Khirbat Faynan

Last updated

Khirbat Faynan, known in late Roman and Byzantine texts as Phaino [1] or Phaeno, [2] is an archaeological site in Wadi Faynan, southern Jordan. It lies just south of the Dead Sea in Jordan. The site was an ancient copper mine that overlooks two Wadis and is the location of one of the best and most well-preserved ancient mining and metallurgy districts in the world. [3]

Contents

Site description and excavation

Site description

Khirbat Faynan is located near Wadi Faynan, 215 kilometres from Amman. It was built between Wadi Dana and Wadi Ghuwayr. The site itself was one of the biggest copper mines in the Roman Empire.

Excavation

The German Mining Museum in Bochum, Germany, was the first to conduct intensive research on the site in 1983.They were the first excavation to be sent out to the site, and the first ones to record what the site was used for. Upon their findings during the excavation, they recorded that the mining and smelting dated back to the Chalcolithic period around 4500–3100 BCE. The site had been mined continuously until around the 400 CE; however, archaeological data gathered at the site along with corresponding studies show that there was a final phase of mining during the Mamluk period which took place between 1250 and 1516 CE. [3]

History and archaeology

Early Bronze Age

The environment in Faynan had become increasingly arid around 4,000 BCE, as the settlement expanded out into the main wadi. During the Early Bronze Age which was approximately 3,500 BCE, more structured systems of irrigated farming had been developed due to the aridity of the area. These field systems are still visible and conserve many elements of the earliest irrigation systems and techniques used during this time. While mining for metals as well as ore processing began to intensify in Khirbat Faynan during the Iron Age, both practices in farming and irrigation as well as smelting had become more sophisticated under the Nabatean kingdom. [3]

Bronze and Iron Ages

Located at the confluence of Wadi Dana and Wadi Ghuwayr, the settlement was occupied from the Early Bronze Age, with carbon dating showing activity at the site as early as 10,900 BCE. [1] [4]

The mining and smelting activities intensified during the Iron Age. [3]

In the Bible

The site has been identified with biblical Punon, one of the stations of the Exodus (Numbers 33:42–43). [3] [1]

Nabataean period

In the time of the Nabataean kingdom, both the farming and smelting activities reached a new degree of sophistication. The site drastically increased in activity when the Roman Empire had successfully annexed the Nabatean Kingdom in 106 CE. [5] [3]

Roman and Byzantine periods

In the Roman and Byzantine periods, it was the center of the area's extensive copper mining complex, the largest in the Southern Levant. [3] [1]

Early Christian authors including Eusebius and Athanasius of Alexandria wrote of large numbers of Christians being deported to Phaeno, where they suffered under terrible conditions or suffered martyrdom. [6] [7] These included Silvanus, bishop of Gaza, who was beheaded in 311 AD together with 39 other Egyptian Christians after he proved to old for the work. [8] [9] [10]

Today

Due to Faynan's location, the site is in a dry desert region that barely gets any rainfall. Faynan receives approximately 50mm of every year, which is significantly lower than its neighboring area in the Highlands of Jordan which averages 102-300mm of rainfall each year. This puts Faynan in the category of a hyper-arid zone. [5]

Remains of what used to be a water management and water storage systems are still visible and are located along the south bank of the Wadi Ghuweir, which is opposite of Khirbat Faynan. The remains consist of an open channel, an aqueduct across Wadi Sheger, and includes a large and sunken reservoir. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negev</span> Desert in southern Israel

The Negev or Negeb is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba, in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort city and port of Eilat. It contains several development towns, including Dimona, Arad, and Mitzpe Ramon, as well as a number of small Bedouin towns, including Rahat, Tel Sheva, and Lakiya. There are also several kibbutzim, including Revivim and Sde Boker; the latter became the home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, after his retirement from politics.

Golan is the name of a biblical town later known from the works of Josephus and Eusebius. Archaeologists localize the biblical city of Golan at Sahm el-Jaulān, a Syrian village east of Wadi ar-Ruqqad in the Daraa Governorate, where early Byzantine ruins were found. Israeli historical geographer, Zev Vilnay, tentatively identified the town Golan with the Goblana (Gaulan) of the Talmud which he thought to be the ruin ej-Jelêbîne on the Wâdy Dabûra, near the Lake of Huleh, by way of a corruption of the site's original name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabah</span> Area south of the Dead Sea basin in Israel and Jordan

The Arabah, Araba or Aravah is a loosely defined geographic area in the Negev Desert, south of the Dead Sea basin, which forms part of the border between Israel to the west and Jordan to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archaeology of Israel</span> Archaeological studies of Israel

The archaeology of Israel is the study of the archaeology of the present-day Israel, stretching from prehistory through three millennia of documented history. The ancient Land of Israel was a geographical bridge between the political and cultural centers of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pella, Jordan</span> Ancient city in Jordan

Pella was an ancient city in what is now northwest Jordan, and contains ruins from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Canaanite, Hellenistic and Islamic periods. It is located near a rich water source within the eastern foothills of the Jordan Valley, close to the modern village of Ṭabaqat Faḥl some 27 km (17 mi) south of the Sea of Galilee. The site is situated 130 km (81 mi) north of Amman: a drive of about two hours, and an hour southwest by car from Irbid, in the north of the country. Pella's ruins – predominantly temples, churches, and housing – have been partially excavated by teams of archaeologists; they attract thousands of tourists annually but especially in spring, during which time the area is awash with spring flowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eretz Israel Museum</span>

The Eretz Israel Museum is a historical and archeological museum in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avdat</span> Human settlement in Israel

Avdat, also known as Abdah and Ovdat and Obodat, is a site of a ruined Nabataean city in the Negev desert in southern Israel. It was the most important city on the Incense Route after Petra, between the 1st century BCE and the 7th century CE. It was founded in the 3rd century BCE, and inhabited by Nabataeans, Romans, Byzantines, and during the early Islamic period. Avdat was a seasonal camping ground for Nabataean caravans travelling along the early Petra–Gaza road in the 3rd – late 2nd century BCE. The city's original name was changed to Avdat in honor of Nabataean King Obodas I, who, according to tradition, was revered as a deity and was buried there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madaba</span> City in Madaba Governorate, Jordan

Madaba is the capital city of Madaba Governorate in central Jordan, with a population of about 60,000. It is best known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, especially a large Byzantine-era mosaic map of the Holy Land. Madaba is located 30 kilometres south-west of the capital Amman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent</span> Aspect of history

The history of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent began prior to the 3rd millennium BCE. Metals and related concepts were mentioned in various early Vedic age texts. The Rigveda already uses the Sanskrit term ayas. The Indian cultural and commercial contacts with the Near East and the Greco-Roman world enabled an exchange of metallurgic sciences. The advent of the Mughals further improved the established tradition of metallurgy and metal working in India. During the period of British rule in India, the metalworking industry in India stagnated due to various colonial policies, though efforts by industrialists led to the industry's revival during the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timna Valley</span>

The Timna Valley is located in southern Israel in the southwestern Arava/Arabah, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of the Gulf of Aqaba and the city of Eilat. The area is rich in copper ore and has been mined since the 5th millennium BCE. During early antiquity, the area would have been part of the Kingdom of Edom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umm ar-Rasas</span> Historic site in Amman Governorate, Jordan

Umm ar-Rasas, ancient name: Kastron Mefa'a, is located 30 km southeast of Madaba in the Amman Governorate in central Jordan. It was once accessible by branches of the King's Highway, and is situated in the semi-arid steppe region of the Jordanian Desert. The site has been associated with the biblical settlement of Mephaat mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah. The Roman military utilized the site as a strategic garrison, but it was later converted and inhabited by Christian and Islamic communities. In 2004, the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is valued by archaeologists for its extensive ruins dating to the Roman, Byzantine, and early Muslim periods. The Franciscan academic society in Jerusalem, Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (SBF), carried out excavations at the north end of the site in 1986, but much of the area remains buried under debris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omrit</span>

Omrit, or Khirbat ‘Umayrī, is the site of an ancient Roman temple. It stands where the western slopes of the Golan Heights meet the Upper Jordan Valley, in the 1949 Israel–Syria demilitarised zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Khalasa</span> Place in Beersheba, Mandatory Palestine

Al-Khalasa, was a Palestinian village, located 23 kilometers southwest of the town of Beersheba. The village stood at the site of an ancient town from the Nabatean, Roman, Byzantine, and the beginning of the Early Muslim period. The ancient city, founded by the Nabateans, is known from Greek and Roman sources as "Halasa" or "Chellous", and later as "Elusa", one of the Byzantine administrative centers in the Negev Desert. Still important in the century of the Muslim conquest, it was deserted not long after. The site was repopulated by Bedouin in the early twentieth century, after western archaeologists took an interest in it. In October 1948, it was captured by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The population of al-Khalasa is unknown, but all of the inhabitants were Muslims, from the al-Azizma tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khirbet en-Nahas</span>

Khirbet en-Nahas, also spelled Khirbat en-Nahas, is one of the largest copper mining and smelting sites of the ancient world, built around 3,000 years ago. It is located in Wadi Faynan, between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, now in Jordan. There is evidence of sophisticated economic and political activity in the valley about 3,000 years ago and archaeologists think it may be the site of an early organized state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Maghtas</span> Archaeological site in Jordan

Al-Maghtas, officially known as Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan", is an archaeological World Heritage Site in Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River, reputed to be the original location of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and venerated as such since at least the Byzantine period. The place has also been referred to as Bethabara and historically Bethany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khirbet al-Mukhayyat</span> Village in Madaba Governorate, Jordan

Khirbet al-Mukhayyat, also commonly known as the town of Nebo, is a village in Madaba Governorate in Jordan. The village is about 3.5 km from Mount Nebo, also known as Siyagha. Many Byzantine churches were found in the village, including the Church of Saint Lot and Saint Procopius, the church of St. George, and the al-Kaniseh Monastery located a short distance down in a valley below the hill. The town also contains material culture from a wide range of phases from the Chalcolithic to the Ottoman period including several Hellenistic features, an Iron Age fort, and a number of caves, tombs, cisterns and agricultural infrastructure.

Crystal-Margaret Bennett, was a British archaeologist. A student of Kathleen Kenyon, Bennett was a pioneer of archaeological research in Jordan and founded the British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and History.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Feynan</span> Seasonal river in southern Jordan

Wadi Feynan or Wadi Faynan is a major wadi and region in southern Jordan, on the border between Tafilah Governorate and Aqaba and Ma'an Governorates. It originates in the southern Jordanian Highlands with the confluence of Wadi Dana and Wadi Ghuweyr, and drains into the Dead Sea via Wadi Araba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Udhruh</span> Town in Maan, Jordan

Udhruh, also spelled Adhruh, is a town in southern Jordan, administratively part of the Ma'an Governorate. It is located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) east of Petra. It is the center of the Udhruh Subdistrict. In 2015, the town had a population of 1,700 and the subdistrict had a population of 8,374.

Khirbat Nuqayb al-Asaymir is a Middle Islamic period archaeological site located at Faynan, southern Jordan. The site contains smelting workshops, dwellings, watchtowers, and administration areas. The study of the site began in early 20th century and has continued to the present. After a survey in 2002, artifacts including pottery and coins were discovered at the site, which date the occupation of the site to Middle Islamic-period and give interpretations of the activities and economics at KNA in the past.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Novo, Alexandre; Vincent, Matthew L.; Levy, Thomas E. (2012-08-29). "Geophysical Surveys at Khirbat Faynan, an Ancient Mound Site in Southern Jordan". International Journal of Geophysics. 2012: 1–8. doi: 10.1155/2012/432823 . ISSN   1687-885X.
  2. Megan A. Perry et al., Condemned to Metallum?: Illuminating Life at the Byzantine Mining Camp at Phaeno in Jordan, in Bioarchaeology and Behavior, University Press of Florida, October 2012, ISBN   9780813042299
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Wadi Faynan, Copper Mine". World Archaeology. No. 13. 2005-09-07. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  4. Ward, Lauren (2012-05-29). "Excavations at the Site of an Ancient Techno-Revolution". National Geographic. Archived from the original on June 13, 2012. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
  5. 1 2 "The Kingdom of Copper". ArcGIS StoryMaps. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  6. The History of the Martyrs in Palestine, Eusebius of Caesarea, translated by William Cureton (1861)
  7. History of the Arians, Athanasius of Alexandria, translated by M. Atkinson and Archibald Robertson. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 4. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892.)
  8. Watkins, Basil (November 2015). The Book of Saints A Comprehensive Biographical Dictionary. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 679. ISBN   9780567664150 . Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  9. Christensen, Torben (1989). Rufinus of Aquileia and the Historia Ecclesiastica, Lib. VIII-IX, of Eusebius. Kongelige Danske videnskabernes selskab. p. 104. ISBN   87-7304-178-5 . Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  10. Frend, W. H. C. (April 2014). Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church A Study of Conflict from the Maccabees to Donatus. Wipf & Stock Publishers. p. 537. ISBN   9781625648044 . Retrieved 13 December 2023.

30°37′38″N35°29′37″E / 30.627146°N 35.493745°E / 30.627146; 35.493745