PhDThesis University of Sheffield

McCartney CJ (1992) Preliminary report on the 1989excavations at Site 27 of the BurquRuweishid ProjectLevant 24 33-54

Meadow RH (1983) The Vertebrate faunal remains fromHasanlu Period X at Hajji Firuz Pp 369-422 in HasanluExcavation Report Volume 1 ed MM Voigt Philadel-phia University Monograph 50 Philadelphia

Meadow RH (1989) Osteologicalevidence for the processof animal domestication Pp 80-90 in The WalkingLarder ed J~Clutton-Brock Unwin Hyman London

Mylona D (1992) Late Neolithic Economy in Wadi el-JilatNorth-East Jordan Unpublished MSc dissertationUniversity of Sheffield

Neef R (1988) Note on the palaeobotanical remains Pp132 in Preliminary report on the first season ofexcavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Bastaby HG Gebel et al In The Prehistory of Jordan Part 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396

Nissen H Muheisen M and Gebel H (1987) Report onthe first two seasons of excavation at Basta (1986-1987)ADAJ 31 79-119

Payne S and Munson P] (1985) Ruby and How ManySquirrels The Destruction of Bones by Dogs Pp 31-39in Palaeobiological Investigations research design methodsand data analysis ed NRJFieller DD Gilbertson andNGA Ralph BAR S266 Oxford

Perrot J (1951) La Terrasse del-Khiam Pp 134-178 inLe Paleolithique et Ie Mesolithique du Desert de Judee ed RNeuville Archives de LInstitut de Paleontologie Hu-maine Memoire No 24 Paris

Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

Powell A (1992) An Analysis of the Animal Bones from AreaB Wadi el-Jilat 13 a Late Neolithic Site from NortheastJordan Unpublished MSc dissertation University ofSheffield

Reese D (1991) Marine shells in the Levant UpperPalaeolithic Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Pp 613-628in The Natufian Culture in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosefand FR Valla Prehistory Press Madison

Rollefson GO (1988) Stratified burin classes at AinGhazal implications for the Desert Neolithic of JordanPp 437-449 in The Prehistory of Jordan ed A Garrardand H Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Rollefson GO and Kohler-Rollefson I (1989) Thecollapse of Early Neolithic settlements in the southernLevant Pp 73-89 in People and Culture in Change ed IHershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Ronen A (1984) Sefunim prehistoric sites Mount CarmelIsrael BAR S230 Oxford

Roodenberg JJ (1986) Le mobilier en pierre de BouqrasNederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Is-tanbul61

Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 85

structures at Jilat 7 and 26 range between 9middot6 and 14sqm in internal area whilst the two from Jilat 25 and 13are roughly 26 and 54 sqm in extent If one takes intoaccount internal buttresses partitions etc space in theearly structures was particularly confined Watson( 1978) and Kramer (1979) found that in present-day(traditional) villages in Iran there is usually between 7-10 sqm of roofed space available for each resident adultComparative figures for present-day seasonal nomadicdwellings were difficult to obtain but calculations bythe author based on data collected by Digard (1981) andCribb (1991) from Iran and Turkey suggests a similarformula It may not be prudent to apply such statistics toNeolithic dwellings but it seems unlikely that the PPNBstructures at Jilat 7 and 26 could have accommodatedmore than 1-2 individuals The semi-circle of structuresat Jilat 26 may have served the needs of one or twoextended families (cf Flannery 1972 African circularhut compounds) The larger LN structures at Jilat 13and 25 may have been used by several individualsperhaps in combination with livestock The structure atJilat 13 was particularly intriguing as it containedseveral features and artifacts suggesting its role mayhave extended beyond the pure domestic Theseincluded the three items of potential statuary theseveral figurines and the carefully laid pavements thelower of-which contained a carefully buried cache offour flint implements two large lanceolate bifacials andtwo tile knives

3 The chipped stone (Douglas Baird)

The technology of chipped stone production (reductionstrategies and techniques) and the procurement andselection of raw material are discussed in detail in the

authors thesis and in two forthcoming papers (Baird1993 nda ndb) The present text is limited to adiscussion of certain morphologically distinct retouchedpieces Because of the large size of the chipped stoneassemblage detailed attribute analysis was limited tosamples from each occupation phase These samplesconsisted of the complete body of chipped stone from themost secure contexts in each phase

31 Points

Points are discussed first because of their key role in theconstruction of a relative chronology for the variousstratigraphic phases at the sites

The early phase deposits in Jilat 7 A and C produced apoint assemblage of just under one-quarter Khiampoints and related types and just under three-quartersHelwan points (Table 1) Only one Byblos point wasrecovered from the large samples studied and it wasdistinct from the Byblos points from later deposits Thefour Jericho Jordan Valley and Salibiya points areclearly un-notched Helwan and Khiam points in thatorder This suggests that Jericho points may haveevolved from Helwan points when the notches becameredundant Associated with the Helwan and Khiampoints are significant proportions of Hagdud trunca-tions (Table 1) Opposed platform production includingsome naviform cores is present in this early phase (Baird1993 fig 65 1) and bladelet production is important(Baird 1993 250-253) This is clearly an Early PPNBassemblage and one of the few excavated in the southernLevant (Baird 1993 71-72 and 86) One would expect itto belong to the second half of the eighth millenniumBC (Baird 1993 77) Clear continuity between PPNAand Early PPNB assemblages is indicated

Byblos points were found in the middle and latephases in Jilat 7 A and C and in early middle and late

Table 1 Numbers of eachpoint type from eachphase at Azraq Project Neolithic sites

Point type Site and Chipped Stone Phase

WJ7-I WJ7-II WJ7-III WJ32 WJ26 AZ31-I WJI3-I WJI3-II WJ25 AZ31-II AZ31-LNM

Salibiya 2Jordan valley 1Khiam 10 4 2Helwan 30 9 14Jericho 1 2 1Byblos 1 8 15 2 20 19 9 17 12 7Amuq 7 4 3 5 7Nizzanim 14 19 13 2 8Herziliya 5 5 9Haparsah 2Transverse 5Hagduds 24 5

NB WJ = Wadiel-Jilat AZ = Azraq

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Donaldson ML (1985) The plant remains Pp 96-104 inExcavations at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bvillageof CAinGhazal (Jordan) 1983 by GO Rollefson et ale MDOG117

Driesch A von den (1976) A Guide to the Measurement ofAnimal Bonesfrom Archaeological Sites Peabody MuseumBulletin 1 Harvard University

Flannery K ( 1972) The origins of the village as asettlement type in Mesoamerica and the Near East acomparative study Pp 23-53 in Man settlement andurbanism eds PJ Ucko R Tringham and GWDimbleby Duckworth London

Garfinkel Y (1987) Bead Manufacture on the Pre-PotteryNeolithic B Site of Yiftahel Mitekufat Haeven 20 79-90

Garrard AN (1985) The Faunal Remains Pp 39-49 inBlackDesert Survey Jordan Third Preliminary Reportby A Betts Levant 17 39-49

Garrard A Byrd B and Betts A (1986) Prehistoricenvironment and settlement in the Azraq Basin aninterim report on the 1984excavation seasonLevant 185-24

Garrard A Betts A Byrd B and Hunt C (1987)Prehistoric environment and settlement in the Azraq

Basin an interim report on the 1985excavation seasonLevant 19 5-25

Garrard A Colledge S Hunt C and Montague R(1988) Environment and Subsistence During The LatePleistocene and Early Holocene in the Azraq BasinPaleorient 142 40-49

Gebel HG et al (1987) Preliminary report on the firstseasonof excavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic siteof Basta Pp 101-134 in The Prehistory of Jordan vol 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Gopher A (1985) Flint industries of the Neolithic period inIsrael Unpublished PhD thesis Hebrew UniversityJerusalem

-- (1989) Neolithic arrowheads of the Levant resultsand implications of a seriation analysis Paleorient 15143-56

-- (1990) Mujahiya an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bsite in the Golan Heights Tel Aviv 17 115-143

Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

Gould RA and Saggers S (1985) Lithic Procurement inCentral Australia a Closer Look at Binfords Idea ofEmbeddedness in ArchaeologyAmerican Antiquity 501117-136

Hayden B and Cannon A (1984) The Structure ofMaterial Systems Ethnoarchaeology in the Maya High-lands Society for American Archaeology Papers No3Washington

Helbaek H ( 1966) Pre-Pottery Neolithic farming atBeidha a preliminary report Pp 61-66 in Five seasonsatthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic village of Beidha by DKirkbride PEQ 98

Hopf M (1983) Jericho plant remains Pp 576-621 inExcavations at Jericho Volume 5 ed KM Kenyon andTA Holland British School of Archaeology in Jerusa-lem London

Horwitz LK ( 1989) A Reassessment of CaprovineDomestication in the Levantine Neolithic Old Ques-tions New Answers Pp153-181 in People and Culture inChange Part 1 ed I Hershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Kohler-Rollefson I (1987) Goat Husbandry in Jordanfrom a Diachronic Perspective Paper presented at ASORMeeting Proceedings of the Workshops on AncientMediterranean Foodsystems 1982-1985

-- (1988) The aftermath of the Levantine Neolithicrevolution in the light of ecological and ethnographicevidence Paleorient 141 87-93

-- (1992) A Model for the Development of NomadicPastoralism on the Transjordanian Plateau Pp 11-18 inPastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Kohler-Rollefson I Gillespie W and Metzger M(1988) The fauna from Neolithic CAinGhazal Pp 423-430 in The Prehistory of Jordan Part 2 ed AN Garrardand HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Kramer C (1979) An archaeological view of a contempo-rary Kurdish village domestic architecture householdsize and wealth Pp 139-163 in Ethnoarchaeology ed CKramer Columbia University Press

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Martin LA (forthcoming) The Faunal Remains fromEpipalaeolithic and Neolithic Sites in Eastern Jordan PhDThesis University of Sheffield

McCartney CJ (1992) Preliminary report on the 1989excavations at Site 27 of the BurquRuweishid ProjectLevant 24 33-54

Meadow RH (1983) The Vertebrate faunal remains fromHasanlu Period X at Hajji Firuz Pp 369-422 in HasanluExcavation Report Volume 1 ed MM Voigt Philadel-phia University Monograph 50 Philadelphia

Meadow RH (1989) Osteologicalevidence for the processof animal domestication Pp 80-90 in The WalkingLarder ed J~Clutton-Brock Unwin Hyman London

Mylona D (1992) Late Neolithic Economy in Wadi el-JilatNorth-East Jordan Unpublished MSc dissertationUniversity of Sheffield

Neef R (1988) Note on the palaeobotanical remains Pp132 in Preliminary report on the first season ofexcavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Bastaby HG Gebel et al In The Prehistory of Jordan Part 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396

Nissen H Muheisen M and Gebel H (1987) Report onthe first two seasons of excavation at Basta (1986-1987)ADAJ 31 79-119

Payne S and Munson P] (1985) Ruby and How ManySquirrels The Destruction of Bones by Dogs Pp 31-39in Palaeobiological Investigations research design methodsand data analysis ed NRJFieller DD Gilbertson andNGA Ralph BAR S266 Oxford

Perrot J (1951) La Terrasse del-Khiam Pp 134-178 inLe Paleolithique et Ie Mesolithique du Desert de Judee ed RNeuville Archives de LInstitut de Paleontologie Hu-maine Memoire No 24 Paris

Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

Powell A (1992) An Analysis of the Animal Bones from AreaB Wadi el-Jilat 13 a Late Neolithic Site from NortheastJordan Unpublished MSc dissertation University ofSheffield

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Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

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Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

86 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

phases in Jilat 7 B A small number of Jericho pointswere also excavated from Jilat 7 B (Table 1) Theseindicate Middle (because of the Jericho points) andpossibly Late PPNB occupations C14 dates fromrelevant deposits support a Middle PPNB date for someof the occupation( s) The late phase deposits in Jilat 7 Bhave a distinct tool assemblage (see below) which post-dates deposits thought to belong to the early-middleseventh millennium BC although possibly not bymuch This phase known as phase III in terms of thechipped stone assemblages could belong to the Middleor Late PPNB The chipped stone assemblage frommiddle and late phase deposits in areas A and C and earlyand middle phases in Jilat 7 B are treated together as Jilat7 phase II chipped stone assemblages

At Jilat 26 just over 2500of the assemblage consists ofAmuq points and the rest are Byblos points As Gopher(1985) has suggested the relative importance of Amuqand Jericho points in seventh millennium BC assem-blages may indicate their relative chronological positionOn this basis since Jericho points are present in Jilat 7phase IIbut absent from Jilat 26 and since Amuq pointsare present at Jilat 26 but absent from analysed contextsat Jilat 7 (very rare examples have been seen in partiallyanalysed contexts) it seems likely that Jilat 7 phase IIpredates Jilat 26 However we must be cautious sincethe mean of one of the Jilat 7 C14 dates (OxA-527) froma phase II context is later than the means of the Jilat 26dates

The significant proportions of Amuq points in analbeit small point assemblage of the first half of theseventh millennium BC confirms the notable ifsecondary role of this artifact type in some southLevantine Middle PPNB assemblages (later MiddlePPNB) such as Yiftahel (Amuq points 17) possiblyBeidha (Amuq points 6-20) and Ain Qadeis (Amuqpoints 15 ) as well as in the north of the Levant Thereis not necessarily a diffusion of this type from north tosouth (Gopher 1989 55)

At Jilat 13 the early phase deposits within the area ofthe structure (including those on bedrock) containByblos Amuq Herziliya and Nizzanim points (Baird1993 fig 44 14 and 7) Nizzanim points are the singlemost frequent type making up over one-third of theassemblage (Table 1)

Upper early phase deposits hint at developmentswithin the early phase Many of the Byblos pointsdistinguished in these deposits as in those of the middleand late phases on the site have extensive coveringbifacial retouch A number are only just over 40 mmlong and thus barely distinguishable from Nizzanimpoints except on this arbitrary ground The Byblospoints from the earliest levels are more akin to those ofthe PPNB in that retouch is mostly confined to the tangand they are relatively long

The lithic assemblage from middle and late phasedeposits were treated together as the phase II chippedstone assemblage In middle phase deposits in the westend of the structure (Area A) Haparsah points (Fig 83) appear in small proportions alongside Nizzanim andHerziliya points In late phase deposits in the east endTransverse arrowheads (Baird 1993 fig 44 8) occur insmall proportions alongside Nizzanim and a fewHerziliya points (Table 1) Extensively pressure-flakedByblos and a few Amuq points also occur in both sets ofdeposits (Table 1) There are distinctly different tooltypes associated with the Transverse arrowheads Theseappear to be very similar to Canaanean blades (Fig 81113) Because Canaanean blades are chronologicallyhighly diagnostic of the Early Bronze Age it is clearlyimportant to discuss them here

32 Jilat Blades

The blades (a total of seven) recovered from latedeposits in the eastern part of Jilat 13 are all trapezoidalin cross-section with very regular relatively straightparallel edges and ridges They are relatively long andwide (Fig 8 1113) as well as far more regular and flatin longitudinal-section and cross-section than mostblades produced in Jilat assemblages The ridges on theobverse of the blank are sharp and distinct All the Jilatexamples of these blades have one truncation althoughmost are broken (Fig 8 1113) Some have limitedretouch along parts of their edges Only one example hasa platform pre~erved The point of impact on theplatform is plain but adjacent to this is part of theoriginal platform of the core and it is heavily facetted(Fig 8 12) These blades are made on raw materialwhich is foreign to Jilat and no cores were found fromwhich they might have been produced

Facetted platforms of this kind and the use of exoticmaterials and the absence of evidence for on-siteproduction also characterize Canaanean blades (Baird1987 475 Rosen 1983) One of the most distinctiveattributes of both Jilat and Canaanean blades concernsthe regularity of their blanks In the case of the latterthis is likely to do with their mode of production (Baird1987475) Unfortunately there is not enough informa-tion relating to the method of manufacture of Jilatblades to decide whether they were made by similarmeans although distinctive strategy and techniques arelikely Points of difference between the two are (1)whilst the few known Jilat blades all have truncationssome Canaanean blades do not (2) whilst Jilat bladeslack sickle gloss Canaanean blades frequently have itThe absence of sickle gloss in the former may of courserelate to their environmental context If it could bedemonstrated that the Jilat blades were not associatedwith a LN assemblage being eithermiddot intrusive in the

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Gebel HG et al (1987) Preliminary report on the firstseasonof excavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic siteof Basta Pp 101-134 in The Prehistory of Jordan vol 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Gopher A (1985) Flint industries of the Neolithic period inIsrael Unpublished PhD thesis Hebrew UniversityJerusalem

-- (1989) Neolithic arrowheads of the Levant resultsand implications of a seriation analysis Paleorient 15143-56

-- (1990) Mujahiya an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bsite in the Golan Heights Tel Aviv 17 115-143

Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

Gould RA and Saggers S (1985) Lithic Procurement inCentral Australia a Closer Look at Binfords Idea ofEmbeddedness in ArchaeologyAmerican Antiquity 501117-136

Hayden B and Cannon A (1984) The Structure ofMaterial Systems Ethnoarchaeology in the Maya High-lands Society for American Archaeology Papers No3Washington

Helbaek H ( 1966) Pre-Pottery Neolithic farming atBeidha a preliminary report Pp 61-66 in Five seasonsatthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic village of Beidha by DKirkbride PEQ 98

Hopf M (1983) Jericho plant remains Pp 576-621 inExcavations at Jericho Volume 5 ed KM Kenyon andTA Holland British School of Archaeology in Jerusa-lem London

Horwitz LK ( 1989) A Reassessment of CaprovineDomestication in the Levantine Neolithic Old Ques-tions New Answers Pp153-181 in People and Culture inChange Part 1 ed I Hershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Kohler-Rollefson I (1987) Goat Husbandry in Jordanfrom a Diachronic Perspective Paper presented at ASORMeeting Proceedings of the Workshops on AncientMediterranean Foodsystems 1982-1985

-- (1988) The aftermath of the Levantine Neolithicrevolution in the light of ecological and ethnographicevidence Paleorient 141 87-93

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Kohler-Rollefson I Gillespie W and Metzger M(1988) The fauna from Neolithic CAinGhazal Pp 423-430 in The Prehistory of Jordan Part 2 ed AN Garrardand HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Kramer C (1979) An archaeological view of a contempo-rary Kurdish village domestic architecture householdsize and wealth Pp 139-163 in Ethnoarchaeology ed CKramer Columbia University Press

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 109

Martin LA (forthcoming) The Faunal Remains fromEpipalaeolithic and Neolithic Sites in Eastern Jordan PhDThesis University of Sheffield

McCartney CJ (1992) Preliminary report on the 1989excavations at Site 27 of the BurquRuweishid ProjectLevant 24 33-54

Meadow RH (1983) The Vertebrate faunal remains fromHasanlu Period X at Hajji Firuz Pp 369-422 in HasanluExcavation Report Volume 1 ed MM Voigt Philadel-phia University Monograph 50 Philadelphia

Meadow RH (1989) Osteologicalevidence for the processof animal domestication Pp 80-90 in The WalkingLarder ed J~Clutton-Brock Unwin Hyman London

Mylona D (1992) Late Neolithic Economy in Wadi el-JilatNorth-East Jordan Unpublished MSc dissertationUniversity of Sheffield

Neef R (1988) Note on the palaeobotanical remains Pp132 in Preliminary report on the first season ofexcavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Bastaby HG Gebel et al In The Prehistory of Jordan Part 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396

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Perrot J (1951) La Terrasse del-Khiam Pp 134-178 inLe Paleolithique et Ie Mesolithique du Desert de Judee ed RNeuville Archives de LInstitut de Paleontologie Hu-maine Memoire No 24 Paris

Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

Powell A (1992) An Analysis of the Animal Bones from AreaB Wadi el-Jilat 13 a Late Neolithic Site from NortheastJordan Unpublished MSc dissertation University ofSheffield

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Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

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Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 87

~ e-~ ~ 4-~tm-~ 21

3

~ D-E] i-V ~a-D6

4 65

12

6 ~-~ ~=J=t=~r

f~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~9 10

~--~---

8

D

o

11I

7

13Figure 8 Wadi el-Jilat flint artefacts

oI

3 emI

14

contexts in which they were found or being containedin contexts with residual LN material then the authorwould probably have no hesitation in judging them to bevariants of the Canaanean blade To the authorsknowledge no such blades have been illustrated ordiscussed in other LN assemblages However two largeflint cores which could have produced such blades have

come from the surface of the site of Bouqras Bouqrashas a Late PPNB Early LN occupation and the coresare related to types retrieved from occupation depositson the site (Roodenberg 1986 13 fig 8 4)

The early phase dates indicate that the Early LNasssemblage at Jilat 13 is contemporary with the PPNCat Ain Ghazal The late phase dates provide a clear

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

88 LEVANT XXVI 1994

terminus ante quem for the stone paving of this phaseand thus some of the Transverse arrowheads and Jilatblades This substantial paving completely sealed mostof the contexts in which the Transverse arrowheads andJilat blades were recovered Contextual control was tightbecause the contexts under the paving were excavated inartificially circumscribed horizontally divided spatialunits Similarly the samples of carbonized wood usedfor C14 dating were very well provenancedand unlikelyto be residual or intrusive It therefore seems that wehave to take the association of the Jilat blades andTransverse arrowheads with an assemblage which is also characteristic of the earlier part of the WJ13 sequence asgenuine As with earlier occupations at the site the dateof this assemblage falls in the first half of the sixthmillennium BC It is therefore Early LN and probablycontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal

The implications of this evidence from Jilat 13 are farreaching It indicates that the earliest LN does indeedhave point assemblages with significant proportions ofAmuq and Byblos points On the other hand assem-blages with high proportions of Nizzanim and someHerziliya points seem to arise relatively rapidly and itsuggests that Transverse arrowheads join other LNpoint types within the first half of the sixth millenniumBC In summary although it may be worthwhiledistinguishing an Early LN the evidence indicates thatit may only be defined by distinct chipped stoneassemblages during a short period of time at thebeginning of the sixth millennium BC Although itseems likely that Transverse arrowheads and Haparsahpoints did not become common components of assem-blages until the second half of the sixth millenniumB C in the absence of other indicators assemblages thathave these types may be regarded as belonging to eitherthe first or the second half of the sixth millennium BCJilat 13 provides a clear seriation of assemblages in thetransitional phase from PPNB to LN early assemblageshave high proportions of PPNB types with someNizzanim and Herziliya types following this Nizzanimand Herziliya types come to dominate then finallyTransverse arrowheads and Haparsah points appear

The point assemblage from the whole depositionalsequence at Jilat 25 was homogeneous and wascompletely dominated by Nizzanim points (Table 1)The date obtained (OxA-2408) confirms an Early LNperiod for the sites occupation(s) and it is thereforecontemporary with the PPNC at Ain Ghazal Thechronological relationship of Jilat 25 and Jilat 13 isobviously of some interest The PPNBLN transitionalnature of the earliest point assemblage from Jilat 13 isnot matched at Jilat 25 It is tempting on this basis tosuggest that the Jilat 25 occupation post-dates that ofJilat 13 phase I The presence of Transverse arrowheadsand Haparsah points in phase II at Jilat 13 and their

absence from Jilat 25 suggests that Jilat 13phase II post-dates the Jilat 25 occupation Given the samplemiddot sizesinvolved (Table 1) it is perhaps prudent to reservejudgement on this issue

33 Hagdud truncations

The Jilat Hagdud truncations (Fig 8 12) are the sameas Hagdud truncations at other eighth millennium BCsites They confirm the continuity between PPNA andEarly PPNB assemblages suggested by other factors andconfirm the presence of Hagdud truncations in the EarlyPPNB which are only hinted at by the evidence fromSefunim (Ronen 1984 339-356 fig 22 7 and 8) andMujahiya (Gopher 1990 fig 7 3) The proportions anddimensions of those from Jilat are very similar to thosefrom elsewhere (Fig 8 12) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 figs1 and 2) Most are between 5 and 10 mm long and 8 and14 mm wide (Baird 1993 fig 840) The width reflectspreferred blank width and in Jilat and the Jordan valleysites those between 8 and 10 mm seem the mostcommon (Bar-Yosef et al 1987 fig 2) Lengths reflectthe point at which bladelets were snapped and truncatedand thus very clearly represent the intentions of the toolproducers Hagdud truncations of between 7 and 9 mmlength dominate the Jilat 7 (Fig 8 12) and Jordanvalley samples (Fig 8 40) (Bar- Yosef et at 1987 fig 2)At Jilat 7 Hagdud truncations with two straighttruncations were the most common type (Fig 8 12 )whilst at Netiv Hagdud combinations of straight andconcave truncations were more common (Bar- Yosef etal 1987 152) In the Early PPNB at Jilat 7 many of thebroken bladelet segments of exotic red material with oneor sometimes no truncations may have had a similarfunction to the Hagdud truncations If the truncatedbladelet segments are included with the Hagdudtruncations then these types make up 6 of the EarlyPPNB tools at Jilat 7 Bar- Yosef et al (1987 151) statethat the lateral edges of the Jordan Valley Hagdudtruncations were not retouched However edge retouchis observed at Jilat 7 A micro-wear analysis of twelveHagdud truncations undertaken by Finlayson (perscomm) at the authors request was notable in failing toshow clear signs of use

34 Bijacials

341 Axesadzeschiselspicks

Bifacials of this type were very rare on the JilatAzraqsites A flake adze was recovered from Azraq 31 andthree small axeadzes from Jilat 7 Two elongated pick-like bifacials were also recovered from Early PPNBcontexts at Jilat 7 The rarity of adzeaxechisel typebifacials which are relatively common on moister zonesites (Bar- Yosef 1981) and even drier zone sites which

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 89

lie adjacent to the Mediterranean highland zone (egMesad Mesal Taute 1981) can be explained by therarity of tree cover and presumably therefore theabsence of tree felling and relatively heavy duty wood-working in the steppe and desert

342 Ovate-Ianceolate bifacials

Oval (Baird 1993 fig 84 3) and more elongated (Baird1993 fig 83 1and 2) and pointed shapes with coveringbifacial retouch were included in this category Thesewere made on thin slabs of tabular flint or large flakesbut not on large tabular flakes such as those used forbiface manufacture at the Hamifgash sites in the NegevThese first appear in the JilatAzraq sequence in theMiddle PPNB (Fig 8 14) These are the earliestbifacials of this type (as opposed to axepicks) fromsouth Levantine Neolithic sites They do occur on laterPPNB sites but they are very rare They occur forexample at Late PPNB Mesad Mesal (Taute 1981) AtBasta they are found in area B but not in A whichsuggests that they appear as part of developments thatmark the Early LN at that site (Nissen et ale 1987) Theyare more common on LN than PPNB sites iil the steppeoccuring at Jilat and Azraq 31 and in the harnl(basaltsteppedesert) (Betts 1987a 226 1987b)

343 Tile knives

These are slabs of relatively thin tabular flint withbifacial retouch running along the whole of one andoften both long edges They are clearly related to theovate and lanceolate bifacials which are often themselvesmade on thin tabular slabs However their retouch ismarginal (Baird 1993fig 85) rather than covering as inthe ovate bifacials The earliest occurrence is one fromthe Late PPNB at Azraq 31 However as they are notrecorded from other PPNB sites one should be cautiousof over-interpreting from one example which may beintrusive They become typical of steppe sites in theAzraq Basin and the harra in the LN (Betts 1987bBetts et ale 1990) The ovate lanceolate bifacials and tileknives make up between 2 and 4 of the LN toolassemblages in the JilatAzraq sites

35 Piercers and drills

The Early PPNB at Jilat 7 is characterized by smallpiercers made on bladelets (Fig 8 78) They haveelongated narrow bits They are also found in laterphase occupations at Jilat 7 but these may be residuals(Baird 1993 87) However similar piercers are knownfrom other Middle PPNB sites as for example Yiftahel(Garfinkel 1987)A wider range of less well- defined butmore robust piercer types figure in seventh millenniumBC assemblages in Jilat (Baird 1993figs 82 9-11 andpossibly 88 = 4 and 5) During this stage (the Middle

PPNB) drill bits on burin spalls also appear (Fig 8 9)These are adapted to the thin but strong three or four-sided form of thespalls and usually bear distinctiveretouch on at least three edges (Fig 8 910) Thisnormally extends in one specific direction from theedges on to each surface (Fig 8 910) This feature isnoted from PPNB and LN sites in Jilat and at Azraq 31

A further distinctive piercer type with particularlylong and relatively thick bits was found at Late PPNBAzraq 31 (Baird 1993 fig 82 12) A further examplewhich may however be residual was recovered from LNcontexts at the same site Isolated fragmentaryexam-ples of similar piercers were obtained from the MiddlePPNB at Jilat 26 and the LN at Jilat 13phase I Similarpiercers were also obtained from the Late PPNB aridzone site of Nahal Issaron (Gopher and Goring-Morris1983) and from PPNB Wadi Fidan A (personalobservation) Other examples come from LN Jericho(Crowfoot Payne 1983 fig 340 3) The type was clearlywidespread in chronological and geographical terms Itssporadic occurrence pr9bably relates to its specificfunction(s)

If drills and other piercing tools are consideredtogether they occur in relatively even numbers through-out the Azraq Project Neolithic assemblages (c 3middot5-5middot5 ) Drills on spalls are absent from Jilat 7 phase I andII samples They are particularly important in Jilat 13phase I accounting for just over 4 of tools No otherpiercing tools were found at that site In contrast otherpiercing tools were more important than drills at Jilat 7phase III Jilat 26 and in the LN at Azraq 31

36 Glossed piecessickles

The only Jilat site which yielded glossed piecessickleswas Jilat 7 where they were very rare and withoutdistinct morphologies One example from an EarlyPPNB deposit was backed and truncated with abruptretouch on inverse and obverse

37 Obliquely backed blades

Obliquely backed often pressure flaked blades are adistinct type that has not been noted before (Fig 8 4-6) This may be because segments have been consideredto be parts of Amuq points The technique of retouchingis clearly related in some cases These blades are usuallyinvasively flaked along the whole length of one edgeproviding a backing at an angle oblique with that of theinverse surface (Fig 8 46) This is often done bypressure flaking The retouch is sometimes obliquelydisposed rather than perpendicular to the edge (Fig 8middot6) Small segments might be mistaken for parts of Amuqpoints but longer segments clearly would not (Fig 856) Amuq points usually have bilateral coveringretouch along their whole length and the tang and tip

90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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90 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

39 Of burins and burin sites

Figure 9 Wadi el-Jilai proportions~ofburin types

Proportions of burin types

Angle onbreak

TruncationTransverse

DihedralMixed

I t has been noted that even at their most frequentbur ins never make up more than 4000of the tools fromPPNB or Early Late Neolithic occupations in the Jilatand Azraq areas However in specific contexts withinsites their proportions may exceed 5000

There is clearly a quantum leap in the proportions ofbur ins in most JilatAzraq occupations from the laterMiddle PPNB onwards Associated with this change is adramatic increase in the proportion of truncation burins(Fig 9) At the same time spall drills bifacials andobliquely backed blades appear in this part of the AzraqBasin and continue in association through the sequence

By definition bur ins form much higher proportionsof tool assemblages in burin sites proper Howeverthe developments in JilatAzraq clearly relate to thisburin site phenomenon (Betts 1987b) The intra-sitecontextual variability observed at these Jilat Azraq sitesgives us an indication of the nature of the burin sitephenomenon It is clear that isolated contexts or

807060

Cmiddot 50Q) 40~Q)

Do 3020100 J131A31LNJ71 J711 J7111 J26

Occupations

truncations become much more important and arecommonly more frequent than angle burins on breaks(Fig 9) They remain slightly commoner during theLN Dihedral transverse and mixed burins remainrelatively uncommon throughout (Fig 9) The excep-tion to this is in the Jilat 7 phase III assemblage whereboth transverse and dihedralburins reach c 15-20 ofthe burin assemblage (Fig 9) One of the mostdistinctive assemblages is that from Jilat 26 wheretruncation burins completely dominate (in a manner noteven equalled in the LN samples) They make up c 5500of the burin sample

areas aremiddotalmost always bilaterally retouched (CrowfootPayne 1983 fig 311 Roodenberg 1986 fig 16 8-11 1~15 17) This creates the gentle curvature classic to theedges of Amuq points By contrast the obliquely backedblades have mainly unilateral retouch and their re-touched edges lack such curvature (Fig 8 56) Theyappear and continue in small proportions in theJilatAzraq sequence as part of burin site relatedassemblages Thus they first occur in what is probablythe later Middle PPNB at Jilat 26 and continue at Jilat 7phase III at Azraq 31 and in Jilat 13 phase I and IIassemblages They never exceed 1 of tool assemblagesfrom these sites

38 Burins

Although not amorphologically distinct tool category inthe samemiddot sensemiddotas the above types burins are discussedhere because of their importance in Jilat Azraqassemblages

There seems to be a temporal trend in the proportionsof burins occurring in the different tool assemblagesBurination occurs on a mere 1Q-14oftools in Jilat 7phases I and II However in Jilat 7 phase III Jilat 26Jilat 13phase I and Azraq 31 LN it occurs on 28-37 ofretouched pieces This significant development coin-cides with a change in the composition of the burinassemblages themselves (Fig 9)There appear to be five main burin groups

( 1) Angle bur ins on breaks on normal terminationsand on striking platforms (Baird 1993 figs 810 7811 3) Angle burins on breaks are by far thecommonest component Angle burins on platforms arevery rare

(2) Angle burins on truncations (Baird 1993 figs810 6 and 8 811 2 and 6) Various truncation typeswere used to provide platforms for the burin removalsbut concave truncations were always the commonest

(3) Transverse burins Most transverse burins werestruck from a plain edge but occasionally transversespalls were struck from a retouched edge or rarely from atruncation

(4) Dihedral burins (Baird 1993 figs 810 1 and 3-5 812 1-3) These include both axis and asymmetriccanted types of which the latter were always morecommon

(5) Mixed burins (Baird 1993 figs 8810 2 811 5812 4) Multiple burins with more than one of theplatform types described above

In the earliest PPNB assemblages where burinsthemselves are rare angle burins on breaks dominateforming over 70 of the burin assemblage Only verysmall proportions of other groups are present (Fig 9)From the late Middle PPNB onwards when theproportion of burins has risen considerably a cleardevelopment can be detected (Fig 9) Angle burins on

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 91

complete sites with high concentrations of truncationand angle burins and relatively few ot~er tool typesrepresent foci in which limited activities were pursuedThe frequency of such localities is likely to be highest inmobile settlement systems and it is therefore hardlysurprising that they are found in the arid zone Inpotentially more favourable settings within this zonesuch as Jilat and Azraq this phenomenon may bemasked by the more diverse range of activities thatmight be expected in longer term or frequentlyreoccupied settlements which hosted larger or morediverse co-resident groups

Betts has claimed that the burin site phenomenonis LN and that it may be associated with pastoralism(Betts 1987a) The evidence from Jilat and Azraqsuggests that it is also a phenomenon of earlier periods(the seventh millennium BC) and it precedes theintroduction of pastoralism It can be regarded as a a by-product of the settlement system of mobile societies(Rollefson 1988 438)

The most dramatic concurrent developments inchipped stone tool assemblages occur in the MiddlePPNB This establishes a significant pattern for assemb-lage composition that continues into the Early LN Thisreflects the endurance of significant traditional beha-vioural patterns by groups using this specific part of thesteppe from the seventh into sixth millennia BC

4 Ground stone figurines and ~stone beads(Katherine Wright)

41 Ground stone (Table 2)

Ground stone assemblages from the Jilat Neolithic sitesare diverse and suggest different strategies of rawmaterial procurement and site functions Analysis of thematerial followed principles and definitions discussed inWright (1992a) It will be noted that the term groundstone refers not only to milling tools and the likebut also to grooved and perforated stones etc

Table 2 Ground stone and related artifactsfeatures found at Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W]7 W] 13 W] 26 W]25

Area Areas A+C Area B Areas A-C All Area A

Phase E M L S E M L S E M L S All E M L S

AQUERNSB MORTARS

Portable 3 1Bedrock MortarsPostholes 1 1 1Bedrock MortarsStakeholes 11 5 19 a 10 8b

C HANDSTONES 7 2 6 2 1 1 3 1 1 2DPESTLES 9 1 7 4 3 1E POUNDERS 1 6 1F POLISHING PEBBLESG WORKED COBBLES 2 1 2 3 2HAXES 1 1I GROOVED STONES

Shaft Straightener 5 1 5 4 2 1 2Cutmarked Slabs 3 1 3 2 2

Pattern- Incised 4 1 1Other 1 2 1

J PERFORATED STONES 1 2 1 2K STONE VESSELS 2 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 1L MUL TIPLE TOOLS 1 1 1 1 3 1MDEBITAGE 3 2 13 2 2 1 1N UNIDENTIFIABLE 36 8 34 17 4 4 9 12 1 2 5 4 2

Phase totals 87 17 81 28 23 6 22 15 34 11 28 3 17 14 13 4

Site totals 279 76 17 32

Key to phases NotesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface (a) 6 of these features have interior rims

(b) 1 of these features has wide interior rim

92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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92 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

411 Jilat 7

The Jilat 7 ground stone assemblage is the largest Itprovides unique information on ground stone techno-logy a result of (1) intensive use of an exotic material(basalt) which made it easy to identify unworkednodules and debitage and (2) recovery techniqueswhich emphasised collection of basalt flakes and frag-ments In Wadi el-Jilat limestones are the only locallyavailable stones appropriate for ground stone toolsHowever more than 80 of the Jilat 7 artifacts were ofbasalt The nearest basalt sources are at Azraq and WadiMujib at least 45 km distant As material for groundstone tools basalt has certain advantages chieflydurability (Speth 1972) It is noteworthy that even thelargest items (eg grinding slabs) were made to be smalland light This is probably due to the use of an importedmaterial and raises questions about whether basalt wasdeliberately sought for its physical properties orwhether it reflects the catchment exploited by a mobilegroup (Gould and Saggers 1985 117f)

There is good evidence for on-site modification (andpossibly manufacture) of ground stone artifacts Smallflakes of basalt were found along with unworked basaltfragments which may be from nodules transported tothe site for manufacture However large blocks andlarge flaked or pecked cores are absent

The assemblage is dominated by grooved stonesespecially shaft straighteners which are numerouscompared to PPNB assemblages from woodland villages(Wright 1993) An intriguing item is a rectangularcobble with 2628 grooves cut parallel and at right-angles to a larger groove (Fig lOa) It suggestscalendrical or mathematical ( ) functions and isreminiscent of Neolithic objects elsewhere (Cluzan1984 123 Perrot 1951 172f)

Artifacts from early and late phases in areas A and Creveal remarkably similar tool type frequencies from theEarly to the Middle PPNB (Table 3) In each phasethere is a single saddle-shaped grinding slab severalsmall handstones cylindrical pestles five shaft straight-eners three cutmarked slabs and a few small stonevessels or vessel fragments The chief differencesbetween the two phases are (1) the presence of possiblebedrock mortars (or stakepostholes) in the early phase(Fig 2b) and (2) more evidence for manufacture in thelate phase (debitage pounders) In the early phase agrinding slab and a long handstonepestle were placedadjacent to the south side of wall A12 (north-west cornerof area A) In the late phase handstones and a grindingslab were cached adjacent to the north-east side of wallC20 (north-west sector of area C) (Fig 2b)

Altogether the finds from these phases suggesthousehold toolkits and caching of some items inprovisional storage areas within or adjacent to housesThe activities suggested by the artifacts include plant

Figure lOa Engraved calendar plaque from Jilat 7areaA early phase Scale = 5 em

Table 3 Figurines and pillars from Jilat Neolithic sites

Site W7 W 13

Area AreasA+C Area B Areas A-CPhase E M L S L EM L S

A FIGURINESFlaked Plaque 2 1 1

ViolinArrow

Anthropomorphic 1Animal 2

Phallic 1Pseudo- Figurines 4 5 6B PILLARS

Pecked ConicalPhallic

Anthropomorphic

Phase totals 2 1 1 1 5 7 10 2

Site totals 6 24

Key to phasesE = early M = middle L = late S = surface

processing modification of hunting equipment but-chery and ground stone tool manufacture Someethnoarchaeological research indicates that numbers ofgrinding slabs are proportional to numbers of economi-cally-active women in agricultural households andtherefore may be an indicator of the social compositionof prehistoric groups (Hayden and Cannon 198481) Ifso the area A and C caches may imply use of thesestructures by nuclear families

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 93

412 Jilat 26

Seventeen ground stone artifacts were found at this siteEight were a cluster of bedrock mortars or stake-holes inarea E -(Fig 3 4d) The remaining items included abifacial rectilinear handstone on tabular flint a basalthandstonepestle fragment a grooved and flaked lime-stone axe or cutting tool a basalt vessel fragment andtwo grooved stones The rarity of basalt grinding toolscontrasts with the assemblage at Jilat 7

413 Jilat 13

There is no evidence for on-site modification ormanufacture of basalt items in Jilat 13 Domesticgrindingpounding tools are rare considering the areaexposed in excavation a pattern consistent with LNsites elsewhere (Wright 1993) Handstones and pestlesare few in number A large masonry slab set in the upperphase pavement was roughened at its centre and mayhave been used as a grinding surface (see quern Fig5d) A fragment of a second potential grinding slab wasincorporated in this same pavement Many of the earlyphase features resembling bedrock mortars mayhave served as stake or postholes (Fig 5b)

The early phase pavement contained the broken andseparated halves of a disc-shaped slab of fine pinklimestone (probably derived from close to the Dabbamarble sources seebelow) This had been perforatedat its centre and may have served as a post socket prior toits reuse in the pavement The most numerous portableartifacts were vessel fragments In the early phase thesewere all of basalt whilst in the late phase all but one werefragments of thin-walled limestone bowls The artifactsindicate the same general range of activities seen at Jilat7 but other evidence suggests that domestic activitiescannot fully account for the buildings function (see422)

414 Jilat 25

Thirty-two ground stone artifacts were found at Jilat 25The buildings early phase primary fill contained eightpossible bedrock mortars or stakepostholes (Fig 6b)one hands tone and one cutmarked slab Most portableartifacts came from the later primary fill and includedtwo handstones two shaft straighteners one disk onevessel fragment and a miniature mortar and pestle Thelate phase rubble fill contained a spindle whorl and amedium-sized complete limestone bowl

Raw materials are about equally divided between locallimestones and flints and non-local basalt and sand-stone Sandstone artifacts are about as frequent as basaltbut none of the sandstone items are complete enough tobe identifiable There is no direct evidence for on-sitemanufacture

Figure lOb Pillar statue from Jilat 13 area A late phaseScale = 15em

42 Figurines and Pillars (Table 3)

421 Jilat 7

Six artifacts classified as figurines were recoveredfrom areas A-C at Jilat 7 All but one are small limestoneitems flaked on sides and edges to form flat plaquesusually in rectilinear shapes and sometimes with smallhafts at one end These items are of obscure functionbut may have had decorative or ritual significance

422 Jilat 13

Twenty-one figurines were recovered from Jilat 13These include a possible anthropomorphic form aphallic figurine and an arrow-shaped figurine Ofspecial interest was a group often figurines found in thelate phase Six should be described as pseudo-figurines since they were natural flint nodules whichseem likely to have been collected because of theirsuggestive shapes resembling an anthropomorphicfigure a quadruped animal a phallus a mollusc and acrescent Associated with these was a true animalfigurine made from tabular flint The head and limbswere shaped by flaking and small incisions were made onthe body (formed from cortex) as if to indicate atextured coat

Three large pillars of masonry size were modified so asto suggest statues (for position see Figs 5c 5d) Onemay be anthropomorphic It is broken but has longshallow parallel grooves on the body and a reliefdecoration with incisions which may possibly representa hand (Fig lOb) (cf Nevali Cori Yakar 1991 fig 144p 313) The other modified pillars are a pecked conicalone supported in a bedrock pit and a pillar with a groovepossibly representing a phallus

94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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94 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Table 4 Stone beads from Jilat Neolithic sites

WJ 7 WJ 13 WJ 26 WJ 25

A DABBA MARBLEBLANKSUNFINISHED 3 58 44

FINISHED BEADSDisc 6 34 32Ring 11 34 19

Cylindrical 6Barrel 47 14

Pendant 11 1Fragment 3 16 1

B OTHER RAW MATERIALSBLANKSUNFINISHED 5

FINISHED BEADSDisc 4 5 35Ring 17 16 14

Cylindrical 7Barrel 8

Pendant 2Bracelet 7

Totals 51 242 169

43 Stone Beads (Table 4)

At three sites stone beads of Dabba marble (recrys-tallised apatitic limestone) were recovered along withlarge quantities of manufacturing debris The Dabbamarble occurs in green red and black colours Thesource of Dabba marble is located 10-15 km west ofthe Jilat sites in an area c 15km in diameter Othermaterials used included flint chalk white marblesilicified sandstone quartzite calcite and turquoiseThe following discussion focuses only on the finishedbeads and bead blanks The preliminary typologyconsists of disc beads (thin circular with small centralperforations) ring beads (thin circular with largecentral perforations) cylindrical beads (cylindricalwith large central perforations) barrel-shaped beads(sub-cylindrical with small central perforations) pen-dants (beads with off-centre perforations) bracelets

431 Jilat 7

Fifty-one beads were recovered from Jilat 7 and roughlyhalf were made from Dabba marble and the remain-der from limestone chalk and silicified sandstone Outof the 23 Dabba marble beads 17were finished beadsof ring and disc shapes and three were unfinished beadblanks The items recorded as silicified sandstone beadswere small naturally perforated stones which arethought to have been imported from outside the Jilatarea

432 Jilat 13

Jilat 13 yielded the largest bead assemblage (n = 242)More than 80 of the beads were of Dabba marbleMany of these were unfinished bead blanks Thefinished Dabba marble beads divided roughly equallyinto barrel disc and ring types Eleven pendants werealso found made from this material Beads were alsomade from flint white marble quartzite and calciteMost of these were of ring type and only a small numberwere found in the form of blanks One bead was madeof turquoise which is likely to have derived from theSinai

433 Wadi Jilat 25

Jilat 25 contained beads of similar forms to those in Jilat13Barrel beads were however lessnumerous More than65 were made from Dabba marble As at Jilat 13evidence for on-site manufacture of Dabba marblebeads was much greater than that for on-site fashioningfrom other materials

The bead workshops recovered from these three sites(and Azraq 31 Wright in Baird et al 1992) are uniqueFinished limestone beads are documented at many largeNeolithic village sites but the full range of manufactur-ing debris has been described only for Yiftahel (Garfin-kel 1987) Quantitative comparison of material fromYiftahel and the Jilat sites is instructive At Yiftahel twobeads and 16pieces of debris were recovered At the Jilatsites more than 400 beads and over 2700 grams of rawmaterial have been retrieved Preliminary sorting andclassificationmiddotof the material by colour and manufactur-ing stage suggests that some beads may have beenimported in finished form to specific sites Thesefindings raise intriguing questions about bead produc-tion for exchange (Wright 1992b)

5 Worked bone assemblage (Louise Martin)

51 Jilat 7

A total of four pieces of worked bone were recoveredfrom the 1984and 1987-88 excavations at Jilat 7 Of thefour one piece derives from the Early PPNB levels inarea C whilst the other three are from the Middle PPNBdeposits of squares 4 and 5 (see Garrard et al 1986 17-18)

This small collection consists of two point fragmentsone by-product of bead manufacture and a piece ofdrilled bone

The two point fragments (one Early and one MiddlePPNB) are similar they both taper evenly are circularin cross-section and have both ends missing so that theoriginal forms are impossible to determine Longitudi-

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 95

-GJ-a

o ems

b

2

c

f

-1- d

IJ)

-~-e

o ems 3

Figure 11 Worked bone from Jilat Neolithic sites

nal surface striations suggest that the bones were workedby scraping with flint implements (Campana 1987 114)

The piece interpreted as a bead waste-product (FiglId) is the distal end of a fox metapodial The shaft ofthe metapodial has been circumscribed with a sharpimplement providing evidence for the groove andbreak method previously noted for both beads andbead by-products (Martin in Baird et al 1992 22)

The last piece is a fragment of longbone shaft (speciesand element indeterminate) which apart from a singledrilled hole shows no other evidence of working Thepiece is too incomplete to identify its original form

52 Jilat 13

There are thirty-eight pieces of worked bone from thethree areas (A B C) at Jilat 13The majority are beadswhilst bead by-products points and needles are presentin smaller numbers Table 5 shows the counts for eachcategory in the three Early LN phases of the site

521 Beads

All of the twenty beads are cylindrical and they havebeen divided into two size groups medium (Fig11 ab) and small (Fig IIc) This refers to thediameter of the beads rather than the length whichvaries Although it is impossible in most cases todetermine which specieselements the bone comes from

it is thought that the medium -sized beads were made onlong-bone or phalanx shafts of either medium or small-sized species (eg sheepgoatgazelle or harefox respec-tively) whilst small beads were made on thinnerelements of the smaller species only

Some of the beads show evidence of having been cutfrom bone shafts by the groove and break method(described by Martin in Baird et al 1992 22) Manyhowever have such highly smoothed and polishedsurfaces and ends that signs of their method ofmanufacture have been obscured

The Jilat 13 bead assemblage differs from that fromLN levels at Azraq 31 (op cit) in that it contains a higherproportion of shorter smoother and more roundedforms Although this type occurs at Azraq 31 the

Table 5 Numbers of worked bone types from Jilat 13 byphase

Beads BeadPhase med sm by-prod Points Needles Misc TOTALLate 5 1 3 10Middle 5 1 1 2 9Early 8 2 4 3 2 19

TOTAL 18 2 6 7 4 38

96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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96 LEVANT XXVI 1994

majority are longer and straighter with roughersurfaces and ends

522 By-products of bead manufacture

There are six pieces which fall into this category Threebeing the distal ends of gazelle first phalanges two haredistal tibias and one a segment of the proximal shaft of ahare tibia They had all been cut at one end using thegroove and break method in which the bone wasclearly circumscribed with a sharp implement prior tobreakage If the interpretation of these pieces as bead by-products is correct then their presence at Jilat 13wouldinfer on-site bead production

523 Points

Of the seven bone points found only two are completeThe others are broken at either one or both ends makingtheir original forms impossible to determine

One point was fabricated from the proximal end of amedium-sized herbivore tibia (Fig 11f) and twoothers were made on the proximal metapodials of asimilar sized species It is not possible to make an exactidentification of the ones from which the others weremade but all appear to be shaped on long-bones ofmedium -sized animals

These pieces are characterised by having unevenlytapered points This suggests they were worked by thescraping action of flint implements as opposed to beingground against an abrasive material which tends toproduce a smoother more even although often facet-ted finish (Campana 1987 114) The presence of finestriations running along the length of the point supportsthis suggestion

524 Needles

Four pieces fall into this category and they are allbroken at either one or both ends They are thinelongated tapering and solid forms two of which havesmall holes drilled through their wider ends (see FiglIe) The maximum width of these pieces ranges from17 mm to 23 mm

525 Miscellaneous

The one uncategorized example is a small flat strip ofparallel-sided long-bone with one end rounded Theobject is broken making interpretation of its originalform or function difficult

6 Worked shell assemblage (adapted from DavidReese)

A list of the marine and freshwater molluscs obtainedfrom the Jilat Neolithic sites is given in Table 6 Most

Table 6 Marine and freshwater shells from Jilat sites

Species source WJ 7 WJ 26 WJ 13 WJ 25

Melanopsis sp fro gast 14 2Unio sp fro biv 3Conus sp MSRS gast 6 50 7Nerita sp RS gast 2 2Ancilla sp RS gast 1Engina sp RS gast 3Cowrie MSRS gast 1Cerastoderma sp MS biv 3Cockle MSRS biv 1Pinctada sp RS biv 9 1(Mother of Pearl) MSRS biv 13 3Dentalium sp MSRS sea g

Legend MS = Mediterranean RS = Red Sea fr = Freshwatergast = gastropod biv = bivalve sea = scaphopod

showed evidence of modification for use as beads orornaments and it will be seen that the marine speciesderive from both the Mediterranean and Red Seas Ifone compares the assemblages with those obtained fromEpipalaeolithic sites in Wadi el-Jilat (Reese 1991)certain temporal trends are apparent Dentalium shellsare relatively abundant at each of the Epipalaeolithicsites as well as in the PPNB levels at Jilat 7 but areabsent from the Late Neolithic sites By contrast Conusshells only appear in the PPNB and worked mother ofpearl which mainly derives from oysters and particu-larly from Pinctada sp only in the Late Neolithic Themother of pearl was cut into quite intricate designs(cf Gebel et al 1987 127)

7 Ochre

Traces of ochre were found af~ach of the Neolithic sitesbut at Jilat 13a number oftabJlar flint nodules and coreswere found which appear to ha~e been used as palettes inthe preparation and applicatiod of ochre

8 Pottery

No evidence for unbaked or bakedfired clay artifactswas found in Neolithic levels at these sites

9 The faunal remains (Louise Martin DimitraMylona and Adrienne Powell)

Preliminary results of archaeozoological studies on thefaunal remains from the Jilat Neolithic sites excavated in

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Bar-Yosef 0 Gopher A and Nadel D (1987) TheHagdud Truncation a new tool type from the SultanianIndustry at Netiv Hagdud the Jordan ValleyMitekufatHaeven 20 151-157

Behrensmeyer AK (1978) Taphonomic and ecologicinformation from bone weathering Paleobiology 42150-162

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Betts A et ale ( 1990) The BurquRuweishid Projectpreliminary report on the 1988field seasonLevant 22 1-20

Brain CK (1981) The Hunters or the Hunted University ofChicago Press Chicago

Brezillon M (1983) La denomination des objets de pierretaillee CNRS Paris

Byrd BF (1992) The dispersal of food production acrossthe Levant Pp 49-61 in Transitions to Agriculture inPrehistory ed AB Gebauer and TD Price PrehistoryPress Madison

Byrd BF and Banning EB (1988) Southern LevantinePier Houses intersite architectural patterning duringthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic B Paleorient 141 65-72

Campana DV (1987) The Manufacture of Bone Tools inthe Zagros and the Levant MASCA Journal 43 110-123

Cluzan S (1984) LOutillage et lesPetits Objets en PierrePp 111-124 in Fouilles Recentes a Khirokitia (Chypre)1977-1981 ed A LeBrun Editions Recherche sur lesCivilisations Paris

Colledge sM (in press) Report on the plant remains fromDhuweila In A Betts ed The Harra and the HamadEdwin Mellen Press Lampeter

Cribb R (1991) Nomads in Archaeology CambridgeUniversity Press

Crowfoot Payne J (1983) The Flint industries of JerichoPp 716-723 in Excavations at Jericho Vol 5 ed KKenyon and T Holland British School of Archaeologyin Jerusalem London

Digard J-P (1981) Techniques des nomades baxtyiiri dIranCambridge University Press

Donaldson ML (1985) The plant remains Pp 96-104 inExcavations at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bvillageof CAinGhazal (Jordan) 1983 by GO Rollefson et ale MDOG117

Driesch A von den (1976) A Guide to the Measurement ofAnimal Bonesfrom Archaeological Sites Peabody MuseumBulletin 1 Harvard University

Flannery K ( 1972) The origins of the village as asettlement type in Mesoamerica and the Near East acomparative study Pp 23-53 in Man settlement andurbanism eds PJ Ucko R Tringham and GWDimbleby Duckworth London

Garfinkel Y (1987) Bead Manufacture on the Pre-PotteryNeolithic B Site of Yiftahel Mitekufat Haeven 20 79-90

Garrard AN (1985) The Faunal Remains Pp 39-49 inBlackDesert Survey Jordan Third Preliminary Reportby A Betts Levant 17 39-49

Garrard A Byrd B and Betts A (1986) Prehistoricenvironment and settlement in the Azraq Basin aninterim report on the 1984excavation seasonLevant 185-24

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Garrard A Colledge S Hunt C and Montague R(1988) Environment and Subsistence During The LatePleistocene and Early Holocene in the Azraq BasinPaleorient 142 40-49

Gebel HG et al (1987) Preliminary report on the firstseasonof excavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic siteof Basta Pp 101-134 in The Prehistory of Jordan vol 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Gopher A (1985) Flint industries of the Neolithic period inIsrael Unpublished PhD thesis Hebrew UniversityJerusalem

-- (1989) Neolithic arrowheads of the Levant resultsand implications of a seriation analysis Paleorient 15143-56

-- (1990) Mujahiya an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bsite in the Golan Heights Tel Aviv 17 115-143

Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

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Hayden B and Cannon A (1984) The Structure ofMaterial Systems Ethnoarchaeology in the Maya High-lands Society for American Archaeology Papers No3Washington

Helbaek H ( 1966) Pre-Pottery Neolithic farming atBeidha a preliminary report Pp 61-66 in Five seasonsatthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic village of Beidha by DKirkbride PEQ 98

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Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 97

Table 7 The number and percentages of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from JiZat 7 by area and phase

WJ7 areas amp phases

AC AC B BSpecies Early Middle Middle MidLate TOTAL

PPNB PPNB PPNB PPNBn n n n n

gazelle 141 37 129 47 100 27 43 46 413 37med herb 7 2 16 6 3 lt1 2 2 28 2hare 158 41 92 33 168 45 41 44 459 41small cat 1 lt1 1 lt1canid 1 lt1 2 2 3 lt1fox 24 6 24 9 45 12 6 6 99 9rodent 2 lt1 1 lt1 7 2 10 lt1bird 1 lt1 2 lt1 3 lt1tortoise 49 13 14 5 44 12 107 10

TOTAL 381 277 371 94 1123

Table 8 The number of identifiableanimal bonefragments(NISP) from Jilat 26 by area

WJ26 areas (all Middle PPNB)Species A B C D E TOTAL

gazelle 3 1 4hare 3 2 7fox 1 1

TOTAL 0 6 4 12

1987-88 are presented in chronological order beginningwith the earliest In each case the tables give raw countsof the number of identified specimens (NISP)

91 Jilat 7

Out of the 1123 identifiable bones from this PPNBsequence those belonging to gazelle and hare dominatemaking up 37 and 41 of the total respectivelyRemains of fox wolfdogjackal small cat tortoise androdent and bird species are represented by smallernumbers (Table 7)

The relative proportions of individual species varyconsiderably across areas and through phases forexample gazelles constitute 47 of area Ae MiddlePPNB levels whilst forming only 27 of the MiddlePPNB deposits in area B The general trends howeverremain the same throughout the site A comparison ofthese results with those from the earlier excavations atJilat 7 (Garrard et ale 1988 46) shows only a slight

variation in species representation The earlier sound-ings produced two bones of large herbivore one ofwhich was identifiable to Bos primigenius whereas nolarge herbivores were present in the 1987-88 assemblage

The absence of caprines from Jilat 7 is notable andsupports the suggestion that wild sheep and goats werenot generally present in the Jilat area (Garrard andMartin in Baird et ale 1992 28-29)

92 Jilat 26

Despite the extensive areas excavated at this site only 12identifiable bones were retrieved (Table 8)

The sample is obviously too small for any discussion ofthe species spectrum or the relative proportions ofspecies Instead it may be of interest to ask why the siteyielded so little bone is this paucity related to cultural ortaphonomic factors

Three possible reasons have been considered for theabsence of bone ( 1) animal refuse was originallydeposited on-site but has since disappeared due toweathering or the chemical action of the soil (2) animalrefuse was originally deposited on-site but carnivoreactivity has severely diminished the remains or (3) theoccupants of the site deposited most of their animalrefuse off-site

In relation to the first point although highlyfragmented the preservation of bone material from Jilat26 is no worse than that from the neighbouringNeolithic sites where remains are far more abundantWeathering from processes such as deflation andextremes of temperature and moisture (Behrensmeyer1978) tends to produce a highly splintered and frag-

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

98 LEV ANT XXVI 1994

mented assemblage in which the proportion ofunidenti- fiable bones will be high The percentage of unidentifia-ble bones at Jilat 26 is similar to that at Jilat 7 13 and 25As at these sites compact bones such as phalangesmetapodials and proximal radii are the best preservedelements (cf Brain 1981)It was also noted that thesurfaces of the bones from Jilat 26 do not appear to beetched and the splintered edges have remained sharpimplying that theremiddot has not been corrosion fromchemical action within the soil

In relation to the second point there are no signs ofcarnivore gnawing in the Jilat 26 assemblage and nofragments which appear to have been digested (Payneand Munson 1986)although it is always possible thatscavengers could have transported bone away from thesite

From the combined evidence it is tentatively suggest-ed that the quantity of bone originally deposited withinthe areas excavated at Jilat 26 was actually less than atmany of the other Jilat sites and that this factoraccounts for the small number of identifiables

93 Jilat 13

Out of the three excavated areas only the material fromareas Band C has so far undergone analysis and theresults presented here are based on the work of Mylona(1992)and Powell ( 1992)Since areas Band C representan arbitrary division of the site and the phasing betweenthem is equivalent they have been analysed together(Table 9)

This EarlyLN assemblage is dominated by caprineand gazelle bones which where separable constitute20 and 18 of the collection respectively Hare is alsocommon making up 24 of the total Large herbivoresare sparse although remains of both equids and bovidsare present Other species represented in smallernumbers are fox wolfdogjackal small cat large catbadger hedgehog tortoise and birds

Approximately half of the caprine material is identifi-able to either sheep or goat Table 9 shows that in eachphase sheep remains are at least twice as frequent asthose of goat (with an average of 7 against the 3 ofgoat) The question of whether these caprine remainsbelonged to wild or domestic populations is discussedbelow

94 Jilat 25

A small sample of 176 identifiable bones was retrievedfrom this Early LN site (Table 10) Caprine remainsdominate the assemblage constituting 59 Of these16 were diagnostic of sheep whilst only 1 belong togoat A discussion of the caprine remains is given belowGazelle bones are much less frequent (5 ) than they areat the roughly coeval site of Jilat 13 where they make up

Table 9bull The number and percentages oj identijable animalbonejragments (NISP) from Jilat 13 areas B and C~shown byphase

WJ13 BC phases (all Early LN)Early Middle Late TOTAL

Species n n n n equid 3 lt1 lt1 lt1 5 lt1cattle 5 lt1 5 lt1large herb 1 lt1 1 lt1 2 lt1med herb 555 23 195 24 266 26 1016 24sheepgoat 245 10 93 12 82 8 420 10sheep 152 6 68 8 59 6 279 7goat 56 2 31 4 24 2 111 3gazelle 462 19 135 17 142 14 739 18hare 524 22 188 23 293 29 1005 24fox 96 4 27 3 37 4 160 4small canid 14 lt1 3 lt1 6 lt1 23 lt1small cat 51 2 17 2 29 3 97 2large cat 2 lt1 1 lt1 3 lt1badger 14 lt1 1 lt1 11 1 26 lt1hedgehog 53 2 19 2 32 3 104 2bird 72 3 14 2 14 1 100 2rodent 19 lt1 2 lt1 5 lt1 26 lt1tortoise 74 3 6 1 7 lt1 87 2

TOTAL 2398 801 1009 4208

Table 10 The number of identifiable animal bone fragments(NISP) from Jilat 25~shown by phase

WJ 25 phases (both Early LN)TOTAL

Species Early Late n medherb 25 2 27 15sheepgoat 71 3 74 42sheep 27 1 28 16goat 1 1 2 100gazelle 6 3 9 5hare 21 7 28 16fox 2 1 3 200hedgehog 1 1 lt100bird 2 2 100rodent 1 1 lt1tortoise 1 1 lt1

TOTAL 158 18 176 10000

18 of the total Hare is again relatively important(16 of the total fragments) and fox hedgehog birdand tortoise remains are present in smaller numbersLarge herbivore bones were not found at Jilat 25 as they

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 99

were at Jilat 13 albeit in low frequencies The smallsample size at Jilat 25 however does not allow a validcomparison to be made between the two sites

95 The Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 caprines

The criteria used for identifying domestic sheep andgoats has been much discussed (Meadow 1989 Horwitz1989) and include morphological evidence (encom-passing size change) demographic changes within thespecies species spectrum change zoogeographic evi-dence and the inferences of pathology The caprineremains from Jilat 13 and Jilat 25 will be brieflyexamined i~ relation to these points (for a full discussionsee Martin i forthcoming)

Firstly 1)orn-cores are poorly preserved and cannotbe used to ssess morphological variation The metricaldata available are very few due to the highly fragmentednature of the material That which doesmiddot exist forexample for sheep astragalus (Table 11) shows animalswhich fall within the size range of other archaeologicalmaterial which is assumed to be from populationsisolated from wild groups (Uerpmann 1978 43 figure1) The Jilat 13 measurements are smaller than those ofboth the late Pleistocene and early Aceramic Neolithicsheep and of the recent wild sheep examples given byUerpmann

In the case of Jilat 13 goats only a single distalmetacarpal could be metrically compared with bonesfrom other Levantine sites This bone measured asfollows metacarpal distal width = 26middot6 width medcondyle = 12middot2 width med trochlea = 9middot91 width latcondyle = 11middot6 width lat trochlea = 9middot49 Whencompared with the measurements plotted by Horwitz(1989 166 figure 5) this bone is seen to be thinner thanthe PPNB and earlier examples and to cluster with themajority of Early Bronze Age and recent goat bonesalthough the cluster itself overlaps the range of recentwild goat and recent ibex

The metrical data are obviously too few to beconclusive although the use of a standard animal index

Table 11 Metrical data in mm for sheep astragalusfromJilat 13 (measurements follow von den Driesch 1976) Allphases are Early LN

sitephase GLI GLm Dl Dm Bd

WJ13 Late 29middot3 27middot4 16middot0 17middot1 16middot4WJ13 Late 31middot1 29middot6 18middot6 20middot6WJ13 Middle 30middot3 28middot9 17middot5 17middot1 15middot5WJ13 Early 30middot3 28middot9 18middot9 17middot7 19middot8WJ13 Early 28middot4 16middot4 17middot5WJ13 Early 28middot1 26middot9 17middot7

(Uerpmann 1979) and the difference of logarithmstechnique (Meadow 1983) for analysing all the caprinemeasurements may produce more meaningful results inthe future

A high frequency of pathology which may be used toinfer human protection of animals such as thatdescribed by Kohler- Rollefson (1987) for the cAinGhazal goats is lacking from the Jilat sites Only onecaprine second phalanx from Jilat 13 shows any sign ofpathology

The most convincing argument for the Jilat 13 andJ ilat 25 caprines belonging to herded populations comesfrom the late Pleistoceneearly Holocene species spec-trum patterns in the area and their associated zoogeo-graphic implications Garrard and Martin (in Baird et al1992 28-29) have recently reviewed the prehistoricevidence for caprines in eastern Jordan They report thatthe Epipalaeolithic sites in both Wadi el-Jilat (limestoneregion) and the Azraq oasis have produced only threecaprine bones out of a total of more than 15000identifiable fragments Early and Middle PPNB sites inthe Wadi el-Jilat contain no caprines (see Jilat 7 above)whilst the Late PPNB site of Azraq 31 contains only twoout of a small sample of 56 bones Although earlycaprines have been identified from the lava belt (from aNatufian site 50 km north of Azraq and from a PPNBsite 70 km to its east Garrard 1985) the evidencequoted above suggests that wild sheep and goatibexwere generally not present in the limestone zoneFollowing this line of argument the appearance ofcaprines in the two Early LN samples and theirrelatively high percentages in the assemblages (20 atJilat 13 and 59 at Jilat 25) strongly implies that theywere introduced by human groups

96 Discussion

From the preliminary results outlined above it is arguedthat caprine herding was being practised in the Wadi el-Jilat by the early sixth millennium BC There is possiblya gap in the Jilat sequence in the half millenniumpreceeding this which prevents us from determiningwhether herding may have begun in this region slightlyearlier The evidence from Late PPNB Azraq 31(Martin in Baird et al 1992) remains ambiguous

Kohler- Rollefson (1992) has suggested that herdersfrom agricultural settlements in the lusher areas ofJordan for example CAin Ghazal began to utilize thesteppe area on a seasonal basis in the PPNC (from c6250 BC) In view of this suggestion it is interesting tonote that sheep far outnumber goats at Jilat 13 and Jilat25 whereas the caprine remains in the broadly coevalassemblage from CAinGhazal are all from goat (Kohler-Rollefson et al 1988) Cull patterns and seasonalitystudies of the Jilat caprines will allow further examin-ation of this issue

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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Rollefson GO (1988) Stratified burin classes at AinGhazal implications for the Desert Neolithic of JordanPp 437-449 in The Prehistory of Jordan ed A Garrardand H Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Rollefson GO and Kohler-Rollefson I (1989) Thecollapse of Early Neolithic settlements in the southernLevant Pp 73-89 in People and Culture in Change ed IHershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Ronen A (1984) Sefunim prehistoric sites Mount CarmelIsrael BAR S230 Oxford

Roodenberg JJ (1986) Le mobilier en pierre de BouqrasNederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Is-tanbul61

Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

100 LEVANT XXVI 1994

It is also notable that game animals (particularlygazelle and hare) continue to form a substantial part ofthe Jilat Late Neolithic assemblages

10 The botanical remains (Susan Colledge)

101 Aims of the archaeobotanical research

Analyses of the charred plant remains found within theoccupation deposits of the Jilat sites were undertakenwith the aim of investigating plant based subsistenceduring the PPNB and LN periods The outstandingquestions for these sites related both to the use of andpossible cultivation of domestic cereal crops in an areawhich today does not support rain-fed agriculture andalso to the extent of exploitation of wild plant resourcesThe cluster of sites around the wadi ranging in datefrom Early PPNB to Early LN provided an excellentopportunity to monitor any changes in subsistencepatterns throughout this period

The analyses have not yet been completed and onlypreliminary results are presented in this article (thework forms part of the doctoral research of the authorand fuller accounts of all aspects touched on in thisarticle will be given there) Many problems inherent toany study of plant remains from early agrarian sites inthe Near East were encountered during the analysesTwo such problems are described in this brief summaryThe first relates to the taphonomy of charcoal at the sitesand the second to the ambiguity of interpretations ofancient weed floras

102 Preservation of charcoal (= charred tree and shrubwood charred seeds and parenchymatous tissue) at the sites

In an attempt to investigate the variability of depositionand preservation of plant material in the Jilat sitesaverage charcoal densities per unit volume of excavateddeposits were calculated (Table 12) These showed thatthe two sites with the deepest stratigraphies Jilat 7 and13 also had the greatest densities of charred plantmaterial The densities and numbers of identifiableplant items (seeds chaff nuts etc) for each sample fromthese two sites were plotted in the form of bar charts(Figs 12ab)

The bar charts for Jilat 13area BC and Jilat 7 squares5-8 showed an apparent trend for greater densities in thedeeper stratified samples Most of the samples weretaken from general occupation fills (only three hearthswere sampled--denoted by H on the figure) and so thedifferences in charcoal densities are unlikely to beaccounted for by contextual differences alone The trendmay reflect actual differences in the rates of productionor deposition of charcoal at the sites either because therewere fewer burning activities in the later phases or

Table 12 Charcoal densities from Jilat Neolithic sites(average values)

Charcoal Number NumberSite Area Cultural density ident taxa Number

Phase ccl itemsI sample samples

PPNBWJ7 A early 0middot71 0middot50 18 4

C early 0middot63 16B mid 1middot92 1middot04 18 8

5-8 mid 10middot11 4middot96 20 12

WJ26 A mid 0middot02 2E mid 0middot02 8

Early LNWJ25 mid 0middot09 12

WJ13 A early-mid 0middot39 14BC early 3middot31 62middot15 23 18BC mid 3middot60 22middot75 24 3BC late 1middot16 3middot92 16 7

because of greater dilution of the charring caused by amore rapid accumulation of sediments during thisperiod The differences in densities could equally well beexplained by differential preservation of charcoalbetween the upper and lower phases Any activityresulting in attrition for example trampling on thesurfaces at any time after the deposition of charcoalwithin the sediments would cause fragmentation of thefragile plant material reducing lumps to a fine powderwhich would then be undetectable if the remains wererecovered by water flotation Continual wetting anddrying episodes would also damage the charcoal frag-ments It could be that the deeper layers on the sites wereafforded more protection from extraneous destructiveforces

The questions surrounding these taphonomic pro-cesses remain unanswered at present It would be naiveto approach any archaeobotanical assessment of earlysites such as Jilat 7 and 13 without an awareness of thepossibility of preservational biases

It is interesting to note that the hearth featurescontained relatively low densities of charcoal in com-parison to the occupation fills

103 Comments on the plant remains

Jilat 25 and 26

The samples from both sites contained mostly woodcharcoal A few charred seeds and Pistacia sp nut shellfragments were found in samples from Jilat 25

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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-- (1984) Seasonality among Neolithic hunter-gatherersin Southern Sinai Pp 145-160 in Animals and Archaeo-logy Vol 3 ed J Clutton-Brock and C Grigson BARS202 Oxford

Bar-Yosef 0 Gopher A and Nadel D (1987) TheHagdud Truncation a new tool type from the SultanianIndustry at Netiv Hagdud the Jordan ValleyMitekufatHaeven 20 151-157

Behrensmeyer AK (1978) Taphonomic and ecologicinformation from bone weathering Paleobiology 42150-162

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( 1987b) A preliminary survey of Late Neolithicsettlements at el-Ghirqa Eastern Jordan Proceedings ofthe Prehistoric Society 53 327-336

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Byrd BF (1992) The dispersal of food production acrossthe Levant Pp 49-61 in Transitions to Agriculture inPrehistory ed AB Gebauer and TD Price PrehistoryPress Madison

Byrd BF and Banning EB (1988) Southern LevantinePier Houses intersite architectural patterning duringthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic B Paleorient 141 65-72

Campana DV (1987) The Manufacture of Bone Tools inthe Zagros and the Levant MASCA Journal 43 110-123

Cluzan S (1984) LOutillage et lesPetits Objets en PierrePp 111-124 in Fouilles Recentes a Khirokitia (Chypre)1977-1981 ed A LeBrun Editions Recherche sur lesCivilisations Paris

Colledge sM (in press) Report on the plant remains fromDhuweila In A Betts ed The Harra and the HamadEdwin Mellen Press Lampeter

Cribb R (1991) Nomads in Archaeology CambridgeUniversity Press

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Digard J-P (1981) Techniques des nomades baxtyiiri dIranCambridge University Press

Donaldson ML (1985) The plant remains Pp 96-104 inExcavations at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bvillageof CAinGhazal (Jordan) 1983 by GO Rollefson et ale MDOG117

Driesch A von den (1976) A Guide to the Measurement ofAnimal Bonesfrom Archaeological Sites Peabody MuseumBulletin 1 Harvard University

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Garfinkel Y (1987) Bead Manufacture on the Pre-PotteryNeolithic B Site of Yiftahel Mitekufat Haeven 20 79-90

Garrard AN (1985) The Faunal Remains Pp 39-49 inBlackDesert Survey Jordan Third Preliminary Reportby A Betts Levant 17 39-49

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Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

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Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 101

Charcoal Densities - WJ7Early - Middle PPNB

8--

Area A

~CD 1C0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

---------

Area B

H

Sq 5-8

30

25

20 ~Q5c00

15 E~Q15

10 0Z

2--

Ab25a A34b B39a B36b B41 a B33a 5 28 A 7 28 A 527 A 7 27 A 8 25 A 8 18 BA34a A35a B36a B40b B43a B32a 6 28 A 8 28 A 6 27 A 8 27 A 5 23 A

Samples - gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12a Wadi el-Jilat Site 7 charcoal densities Early-Middle PPNB

Charcoal Densities - WJ13 BICEarly Late Neolithic

1067344 vii 1473 iv

300

250

4

5

3

~ 7 --------

CDC 6 -----0)E3(5gtcooo(ijc()

2

Hvi

v

vi

ix

vi

vii

___lv

vi

vi

--------ii

H

200 ~

CDc-enE

150 ~

Q0

100 ~

50

o810sa C82a C93a 871a 871b 70b 873a C56e B69a

Bna C91 871a 871a C7Da C76a C75a B69a C66b C94

Samples -gt decreasing depth

I0 Charcoal volume _ No of items

Figure 12b Wadi el-Jilat Site 13 B C charcoal densities Early Late Neolithic

o

102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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102 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Jilat 7 and 13

A provisional list of taxa present in the different phasesof the sites is given in Table 13

1031 Cereals

The suffix type has been added to the species names asan indication of the limitations of identifications whichinevitably are based only on comparisons with presentday cereals Several other factors made identification ofthe Jilat cereal grains problematic Preservation of thespecimens was fairly poor and on many of the grains thedistinguishing morphological features were either ob-scured or absent Validation of identifications requiredintra- and inter-species comparisons but low numbers ofgrains from the two sites (Jilat 7 17 wheat grains and 49barley grains Jilat 13 18 wheat grains and 54 barleygrains) meant that fewer such comparisons could bemade and therefore some identifications were lesscertain

Wild and domestic einkorn (T boeoticum type and Tmonococcum type) were found in samples from both sitesThe Wadi el- Jilat area is well outside the range ofprimary habitats for the wild species As a weed it isfound in a great many diverse situations (Zohary 1971239) The wild einkorn may have arrived at the siteswith the grains of the domestic crop Further to the eastat the site of Dhuweila grains of the wild species werefound in PPNB contexts and here no domestic cerealswere identified (Colledge in press) Domestic einkornwas recorded in PPNB contexts at Jericho (Hopf 1983)Domestic emmer (T dicoccum type) was identified atboth Jilat sites This cereal has already been recordedfrom several other PPN sites in Jordan at Basta (Neef1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) CAinGhazal (Donaldson1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Spikelet forks andglume bases from both hulled wheats were found alongwith the grains and as with the grains the numbers of

chaff items were small Contrary to what was stated inthe preliminary report on the Jilat 7 plant remains(Garrard et al1988) no free threshing wheats have beenidentified from the site

Wild and domestic barley grains and rachis internodeswere found in both sites (H spontaneum type and Hsativum type) Wild barley has a much wider distributionthan the wild wheats (Zohary 1971 246) and itstolerance to drought has allowed for its spread in to thedrier steppes and semi-deserts In the Jilat area it mayhave occurred in both primary and secondary habitatsAs with the wild einkorn it could have been introducedas a weed with the domestic crop Of the few betterpreserved domestic grains all were recorded as beingsymmetrical (ie were from the median floret in thespikelet) It is likely therefore that the barley was thetwo-row hulled variety Hordeum distichum has beenidentified at Basta (Neef 1988) CAin Ghazal (Donald-son 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) in PPN contextsOne grain from the late phase at Jilat 13 was tentativelyidentified as naked barley The grain was noticeablymore rounded than the hulled specimens At JerichoHopf dismissed the few small naked grains found withthreshing remnants in a PPNB sample and stated thatthey could not be regarded as part of a proper nakedbarley crop but were more likely to represent kernalsfrom an unsuccessful mutation (1983 584) Helbaekdescribed the transverse wrinkling on a grain impressionin plaster from the PPNB houses at Beidha as beingcharacteristic of the naked variety of domestic barley(1966 62)

1032 Legumes

One poorly preserved seed tentatively identified to thegenus Cicer (chick pea) was found in a Middle PPNBcontext at Jilat 7 Cicer arietinum the domestic species ofchick pea was found in PPNB contexts at CAin Ghazal

Table 13 List of taxa in the samples

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BC BC BCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

Triticum boeoticum type grains x x x xTriticum monococcum type grains x x x x xTriticum dicoccum type grains x x x xTriticum spp (glume wheat) chaff x x x xHordeum spontaneum type grains x x x x x xHordeum spontaneum type chaff x x x x x xHordeum sativum type grains x x x x x xHordeum sativum type chaff x x x x xHordeum sativum naked type grains x

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 103

Table 13-Continues

Site WJ7 WJ13Area A B 5-8 BjC BjC BjCCultural Early Mid Mid Early Mid Latephase PPNB Early LN

CEREALS

Culm nodes x x x x xBasal culm fragments x x x

GRASSESAvena spp x x x x xBromus spp x x x xEremopyrum sp x x x x x xHordeum spp (weed) x x x x x xLolium spp x x xPhalaris spp x x x x xStipa spp x x x x x

OTHER TAXA (alph order by family)Aizoon sp x x xPistacia sp x x x x x xArnebia decumbens x x x x x xArnebia linearifolia x x x x xBuglossoides arvensis x x x xHeliotropium sp x x xArenaria sp x x x xCapparis sp x x x x x xAtriplex sp x x x x xSuaeda sp xSpiral embChenopodjCapparis emb x x x x xSingle loop ChenopodjincCrucifer xCalendula sp xCarthamus sp x xCentaurea spp x x xAlyssum sp xCruciferae spp x xScirpus sp xCyperaceae sp xFumaria sp x x x xErodium spp x x x x x xTeucrium sp x xcf Cicer sp xLens sp x x x xVicia cfervilia xViciajLathyrus spp x x x xLegume indet( large) x x x x x xMedicago cf radiata x xSmall legumes indet x x x x x xLiliaceae spp x x x x x xMalva sp x x x xFicus sp x x x xPapaver sp x xPlantago sp x x x x xAndrosace maxima x x xAdonis sp x x x x x xcf Prunus sp x x xGalium sp xSherardia sp xVerbascum sp x x

104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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104 LEVANT XXVI 1994

(Donaldson 1985) and Jericho (Hopf 1983) Lentils(Lens sp) were found in contexts from both sites Therewere too few specimens to allow for a distinction to bemade between the wild and domestic status of the taxonLens culinaris the domestic species of lentil wasidentified in PPNB samples at Jericho (Hopf 1983) Aslightly angular seed of what was thought to be Viciaervilia was found in a Middle PPNB context at Jilat 7Many other specimens of large seeded legumes werefound at both sites but poor preservation preventedidentification beyond the levels of ViciaLathyrus spp orindeterminate large legumes

1033 Fruits

Fig pips (Ficus sp) were found in all contexts from theEarly and Middle PPNB phases at Jilat 7 and in the earlyphase at Jilat 13 The presence of this fruit has beenrecorded at Basta (Neef 1988) and CAin Ghazal(Donaldson 1985) in PPN contexts Charred nutshellfragments of species of Pistacia were common in samplesfrom both sites Pistacia atlantica has been identified atBasta (Neef 1988) Beidha (Helbaek 1966) and CAinGhazal (Donaldson 1985) In all contexts at Jilat 13there were fragments offruitstone which have tentative-ly been identified to the genus Prunus (adequatereference material was not available to allow for a moredefinite identification and it is possible that thespecimens could derive from a species of Cerasus) Thelandscape around Wadi el-Jilat is denuded and no treesgrow in the vicinity of the sites today The presence ofthese fruits at the sites would suggest that the trees werewithin easy reach during the PPNB and Early LNperiods Deforestation has cleared large areas of theMiddle East and in the steppic regions regeneration ofthe arb-orealcover has been impeded because of moisturedeficiency and soil erosion (Zohary 1973 652) Zoharypoints out that the protected sacred and shade trees seenin bare landscapes today are relicts of past woodland (opcit 617-9) Evidence from charcoal studies on NearEastern and Middle Eastern sites indicates that in theearly Neolithic period forest-steppe dominated byPistacia and Amygdalus penetrated into what is nowsteppe (Willcox 1991)

1034 Other taxa

Many species of the wild taxa recorded from both sitescould have been used as food Plants could have beencollected for their leaves eaten as pot herbs or salads fortheir edible roots and for their fruitsseeds It does notnecessarily follow however that the presence in asample of the seeds of a certain species is an indicationthat the plant was collected for the purpose ofconsumption of its leaves or roots Many of the plantswhose leaves are eaten would be dry and brittle by the

Table 14 Presence of vegetative storage organs in JilatNeolithic samples

DicotjSite Cultural Monocot Monocot Dicot Monocot

Phase Tuber Tuber Root Rhizome

PPNBWJ7 early x

mid x xlate x x

Early LNWJ13 early x x

late x

time of seeding Presence of seeds of wild species merelyindicates what resources were available

There is direct evidence for the use of roots and tubersat the Jilat sites Hather identified fragments of charredparenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 samples and subse-quent work by the author has added to the list ofvegetative storage organs found on both sites (Table 14)Descriptions of two fragments for which Hather wasable to suggest a family identification are given here

Jilat 7 (6-28-A)

This fragment of well-preserved tissue is composedentirely of parenchyma with no vascular tissue The cellsare ovoid in shape about 50by 100microns in size Theyare well rounded with large intercellular air spaces andhave slightly thickened cell walls This type of tissue isconsistent with that of charred Cyperaceae tubers A fewareas of the fragment are a little vesicular but themajority is well preserved and consistent with thecharring of such tubers after some period of drying (Fig13a)

Jilat 7 (8-28-A)

This fragment is well preserved although the effects ofcharring have left some of the tissue badly damaged Thecells are rectangular in shape 40 by 80 microns in sizeThe cell walls are unthickened and the intercellular airspaces are small A fragment of an isolated xylem vesselwas found in the tissue each element of which rangedfrom being shorter than it was broad to more or lessbarrel-shaped and about 40 microns across The vesselswere reticulately thickened with random pitting Thefeatures of this tissue anatomical and artefactual areconsistent with the roots of the family cf Cruciferae(Fig 13b)

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

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GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 105

Figure 13a Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCyperaceae tuber

Figure 13b Charred parenchymatous tissue from Jilat 7 cfCruciferae root

104 Interpretation of the weed floras

The ecological preferences (habitat and growth require-ments etc) of the wild taxa associated with an ancientcrop provide information about the methods of cultiva-tion of that crop The first stage in any analysis requiresidentification of the weed species which would havebeen growing in the cultivated fields For the Jilat sitesthis initial step was far from straightforward

Of relevance to any study of assemblages of seeds ofwild plant species found on early agrarian sites in theNear East are the points made by Zohary (1973 647) indiscussion of the origins of segetal and ruderal species inthe area He states that the largest centre of the localweeds is the eastern and southern fringe of theMediterranean territory and the adjacent Mediterran-eanlrano- Turanian borderland (referring to theMediterranean and Irano- Turanian plant-geographicalregions) This area abounds in herbaceous plants whichgrow either in Mediterranean semi-steppes or Irano-Turanian steppes and of which he comments For a

great many of them one can hardly decide whether theyare primary or secondary there (op cit 648) Wadi elJilat is in this critical area and presumably during theperiod of occupation of the sites in what Zohary callsthe early segetal era the group of taxa he refers to asamp hitopic segetals (those which today occur in fields orin primarynatural habitats) were entering the newlyopened fields Many of the taxa found in the Jilatsamples could have been present both in cultivated fieldsand in the steppe and consequently there were noobvious obligatory segetals

The issues surrounding the question of possibleindigenous cultivation of cereals in the area are not yetresolved

105 Summary

The lists of taxa represented at the two sites of Jilat 7 and13 are not significantly different The same cerealspecies are being used throughout the PPNB and EarlyLN periods Elsewhere in the southern Levant there waswidespread abandonment of PPNB sites at a periodwhen there was degradation of the landscape by overuse(Kohler- Rollefson 1988) Whether or not cultivationwas indigenous in the Jilat area the means of supplyingthe sites with cereal crops did not apparently changesignificantly at the end of the PPNB period Whateveragricultural regime was in practice at the end of thePPNB appeared to have continued unhindered in theEarly LN

11 Conclusions

The sedimentological context and the animal and plantremains from the Jilat Neolithic sites are indicative of asteppic environment It is likely that there were seasonalwater resources in the valley and the presence of theproducts of fig pistachio and PrunusCerasus in manyoccupations indicates that there may have been arborealvegetation growing along the wadi (cf the present-dayWadi Amra 35 km to the north) Small quantities ofwild and domestic-type einkorn and barley as well aschaff were found from late eighth millennium BCcontexts onwards and domestic emmer and lentils fromthe early seventh millennium BC Although the chaffsuggests that final processing may have been undertakenlocally we are unable to determine if the cereals weregrown nearby It is possible that they were importedfrom the west and that the wild -type seeds arrivedfortuitously as weeds of cultivation It it hoped thatfurther analysis of the animal and plant material willenable us to obtain a clearer idea of the localenvironment

The animal remains from the Early and MiddlePPNB occupations at Jilat 7 26 and 32 (for Jilat 32 see

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

Bibliography

Baird D (1987) A preliminary analysis of the chippedstone from the 1985 excavations at Tell esh-ShunaNorth ADAJ 31 461- 480

-- (1993) Neolithic chipped stone assemblages from theAzraq Basin Jordan and the significance of the Neolithic ofthe arid zones of the Levant Unpublished PhD thesisUniversity of Edinburgh

-- (nda) Chipped stone production in the Neolithic ofEastern Jordan temporal developments and communityrelationships Paper from First Workshop on PPNChipped Lithic Industries Berlin April 1993

-- (ndb) Raw material procurement and selection inthe Neolithic Azraq Basin implications for LevantineNeolithic cultural developments In Studies in the Historyand Archaeology of Jordan vol 5 ed S Tell Amman

Baird D Garrard A Martin L and Wright K (1992)Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the AzraqBasin An Interim Report on the 1989 ExcavationSeason Levant 24 1-31

Banning EB and Kohler-Rollefson I (1992) Ethnogra-phic lessons for the pastoral past camp locations andmaterial remains near Beidha Southern Jordan Pp 181-204 in Pastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Bar-Yosef O (1981) The Pre Pottery Neolithic periodin the Southern Levant Pp 555-569 in Prehistoire duLevant ed J Cauvin and P Sanlaville ColloquesInternationaux du CNRS No 598 Maison de lOrientLyon

-- (1984) Seasonality among Neolithic hunter-gatherersin Southern Sinai Pp 145-160 in Animals and Archaeo-logy Vol 3 ed J Clutton-Brock and C Grigson BARS202 Oxford

Bar-Yosef 0 Gopher A and Nadel D (1987) TheHagdud Truncation a new tool type from the SultanianIndustry at Netiv Hagdud the Jordan ValleyMitekufatHaeven 20 151-157

Behrensmeyer AK (1978) Taphonomic and ecologicinformation from bone weathering Paleobiology 42150-162

Betts A (1987a) Recent discoveries relating to theNeolithic periods in eastern Jordan Pp 225-240 inStudies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan Vol3 edA Hadidi Amman

108 LEVANT XXVI 1994

( 1987b) A preliminary survey of Late Neolithicsettlements at el-Ghirqa Eastern Jordan Proceedings ofthe Prehistoric Society 53 327-336

-- ( 1988) 1986Excavations at Dhuweila eastern Jordana preliminary report Levant 20 7-21

Betts A et ale ( 1990) The BurquRuweishid Projectpreliminary report on the 1988field seasonLevant 22 1-20

Brain CK (1981) The Hunters or the Hunted University ofChicago Press Chicago

Brezillon M (1983) La denomination des objets de pierretaillee CNRS Paris

Byrd BF (1992) The dispersal of food production acrossthe Levant Pp 49-61 in Transitions to Agriculture inPrehistory ed AB Gebauer and TD Price PrehistoryPress Madison

Byrd BF and Banning EB (1988) Southern LevantinePier Houses intersite architectural patterning duringthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic B Paleorient 141 65-72

Campana DV (1987) The Manufacture of Bone Tools inthe Zagros and the Levant MASCA Journal 43 110-123

Cluzan S (1984) LOutillage et lesPetits Objets en PierrePp 111-124 in Fouilles Recentes a Khirokitia (Chypre)1977-1981 ed A LeBrun Editions Recherche sur lesCivilisations Paris

Colledge sM (in press) Report on the plant remains fromDhuweila In A Betts ed The Harra and the HamadEdwin Mellen Press Lampeter

Cribb R (1991) Nomads in Archaeology CambridgeUniversity Press

Crowfoot Payne J (1983) The Flint industries of JerichoPp 716-723 in Excavations at Jericho Vol 5 ed KKenyon and T Holland British School of Archaeologyin Jerusalem London

Digard J-P (1981) Techniques des nomades baxtyiiri dIranCambridge University Press

Donaldson ML (1985) The plant remains Pp 96-104 inExcavations at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bvillageof CAinGhazal (Jordan) 1983 by GO Rollefson et ale MDOG117

Driesch A von den (1976) A Guide to the Measurement ofAnimal Bonesfrom Archaeological Sites Peabody MuseumBulletin 1 Harvard University

Flannery K ( 1972) The origins of the village as asettlement type in Mesoamerica and the Near East acomparative study Pp 23-53 in Man settlement andurbanism eds PJ Ucko R Tringham and GWDimbleby Duckworth London

Garfinkel Y (1987) Bead Manufacture on the Pre-PotteryNeolithic B Site of Yiftahel Mitekufat Haeven 20 79-90

Garrard AN (1985) The Faunal Remains Pp 39-49 inBlackDesert Survey Jordan Third Preliminary Reportby A Betts Levant 17 39-49

Garrard A Byrd B and Betts A (1986) Prehistoricenvironment and settlement in the Azraq Basin aninterim report on the 1984excavation seasonLevant 185-24

Garrard A Betts A Byrd B and Hunt C (1987)Prehistoric environment and settlement in the Azraq

Basin an interim report on the 1985excavation seasonLevant 19 5-25

Garrard A Colledge S Hunt C and Montague R(1988) Environment and Subsistence During The LatePleistocene and Early Holocene in the Azraq BasinPaleorient 142 40-49

Gebel HG et al (1987) Preliminary report on the firstseasonof excavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic siteof Basta Pp 101-134 in The Prehistory of Jordan vol 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Gopher A (1985) Flint industries of the Neolithic period inIsrael Unpublished PhD thesis Hebrew UniversityJerusalem

-- (1989) Neolithic arrowheads of the Levant resultsand implications of a seriation analysis Paleorient 15143-56

-- (1990) Mujahiya an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bsite in the Golan Heights Tel Aviv 17 115-143

Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

Gould RA and Saggers S (1985) Lithic Procurement inCentral Australia a Closer Look at Binfords Idea ofEmbeddedness in ArchaeologyAmerican Antiquity 501117-136

Hayden B and Cannon A (1984) The Structure ofMaterial Systems Ethnoarchaeology in the Maya High-lands Society for American Archaeology Papers No3Washington

Helbaek H ( 1966) Pre-Pottery Neolithic farming atBeidha a preliminary report Pp 61-66 in Five seasonsatthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic village of Beidha by DKirkbride PEQ 98

Hopf M (1983) Jericho plant remains Pp 576-621 inExcavations at Jericho Volume 5 ed KM Kenyon andTA Holland British School of Archaeology in Jerusa-lem London

Horwitz LK ( 1989) A Reassessment of CaprovineDomestication in the Levantine Neolithic Old Ques-tions New Answers Pp153-181 in People and Culture inChange Part 1 ed I Hershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Kohler-Rollefson I (1987) Goat Husbandry in Jordanfrom a Diachronic Perspective Paper presented at ASORMeeting Proceedings of the Workshops on AncientMediterranean Foodsystems 1982-1985

-- (1988) The aftermath of the Levantine Neolithicrevolution in the light of ecological and ethnographicevidence Paleorient 141 87-93

-- (1992) A Model for the Development of NomadicPastoralism on the Transjordanian Plateau Pp 11-18 inPastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Kohler-Rollefson I Gillespie W and Metzger M(1988) The fauna from Neolithic CAinGhazal Pp 423-430 in The Prehistory of Jordan Part 2 ed AN Garrardand HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Kramer C (1979) An archaeological view of a contempo-rary Kurdish village domestic architecture householdsize and wealth Pp 139-163 in Ethnoarchaeology ed CKramer Columbia University Press

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 109

Martin LA (forthcoming) The Faunal Remains fromEpipalaeolithic and Neolithic Sites in Eastern Jordan PhDThesis University of Sheffield

McCartney CJ (1992) Preliminary report on the 1989excavations at Site 27 of the BurquRuweishid ProjectLevant 24 33-54

Meadow RH (1983) The Vertebrate faunal remains fromHasanlu Period X at Hajji Firuz Pp 369-422 in HasanluExcavation Report Volume 1 ed MM Voigt Philadel-phia University Monograph 50 Philadelphia

Meadow RH (1989) Osteologicalevidence for the processof animal domestication Pp 80-90 in The WalkingLarder ed J~Clutton-Brock Unwin Hyman London

Mylona D (1992) Late Neolithic Economy in Wadi el-JilatNorth-East Jordan Unpublished MSc dissertationUniversity of Sheffield

Neef R (1988) Note on the palaeobotanical remains Pp132 in Preliminary report on the first season ofexcavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Bastaby HG Gebel et al In The Prehistory of Jordan Part 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396

Nissen H Muheisen M and Gebel H (1987) Report onthe first two seasons of excavation at Basta (1986-1987)ADAJ 31 79-119

Payne S and Munson P] (1985) Ruby and How ManySquirrels The Destruction of Bones by Dogs Pp 31-39in Palaeobiological Investigations research design methodsand data analysis ed NRJFieller DD Gilbertson andNGA Ralph BAR S266 Oxford

Perrot J (1951) La Terrasse del-Khiam Pp 134-178 inLe Paleolithique et Ie Mesolithique du Desert de Judee ed RNeuville Archives de LInstitut de Paleontologie Hu-maine Memoire No 24 Paris

Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

Powell A (1992) An Analysis of the Animal Bones from AreaB Wadi el-Jilat 13 a Late Neolithic Site from NortheastJordan Unpublished MSc dissertation University ofSheffield

Reese D (1991) Marine shells in the Levant UpperPalaeolithic Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Pp 613-628in The Natufian Culture in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosefand FR Valla Prehistory Press Madison

Rollefson GO (1988) Stratified burin classes at AinGhazal implications for the Desert Neolithic of JordanPp 437-449 in The Prehistory of Jordan ed A Garrardand H Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Rollefson GO and Kohler-Rollefson I (1989) Thecollapse of Early Neolithic settlements in the southernLevant Pp 73-89 in People and Culture in Change ed IHershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Ronen A (1984) Sefunim prehistoric sites Mount CarmelIsrael BAR S230 Oxford

Roodenberg JJ (1986) Le mobilier en pierre de BouqrasNederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Is-tanbul61

Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

106 LEVANT XXVI 1994

Baird et ale 1992 26) are dominated by gazelle hare foxand tortoise No caprine remains were recovered It wasreported in Baird et all (1992 28-29) that amongst c5000 bones identified from five Upper and Epi-Palaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat and a further c6000 bones from the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh 435 km to the north only two caprine bones have beenidentified The combined evidence strongly implies thatwild sheep and goat were not a common species in thelimestone terrain of the south -west Azraq Basin between20000 and 6500 BC Their appearance in substantialnumbers in the Early LN occupations (c 6000 BC) atJilat 13 (20 ) and 25 (59 ) is thought to relate to thbeginnings ofcaprine herding in the steppe Unfortuna-tely we do not have any definite Late PPNB occupationin Wadi el-Jilat and are therefore unable to determinewhether caprine herding began slightly earlier (ie inthe late seventh millennium BC) Late PPNB levelswere found at Azraq 31 which lies 55 km to the north-east of Wadi el-Jilat but the bone data is ambiguousTwo caprine bones were found amongst 56 identifiablesfrom secure contexts The Early LN levels at the samesite which are thought to be contemporary with theearly phase at Jilat 13 contained substantial number ofcaprine bones (Baird et ale 1992 25-26)

Although we are still unclear whether caprine herdingbegan in the Jordanian steppe in the latter half of theseventh or the beginning of the sixth millennium BCthe faunal evidence described above helps to reduce thetheoretical speculation surrounding the beginnings ofarid zone pastoralism in this region Zarins (1990)suggested that the spread of PPNB settlement into theSyrian and Jordanian steppe may have been linked to thebeginnings of pastoralism The evidence from Jilatdemonstrates that the region was in fact being exploitedby PPNB populations well before pastoral products wereavailable Rosen (1988) postulated that animal herdingin the Negev and Sinai did not develop until the very lateNeolithic (fifth millennium BC) However he lackeddata from sixth millennium BC contexts and it ISpossible that excavations at such sites will reveal similartrends to those in eastern Jordan

Rollefson and K6hler- Rollefson (1989) have arguedthat arid-zone pastoralism may have been initiated bygroups from mixed farming villages in the westernLevant They have pointed out that early arable andpastoral practices may have led to environmentaldegradation around PPNB villages and that this mayhave been alleviated by seasonally herding the livestockaway from areas of cultivation (ie into the steppe) Thewidespread abandonment of mid-and late-seventhmillennium BC villages in the southern Levant isblamed on poor resource management In contrast Byrd( 1991) has suggested that the first domestic animals ineastern Jordan may have been procured by the hunter-

gatherers who inhabited the steppe He postulates thatland colonisation by farmers in the west may have forcedadditional hunter-gatherers into the arid lands Thismay have compelled local groups to diversify andintensify their means of subsistence Studies of thearchitecture and material culture of the steppic popula-tions suggests local continuity but there are alsofeatures which are closely comparable with finds fromvillage sites lying to the west As today there are likely tohave been close links between these communities

The dwellings found at the Jilat sites were mainlycircular or oval subterranean with flimsy sub-struc-tures built from upright slabs Upper walls and roofs arelikely to have been constructed from organic materialsMost had internal features such as hearths andpartitions and some had features which could haveserved as benches or storage platforms Those from theEarly LN are substantially larger than the structuresfrom the PPNB suggesting use by larger co-residentgroups or by individuals with livestock Certain of theartifacts and features found in the early Late Neolithiclevels at Jilat 13 suggest that the structure had a rolewhich extended beyond the pure domestic The flimsynature and contents of the dwellings suggest seasonalrather than permanent use It is hoped that studies of theanimal and plant remains may provide further informa-tion on this Overall the Jilat structures share muchmore in common with contemporary dwellings in otherarid areas of the southern Levant than with the well-built plaster-lined buildings in villages to the westThere were however stylistic similarities between thetwo rectangular structures at Jilat 26 and the pier housesin the PPNB of the western Levant This particular sitemay have been inhabited for a fairly short time as plantand animal remains were unusually scarce and theinventory of worked stone (excluding chipped stone)shell and bone artifacts was extremely limited

Ground stone pounding and grinding equipment atthe Jilat sites was less prolific and substantial than thatfound in contemporary settlements to the west (Wright1993) Although potential bedrock mortars were disco-vered portable items (grinding stones mortars) weresmall and lightweight reinforcing the notion of mobilepopulations Jilat 7 contained a relatively high propor-tion of shaft straighteners suggesting that hunting wasof some importance (Wright 1993) As at western sitessuch as cAin Ghazal there appeared to be less millingequipment in sixth millennium BC than in earlieroccupations It should be noted that flint sickles wereextremely rare only being found in Jilat 7

The chipped stone industries from Jilat demonstratethat traditions developed in the PPNA of the southernLevant continued into the Early PPNB Major develop-ments occurred in the assemblages from the study areain the Middle PPNB At this time there was a large scale

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

Bibliography

Baird D (1987) A preliminary analysis of the chippedstone from the 1985 excavations at Tell esh-ShunaNorth ADAJ 31 461- 480

-- (1993) Neolithic chipped stone assemblages from theAzraq Basin Jordan and the significance of the Neolithic ofthe arid zones of the Levant Unpublished PhD thesisUniversity of Edinburgh

-- (nda) Chipped stone production in the Neolithic ofEastern Jordan temporal developments and communityrelationships Paper from First Workshop on PPNChipped Lithic Industries Berlin April 1993

-- (ndb) Raw material procurement and selection inthe Neolithic Azraq Basin implications for LevantineNeolithic cultural developments In Studies in the Historyand Archaeology of Jordan vol 5 ed S Tell Amman

Baird D Garrard A Martin L and Wright K (1992)Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the AzraqBasin An Interim Report on the 1989 ExcavationSeason Levant 24 1-31

Banning EB and Kohler-Rollefson I (1992) Ethnogra-phic lessons for the pastoral past camp locations andmaterial remains near Beidha Southern Jordan Pp 181-204 in Pastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Bar-Yosef O (1981) The Pre Pottery Neolithic periodin the Southern Levant Pp 555-569 in Prehistoire duLevant ed J Cauvin and P Sanlaville ColloquesInternationaux du CNRS No 598 Maison de lOrientLyon

-- (1984) Seasonality among Neolithic hunter-gatherersin Southern Sinai Pp 145-160 in Animals and Archaeo-logy Vol 3 ed J Clutton-Brock and C Grigson BARS202 Oxford

Bar-Yosef 0 Gopher A and Nadel D (1987) TheHagdud Truncation a new tool type from the SultanianIndustry at Netiv Hagdud the Jordan ValleyMitekufatHaeven 20 151-157

Behrensmeyer AK (1978) Taphonomic and ecologicinformation from bone weathering Paleobiology 42150-162

Betts A (1987a) Recent discoveries relating to theNeolithic periods in eastern Jordan Pp 225-240 inStudies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan Vol3 edA Hadidi Amman

108 LEVANT XXVI 1994

( 1987b) A preliminary survey of Late Neolithicsettlements at el-Ghirqa Eastern Jordan Proceedings ofthe Prehistoric Society 53 327-336

-- ( 1988) 1986Excavations at Dhuweila eastern Jordana preliminary report Levant 20 7-21

Betts A et ale ( 1990) The BurquRuweishid Projectpreliminary report on the 1988field seasonLevant 22 1-20

Brain CK (1981) The Hunters or the Hunted University ofChicago Press Chicago

Brezillon M (1983) La denomination des objets de pierretaillee CNRS Paris

Byrd BF (1992) The dispersal of food production acrossthe Levant Pp 49-61 in Transitions to Agriculture inPrehistory ed AB Gebauer and TD Price PrehistoryPress Madison

Byrd BF and Banning EB (1988) Southern LevantinePier Houses intersite architectural patterning duringthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic B Paleorient 141 65-72

Campana DV (1987) The Manufacture of Bone Tools inthe Zagros and the Levant MASCA Journal 43 110-123

Cluzan S (1984) LOutillage et lesPetits Objets en PierrePp 111-124 in Fouilles Recentes a Khirokitia (Chypre)1977-1981 ed A LeBrun Editions Recherche sur lesCivilisations Paris

Colledge sM (in press) Report on the plant remains fromDhuweila In A Betts ed The Harra and the HamadEdwin Mellen Press Lampeter

Cribb R (1991) Nomads in Archaeology CambridgeUniversity Press

Crowfoot Payne J (1983) The Flint industries of JerichoPp 716-723 in Excavations at Jericho Vol 5 ed KKenyon and T Holland British School of Archaeologyin Jerusalem London

Digard J-P (1981) Techniques des nomades baxtyiiri dIranCambridge University Press

Donaldson ML (1985) The plant remains Pp 96-104 inExcavations at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bvillageof CAinGhazal (Jordan) 1983 by GO Rollefson et ale MDOG117

Driesch A von den (1976) A Guide to the Measurement ofAnimal Bonesfrom Archaeological Sites Peabody MuseumBulletin 1 Harvard University

Flannery K ( 1972) The origins of the village as asettlement type in Mesoamerica and the Near East acomparative study Pp 23-53 in Man settlement andurbanism eds PJ Ucko R Tringham and GWDimbleby Duckworth London

Garfinkel Y (1987) Bead Manufacture on the Pre-PotteryNeolithic B Site of Yiftahel Mitekufat Haeven 20 79-90

Garrard AN (1985) The Faunal Remains Pp 39-49 inBlackDesert Survey Jordan Third Preliminary Reportby A Betts Levant 17 39-49

Garrard A Byrd B and Betts A (1986) Prehistoricenvironment and settlement in the Azraq Basin aninterim report on the 1984excavation seasonLevant 185-24

Garrard A Betts A Byrd B and Hunt C (1987)Prehistoric environment and settlement in the Azraq

Basin an interim report on the 1985excavation seasonLevant 19 5-25

Garrard A Colledge S Hunt C and Montague R(1988) Environment and Subsistence During The LatePleistocene and Early Holocene in the Azraq BasinPaleorient 142 40-49

Gebel HG et al (1987) Preliminary report on the firstseasonof excavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic siteof Basta Pp 101-134 in The Prehistory of Jordan vol 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Gopher A (1985) Flint industries of the Neolithic period inIsrael Unpublished PhD thesis Hebrew UniversityJerusalem

-- (1989) Neolithic arrowheads of the Levant resultsand implications of a seriation analysis Paleorient 15143-56

-- (1990) Mujahiya an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bsite in the Golan Heights Tel Aviv 17 115-143

Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

Gould RA and Saggers S (1985) Lithic Procurement inCentral Australia a Closer Look at Binfords Idea ofEmbeddedness in ArchaeologyAmerican Antiquity 501117-136

Hayden B and Cannon A (1984) The Structure ofMaterial Systems Ethnoarchaeology in the Maya High-lands Society for American Archaeology Papers No3Washington

Helbaek H ( 1966) Pre-Pottery Neolithic farming atBeidha a preliminary report Pp 61-66 in Five seasonsatthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic village of Beidha by DKirkbride PEQ 98

Hopf M (1983) Jericho plant remains Pp 576-621 inExcavations at Jericho Volume 5 ed KM Kenyon andTA Holland British School of Archaeology in Jerusa-lem London

Horwitz LK ( 1989) A Reassessment of CaprovineDomestication in the Levantine Neolithic Old Ques-tions New Answers Pp153-181 in People and Culture inChange Part 1 ed I Hershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Kohler-Rollefson I (1987) Goat Husbandry in Jordanfrom a Diachronic Perspective Paper presented at ASORMeeting Proceedings of the Workshops on AncientMediterranean Foodsystems 1982-1985

-- (1988) The aftermath of the Levantine Neolithicrevolution in the light of ecological and ethnographicevidence Paleorient 141 87-93

-- (1992) A Model for the Development of NomadicPastoralism on the Transjordanian Plateau Pp 11-18 inPastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Kohler-Rollefson I Gillespie W and Metzger M(1988) The fauna from Neolithic CAinGhazal Pp 423-430 in The Prehistory of Jordan Part 2 ed AN Garrardand HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Kramer C (1979) An archaeological view of a contempo-rary Kurdish village domestic architecture householdsize and wealth Pp 139-163 in Ethnoarchaeology ed CKramer Columbia University Press

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 109

Martin LA (forthcoming) The Faunal Remains fromEpipalaeolithic and Neolithic Sites in Eastern Jordan PhDThesis University of Sheffield

McCartney CJ (1992) Preliminary report on the 1989excavations at Site 27 of the BurquRuweishid ProjectLevant 24 33-54

Meadow RH (1983) The Vertebrate faunal remains fromHasanlu Period X at Hajji Firuz Pp 369-422 in HasanluExcavation Report Volume 1 ed MM Voigt Philadel-phia University Monograph 50 Philadelphia

Meadow RH (1989) Osteologicalevidence for the processof animal domestication Pp 80-90 in The WalkingLarder ed J~Clutton-Brock Unwin Hyman London

Mylona D (1992) Late Neolithic Economy in Wadi el-JilatNorth-East Jordan Unpublished MSc dissertationUniversity of Sheffield

Neef R (1988) Note on the palaeobotanical remains Pp132 in Preliminary report on the first season ofexcavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Bastaby HG Gebel et al In The Prehistory of Jordan Part 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396

Nissen H Muheisen M and Gebel H (1987) Report onthe first two seasons of excavation at Basta (1986-1987)ADAJ 31 79-119

Payne S and Munson P] (1985) Ruby and How ManySquirrels The Destruction of Bones by Dogs Pp 31-39in Palaeobiological Investigations research design methodsand data analysis ed NRJFieller DD Gilbertson andNGA Ralph BAR S266 Oxford

Perrot J (1951) La Terrasse del-Khiam Pp 134-178 inLe Paleolithique et Ie Mesolithique du Desert de Judee ed RNeuville Archives de LInstitut de Paleontologie Hu-maine Memoire No 24 Paris

Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

Powell A (1992) An Analysis of the Animal Bones from AreaB Wadi el-Jilat 13 a Late Neolithic Site from NortheastJordan Unpublished MSc dissertation University ofSheffield

Reese D (1991) Marine shells in the Levant UpperPalaeolithic Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Pp 613-628in The Natufian Culture in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosefand FR Valla Prehistory Press Madison

Rollefson GO (1988) Stratified burin classes at AinGhazal implications for the Desert Neolithic of JordanPp 437-449 in The Prehistory of Jordan ed A Garrardand H Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Rollefson GO and Kohler-Rollefson I (1989) Thecollapse of Early Neolithic settlements in the southernLevant Pp 73-89 in People and Culture in Change ed IHershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Ronen A (1984) Sefunim prehistoric sites Mount CarmelIsrael BAR S230 Oxford

Roodenberg JJ (1986) Le mobilier en pierre de BouqrasNederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Is-tanbul61

Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 107

increase in the proportion of burins and particularly inthe incidence of truncation burins Drill bits on burinspalls bifacials and obliquely backed blades also ap-peared Although the density of burins is not as great asthat from some of the burin sites in the basalt steppe(Betts 1987a) the developments which occurred in Jilatclearly relate to the burin site phenomenon Betts(1987a) claimed that burin sites were the product ofpastoralists but the examples from the Middle PPNB inJ ilat predate the inception of pastoralism in this regionClear continuity can be demonstrated between the laterMiddle PPNB and the Early LN in the Jilat and Azraqregions

Evidence for long distance exchange networks isprovided by the marine shell beads which derive fromthe Mediterranean and Red Sea There is a change inemphasis through the sequences from Dentalium sp toConus sp and mother of pearl Several pieces ofobsidian were found at Jilat 7 and 13These derive fromseparate sources and were produced using differentknapping strategies The material from Jilat 13is similarto obsidian from the Nemrut Dag source in easternTurkey (Baird et ale 1992 17)

It is of particular interest that the Jilat sites are locatedonly 10-15 km east of the source of Dabba marblewhich was much sought after for beads and pendantsduring the PPNB and LN The products were found asfar away as cAin Ghazal and Beidha (Hauptmann pc)to the north-west and south-west and at Azraq Burquand Dhuweila to the east (Baird et al 1992 Betts 19881990) Modest numbers of Dabba marble artifactswere found in the Middle PPNB levels at Jilat 7 butmanufacturing debris and finished beads and pendantswere present in large quantities in the Early LN levels atJilat 13and 25 It would be helpful if mineralogical workcould be undertaken on similar artifacts from Neolithicsites in Israel and Syria to determine the extent of thisexchange network

The final report on the excavations at the JilatNeolithic sites is expected to shed significant new lighton the origins of pastoralism the burin site pheno-menon and arid land adaptations between the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and the Early Phase of the LateNeolithic in the southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Antiquities of Jordanand particularly its former Directors Dr Adnan Hadidiand Dr Ghazi Bisheh for their support Ghassan Ramahiprovided invaluable help as our Department Representa-tive We would also like to thank the staff of the ShaumariWildlife Reserve for their hospitality Funds were providedfor excavation and subsequent research by the BritishAcademy British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and

History British Museum Leverhulme Foundation Re-naissance Trust Science and Engineering Research Coun-cil and Wainwright Fund Apart from the authors the teammembers were Andrew Anastasios Alison Betts BrianByrd Sarah Collins Cecilia Conati Cecilia Capezza BobErskine Michael Howley Christopher Hunt Helga KohlWilliam Lancaster Tony Lowe Catherine MaclaughlinLu McClintock Carol Palmer Dino Politis Mick Rawl-ings Dianne Rowan Nigel Sadler Caroline Sau~dersJonathan Smith Ursula Thanheiser Marcus WoodburnAbu Issa and Abu Sami

Bibliography

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-- (1993) Neolithic chipped stone assemblages from theAzraq Basin Jordan and the significance of the Neolithic ofthe arid zones of the Levant Unpublished PhD thesisUniversity of Edinburgh

-- (nda) Chipped stone production in the Neolithic ofEastern Jordan temporal developments and communityrelationships Paper from First Workshop on PPNChipped Lithic Industries Berlin April 1993

-- (ndb) Raw material procurement and selection inthe Neolithic Azraq Basin implications for LevantineNeolithic cultural developments In Studies in the Historyand Archaeology of Jordan vol 5 ed S Tell Amman

Baird D Garrard A Martin L and Wright K (1992)Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the AzraqBasin An Interim Report on the 1989 ExcavationSeason Levant 24 1-31

Banning EB and Kohler-Rollefson I (1992) Ethnogra-phic lessons for the pastoral past camp locations andmaterial remains near Beidha Southern Jordan Pp 181-204 in Pastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Bar-Yosef O (1981) The Pre Pottery Neolithic periodin the Southern Levant Pp 555-569 in Prehistoire duLevant ed J Cauvin and P Sanlaville ColloquesInternationaux du CNRS No 598 Maison de lOrientLyon

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Behrensmeyer AK (1978) Taphonomic and ecologicinformation from bone weathering Paleobiology 42150-162

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( 1987b) A preliminary survey of Late Neolithicsettlements at el-Ghirqa Eastern Jordan Proceedings ofthe Prehistoric Society 53 327-336

-- ( 1988) 1986Excavations at Dhuweila eastern Jordana preliminary report Levant 20 7-21

Betts A et ale ( 1990) The BurquRuweishid Projectpreliminary report on the 1988field seasonLevant 22 1-20

Brain CK (1981) The Hunters or the Hunted University ofChicago Press Chicago

Brezillon M (1983) La denomination des objets de pierretaillee CNRS Paris

Byrd BF (1992) The dispersal of food production acrossthe Levant Pp 49-61 in Transitions to Agriculture inPrehistory ed AB Gebauer and TD Price PrehistoryPress Madison

Byrd BF and Banning EB (1988) Southern LevantinePier Houses intersite architectural patterning duringthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic B Paleorient 141 65-72

Campana DV (1987) The Manufacture of Bone Tools inthe Zagros and the Levant MASCA Journal 43 110-123

Cluzan S (1984) LOutillage et lesPetits Objets en PierrePp 111-124 in Fouilles Recentes a Khirokitia (Chypre)1977-1981 ed A LeBrun Editions Recherche sur lesCivilisations Paris

Colledge sM (in press) Report on the plant remains fromDhuweila In A Betts ed The Harra and the HamadEdwin Mellen Press Lampeter

Cribb R (1991) Nomads in Archaeology CambridgeUniversity Press

Crowfoot Payne J (1983) The Flint industries of JerichoPp 716-723 in Excavations at Jericho Vol 5 ed KKenyon and T Holland British School of Archaeologyin Jerusalem London

Digard J-P (1981) Techniques des nomades baxtyiiri dIranCambridge University Press

Donaldson ML (1985) The plant remains Pp 96-104 inExcavations at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bvillageof CAinGhazal (Jordan) 1983 by GO Rollefson et ale MDOG117

Driesch A von den (1976) A Guide to the Measurement ofAnimal Bonesfrom Archaeological Sites Peabody MuseumBulletin 1 Harvard University

Flannery K ( 1972) The origins of the village as asettlement type in Mesoamerica and the Near East acomparative study Pp 23-53 in Man settlement andurbanism eds PJ Ucko R Tringham and GWDimbleby Duckworth London

Garfinkel Y (1987) Bead Manufacture on the Pre-PotteryNeolithic B Site of Yiftahel Mitekufat Haeven 20 79-90

Garrard AN (1985) The Faunal Remains Pp 39-49 inBlackDesert Survey Jordan Third Preliminary Reportby A Betts Levant 17 39-49

Garrard A Byrd B and Betts A (1986) Prehistoricenvironment and settlement in the Azraq Basin aninterim report on the 1984excavation seasonLevant 185-24

Garrard A Betts A Byrd B and Hunt C (1987)Prehistoric environment and settlement in the Azraq

Basin an interim report on the 1985excavation seasonLevant 19 5-25

Garrard A Colledge S Hunt C and Montague R(1988) Environment and Subsistence During The LatePleistocene and Early Holocene in the Azraq BasinPaleorient 142 40-49

Gebel HG et al (1987) Preliminary report on the firstseasonof excavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic siteof Basta Pp 101-134 in The Prehistory of Jordan vol 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Gopher A (1985) Flint industries of the Neolithic period inIsrael Unpublished PhD thesis Hebrew UniversityJerusalem

-- (1989) Neolithic arrowheads of the Levant resultsand implications of a seriation analysis Paleorient 15143-56

-- (1990) Mujahiya an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bsite in the Golan Heights Tel Aviv 17 115-143

Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

Gould RA and Saggers S (1985) Lithic Procurement inCentral Australia a Closer Look at Binfords Idea ofEmbeddedness in ArchaeologyAmerican Antiquity 501117-136

Hayden B and Cannon A (1984) The Structure ofMaterial Systems Ethnoarchaeology in the Maya High-lands Society for American Archaeology Papers No3Washington

Helbaek H ( 1966) Pre-Pottery Neolithic farming atBeidha a preliminary report Pp 61-66 in Five seasonsatthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic village of Beidha by DKirkbride PEQ 98

Hopf M (1983) Jericho plant remains Pp 576-621 inExcavations at Jericho Volume 5 ed KM Kenyon andTA Holland British School of Archaeology in Jerusa-lem London

Horwitz LK ( 1989) A Reassessment of CaprovineDomestication in the Levantine Neolithic Old Ques-tions New Answers Pp153-181 in People and Culture inChange Part 1 ed I Hershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Kohler-Rollefson I (1987) Goat Husbandry in Jordanfrom a Diachronic Perspective Paper presented at ASORMeeting Proceedings of the Workshops on AncientMediterranean Foodsystems 1982-1985

-- (1988) The aftermath of the Levantine Neolithicrevolution in the light of ecological and ethnographicevidence Paleorient 141 87-93

-- (1992) A Model for the Development of NomadicPastoralism on the Transjordanian Plateau Pp 11-18 inPastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Kohler-Rollefson I Gillespie W and Metzger M(1988) The fauna from Neolithic CAinGhazal Pp 423-430 in The Prehistory of Jordan Part 2 ed AN Garrardand HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Kramer C (1979) An archaeological view of a contempo-rary Kurdish village domestic architecture householdsize and wealth Pp 139-163 in Ethnoarchaeology ed CKramer Columbia University Press

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 109

Martin LA (forthcoming) The Faunal Remains fromEpipalaeolithic and Neolithic Sites in Eastern Jordan PhDThesis University of Sheffield

McCartney CJ (1992) Preliminary report on the 1989excavations at Site 27 of the BurquRuweishid ProjectLevant 24 33-54

Meadow RH (1983) The Vertebrate faunal remains fromHasanlu Period X at Hajji Firuz Pp 369-422 in HasanluExcavation Report Volume 1 ed MM Voigt Philadel-phia University Monograph 50 Philadelphia

Meadow RH (1989) Osteologicalevidence for the processof animal domestication Pp 80-90 in The WalkingLarder ed J~Clutton-Brock Unwin Hyman London

Mylona D (1992) Late Neolithic Economy in Wadi el-JilatNorth-East Jordan Unpublished MSc dissertationUniversity of Sheffield

Neef R (1988) Note on the palaeobotanical remains Pp132 in Preliminary report on the first season ofexcavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Bastaby HG Gebel et al In The Prehistory of Jordan Part 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396

Nissen H Muheisen M and Gebel H (1987) Report onthe first two seasons of excavation at Basta (1986-1987)ADAJ 31 79-119

Payne S and Munson P] (1985) Ruby and How ManySquirrels The Destruction of Bones by Dogs Pp 31-39in Palaeobiological Investigations research design methodsand data analysis ed NRJFieller DD Gilbertson andNGA Ralph BAR S266 Oxford

Perrot J (1951) La Terrasse del-Khiam Pp 134-178 inLe Paleolithique et Ie Mesolithique du Desert de Judee ed RNeuville Archives de LInstitut de Paleontologie Hu-maine Memoire No 24 Paris

Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

Powell A (1992) An Analysis of the Animal Bones from AreaB Wadi el-Jilat 13 a Late Neolithic Site from NortheastJordan Unpublished MSc dissertation University ofSheffield

Reese D (1991) Marine shells in the Levant UpperPalaeolithic Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Pp 613-628in The Natufian Culture in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosefand FR Valla Prehistory Press Madison

Rollefson GO (1988) Stratified burin classes at AinGhazal implications for the Desert Neolithic of JordanPp 437-449 in The Prehistory of Jordan ed A Garrardand H Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Rollefson GO and Kohler-Rollefson I (1989) Thecollapse of Early Neolithic settlements in the southernLevant Pp 73-89 in People and Culture in Change ed IHershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Ronen A (1984) Sefunim prehistoric sites Mount CarmelIsrael BAR S230 Oxford

Roodenberg JJ (1986) Le mobilier en pierre de BouqrasNederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Is-tanbul61

Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

Zarins J (1990) Early pastoral nomadism and thesettlement of Lower Mesopotamia BASOR 280 31-66

Zohary D (1971) Origin of South-west Asiatic CerealsWheats Barley Oats and Rye Pp 235-263 in Plant Lifeof South- West Asia ed PH Davis PC Harper and ICHedge Botanical Society of Edinburgh AberdeenUniversity Press

Zohary M (1973) Geobotanical Foundations of the MiddleEast Vol 2 Gustav Fischer Verlag Amsterdam andStuttgart

108 LEVANT XXVI 1994

( 1987b) A preliminary survey of Late Neolithicsettlements at el-Ghirqa Eastern Jordan Proceedings ofthe Prehistoric Society 53 327-336

-- ( 1988) 1986Excavations at Dhuweila eastern Jordana preliminary report Levant 20 7-21

Betts A et ale ( 1990) The BurquRuweishid Projectpreliminary report on the 1988field seasonLevant 22 1-20

Brain CK (1981) The Hunters or the Hunted University ofChicago Press Chicago

Brezillon M (1983) La denomination des objets de pierretaillee CNRS Paris

Byrd BF (1992) The dispersal of food production acrossthe Levant Pp 49-61 in Transitions to Agriculture inPrehistory ed AB Gebauer and TD Price PrehistoryPress Madison

Byrd BF and Banning EB (1988) Southern LevantinePier Houses intersite architectural patterning duringthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic B Paleorient 141 65-72

Campana DV (1987) The Manufacture of Bone Tools inthe Zagros and the Levant MASCA Journal 43 110-123

Cluzan S (1984) LOutillage et lesPetits Objets en PierrePp 111-124 in Fouilles Recentes a Khirokitia (Chypre)1977-1981 ed A LeBrun Editions Recherche sur lesCivilisations Paris

Colledge sM (in press) Report on the plant remains fromDhuweila In A Betts ed The Harra and the HamadEdwin Mellen Press Lampeter

Cribb R (1991) Nomads in Archaeology CambridgeUniversity Press

Crowfoot Payne J (1983) The Flint industries of JerichoPp 716-723 in Excavations at Jericho Vol 5 ed KKenyon and T Holland British School of Archaeologyin Jerusalem London

Digard J-P (1981) Techniques des nomades baxtyiiri dIranCambridge University Press

Donaldson ML (1985) The plant remains Pp 96-104 inExcavations at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bvillageof CAinGhazal (Jordan) 1983 by GO Rollefson et ale MDOG117

Driesch A von den (1976) A Guide to the Measurement ofAnimal Bonesfrom Archaeological Sites Peabody MuseumBulletin 1 Harvard University

Flannery K ( 1972) The origins of the village as asettlement type in Mesoamerica and the Near East acomparative study Pp 23-53 in Man settlement andurbanism eds PJ Ucko R Tringham and GWDimbleby Duckworth London

Garfinkel Y (1987) Bead Manufacture on the Pre-PotteryNeolithic B Site of Yiftahel Mitekufat Haeven 20 79-90

Garrard AN (1985) The Faunal Remains Pp 39-49 inBlackDesert Survey Jordan Third Preliminary Reportby A Betts Levant 17 39-49

Garrard A Byrd B and Betts A (1986) Prehistoricenvironment and settlement in the Azraq Basin aninterim report on the 1984excavation seasonLevant 185-24

Garrard A Betts A Byrd B and Hunt C (1987)Prehistoric environment and settlement in the Azraq

Basin an interim report on the 1985excavation seasonLevant 19 5-25

Garrard A Colledge S Hunt C and Montague R(1988) Environment and Subsistence During The LatePleistocene and Early Holocene in the Azraq BasinPaleorient 142 40-49

Gebel HG et al (1987) Preliminary report on the firstseasonof excavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic siteof Basta Pp 101-134 in The Prehistory of Jordan vol 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Gopher A (1985) Flint industries of the Neolithic period inIsrael Unpublished PhD thesis Hebrew UniversityJerusalem

-- (1989) Neolithic arrowheads of the Levant resultsand implications of a seriation analysis Paleorient 15143-56

-- (1990) Mujahiya an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic Bsite in the Golan Heights Tel Aviv 17 115-143

Goring- Morris A and Gopher A (1983) Nahal Issaron aNeolithic settlement in the Southern Negev IEJ 33 149-162

Gould RA and Saggers S (1985) Lithic Procurement inCentral Australia a Closer Look at Binfords Idea ofEmbeddedness in ArchaeologyAmerican Antiquity 501117-136

Hayden B and Cannon A (1984) The Structure ofMaterial Systems Ethnoarchaeology in the Maya High-lands Society for American Archaeology Papers No3Washington

Helbaek H ( 1966) Pre-Pottery Neolithic farming atBeidha a preliminary report Pp 61-66 in Five seasonsatthe Pre- Pottery Neolithic village of Beidha by DKirkbride PEQ 98

Hopf M (1983) Jericho plant remains Pp 576-621 inExcavations at Jericho Volume 5 ed KM Kenyon andTA Holland British School of Archaeology in Jerusa-lem London

Horwitz LK ( 1989) A Reassessment of CaprovineDomestication in the Levantine Neolithic Old Ques-tions New Answers Pp153-181 in People and Culture inChange Part 1 ed I Hershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Kohler-Rollefson I (1987) Goat Husbandry in Jordanfrom a Diachronic Perspective Paper presented at ASORMeeting Proceedings of the Workshops on AncientMediterranean Foodsystems 1982-1985

-- (1988) The aftermath of the Levantine Neolithicrevolution in the light of ecological and ethnographicevidence Paleorient 141 87-93

-- (1992) A Model for the Development of NomadicPastoralism on the Transjordanian Plateau Pp 11-18 inPastoralism in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosef and AKhazanov Prehistory Press Madison

Kohler-Rollefson I Gillespie W and Metzger M(1988) The fauna from Neolithic CAinGhazal Pp 423-430 in The Prehistory of Jordan Part 2 ed AN Garrardand HG Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Kramer C (1979) An archaeological view of a contempo-rary Kurdish village domestic architecture householdsize and wealth Pp 139-163 in Ethnoarchaeology ed CKramer Columbia University Press

GARRARD ET AL Prehistoric Environment and Settlement in the Azraq Basin 109

Martin LA (forthcoming) The Faunal Remains fromEpipalaeolithic and Neolithic Sites in Eastern Jordan PhDThesis University of Sheffield

McCartney CJ (1992) Preliminary report on the 1989excavations at Site 27 of the BurquRuweishid ProjectLevant 24 33-54

Meadow RH (1983) The Vertebrate faunal remains fromHasanlu Period X at Hajji Firuz Pp 369-422 in HasanluExcavation Report Volume 1 ed MM Voigt Philadel-phia University Monograph 50 Philadelphia

Meadow RH (1989) Osteologicalevidence for the processof animal domestication Pp 80-90 in The WalkingLarder ed J~Clutton-Brock Unwin Hyman London

Mylona D (1992) Late Neolithic Economy in Wadi el-JilatNorth-East Jordan Unpublished MSc dissertationUniversity of Sheffield

Neef R (1988) Note on the palaeobotanical remains Pp132 in Preliminary report on the first season ofexcavations at the Late Aceramic Neolithic site of Bastaby HG Gebel et al In The Prehistory of Jordan Part 1ed AN Garrard and HG Gebel BAR S396

Nissen H Muheisen M and Gebel H (1987) Report onthe first two seasons of excavation at Basta (1986-1987)ADAJ 31 79-119

Payne S and Munson P] (1985) Ruby and How ManySquirrels The Destruction of Bones by Dogs Pp 31-39in Palaeobiological Investigations research design methodsand data analysis ed NRJFieller DD Gilbertson andNGA Ralph BAR S266 Oxford

Perrot J (1951) La Terrasse del-Khiam Pp 134-178 inLe Paleolithique et Ie Mesolithique du Desert de Judee ed RNeuville Archives de LInstitut de Paleontologie Hu-maine Memoire No 24 Paris

Politis KD (1993) The stepped dam at Wadi el-JilatPEQ125 43-49

Powell A (1992) An Analysis of the Animal Bones from AreaB Wadi el-Jilat 13 a Late Neolithic Site from NortheastJordan Unpublished MSc dissertation University ofSheffield

Reese D (1991) Marine shells in the Levant UpperPalaeolithic Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Pp 613-628in The Natufian Culture in the Levant ed O Bar-Yosefand FR Valla Prehistory Press Madison

Rollefson GO (1988) Stratified burin classes at AinGhazal implications for the Desert Neolithic of JordanPp 437-449 in The Prehistory of Jordan ed A Garrardand H Gebel BAR S396 Oxford

Rollefson GO and Kohler-Rollefson I (1989) Thecollapse of Early Neolithic settlements in the southernLevant Pp 73-89 in People and Culture in Change ed IHershkovitz BAR S508 Oxford

Ronen A (1984) Sefunim prehistoric sites Mount CarmelIsrael BAR S230 Oxford

Roodenberg JJ (1986) Le mobilier en pierre de BouqrasNederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Is-tanbul61

Rosen SA (1983) The Canaanean Blade and the EarlyBronze Age IEJ 33 15-29

-- (1988) Notes on the origins of pastoral nomadism acasestudy from the Negev and Sinai Current Anthropolo-gy 293 498-506

Speth J (1972) The Mechanical Basis of PercussionFI~ing American Antiquity 37 34-60

Taute W (1981) Mesad Mesal Pp 236-247 in Beitriige zurUmweltgeschicte ed WFrey und H-P UerpinannTtibinger Atlas des Voderen Orients A8 Wiesbaden

Tchernov E and Bar-Yosef O (1982) Animal exploita-tion in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period at Wadi Tbeiksouthern Sinai Paleorient 82 17-37

Tixier J Inizan M-L and Roche H (1980) Prehistoirede la Pierre Taillee I Terminologie et technologie CNRSValbonne

Uerpmann H-P (1978) Metrical analysis of faunalremains from the Middle East Pp 41-45 in Approaches toFaunal Analysis in the Middle East ed RH Meadow andMA Zeder Peabody Museum Bulletin 2 HarvardUniversity

-- (1979) Probleme -der Neolithisierung des Mittelmeer-raums Ttibinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients B28Ludwig Reichert Wiesbaden

Waechter J dA Seton-Williams VM Bate DA andPicard L (1938) The excavations at Wadi Dhobai 1937-38 and the Dhobaian industry JPOS 18 172-186 292-298

Watson PJ (1978) Architectural differentiation in someNearEastern communities prehistoric and contempo-rary Pp 131- 158in Social Archaeology ed C RedmanAcademic Press London

Willcox G (1991) Exploitation des especes ligneuses auProche-Orient donnees anthracologiques Paleorient172 117-126

Wright KI (1992a) A Classification System for GroundStone Tools from the Prehistoric Levant Paleorient 18253-81

-- (1992b) Prehistoric Bead Manufacture in EasternJordan and its Social Implications Unpublished paperpresented at Conference on Recent Developments in theArchaeology of Jordan Sheffield 24-25 October 1992

-- (1993) Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblagesfrom the Levant Levant 25 93-111

Yakar N (1991) Prehistoric Anatolia Israel PrehistoricSociety Jerusalem

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