PALEOENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH IN AN ANCIENT WATER RESERVOIR AT QASR ET-TILAH, WADI-ARABAH, JORDAN

As part of ongoing studies on human response to sudden environmental changes, we excavated at the Qasr et-Tilah archaeological site located in the Wadi-Arabah, Jordan. The site contains among other features, previously un-surveyed ruins of an ancient birkeh (water reservoir) measuring approximately 18 x 6 m. The walls include large flat boulders in alignment exposed at the current ground surface which show remains of hydraulic plaster. A 1 x 5 m trench, aligned on the east/west axis, was excavated into a partial exposure created by bulldozer push during construction of a modern birkeh just to the west. This structure provides irrigation for crops grown in part of an ancient field system marked by ancient rectilinear walls visible in aerial photography. At a depth of 1.6 m we encountered the underlying alluvial fan material. Upon this was a single course of large cobbles which was then covered with a pebbly plaster. This surface shows evidence of secondary plaster, indicating repair work, and is covered by approximately 10 cm of silt, upon which rests a number of cobbles which appear to have collapsed inward from the west wall. Above this layer are multiple ash lenses and sherds of cooking pots indicating later periods of domestic use. Flotation was performed on soil samples from several layers in order to obtain charcoal and botanical samples which will be analyzed with radiocarbon dating. These dates, along with the ceramic chronology, will be used to constrain dates of occupation and to study paleoenvironmental conditions.