Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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The research presented in this RMA thesis investigates multiple facets of wusūm petroglyphs from the Jebel Qurma region in northeastern Jordan. Wusūm form a particular system of markings used by...Show moreThe research presented in this RMA thesis investigates multiple facets of wusūm petroglyphs from the Jebel Qurma region in northeastern Jordan. Wusūm form a particular system of markings used by largely mobile pastoralist groups throughout the Near East, and are commonly encountered during archaeological surveys. Despite their ubiquity in archaeological contexts, our current understanding of wusūm in general is extremely limited. The rich and well-documented Jebel Qurma dataset, therefore, offers a timely opportunity to investigate the phenomenon of wusūm from a much-needed holistic perspective. Bringing together a multitude of relevant primary sources, theoretical considerations, and archaeological data for the first time, this thesis aims at providing a first-ever, comprehensive perspective on the phenomenon of wusūm marking systems in the Near East.Show less
In the north-east of Jordan lies the badia, a harsh and barren landscape that can be divided in the basalt uplands of the harra and the gravel plains of the hamad. Although the area seems...Show moreIn the north-east of Jordan lies the badia, a harsh and barren landscape that can be divided in the basalt uplands of the harra and the gravel plains of the hamad. Although the area seems uninviting, it holds a wealth of archaeological remains. The Landscapes of Survival project is one of the several research projects that studies these remains, and focusses on the pastoralist archaeology of the Safaitic time period in the Jebel Qurma region. A large part of the archaeological record at Jebel Qurma is made up of rock engravings. Part of these rock engravings contains depictions of weaponry. This thesis aims to shed light on the relationship between these weapons and the people that once carved them using iconographic research, literary sources, ethnographic accounts and epigraphic evidence. The broad main question “what can the depictions of weapons on the rock art of Jebel Qurma tell about the people that once lived here?” will be answered using sub-questions that aim to classify weapon types, look at weapon trade networks, identify patterns in weapon usage, and place data acquired at Jebel Qurma in a regional and ethnographic framework.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
The incredible rock-cut architecture at the Nabataean capital of Petra, Jordan, has marveled many. They have been, and still are, the subject of many archaeological projects in the region. However,...Show moreThe incredible rock-cut architecture at the Nabataean capital of Petra, Jordan, has marveled many. They have been, and still are, the subject of many archaeological projects in the region. However, the scholarly emphasis on these Nabataean monuments has casted a shadow over all things mundane. Due to this focus, surprisingly little is known about the Nabataean kingdom (second century BC- AD 106), and the people within. Although houses have been excavated from the beginning of the research in the 1930’s onwards, and successfulness of the study of societies through houses in the archaeological record has been well established for other periods in the Near East, the results of these studies are not yet integrated in the study of the Nabataean society as a whole. This thesis aims to give an overview of the available information about houses which were excavated in the past, and to use this information to reconstruct these buildings and their function. Subsequently, this information is used, together with information from epigraphic and ethnographic sources, to study the different social structures which are represented in the dataset. Lastly, on the basis of the Nabataean material culture (small finds, public and private architecture) this culture is placed into the regional context of the Hellenised world. From this study, it becomes apparent that the perspective on non-monumental architecture is a useful one to study the Nabataean society and complement the data from previous studies. It is shown that the houses do not only provide more information about the society, but that they can also be used to contextualize the monuments, and especially their architectural styles.Show less
