Excavations, Surveys and Heritage: Essays on Southwest Asian Archaeology in Honour of Zeidan Kafafi

This Festschrift is a tribute to Zeidan Kafafi in appreciation for his lifelong commitment and contribution to the field of Near Eastern archaeology and in particular that of Jordan with the Archaeology Department at the al-Yarmouk University. In accordance with his focus of interest, the 18 contributions assembled in this volume predominantly cover Jordan, Syria, the Levant and North Arabia with an emphasis on the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic. Among others, "Religion and Ritual in Early Neolithic Jordan" is examined by B. Finlayson. K. Bartl presents an overview of the "Neolithic Developments in Syria". G. van der Kooij discusses the temple at Tell Deir 'Alla, while L. Nigro focuses on "Urbanism in Early Bronze Age Jordan". The "History of Research on the Iron Age at the Amman Citadel" is presented by K. Schmidt and the recent history of the "American Center of Research" in Jordan by B.A. Porter. Table of Contents 7 Prince Hassan bin Talal: Zeidan Kafafi, a Laudation 9 Hayajneh /al-Ghul / Kerner: An Appreciation and Introduction 11 Nissen / Yssine: Zeidan Kafafi, an Appreciation 21 Bienert / Liedgens: Professor Dr. Zeidan Kafafi – a Distinguished Scholar and Friend 23 Palmer: Prof. Dr Zeidan Kafafi – Time and Place, in Conversation 25 Parenti / Palumbo: The Upper Zarqa Valley and its Relevance for Levantine Prehistory 39 Al Nahar: ‘Ayn Ghazal 2020 Season: Preliminary Report 51 Gebel: The Neolithic of the Greater Petra Area: The Early 1980’s Research History 67 Finlayson: Religion and Ritual in Early Neolithic Jordan 91 Rollefson: The Neolithic of the Nefud Desert, North-Western Arabian Peninsula 105 Bartl: Neolithic Developments in Syria 121 Coqueugniot: Heavy Flint Tools from Abu Hamid (Jordan) - Axes, Adzes, Scissors, Picks ...: Woodcutters’ and Carpenters’ Tools, or Agricultural Implements? 147 Ibrahim: Chalcolithic Sahab: A Village Farming Community between Highland and Desert 165 Kerner: Ledge Handles, their Development and Potential for Interpretation 185 Nigro: Paths towards Urbanism in Early Bronze Age Jordan 199 Kamlah: Bird Depictions in Middle Bronze Age Burial Contexts: Two Unique Tell el-Yehudiyeh Vessels from Tell el-Burak (Lebanon) 235 van der Kooij: Tell Deir ‘Alla: A Southern LBA Temple? 255 Steiner: The Late Bronze Age Temple at Deir Alla: A Reassessment 271 Schmidt: The History of Research on the Iron Age at the Amman Citadel جبل القلع ة (Jabal Al-Qalʽa) 287 Petit: Crossing the Jordan River: The Historiography of the Damiyah Bridges 311 Bernbeck: Extractivism, Hyperobjects and Heritage Futures: The Case of Abu Snesleh 327 Porter: Some Thoughts on ACOR’s Role in Jordan’s Heritage over 50 Years 347 Douglas / Al-Jahrawi: خالد دغلس وناصر الجهوري Early Bronze Age Settlements – Umm an-Nar Culture –2500–2000 BCE in the Northern Oman Peninsula 373