
The History and Pottery of a Middle Islamic Settlement
Final Publications from the Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project V
Alex Peterson
- Pages: approx. 360 p.
- Size:220 x 280 mm
- Illustrations:22 b/w, 25 col., 3 tables b/w., 478 images in appendix
- Language(s):English
- Publication Year:2023
- € 120,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
- ISBN: 978-2-503-60335-3
- Paperback
- Forthcoming (Jun/23)
- € 120,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
- ISBN: 978-2-503-60336-0
- E-book
- Forthcoming
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Dr. Alex Peterson is from New Hampshire in the USA and developed a love for archaeology after travelling the world with the military and through graduate studies. He earned his PhD from the University of Aarhus, where he was a researcher at the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for Urban Network Evolutions and part of the Ceramics in Context project. Dr. Peterson now lives in Hawaii where he works as an archaeologist with the Defence POW/MIA Agency.
In 2015, the Danish-German Northwest Quarter Project working in Jerash uncovered a Middle Islamic farmstead. Subsequent excavations revealed that this settlement, far from marking a devline at the site, is in fact indicative of a broader active and dynamic rural community living within the ancient urban landscape of Jerash. This volume offers an in-depth focus on this Islamic settlement, with a particular focus on the ceramic material yielded by the site, which is here fully quantified and contextually analysed alongside historical sources. Through this approach, the author has reconstructed a new synthesis of Middle Islamic settlement history, shedding new light on the economic and social structures of a rural community in northern Jordan, as well as establishing a typology that can be used to refi ne the chronologies of Middle Islamic Jerash.
List of Illustrations Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Introduction
Investigating Middle Islamic Pottery from the Northwest Quarter of Jerash
Past Research on Middle Islamic Pottery
Handmade Geometric Painted Ware (HMGP) and Plain Handmade Wares
Glazed Wares
Other Middle Islamic Ceramic Types
Avenues of Approach for Future Research
Theory and Approach to the Ceramic Material from Jerash
Formation Processes
From Theory to Practice
Design of the Catalogue and Discussion of the Contexts
Typology Theory and Design
Research Aims and Summary
Chapter 2: Jerash جرش
An Introduction to the Study Area: Jerash, Jordan
Early Islamic Jerash
Abbasid Evidence
Middle Islamic Jerash (Ayyubid-Mamluk Period)
Late Islamic Jerash (Ottoman Period)
The Danish-German Northwest Quarter Project
2011 Geophysical Survey
The 2012 Campaign
The 2013 Campaign
The 2014 and 2015 Campaigns
The 2016 Campaign
Middle Islamic Settlement in the Northwest Quarter of Jerash: The Ayyubid-Mamluk Courtyard House and Domestic Complex
Chapter 3: Overview of the Pottery from the Northwest Quarter
Introduction
Handmade Geometric Painted Ware (HMGP)
HMGP Closed Vessels (Jugs, Jars, and Juglets)
HMGP Open Vessels (Bowls, Basins, and Plates)
Misc. HMGP Sherds
Plain Unpainted Handmade Ware
Plain Unpainted Handmade Closed Vessels
Plain Unpainted Handmade Open Vessels
Plain Unpainted Handmade Misc. Vessels
Cooking Ware
Glazed Wares
Wheelmade Pottery
Other Pottery Types
Petrographic Analysis and Ceramic Production Networks
Insights on Diet and Consumption
Remarks on the Pottery Assemblage
Chapter 4: Contextual Analysis of the Middle Islamic Ceramics
Introduction to a Contextual Approach
Methodology
Contextual Analysis of Trenches Relating to the Courtyard House (Trenches C, D, and T)
Trench C (South-West Corner of the Courtyard House)
Trench D (North-East Corner of the Courtyard House)
Trench T (North-West Corner of the Courtyard House)
The Courtyard House: Discussion and Interpretations
Trenches Relating to Complex A and B (Trenches B and E)
Trench E (South-West Corner of Complex B)
Trench B (Eastern Slope of Complex A)
Discussion and Interpretations Regarding Complex A and B
Analysis of Context Category 2: Temporary Activity with no Structures, but Associated with Contemporary Events (Trenches I, K, and U)
Trench I (Investigating the Slope North of the Middle Islamic Complex)
Trench K (East of the Middle Islamic Terrace)
Trench U (Slope South of the Middle Islamic Complex)
Context Category 3: Analysis of Pottery with no Relation to Either Permanent Structures or Temporary Activity
Conclusions\
Refining the Chronology of Middle Islamic Ceramics from Jerash
Insights into the Functions and Daily Life of the Middle Islamic Settlement
Nature of Settlement in the Northwest Quarter of Jerash
Chapter 5: Developing the Middle Islamic Ceramic Typology for Jerash and Examining it within its Wider Regional Context
Introduction to the Typology
Features of the Jerash Middle Islamic Typology
Family A: Handmade Geometric Painted Pottery (Domestic) (HMGP)
Family B: Unpainted Handmade Pottery
Family C: Glazed Pottery
Family D: Wheelmade Vessels
Family E: Illumination
The Uses of the Jerash Middle Islamic Typology
Using the Typology for Dating Deposits
Other Functions
Final Remarks on the Typology
Discussion of the Jerash Northwest Quarter Typology within a Wider Regional Context
Pottery Found in Jerash and its Immediate Hinterlands
Pottery from Sites in Northern Jordan
Pottery from Sites in Central and Southern Jordan
Conclusions on the Regional Discussion
Chapter 6: Conclusion
Appendix: Catalog of Middle Islamic Ceramics from the Northwest Quarter of Jerash
Introduction to the Catalogue
Abbreviations
Handmade Geometric Painted Ware
Closed Vessels
Open Vessels
Misc. or Indistinct Vessels
Plain Unpainted Handmade Ware
Closed Vessels
Open Vessels
Misc. or Indistinct Vessels
Cooking Vessels
Glazed Ware Vessels
Wheelmade Vessels
Misc. Objects
Works Cited
Primary Sources and Online Databases