Khirbet es-Sar is an
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...
in
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
. It lies in the western suburb of modern
Amman, on the edge of a plateau (972 m a.s.l.).
In the MEGA Jordan database, which stores information about sites located in Jordan, Khirbet es-Sar can be found under numbers 11304 (as Sarah) and 3007 (as Kh. Sar).
Its original name is unknown,
and some scholars identify it with the ancient city of
Jazer Jazer (or Jaazer) was a city east of the Jordan River, in or near Gilead, inhabited by the Amorites. It was taken by a special expedition sent by Moses to conquer it towards the end of the Israelites' Exodus journey from Egypt. From the Septuagint ...
, mentioned several times in the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
'' 1 Maccabees
The First Book of Maccabees, also known as First Maccabees (written in shorthand as 1 Maccabees or 1 Macc.), is a book written in Hebrew by an anonymousRappaport, U., ''47. 1 Maccabees'' in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001)The Oxford Bible Comme ...
.
Archaeological research
The site was first mentioned by
Selah Merrill in 1881, and other travelers referred to it in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well. In 2000, Chang-ho C. Ji from
La Sierra University in California included Khirbet es-Sar in his survey project. He identified a square building with a courtyard, which was thought to be a ''qasr'' (castle), and several other architectural complexes.
However, no excavations or comprehensive reconnaissance were carried out.
Since 2018, work in Khirbet es-Sar has been conducted by an expedition from the
, directed by Prof. Jolanta Młynarczyk and Dr. Mariusz Burdajewicz from the Institute of Archaeology
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields o ...
in cooperation with
Department of Antiquities of Jordan. The first-ever excavations on the site were preceded by non-invasive research: the whole area was surveyed using an electrical resistivity method, and all architectural objects visible on the surface were documented.
The interpretation of the complex described earlier as ''qasr'' was corrected—current research suggests it was a temple complex.
The walls of the square building were constructed of large stone blocks and measured 20 m in length. The temple was built in the 7th century BC. A rectangular courtyard with two rows of limestone arcades was added to it later.
The
geophysical prospection revealed that there were numerous walls of buildings under the surface.
The first complete map of the settlement, which had functioned from the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
to the medieval period, was created on this basis.
Pottery fragments from different periods were also identified; about 80% of them belong to Mamluk painted pottery.
Khirbat es-Sar lies on the road linking the
Jordan Valley
The Jordan Valley ( ar, غور الأردن, ''Ghor al-Urdun''; he, עֵמֶק הַיַרְדֵּן, ''Emek HaYarden'') forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to ...
with Rabbath Ammon, the Greco-Roman Philadelphia (modern Amman), so it must have been an important strategic and trade center.
References
* Młynarczyk, J., Burdajewicz, M. with Appendix by Ryndziewicz, R.
Archaeological survey at the site of Khirbat el-Sar/Sara) Jordan, with Appendix: Preliminary results of the geophysical survey at Khirbat al-Sar/Sara, Jordan. Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean, 27/1 (2018)* Glueck, N. Explorations in Eastern Palestine III, The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Vol. 18/19 (1939)
* Merrill, S. East of the Jordan, New York 1881
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External links
MEGA-Jordan databaseArchaeological expedition in Khirbet es-Sar
Archaeological sites in Jordan