Wadi Ramm Cemetery Project
Grant
Overview
abstract
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Wadi Ramm, a small religious and population center situated in the desert Hisma region of southern Jordan, served as a hub on trade and migration routes between northern Saudi Arabia and the Nabataean (332B.C. - A.D. 106) kingdom. Graves likely associated with Nabataean Wadi Ramm were noted by the Department of Antiquities in the 1960s, although any records on this discovery have been lost. During summer 2005, archaeological and geophysical surveys were employed to identify the cemetery's location. Four ECU graduate students and I, along with Geoffrey Jones of Archaeophysics, LLC, conducted a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey to identify the Nabataean cemetery at Wadi Ramm. I am requesting additional funds from the Joukowsky Family Foundation to explore subsurface anomalies identified by the GPR survey through excavation during summer 2007. Previous explorations at Wadi Ramrn (ancient Iram) have focused on the first century B.C. to first century A.D. aqueduct and shrine at 'Ain Shellaleh and the Nabataean temple. In addition, excavations in 1996 by Dudley and Reeves sought to explore the "Eastern Complex" adjacent to the temple, hypothesized to include a Nabataean domestic complex and bathhouse. Extensive regional surveys have likewise discovered numerous Thamudic inscriptions in the environs of the site. Tantalizing evidence also exists for a cemetery contemporary with the Nabataean structures at Iram. During June, 2005, GPR was used to identify graves and other subsurface features at the site (Perry and Jones 2005, 2006, forthcoming). Seven grids (Blocks A-G) totaling 8300 rn2 were laid out in the environs of the Nabataean temple, the "bath" complex and related "villa," and the "southern village." Four blocks contained areas potentially with pre-Islamic graves: Blocks A, D, E, and F. In addition, Blocks C, E, and G appear to contain buried architecture. Our primary goal will be the excavation of 10 test trenches to identify the cemetery. Time permitting, other test trenches will explore possible architectural features. Discovery and future excavation of this cemetery would expand our knowledge of the health, quality of life, migration patterns, and burial practices of the regional inhabitants. In addition, identifying the presence of other features associated with Nabataean occupation at the site will assist in generating future research and development at Wadi Ramrn.
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