New Arabic-Christian inscriptions from Udhruḥ, southern Jordan (original) (raw)
2011, Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy
Udhruḥ: historical introduction Udhruḥ is located approximately 15 km east of the world heritage site of Petra in southern Jordan (Fig. 1). Fieldwork studies indicate human activities at Udhruḥ as well as at adjacent sites as early as the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods. Evidence from the Palaeolithic (Mousterian) and Neolithic periods was uncovered at Udhruḥ as early as the 1980s (Killik 1987: 174; Abudanh 2006: 196). Other prehistoric periods are still vague and archaeologically unknown either at Udhruḥ or its vicinity. However, the evidence from the first millennium BC is better defined and well attested archaeologically. Iron Age (II) architectural elements and pottery sherds, for instance, have long been reported from the site of Tell Udhruḥ. Edomite pottery sherds as well as some Iron Age structures were also found at various sites within the region of Udhruḥ (Killick 1983a: 236; Abudanh 2006: 197-199). By the end of the first century BC, the settlement developed within the region and the site's material remains show that its prosperity continued throughout the first millennium AD. Historical accounts as well as archaeological evidence convey a picture of a prosperous and culturally vibrant town of some importance during the classical periods (Killick 1982; 1983a; 1983b; 1986; 1987). The town is mentioned in Roman sources such as Ptolemy's Geography where Udhruḥ is referred to as Áδρου and is located in Arabia Petraea (Ptolemy Geographia V.16.4; Abel 1967, ii: 178). Udhruḥ's proximity to Petra made it an ideal settlement for commercial exchange and trade during the Nabataean period. Nabataean material culture remains have been found at Udhruḥ, including coins dated to the reign of the Nabataean king Aretas IV (9 BC-AD 40), pottery, an ostracon and a pottery kiln (Killick 1987: 175). This paper sheds more light on Udhruḥ during the Byzantine and Islamic periods, based on both historical sources and archaeological data. It presents new unpublished Arabic-Christian inscriptions that were found inside the site's Byzantine church, which confirm the continuity of Christianity in the region during the Islamic period.
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