In Smaller Things Forgotten: Using microdebris to enhance our understanding of Middle Islamic Dhiban (Jordan)

Summary

This paper presents heavy fraction data from the archaeological site of Dhiban, Jordan, dating to the Middle Islamic period of occupation (late 12th to late 15th centuries CE). Based on a comparative study between larger heavy fraction materials and microartifacts I argue for the importance of smaller material residues in interpreting specific use-space as well as understanding Dhiban in relation to larger regional trends. Using a systematic flotation sampling strategy that recorded volume and provenience, the material was collected from a barrel-vaulted room enclosing a "domestic" space that encompassed a series of successive layered floors. Analysis of the material revealed that smaller residue sizes often do not correlate with larger residue sizes in either abundance or presence of different materials. Ceramics are abundant in larger fraction sizes but relatively infrequently in smaller sizes. Faunal remains of marine vertebrates and invertebrates that provide evidence for long-distance trade and water-resource use are rarely found in larger fraction sizes yet are ubiquitous in even the smallest fraction sizes. This research suggests that smaller fraction sizes are valuable sources of data to supplement archaeological interpretation concerning the material life-ways of past inhabitants.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage