Beidha (archaeological site)
Encyclopedia
Beidha is a major Neolithic
archaeological site a few kilometres north of Petra
near Siq al-Barid in Jordan
.
It was first excavated by Diana Kirkbride
in 1957 and later by Brian Byrd. There were 3 periods of occupation detected; the Natufian period in the 11th millennium BC, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B
(PPNB) village with masonry construction in the 7th millennium BC and a Nabatean period dating to the 1st or 2nd millennium BC.
Natufian Beidha is characterized as a seasonal encampment, repeatedly occupied over a long period of time. Evidence from lithics recovered along with the layout and position of hearth
s and roasting areas suggested the occupants were primarily engaged in hunting
related activities. This was supported by the absence of permanent buildings, storage, burials and large stone implements.
The Neolithic
stage at Beidha has been suggested to be one of the earliest villages with habitation dated between 7200 and 6500 BC. In the earliest PPNB stage, the villagers used stone masonry and built a wall around the settlement of round houses with subterranean floors. Its occupants cultivated barley
and emmer wheat in an early state of domestication, herded goat
s, and hunted a variety of wild animals such as ibex and gathered wild plants, fruit
s and nuts. Burial
s were found in an area of the settlement thought to be used for ritual purposes. Evidence shows it was destroyed by fire c. 6650 BC and then rebuilt with rectangular, overground buildings, specialized workshops. Around 6500 BC the village was abandoned again, for unknown reasons. Many of the materials recovered came from some distance and included Anatolian
obsidian
and mother of pearl from the Red Sea
. The transition to right-angled buildings shows an important development in human society that may have contributed the development of cities.
There is also plentiful evidence of a renowned Nabatean settlement in the area including construction of a series of walls around agricultural terraces.
The Jordanian Department of Antiquities, Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project and the Council for British Research in the Levant recently announced a project to protect and promote Beidha. This was suggested to take up to 18 months and planned to include an interpretative presentation and new visitor facilities.
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
archaeological site a few kilometres north of Petra
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
near Siq al-Barid in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
.
It was first excavated by Diana Kirkbride
Diana Kirkbride
Diana Victoria Warcup Kirkbride-Halbaek was a British archaeologist who specialised in the prehistory of the Near East.-Biography:...
in 1957 and later by Brian Byrd. There were 3 periods of occupation detected; the Natufian period in the 11th millennium BC, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B is a division of the Neolithic developed by Dame Kathleen Kenyon during her archaeological excavations at Jericho in the southern Levant region....
(PPNB) village with masonry construction in the 7th millennium BC and a Nabatean period dating to the 1st or 2nd millennium BC.
Natufian Beidha is characterized as a seasonal encampment, repeatedly occupied over a long period of time. Evidence from lithics recovered along with the layout and position of hearth
Hearth
In common historic and modern usage, a hearth is a brick- or stone-lined fireplace or oven often used for cooking and/or heating. For centuries, the hearth was considered an integral part of a home, often its central or most important feature...
s and roasting areas suggested the occupants were primarily engaged in hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
related activities. This was supported by the absence of permanent buildings, storage, burials and large stone implements.
The Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
stage at Beidha has been suggested to be one of the earliest villages with habitation dated between 7200 and 6500 BC. In the earliest PPNB stage, the villagers used stone masonry and built a wall around the settlement of round houses with subterranean floors. Its occupants cultivated barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
and emmer wheat in an early state of domestication, herded goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, and hunted a variety of wild animals such as ibex and gathered wild plants, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s and nuts. Burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
s were found in an area of the settlement thought to be used for ritual purposes. Evidence shows it was destroyed by fire c. 6650 BC and then rebuilt with rectangular, overground buildings, specialized workshops. Around 6500 BC the village was abandoned again, for unknown reasons. Many of the materials recovered came from some distance and included Anatolian
Anatolian
Anatolian means of or pertaining to Anatolia, or a person from Anatolia, including:Geography*Anatolian:of or pertaining to the region Anatolia.Biology* Anatolian Black, a breed of cattle* Anatolian buffalo, a domestic animal of Anatolia...
obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
and mother of pearl from the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. The transition to right-angled buildings shows an important development in human society that may have contributed the development of cities.
There is also plentiful evidence of a renowned Nabatean settlement in the area including construction of a series of walls around agricultural terraces.
The Jordanian Department of Antiquities, Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project and the Council for British Research in the Levant recently announced a project to protect and promote Beidha. This was suggested to take up to 18 months and planned to include an interpretative presentation and new visitor facilities.