Tulul adh-Dhahab

32.18555555555635.686666666667Koordinaten: 32 ° 11 ' 8 " N, 35 ° 41' 12" E

The adh Dhahab Tulul (also Tall / Telul edh Dhehab, Arabic تلول الذهب ) are two immediately adjacent Tells the valley of the Nahr ez- Zarqa, a tributary of the Jordan Valley, about 35 kilometers northwest of Amman in Jordan. The western of the twin hill was populated at least from the Bronze Age to the Late Antiquity; a beginning of the settlement already in the Neolithic period is not excluded. After the collapse of the ancient buildings, probably by an earthquake even in late antiquity, there was no subsequent development of the site. Because of the tempting for looters name ( German " Gold Mountain " ), however, extensive recent disturbances are to be deplored.

Location

The double hill (hence the plural ' Tulul ', actually dual ' Telan ' instead of singular 'tell ' or ' tall ') lie in the valley of Nahr ez- Zarqa, the biblical Jabboks, at the mouth of Wadi Hajjaj coming from the south. Two twin-type, bearing ruins natural hill with a height of 120 meters above the river bed force the Zarqa River here on a twisty course. Until the 20th century the twin hills have blocked the way forward in the valley of the ez- Zarqa to the east. Ancient hikers had to resort to the Wadi Hajjaj, this was the shortest way to the settlement area of ​​the Ammonites. In this way, the adh Dhahab Tulul of great strategic importance came to the construction of the Roman road at the exit of the Jordan Valley Zarqatals in today's Abu Zighan to. Only about 6.5 kilometers west of the adh Dhahab Tulul is the great, to be dated to the Bronze and Iron Age Tell Deir ' Alla.

Discovery

The research of the late 19th and 20th century was marked by the descriptions of the adh Dhahab Tulul of S. Merrill (1878, 1881), Gustaf Dalman, C. Nagel tax and other attention. M. Noth led by 1955 topographical studies. Only the American archaeologist Robert L. Gordon and Linda E. Villiers have performed in the years 1980 and 1982 a larger survey. They published the first plan of the then still visible ruins.

Excavations since 2005

A team from the Technical University of Dortmund under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Thomas Pola studied in collaboration with the Jordanian Department of Antiquities of the western of the two hills since 2005 in more detail. Since 2006, a team from the University of Basel participated in the excavations, which is responsible among other things for the geomagnetic prospecting, 3D total station surveying, as well as the creation of short-range aerial images and their photogrammetric evaluation. In addition to the work of RL Gordon of 1980/82 is now the first time a detailed map of the entire excavation area in which the above-ground artifacts are calibrated.

On the two upper terraces of the hill three settlement phases have so far been detected archaeologically. (I) The oldest settlement dates from the period 1300-970 BC ( according to 14C - data); so far no associated building remains are detected but layers and finds. At least one predecessor of the ramparts, the Terrace I and II surrounds, also belongs to this period. The in recent architecture (II- III) built as a building material stones with engravings could belong to a cult or representational this oldest phase or a little later from the period 900-700 BC. The three found so far larger and more interpretable fragments show ( a) the head of a decorated lions, ( b ) a woman or a child with a goat, and ( c) a beardless with (ab), stylistically similar representation of two ( sitting? ) Persons each holding a clear their heads superior instrument in front of him, maybe a harp. - (II ) are shown on the top terrace foundations of buildings, in the period 375 In so far only small sections - were built in 175 BC and laid down in the construction of the most recent phase. - (III ) On the upper plateau was most recently a palatial resort of approximately 30 x 30 m in size with two upstream to the east, adjacent Peristylhöfen of approximately 15 x 15 m each size. The architecture of this palace fragments are stylistically late Hellenistic and the early years of Herod I ( 73-4 BC) dated coins and 14C data corroborate this time approach. It Detail findings suggest that this architecture sometimes was two-storeyed and adjacent stone and mud bricks were used as building material. This palace ended with a fire event probably after about 50-25 BC, after the plant has been cleared and not used again. Later, the standing is still standing collapsed in an earthquake.

The top two terraces are on the steep western, southern and eastern slopes of a day in longer sections still about 0.5 - 1.5 m high wall surrounded received. In its inside space-like foundation trains are set. The layer - and time relationship of these city walls with the two successive palaces (II and III) could not yet be clarified. Further down, about halfway up, the investigations have revealed another, previously unknown powerful defense system that cordoned off the by nature more accessible north side of the 120 m high hill and protected.

Only a little above the Jabboks ( Nahr az- Zarqa ), but flood-proof, lies at the southern foot of the adh Dhahab West Tulul a Bronze Age settlement. The previously oldest charcoal from the top terrace which has been dated to 1960-1750 BC ( 14C date) belongs probably to this settlement and has been transported to the top of the hill in the context of building material.

Identification

In the research is controversial, with which the ancient places, the adh Dhahab Tulul can be identified. Among other local documents that in the Old Testament ( Peniel / Penuel, Mahanaim ) or the ancient historian Flavius ​​Josephus ( Amathus, Essa ) will be discussed are mentioned.