Exciting Archaeological Discoveries Made by Joint BYU-Jordanian Team

In a June, 2019 press release, the Ad-Deir Monument & Plateau Project (AMPP) revealed that a joint Brigham Young University-Jordanian team recently made groundbreaking archeological discoveries in Petra, Jordan.

These findings are important contributions to the overall mission of AMPP, which is to identify, map, excavate, study and restore the major ancient Nabataean water control and containment systems that were originally built to protect the Ad-Deir Monument (the Monastery)–the largest rock-cut façade in Petra from seasonal erosion. AMPP’s archeological efforts in Petra began in 2013 with drone linked GPS photography and mapping of the entire Ad-Deir complex.

The press release reports that one of the most important discoveries of the 2019 Field Season was the uncovering of a huge deposit of whole and partially whole Nabataean pottery dating to circa 40 BCE to CE 350. This discovery was particularly monumental because as Dr. Cynthia Finlayson of BYU’s Anthropology Department and Director of the AMPP project explained, it is “one of the largest deposits of complete Nabataean pottery assemblages ever discovered in its original contexts in Petra.”

In the AMPP Press Release, BYU students also explained how retrieving and transporting the pottery to the AMPP lab for processing, along with their overall experience in Petra, had a lasting impact on their academic and professional growth. MA Archaeology student Elizabeth Whisenhunt reported that it “has given me a whole new perspective on archaeology, its potential intensity, and processing levels. I also really liked the dynamics of working with our local crew and learning about Jordanian culture. Being immersed in this every day was very important to me.” Archeology undergraduate BA student Jake Hubbert added that it “gave me more professional experience as well as seeing the progression of a project long-term. Working with our local Jordanian crew is always exciting and fun.”

Among the other significant discoveries was discovery of “the ancient rock-cut entrance and exit ramp to the Great Circle itself,” which is “the world’s largest known rock-cut circular water containment pool,” and 400-500 pound stones that were a part of a “built dam wall” on its eastern side. Also, south of the Great Circle’s Outer Ring Wall, MA Archeology student Josie Newbold found “an undisturbed burial” which “in Petra is always a rare event.”

To learn more about the Field Schools offered in Archeology, visit the BYU Anthropology Department website.