The colonization of the northern Badia (North-eastern Jordan) in the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age (4th -3rd mill. BC). A contribution to archaeological settlement geography in arid regions of Southwest Asia

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During the previous research project “Arid habitats in the 5th to the early 3rd millennium B.C.: mobile subsistence, communication and key resource use in the Northern Badia (NE-Jordan)” (2010-2014) two Chalcolithic / Early Bronze Age (C/EBA) hillfort sites were identified in the basalt desert in the northern Badia (NE-Jordan). This discovery emphasizes that this region was more than just the target of an intensive and manifold economic utilization. The settlements show that this region was suitable for sedentary communities, staying all year round in their settlements. Due to these results the project “The colonization of the Northern Badia (NE-Jordan) in the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age (4th to 3rd millennium BC): a contribution to archaeological settlement geography in the arid regions of Southwest Asia” was initiated, focusing on the colonization of the basalt desert and which originally targeted the two identified hillfort sites and their direct vicinity.During the course of the project, two additional hillfort sites in addition to several unfortified C/EBA settlements were discovered on satellite images. These discoveries caused an alteration of the previous research strategy towards focusing on the entire basalt desert and its diverse locations of settlements.To date, three of the four hillfort sites have been mapped, documented and dated. The fourth hillfort site was so far only very briefly surveyed.The number and density of C/EBA settlements in the basalt desert raises several research questions, which, however, first require topographic and chronological work to be completed.A substantial part of these tasks has already been finished; however, an additional fieldwork season, including preparation time prior to the expedition as well as subsequent time for data management, is necessary in order to reach the above stated research aims.The planned tasks are mapping and documentation of the fourth hillfort (Qasr Usseikhim), to date only briefly investigated. This would enable a chrono-typological comparison of the hillfort sites of the region. An additional task is the compilation of a chronologically differentiated map of the C/EBA colonization of the basalt desert. The topographic foundation of this map already exists with the identified hillfort sites and unfortified sides. It needs only to be completed with radiocarbon data from Qasr Usseikhim and from a sample of unfortified settlements. The planned fieldwork season therefore focuses on soundings in dwelling structures at Qasr Usseikhim and some unfortified sites, to generate radiocarbon data.