Khirbet adh-Dharih

Khirbet edh-Dharih

Jordan · Tafilah

SettlementIntermittent excavation
Approximate period6,150 BCE — 900 CENeolithic and Early Bronze Age; especially Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic See on the map ↓

In brief

The site near the King's Highway is a rural Nabataean settlement with a well-developed sanctuary. Excavations have investigated the temple along with houses, production facilities and the cemetery.

What was found?

  • 1Nabataean temple

    The richly decorated temple is the settlement's principal monumental building. Its conversion into a church in later periods illustrates the building's changing use.

  • 2Two large temple courtyards

    The sanctuary has two large courtyards. According to researchers, this arrangement may be related to the separation of groups participating in worship.

  • 3Large residence

    A large residence distinct from the village's small houses was uncovered. Researchers associate it with the valley's leading family.

  • 4Olive oil workshops

    Oil presses and workshops were found in the settlement. These remains document rural production around the sanctuary.

  • 5Monumental tomb and other graves

    A monumental tomb was investigated in the cemetery alongside ordinary graves. According to researchers, the differences between the structures reflect social distinctions.

What does it point to?

Hirbet ez-Zerih shows rural production, caravan movement, and a developed sanctuary coming together in the same settlement. The later uses of the temple and its courtyards make it possible to trace how religious and everyday life changed over time.

What did it teach us?

  1. It showed that Nabataean monumental architecture also developed in rural settlements outside the major cities.
  2. It revealed that the settlement's growth began before Rome's annexation in 106 CE.
  3. It documented the conversion of the old sanctuary into residential and production areas during the Byzantine and early Islamic periods.
  4. According to researchers, it provided evidence of early Islamization in a rural area extending to the end of the 7th century.

Record

Culture
Nabataean and later regional communities
First modern dig
1984
Team / historical
François Villeneuve and Zeidoun al-Muheisen; ArScAn, Ifpo and Yarmouk University
Coordinates
30.9071°, 35.7032°

Sources

  1. moses.creighton.edu
  2. arscan.parisnanterre.fr

Nearby excavations


—
—
12.000

From beneath the soil: latest discoveries

  • Older stone monument found beneath Viking ship burial in Norway

    A cairn bordered by large stones was uncovered beneath the Viking ship burial at Grønhaug. According to researchers, the structure may be a Bronze Age burial monument; precise dating will show how much time passed before the site was reused.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • Teotihuacan writing signs interpreted in cave paintings in Mexico

    A reexamination of known paintings in a cave near Chalcatzingo identified signs related to place names and warfare dating to the 4th–6th centuries AD. According to researchers, these suggest that ceremonies commemorating fallen warriors were held at this sacred site outside Teotihuacan.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • 11,000-year-old experiments with fired clay vessels identified at Çemka Höyük

    Analysis of clay fragments excavated at Çemka Höyük in Mardin showed that deliberately fired vessels, coatings and vessel attachments were produced about 11,000 years ago. According to researchers, the finds document a phase when different materials and techniques were being tried before pottery became widespread.

    Arkeofili ↗
  • Glass vessel and precious ornaments found in monumental Hun tomb in Mongolia

    A lacquered chariot, jade objects, crystal ornaments and a glass vessel were found in a large Asian Hun tomb at the Duurlig Nars cemetery. According to researchers, some objects suggest connections with the Roman world and the Korean Peninsula; the glass vessel’s place of production has not yet been confirmed.

    Archaeology Magazine ↗
  • Sanctuary of Asklepios described in ancient text located at Epidauros

    Excavations near the small theater identified a religious complex containing a fountain, a water reservoir and a portico, along with a pottery fragment bearing the name Asklepios. According to researchers, the findings identify the sanctuary within the city described by the traveler Pausanias about 1,800 years ago.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • More than 100 Avar-period graves excavated in Romania

    Human and horse burials, spears and jewelry dating to the 7th–8th centuries were uncovered at the Vadverem cemetery in Transylvania. The finds provide important data for studying the community’s burial customs, while its relationship with nearby salt sources is being investigated.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • Possible hunting poison residues identified on stone points in Saudi Arabia

    More than 5,500 stone artifacts and chemical residues associated with a poisonous plant on some points were identified at Uruq Aljelibah; according to researchers, these may indicate complex hunting technologies. Although the lakeshore dates to 125,000 years ago, the age of the tools collected from the surface and the deliberate use of poison have not yet been established.

    Live Science ↗
  • Metal rings used in the slave trade found in shipwreck off Sweden

    Two metal rings used as a means of payment in the slave trade and part of a carefully made leather shoe were found aboard the Danish ship Havmanden, which sank in 1683. Rare in Scandinavia, the rings provide tangible evidence of the ship’s connection to Danish colonialism and the slave trade.

    Live Science ↗

    All excavation sites (485)

    Türkiye

    Federated States of Micronesia

    Belize

    Honduras

    North Macedonia

    Sri Lanka