Excavations at Wadi Faynan reveal Early Bronze Age household, copper trade connections

AMMAN — A Jagiellonian University (JU) team examined the area of Wadi Faynan about 10 kilometres from Wadi Arabah. This large area, part of which is under agriculture, lies along the modern dirt road leading to the Faynan Eco Lodge.

While previous research had focused mostly on surface finds, the JU team aimed to conduct a more thorough examination of one of the structures to determine its precise dating and offer an interpretation of its function— for example, lithic sites.

The part of the site selected by the JU team for test excavations —WadiFaynan731 (WF731)— is located in an area noteworthy for its savannah-like landscape and rich copper deposits, said Marek Novak, noting that it was discovered during the works of the abovementioned Wadi Faynan Landscape Survey.

"Surface finds collected at WF731 during the survey primarily consisted of pottery sherds, dated mainly to the Early Bronze Age I. These artefacts provided valuable insights into the chronology of WF731 and its connection to the broader archaeological landscape," Novak added.

"Additionally, the survey team noticed similar structures in the vicinity, hinting at a larger network of sites in this area," Novak underlined.

He added that the relatively small scale of the works conducted in 2021 by the JU team permitted to distinguish only two strata: one connected with the functioning of the building, and the other being a thin layer of dirt and intrusions accumulated after the structures went out of use.

Furthermore, most of the pottery found at the site seems chronologically consistent, suggesting their contemporaneity to the structure. Nevertheless, the construction of the enclosure most likely predated the formation of the stone collapse northeast from it, Novak said.

He noted that a thick layer constituting the floor level (about 17 centimetres), visible in the cross-section of the deepest sounding, might suggest that the accumulation of strata took place over an extended period.

"The interior of the room yielded numerous pottery fragments —parts of vessels once used by the household’s inhabitants— along with lithic tools and numerous pieces of raw malachite [a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral],which can be smelted to obtain copper," Novak explained.

However, the excavations brought traces of copper processing in the form of hearths or other fire-related installations.

It is possible that either the inhabitants were involved only in the extraction of the raw material for trade, or they processed it somewhere else (perhaps near the mines), as suggested by previous research.

Nevertheless, samples collected within the archaeological context of the household at WF731, preliminarily interpreted as raw copper fragments, are under laboratory analyses to determine if they underwent metallurgical processing, Novak elaborated, adding that future excavations might supply more evidence to clarify this issue.

Pottery fragments found at the site can be dated to the Early Bronze Age potentially even Phase IA.

"The latter is indicated by holders with visible depressions on the edges, similar to those from other locations. Whole mouth jars were also discovered at the site. Also in this case, they differ from those found in Wadi Quseir by their more closed shapes and arms that slope less steeply," Novak said.

He added that a small silo, approximately 1.35 metre in diameter, was found against the northern wall of the house.

The silo’s stone circle, visible already on the surface, was composed of around 15 closely arranged medium-sized stones, as well as layers of smaller stones mixed with gravel and mud.

"Unfortunately, while some pottery fragments were uncovered inside the silo, the absence of archaeo-botanical evidence hinders the identification of supplies stored within. The excavations also revealed a circular enclosure, about 15 metres in diameter, encompassing most of the site including the household. This double-faced wall, 0.6 to 1 metre in width, featured a gap in its southeastern part, suggesting a potential entrance," Novak underscored.