This was the first complete piece of pottery taken from Tall el-Hammam, Jordan. It was found on Jan 8, 2007 in a residential area, with 6 other jars which were broken but mendible. It dates to 1000 BC (3000 years old). The interesting thing about the storage jar was it was only about 8 inches below the surface. Amazing that it had survived the destruction of the house, as the mud bring roof had collapsed and shattered the other jars. This one was in the centre of the room and not against the back wall like the others which may have had something to do with it's survival. The two jars on the left of the picture are from the museum in Trinity Southwest University and shows the way we can date the similar storage jars. The Late Iron 2A jars have these "monkey eared" handles and classic shape with the round bottoms. They would simply dig a shallow hole in the ground and set the storage jar in their spot. It would have been used to store grain, dry goods, oil or wine. There was a small amount of charred residue in the bottom which we took samples for carbon 14 dating. It will most likely be put on display in the Museum in Amman, Jordan or the new museum being built near Lots Cave. It was an amazing feeling to find this rare and beautifully preserved storage jar from the time of Solomon 1000 BC.
No comments:
Post a Comment