ABSTRACT

The chronology of Khirbet en-Nahas, a large Iron Age archaeological site located in the copper mining region of Faynan, southern Jordan, has been under fierce debate for the last 15 years. Since the site was excavated in 2002–2009, several analyses challenged the excavators’ interpretation of the stratigraphy, the results of the radiocarbon data and its dating. However, so far none of these challenges considered the final report published in 2014, which provided precious information from new areas of excavations and novel series of 14C dates. It is therefore necessary to have an independent reassessment of the archaeological and radiocarbon evidence of each excavated area based on the final report. Reasonable questions raised since the beginning about the 14C dates and the use of Bayesian modelling, the stratigraphic contexts from which they were recovered, and the interpretation of the ceramic assemblage can now be reassessed through a meticulous analysis of the site’s stratigraphy and finds. Considering this re-evaluation of the evidence, it is possible to present a reconstruction of the history of the site somewhat different from the one suggested by the excavators.

摘要

位于约旦南部费南铜矿区的大型铁器时代考古遗址 Khirbet en-Nahas 的年表在过去 15 年中一直处于激烈争论之中。自 2002 年至 2009 年挖掘该地点以来，一些分析对挖掘机对地层的解释、放射性碳数据的结果及其测年提出了质疑。然而，到目前为止，这些挑战都没有考虑到 2014 年发布的最终报告，该报告提供了来自新挖掘领域和新系列 14C 日期的宝贵信息。因此，有必要根据最终报告对每个挖掘区域的考古和放射性碳证据进行独立的重新评估。从一开始就提出了关于 14C 日期和使用贝叶斯模型的合理问题，通过对遗址地层和发现的细致分析，现在可以重新评估它们被回收的地层背景，以及对陶瓷组合的解释。考虑到对证据的这种重新评估，有可能呈现出与挖掘机所建议的略有不同的遗址历史重建。