The Tulul adh-Dhahab (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: تلول الذهب; lit. "the hills of gold") 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 recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. The site features two neighboring tells, separated by the

Zarqa River The Zarqa River (, ''Nahr az-Zarqāʾ'', lit. "the River of the Blue ity) is the second largest tributary of the lower Jordan River, after the Yarmouk River. It is the third largest river in the region by annual discharge and its watershed enc ...

(the biblical River Jabbok), an

affluent Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...

of the

Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...

. The two tells are commonly identified with the ancient

Israelite Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age. Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...

cities of

Mahanaim Mahanaim ( ''Maḥănayīm'', "camps") is a place mentioned a number of times by the Bible said to be near Jabbok, in the same general area as Jabesh-gilead, beyond the Jordan River. Although two possible sites have been identified, the precis ...

and

Penuel Penuel (or Pnuel; Hebrew: ''Pənūʾēl'') is a place described in the Hebrew Bible as being not far from Succoth, on the east of the Jordan River and south of the river Jabbok in present-day Jordan. Penuel is mentioned in the Book of Genesis ...

, mentioned in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' The western of the twin tells was populated at least from

Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

Late Antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...

, maybe beginning as early as the

Neolithic period The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wid ...

. After the collapse of the ancient buildings probably by an

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

in Late Antiquity, the site was abandoned. Maybe because of its name in Arabic, some parts of the western hill are severely damaged due to recent

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

Location

The double hills (hence the plural 'Tulūl', proper:

dual Dual or Duals may refer to: Paired/two things * Dual (mathematics), a notion of paired concepts that mirror one another ** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality *** see more cases in :Duality theories * Dual number, a nu ...

'Tellan' rather than the singular 'Tell') are situated in the Zarqa River valley at the opening of the southern Wadi Hajjaj. The two twin-like hills, both of them bearing ruins, are both approximately 120m above the riverbed and forcing the Zarqa River on a winding course around them. The western and larger of the twin tells (Tell edh-Dhahab al-Gharbi) is located on the north side of the U-shaped meander of the Zarqa River. The eastern mound (Tell edh-Dhahab esh-Sharqi) is a lot smaller. Until the 20th century the twin hills obstructed the way to the Zarqa valley heading east. Ancient hikers had to dodge the way into the Zarqa valley and head to the Wadi Hajjaj, the shortest way to settlement area of the

Ammon Ammon (; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''ʻAmān''; '; ) was an ancient Semitic languages, Semitic-speaking kingdom occupying the east of the Jordan River, between the torrent valleys of Wadi Mujib, Arnon and Jabbok, in present-d ...

ites. That is the reason why the Tulul adh-Dhahab had, until the construction of the Roman road at the exit of Wadi az-Zarqa in Jordan Valley near the present village of Abu Zighan, a high strategic importance. 6.5 kilometers west of the Tulul adh-Dhahab there is the large Tell of

Deir Alla Deir Alla (Arabic: دير علا) is the site of an ancient Near Eastern town in Balqa Governorate, Jordan. The Deir Alla Inscription, datable to ca. 840–760 BCE, was found here. On 20 August 2010, it recorded a temperature of 51.1 � ...

, dating to the Bronze and Iron Age, commonly identified with the biblical city of

Sukkot Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelite ...

Identification

Tulul adh-Dahab is identified with several place names mentioned in ancient sources. Up until 1970,

biblical scholars Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse academic discipline, disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the Biblical canon#Jewish canons, canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Judais ...

identified the whole site (or one or other of the twin peaks) with the biblical city of Penuel. Penuel is mentioned in the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...

as the site of Jacob's struggle with the angel (). In

1 Kings The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of ancient Israel also including ...

, it is mentioned as a capital for

Jeroboam Jeroboam I (; Hebrew language, Hebrew: ''Yārŏḇʿām''; ), frequently cited Jeroboam son of Nebat, was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), Kingdom of Israel following a Jeroboam's Revol ...

, which he fortified (). Based on the Genesis account, scholars believed Penuel to be the location of a sacred sanctuary, and presumed that there must have been a temple from Iron Age I or earlier on one of the peaks. Zarqa_River2822

After 1970, most biblical scholars started identifying the two peaks with the biblical city of Mahanaim. During the days of the

United Kingdom of Israel The Kingdom of Israel (Hebrew: מַמְלֶכֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, ''Mamleḵeṯ Yīśrāʾēl'') was an Israelite kingdom that may have existed in the Southern Levant. According to the Deuteronomistic history in the Hebrew Bible, ...

, Mahanaim was a stronghold that had been adapted to serve as a sanctuary for important fugitives. After King

Saul Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late eleventh c ...

's death, Mahanaim is the place where his son

Ish-bosheth Ish-bosheth (, "man of shame"), also called Eshbaal (, ; alternatively spelled Ishbaal, "man of Baal") was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the second monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel. After the death of his fa ...

was crowned as king of Israel. Mahanaim is also the location to which King

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

is described as fleeing while at war with his son

Absalom Absalom ( , ), according to the Hebrew Bible, was an Israelite prince. Born to David and Maacah, who was from Geshur, he was the only full sibling of Tamar. He is described in the Hebrew Bible as being exceptionally beautiful, as is his siste ...

. Mahanaim is first mentioned as the place where Jacob had a vision of

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

s (). Believing it to be "God's camp", Jacob names the place Mahanaim (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: מחניים, lit. "two camps"). Some scholars took the dual form of the name literally and associated it with the twin peaks. These scholars also looked for an alternative location for Penuel. According to , a ford across the lower River Jabbok was located close to Penuel. As a result, the site had to be located next to the Zarqa River and was therefore identified as Tall al-Hamma East (32°11'32.0"N 35°38'48.0"E). However, not all of the scholars agree with the interpretation of Mahanaim as a quantitative dual form. The contemporary Israeli archaeologist

Israel Finkelstein Israel Finkelstein (; born March 29, 1949) is an Israelis, Israeli archaeologist, professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University and the head of the School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures at the University of Haifa. Finkelstein is active in the a ...

sees the two hills as two distinct sites that probably featured distinct names during antiquity. He suggested identifying the western (larger) hill with Mahanaim and the eastern one with Penuel. Scholars of the Hellenistic period proposed to identify the site with the

Seleucid The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great, a ...

cities of Amathous and Essa mentioned in the writings of

Flavius Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing ''The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Judaea ...

. However, according to the excavators, the hypothesis that Amathous was located on the western hill is not very likely owing to chronological discrepancies.

Discovery & excavations

The research of the late 19th and 20th century was confirmed by the descriptions of the Tulul adh-Dhahab by S. Merrill (1878, 1881), G. Gustav Dalman, C. Steuernagel and others. M. North conducted a topographic surveys by 1955. But it were the American archaeologists Robert L. Gordon and Linda E. Villiers who carried out a major survey in the years of 1980 and 1982. They published the first map of the ruins that were still visible at that time. Since 2005, annual excavations are conducted in the western hill by a team from the

University of Dortmund TU Dortmund University () is a technical university in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with over 35,000 students, and over 6,000 staff including 300 professors, offering around 80 Bachelor's and master's degree programs. It is situate ...

, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Thomas Pola, in collaboration with the Jordanian Department of Antiquities.Thomas Pola, Hannelore Kröger, Bernd Rasink, Jochen Reinhard, Mohammad al-Balawnah, Mohammad Abu Abila: ''A preliminary report of the Tulul adh-Dhahab (Wadi az-Zarqa) survey and excavation seasons 2005 - 2011.'' In: ''Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan'' 57, 2013 (2016), , S. 81–96
Link
. Since 2006 a team of the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

have joined the excavations. They are engaged in the geomagnetic prospection, the tachymetric 3D surveying and the production of close-range

aerial photographs Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing airc ...

for photogrammetric purposes of the site. In addition to the work of R. L. Gordon in 1980/82, there is now for the first time a detailed map of the entire excavation site available in which all the visible surface artifacts are measured. Tulul adh-Dhahab morning view on excavation 2008 II

Tulul adh-Dhahab morning view on excavation 2008 II

Archaeological findings

On the two highest terraces of the hill so far three settlement phases were detected archaeologically: According to

radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for Chronological dating, determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of carbon-14, radiocarbon, a radioactive Isotop ...

, the earliest settlement dates from the period 1300-970 BC (

Iron Age I The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

); previously no associated architectural remains were found, but layers and a wide variety of finds. At least one predecessor of the fortified wall that surrounds Terrace I and II is contemporary to this earliest phase. The carved

lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

rock ashlars that were embedded in the later architecture (II-III) as building material could originate from a cult or representative building of this earliest phase or a little later from the period 900-700 BCE. The three largest and most interpretable fragments that were found so far show the head of a decorated lion, a woman or child with a goat, and a stylistically similar illustration of two beardless persons, each are holding an instrument in front of them that surmount their heads considerably, maybe a

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

. According to the excavators, the

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

of these items suggests they were used for a

cultic Cult is the care (Latin: '' cultus'') owed to deities and their temples, shrines, or churches; cult is embodied in ritual and ceremony. Its presence or former presence is made concrete in temples, shrines and churches, and cult images, including ...

activity. This implies the possibility that there was a

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

on the top of the western hill during Iron Age II. Tulul adh-Dhahab ramparts

Few sections on the top terrace showed foundations of buildings built between 375 and 175 BCE (

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the large ...

and

Hellenistic period In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

s). Most of these features were destroyed during the construction of the youngest phase. Additionally, some isolated

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

fragments from the uppermost terrace have been dated using radiocarbon dating to 1960–1750 v. Chr. On the highest plateau, a

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

of approximately 30x30 meters was built with two adjacent peristyle courts, each about 15x15 meters in size and angled eastwards. The fragments of architecture of this palace are stylistically placed in the late Hellenistic period or during the early years of

Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...

(73-4 BCE), coins and 14C data corroborate this time approach. Detailed findings suggest that some of this architecture were two-story buildings. Besides limestone, mud bricks were used too as building material. This palace ended with a fire event probably after about 50-25 BC, then the facility was vacated and abandoned. Later most of the still standing architecture collapsed in an earthquake. The top two terraces on the steep eastern and south slope were surrounded by a today about 0.5 - 1.5m high preserved wall, its original height is not known. At its inner line room like foundations are set. The layer and period relationship of these walls with the two successive palaces (II and III) could not be clarified yet. Furthermore, a

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

settlement lies at the southeastern foot of the western mound, Tell edh-Dhahab el-Gharbi, only slightly above the Jabbok River, but safely above the flood line.Frank Siegmund und Sandra Viehmeier: ''Eine bislang unbekannte chalkolithische Siedlung am Westhügel der Tulul adh-Dhahab, dem Tall adh-Dhahab el-Gharbîyeh im Tal des Nahr ez-Zarqa (Prov. Dscharasch, Jordanien)''. In: Christoph Rinne, Jochen Reinhard, Eva Roth Heege und Stefan Teuber (Hrsg.), ''Vom Bodenfund zum Buch - Archäologie durch die Zeiten. Festschrift für Andreas Heege.'' Historische Archäologie Sonderband 1, Bonn 2017, S. 39–49
PDF
.

References

Bibliography

* Boris Dreyer: ''Tulul adh-Dhahab (Wadi az-Zarqa) lead sling bullets from Terrace I.'' In: ''Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan'' 57, 2013 (2016), ISSN 0449-1564, S. 97–104. * Martin Noth: ''The German Protestant Institute of Science Antiquity of the Holy Land.'' Lehrkursus the 1955th. In: ''Journal of the German Palestine Society.'' Vol. 72, 1956, , p. 31-82, here: 52–58. * Robert L. Gordon, Linda E. Villiers: ''Telul edh Dhahab and its environs surveys of 1980 and 1982: a preliminary report.'' In: ''Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.'' Vol. 27, 1983, p. 275-289. * Robert L. Gordon: ''Telul edh Dhahab Survey (Jordan) 1980 and 1982.'' In: ''Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft zu Berlin.'' Vol. 116, 1984, p. 131-137. * Thomas Pola, Mohammad al-Balawnah, Wolfgang Thiel, Emmanuel Rehfeld, Tobias Krause: ''Fragments of Carved Stones from Tulul adh-Dhahab in the Lower Wadi az-Zarqā.'' In: ''Journal of Epigraphy & Rock Drawings.'' Bd. 3, 2009, S. 17–24. * Thomas Pola, ''Ritzzeichnungen. Werfen archäologische Funde aus dem Ostjordanland Licht auf Ez 8,10 und 1Kön 6,29-36?'' In: ''Theologische Beiträge.'' Vol. 41, 2010, p. 97-113. * Thomas Pola, Hannelore Kröger, Bernd Rasink, Jochen Reinhard, Mohammad al-Balawnah, Mohammad Abu Abila: ''A preliminary report of the Tulul adh-Dhahab (Wadi az-Zarqa) survey and excavation seasons 2005 - 2011.'' In: ''Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan'' 57, 2013 (2016), ISSN 0449-1564, S. 81–96
Link
. * Jochen Reinhard: ''Things on strings and complex computer algorithms. Kite Aerial Photography and Structure from Motion Photogrammetry at the Tulul adh-Dhahab, Jordan.'' In: ''AARGnews'' 45, 2012, , S. 37–41
Link
o
Link
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External links

- Album with pictures, videos and audio files
Collection of 3D models of the topography of the Tulul adh-Dhahab and its surroundings

* ttp://www.schattenblick.net/infopool/geist/history/ggber154.html Report on the Excavation TU Dortmund 2006
Jordan Times article of the 2008 campaign

Photo of a head made of ceramicsPhotos of Tall edh Dahab
at the

American Center of Research The American Center of Research (ACOR) is a private, not-for-profit scholarly and educational organization. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, with a facility in Amman, Jordan, ACOR promotes knowledge of Jordan and the interconnected region, past an ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tulul Adh-Dhahab Biblical archaeology Iron Age sites in Jordan Bronze Age sites in Jordan Roman sites in Jordan Biblical cities Jews and Judaism in Jordan