Overview

This volume presents the official report of the 2008 excavation season at Tall al-ʿUmayri, a key settlement for understanding the Bronze and Iron Ages in western Jordan. Part of the long-running Madaba Plains Project, it documents the discoveries, methods, and personnel of that summer’s fieldwork while situating them within the project’s broader aim of tracing cycles of growth, decline, and adaptation in ancient settlement and land use. Combining technical rigor with comprehensive scope, the report serves as both a detailed catalog of finds and a permanent archive for future study. It publishes architectural remains, artifacts, environmental data, and specialized analyses spanning the Late Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period. Introductory chapters summarize major discoveries and the site’s occupational history across all seasons since 1984, while stratigraphic reports present the evidence layer by layer in its wider Near Eastern context. Substantial studies address pottery and ceramic technology (including the construction of pithoi), artifact assemblages, human skeletal remains, and the hinterland site of Drayjat, likely a strategic fortress. A typological study of collared pithoi traces the vessel form’s development from the Late Bronze / Iron I transition into the early Persian period. This report, eleventh in the series, marks a mature stage in the project’s development, reflecting large-scale collaboration and systematic integration of decades of accumulated data. Richly illustrated and data-driven, it will be an essential resource for archaeologists, historians of the ancient Near East, and advanced students seeking authoritative documentation of this pivotal site.

Full Product Details

Author:   Larry G. Herr ,  Douglas R. Clark ,  Lawrence T. Geraty ,  Monique Roddy
Publisher:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Imprint:   Eisenbrauns
Dimensions:   Width: 21.60cm , Height: 5.00cm , Length: 27.90cm
Weight:   0.253kg
ISBN:  

9781646023806

ISBN 10:   1646023803
Pages:   628
Publication Date:   12 May 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Dedication to Suha and Gary Huffaker Stratum Chart for Tall al-ʿUmayri List of Figures PART ONE: OVERVIEW Chapter 1 An Overview of the 2008 Season of the Madaba Plains Project at Tall al-ʿUmayri Larry G. Herr Chapter 2 Excavation and Cumulative Results, 1984 to 2008 Seasons Larry G. Herr PART TWO: TALL AL-ʿUMAYRI Chapter 3 Field A: Iron I and Iron II Buildings Robert D. Bates Larry G. Herr Chapter 4 Fields B and N: The Northwest Sector Kent V. Bramlett Chapter 5 Field H: The Southwestern Sector Monique D. Roddy Chapter 6 Field L: The Southcentral Edge of the Site David C. Hopkins Mary Petrina Boyd Larry G. Herr Chapter 7 Field M: The Central Top of the Tell Aren S. LaBianca PART THREE: SUBSEQUENT STUDIES Chapter 8 The Pottery Larry G. Herr Chapter 9 Collar Rim Store Jar Manufacturing Techniques, Pre-fire Markings, Repair Holes, 413 Reshaped Sherds, and Other Features of Pottery Excavated at Tall al-ʿUmayri, 2008 Gloria London Chapter 10 The Objects and Artifacts Douglas R. Clark Chapter 11 Tall ad-Drayjat Hinterland Excavations, 1989 Larry G. Herr with Randall W. Younker and Paul J. Ray Chapter 12 The Excavation and Field Analysis of a Late Human Skeleton Found at Tall al-ʿUmayri, Jordan, in July 2008 Julie L. Cormack Chapter 13 Descriptive Analysis of Isolated Human Skeletal Fragments Found at Tall al-ʿUmayri, Jordan Julie L. Cormack Chapter 14 The Development of the Collared Pithos on the Central Plateau of Transjordan during the Iron Age Larry G. Herr

Reviews

Author Information

Larry G. Herr is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Burman University. Douglas R. Clark is Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology at La Sierra University. Lawrence T. Geraty is Associate Director of the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology at La Sierra University. Monique Roddy is Associate Professor of History and Codirector of the Honors Program at Walla Walla University.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions