Nomads in transition : mortuary archaeology in the lowlands of Edom (Jordan)

This dissertation examines the appearance of Edomite identity as reflected in the mortuary archaeology of Southern Jordan in the Iron Age (ca. 1200-500 B.C.E.). This study contributes to the collective understanding of social structure among a nomadic people as it grows in complexity on the edges of the Egyptian and Assyrian empires. In Chapter 1, the historical records relating to Edom are described, in order to identify the people studied. This is followed by an analysis of the region's archaeology, which is shown to represent a nomadic people. Traditionally recognized markers of ethnic identity are also discussed. In Chapter 2, mortuary archaeology is considered, first theoretically, and then with specific reference to the Near East. Finally, the limited corpus of archaeological material, excluding Wadi Fidan 40, from Edom is discussed. This includes published data from the major Edomite archaeological sites, as well as unpublished data from the Edom Lowlands Archaeology Project expeditions. Chapter 3 follows with a study of power in pastoral society and an analysis of the importance of graves and shrines in organizing such a society. Chapter 4 presents the previously unpublished complete corpus of mortuary data from Wadi Fidan 40. Chapter 5 examines the standing stones and surface architecture at Wadi Fidan 40 in the context of the burial monuments of the self- identifying groups found in the Levant at the time. Chapter 6 examines the economic and social significance of the objects of personal adornment worn by the deceased at Wadi Fidan 40. Finally, in Chapter 7 the dissertation is summed up. This analysis of the cemetery at Wadi Fidan 40 presents a nomadic population in transition, one which displays competition between families and which draws on close ties to Arabia in order to obtain portable displayable wealth in order to cement leadership in a changing societ