The history of Jordan refers to the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the background period of the Emirate of Transjordan under British protectorate as well as the general history of the region of Transjordan.
Heshbon were at least two different ancient towns located east of the Jordan River in what is now the Kingdom of Jordan, historically within the territories of ancient Ammon.
Dhiban, known to the Moabites as Dibon, is a Jordanian town located in Madaba Governorate, approximately 70 kilometres south of Amman and east of the Dead Sea. Previously nomadic, the modern community settled the town in the 1950s. Dhiban's current population is about 15,000, with many working in the army, government agencies, or in seasonal agricultural production. A number of young people study in nearby universities in Karak, Madaba, and Amman. Most inhabitants practice Islam.
Bab edh-Dhra is the site of an Early Bronze Age city located near the Dead Sea, on the south bank of Wadi Kerak with dates in the EB IB, EB II, EB II-III and EB IVA. Bab edh-Dhra was discovered in 1924 on an expedition led by William F. Albright. Artifacts from Bab edh-Dhra are on display at Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth, Jordan; Karak Archaeological Museum in Jordan; the Kelso Bible Lands Museum housed at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA, USA; The Gustav Jeeninga Museum of Bible and Near Eastern Studies in Anderson, IN, USA; and the British Museum in London.
Abila was an ancient city east of the Jordan River in Moab, later Peraea, near Livias, about twelve km northeast of the north shore of the Dead Sea. The site is identified with modern Khirbet el-Kafrayn, Jordan and identified on the Madaba Map as an unnamed icon. There is a widely supported theory that in the Hebrew Bible, it is referred to as Abel-Shittim, as well as in the shorter forms Shittim and Ha-Shittim.
The Tall Zira'a is an archaeological tell in Jordan. Surveys and geophysical investigations showed the site's great potential for excavations.
Livias was a city in Transjordan in Classical Antiquity. In the writings of Josephus (English translation), the name is transcribed as Julias.
Al-Yadudah is a town in the Amman Governorate in northwestern Jordan, located south of the capital Amman.
The Amman Citadel is a historical site at the center of downtown Amman, the capital of Jordan. The L-shaped hill is one of the seven hills (jabals) that originally made up Amman.
Tell Balata is the site of the remains of an ancient Canaanite/Israelite city located in the Palestinian West Bank. The built-up area of Balata, a Palestinian village and suburb of Nablus, covers about one-third of the tell, and overlooks a vast plain to the east. The Palestinian village of Salim is located 4.5 kilometers (2.8 mi) to the east.
Al-Maghtas, meaning "baptism" or "immersion" in Arabic, is an archaeological World Heritage site in Jordan on the east bank of the Jordan River, officially known as Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" (Al-Maghtas). It is considered to be the original location of the Baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist and has been venerated as such since at least the Byzantine period. Following a suggestion by Origen, the baptism site of Jesus is sometimes also called Bethabara.
Tall al-’Umayri is an archaeological dig site in western Jordan that dates back to The Early Bronze Age and extends forwards to the Hellenistic Period. It is located near the modern capital of Amman, and is significant for its well preserved evidence of a Temple, as well as archaeological evidence of a network of small farms believed to produce wine. Excavations were proceeding as of 2014.
Jalul is an archaeological site and small village in the Amman Governorate in northwestern Jordan.
Burton MacDonald is a Canadian biblical archaeologist specialising in the archaeology of Jordan. He has been a professor at St. Francis Xavier University since 1965 and is currently Professor Emeritus in the Religious Studies department.
Tell el-Hammam is an archaeological site in Jordan, in the eastern part of the lower Jordan Valley close to the mouth of the Jordan River. The site has substantial remains from the Chalcolithic, Early, Intermediate and Middle Bronze Age, and from Iron Age II. There are different attempts at identifying the site with a biblical city.
Tell er-Rameh or Tall el-Rama is a small mound in Jordan rising in the plain east of the River Jordan, about twelve miles from Jericho. It presently has a Muslim cemetery on the acropolis that prevents it from being excavated. It has been identified as the location of Livias, but recent work has led to the theory that Tell er-Rameh was the commercial and residential centre of Livias, while the administrative centre was located at Tall el-Hammam.
Khirbat Iskandar is an archaeological site in central Jordan. The name translates as "ruins of Alexander [the Great]," which references a nearby village. Though the original name of the site is not known, the site is known for its Early Bronze Age settlement, which is millennia before the time of Alexander the Great. The site itself is an example of archaeological finds of the first known human cities and their rise, growth, and collapse. The site was known as a Canaanite settlement, during a time where human writing was first discovered.
Lehun, also known as al-Lahun or Khirbet Lahun, is an archaeological site in Madaba Governorate, Jordan.
Khirbet es-Sar – archaeological site in Jordan. It lies in the western suburb of modern Amman, on the edge of a plateau. In the MEGA Jordan database, which stores information about sites located in Jordan, Khirbet es-Sar can be found under numbers 11304 and 3007. Its ancient name is unknown.
Khirbat Ataruz or Ataroth is an archaeological site in Madaba Governorate, Jordan. The site was settled during the Iron Age, Hellenistic, Roman and Islamic periods. A Moabite temple dated to mid 9th to early 8th century BCE found at the site is linked to the narrative of the Mesha Stele and the story of the conquest of Ataroth. It is one of the best preserved Iron Age temples in the Southern Levant.
