Jake Hubbert and Dr. Cynthia Finlayson, Anthropology Department

Introduction

The course ware pottery created by the ancient Nabataeans of Petra, Jordan is unique and one of the most understudied pottery types from the Hellenistic and Roman eras in the Near East. My research project involved developing an updated seriation organization of these pottery types based on comparative shapes, sizes and other physical attributes, as well as stratigraphic find sites in order to organize these wares into a chronological dating system. The first step of this research project was carried out during the 2017 Petra, Jordan Archaeology Field School with subsequent lab work completed on BYU at the archaeology lab of the Museum of Peoples and Cultures on campus with samples on loan from the Jordanian government. This exciting research has begun to lead to new perspectives concerning site dating and artifact classification from Petra and surrounding Nabatean sites in the Levant and Arabia.

Methodology

The first step of my research was focused on collecting pottery samples from Cistern B on the Ad-Deir Plateau. This was done during the 2017 Petra, Jordan Archaeology Field School season under the direction of Dr. Cynthia Finlayson. During the excavation in Petra, all of the pottery samples from the cistern were collected, labeled and brought to BYU on loan from the Jordanian government. While on BYU campus, I have begun to label and organize the pottery sherds so as to have an organized system whereby I may catalogue my findings. I then began hto draw specific course ware pottery rims in profile and to scale noting each sample’s stratagraphic unit from this year’s excavation season. This semester I completed 50 samples. I plan to take a judgmental sample of 100 sherds total that have the greatest diagnostic potential. I have thus completed 50% of my final data set with this ORCA grant. This sampling will be done so that a statistical figure may be calculated to determine the frequency of specific attributes found on the course ware rims in each excavated stratagraphic layer. This sampling strategy will then be applied to other stratgraphic layers from previous years of excavation. This strategy will allow me to determine if the deposition of the pottery fragments was entering the cistern through erosion or whether especially lower stratigraphic levels are more firmly contextualized. Such information is necessary in assessing the potential value of the depositions as dating tools. Additionally, during Phase II of this project, I will analyze the chemical compositions of each pottery sherd using a XRF machine available at the BYU Museum of Peoples and Cultures. The study of the chemical compositions along with the changing styles will allow a thorough investigation of the chronology and evolution of the Nabatean course wares. The data collected throughout this process will then be combined and organized into a typological chart demonstrating the evolution and chronology of Nabatean course ware pottery. This ORCA grant has allowed me to do the initial on site research in Petra including excavating and retrieving a viable data set and to complete 50% of the drawing of pottery sherds as well as their documentation and photography. Phase II will complete the remaining 50% of the data set and begin the XRF process and final chart production.

Results

Since returning from Petra, I have drawn, catalogued, and photographed over 50 Nabatean course ware pottery rims. The data so far seems promising. What I have observed, with the help of Dr. Finlayson, has been what other scholars have noted as problems with the current dating systems of Nabatean course ware pottery. I have come to agree with many of the points outlined by Tali Eriskson-Gini in her article about dating Nabatean course ware pottery from the Roman period. Such issues include the debated functions of specific vessels that were conjectured to be have been one function but evidence coming from Cistern B suggest otherwise. Additionally, my initial data set calls into question the current dating system utilized by many Petra scholars as proposed by Schmidt. More research and the completion of 100 selected sherds, however, will be required to fully understand the implications of the evidence coming from Cistern B. The above, however, are trends that are appearing from the first 50 sherds.

Conclusion

Due to the Orca grant which I received for 2017, I was able to travel to Petra, Jordan and participate in the BYU Archaeology Field School. I collected course ware pottery from Cistern B on the Ad-Deir plateau. From the samples I have collected I have drawn, photographed, and catalogued over 50 samples. However, more work over the coming year will be required to fully understand and graph the chronology of Nabatean course ware pottery from the Ad-Deir monument and plateau. This will be done as more samples are drawn, catalogued and analyzed for their chemical compositions. The chemical analysis coupled with the variety of attributes of course ware vessels will ultimately result in a typology that could be used to date future Nabataean sites.

Works Cited

1. Erickson-Gini. “Problems and Solutions in Dating Nabataean Pottery of the Roman Period” TWLCRM, Petra.
2. Hammond, Philip C., “A Classification of Nabataean Fine Ware”, American Journal of Archaeology Vol. 66, no. 2 (1962), pp. 169-180, accessed October 22, 2016, DOI: 10.2307/502580
3. Khairy, Nabil I, “A typological study of the unpainted pottery from the Petra excavations” University of London, (1975)
4. Negev, Avraham. “The Late Hellenistic and Early Roman Pottery of Nabatean Oboda” Qedem Monographs of the Institute of Archaeology, no. 22 (1986): 1-144.
5. Gerber, Yvonne. “Remarkable Changes in Two Centuries of Nabataean Course Ware: New Analyses of Show Systematic, Time-Dependent Alteration of Chemical Composition” Ceramic in Society. (2001).
6. Schimd, Stephan G. “Nabataean Pottery, The world of the Nabataeans” The international conference the world of the Herods and the Nabataeans held at the British Museum 2 (Franz Steiner Verlag 2007): 309-326
7. Gerber, Yvonne, “Archaeometric investigations on Nabataean course ware pottery” DFG ANR, Berlin (2013) accessed October 22, 2016.