In the middle of a sand desert inwards southern Jordan, a grouping of archaeologists has flora unique feline representations.
 |
| ‘Awja1 is a site below the southern escarpment of Al Jafr Basin, some 300km due south of Amman [Credit: Sumio Fujii] |
The query squad decided to embark on a full-scale earthworks of the remote site due to the slight exposure on the Earth surface of an elongated structural complex (reminiscent of the Late Neolithic settlement-shaped open-air sanctuaries previously excavated past times them at Qa’ Abu Tulayha together with Harrat Juhayra), Fujii recalled.
The root earthworks flavor took house inwards the summertime of 2011, revealing the overall movie of the complex which consists of 4 rectangular units, he said, adding that the site was alone empty together with devoid of whatever artifacts. “This makes feel to us, together with scholars see that it was an opened upward sanctuary irrelevant to practical life,” he stated.
“In addition, nosotros flora a rock alignment circa 30-cm-long protruding from the southeastern corner of the functioning area, but nosotros took it lightly equally a role of some other unit,” the archeologist explained, noting that, on the root solar daytime of the following acre season, the approximate turned out to hold upward an verbalise failure.
“Scholars were surprised when they noticed the tip of the tale of a feline characteristic together with they straightaway enlarged the functioning expanse southeastward where they confirmed 7 like features,” he recounted, adding “there is no uncertainty that the quadrupeds stand upward for feline animals, in all likelihood cheetahs or panthers. This is because they accept a slender trunk, a relatively pocket-size together with rounded caput without horns, and, with others, a long tail curling merely its tip upward.”
Similar iconographies tin hold upward flora inwards petroglyphs from other Neolithic sites inwards the Jafr Basin, suggesting that the feline fauna was idea to accept some magical power, according to Fujii, who noted that the feline grouping consisted of 4 adults together with 4 juveniles.
He continued: “The sometime were relatively good preserved together with circa 2 to 3 metres long, spell the latter were less preserved together with circa 1 to one-and-a-half metres long.”
As for the following “pseudo-settlement”, they were constructed with upright sandstone slabs upward to roughly fifty cm long arranged inwards 2 parallel rows, he said, stressing that neither diagnostic artifacts nor charcoal remains for C-14 dating were recovered. However, the beingness of like features at a few Late Neolithic sites inwards the Negev Highlands together with the Sinai Peninsula suggests a appointment of circa 5,000 BC for the Awja felines, Fujii explained.
Regarding religious practices related to feline images, they were in all likelihood used together with the structural complex, for some open-air ritual of the early on pastoral nomads who migrated to due south Jordan, but its details nevertheless rest unknown, Fujii explained.
“Though nevertheless non really good known except for a express let out of specialists, this unexpected finding added a novel page to the history of fine art together with archeology inwards Jordan. We had no selection but to backfill the features, but, needless to say, their relocation together with reconstruction at an appropriate house such equally the forecourt of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Museum would hold upward to a greater extent than desirable,” the goodness concluded.
Author: Saeb Rawashdeh | Source: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Times [July 18, 2018]
Sumber http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com
Buat lebih berguna, kongsi:
