The Wadi ath-Thamad Project
Khirbat al-Mudayana, Jordan (30km outside of the town of Madaba)
Khirbat al-Mudayana, Jordan (30km outside of the town of Madaba)
· Excavating the Iron Age town and Nabataean buildings at Khirbat al-Mudayana;
· Regional survey of the Wadi ath-Thamad area;
· Documentation of ancient cemeteries.
The Wadi ath-Thamad project is sponsored by Wilfrid Laurier University.
· Project Director: Dr. P.M. Michèle Daviau (WLU)
· Associate Director: Dr. Robert Chadwick (Bishop's)
· Assistant Director: Dr. Annlee Dolan (San Joaquin Delta College)
· Senior Staff: Dr. Noor Mulder-Hymans (University of Maastricht)
· Bioanthropologist: Dr. Margaret A. Judd (University of Pittsburgh)
· Associate Director and Epigrapher: Dr. Michael Weigl (University of Vienna)
· Volunteer Coordinator: Christopher Gohm
· Camp Manager: Robert Mittlesteadt
In 2008, having no previous archaeological fieldwork experience, I decided to jump in head first. A classmate and I decided on Jordan from the choices provided to us in class because we wanted to experience something different. While many of our other classmates were headed to Europe, we settled on the Middle East.
During the 2008 season, I was a volunteer in Field E under the supervision of Dr. Annlee Dolan previously from the University of Toronto and currently a professor of Anthropology at San Joaquin Delta College in California. My square supervisor was a student from the host university with one previous season’s experience as well as lab experience. Though many of the students were first time volunteers with the Project, my uOttawa classmate and I were the only ones from an outside university who were not in a formal archaeology program. I knew very little about everything around me. In regards to archaeology, I had only taken CLA2110 and watched the Indiana Jones trilogy. About the Moabite Kingdom and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, I knew only what I found on Wikipedia. I knew quite a bit about Islam but still had a lot to learn. Finally in regards to the Arabic language, I knew only a few choice words (polite and not so) from having grown up in a primarily Arabic and French neighbourhood and having many Arabic-speaking friends. I spent those six weeks absorbing everything I could and used up all my free time travelling and exploring nearby sites.
This summer, I weighed my options and decided to return to Khirbat al-Mudayana. When I left in 2008, I felt invested in my square, my field, our site and the city of Madaba in which we lived. I was especially mesmerized by the country with its monarchy, culture, history and language. Over the past two years, I did my best to learn as much as I could about Khirbat al-Mudayana, the Moabite Kingdom and even the Arabic language. Far more prepared, I returned this summer a square supervisor.
The days were long, the work was hard and the heat was exhausting, but my second season with the Wadi ath-Thamad Project only strengthened my love for archaeology, history and ancient cultures. I have a lot more to learn, but I know that this is what I want to do. I am counting the days to the 2011 season, wherever I find myself.
The Wadi ath-Thamad Project consists of roughly 180km2 of desert outside the modern city of Madaba in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. A small team of surveyors work at the various sites within the Project’s reach while a larger team excavates at the site of Khirbat al-Mudayana, located approximately 30km south of Madaba. The site of Khirbat al-Mudayana is at the top of a desert mound about 30m from the foothill that must be climbed by foot every morning as it is far too steep for a vehicle. The wadi, or valley, that surrounds the Mudayana is dry in the summer months, but flows in the winter months. Khirbat al-Mudayana is often mistakenly referred to as a tell. Although there is evidence of other activity, such as Roman and Umay, on the site, as of yet, there is no evidence of another village having been built above the Iron Age II village.
I spent my two seasons with the project working in Fields E and G which is where the domestic buildings are located. We are looking to uncover the extent of Building 400 and its relation to the casemate wall. We are located at the southernmost end of the mound and because of that we encountered secondary occupancy in the form of Umayyad burials. These two seasons yielded many interesting finds and has added to our understanding of the building, but there is still much more to be found there and as already mentioned, my plan is to go back to work in Fields E and G to find the answers.
There are many benefits to this excavation. If you are interested in Near Eastern, Biblical or Iron Age archaeology, this is the excavation for you. The cost is very reasonable considering that you receive four meals a day during the week and three meals a day on weekends. The project also organizes educational trips on Saturdays to other sites in the area, desert castles and forts, Wadi-Mujib, Mount Nebo, Jerash, Amman, etc. These are included in your participation fees. There is also enough downtime to plan your own side trips (at your own expense) to the Dead Sea, the Red Sea, the Jordan River, Pella and Gadara, Wadi Rum desert, etc. The project organizes the trip to Petra and Karak, but the cost is extra. I was the student who organized these trips in 2008 and 2010 and I was successful in scoring some great deals for the group.
You may be intimidated by the idea of digging in the desert, but the great thing is that there is little to no humidity! It is just as hot as Greece, Turkey and Italy, but without the humidity. It is hotter than England, France and Eastern Europe, but without the rain. Due to the lack of humidity and rain your body has the chance to cool down; sweat has the opportunity to do what it is supposed to do. And you do not have that sticky icky wet feeling that never seems to go away and the air is not thick and heavy.
One thing to remember if you are planning to join this dig: though one of the most progressive and tolerant Middle Eastern countries and has Christian and Jewish communities, it is still a Muslim country, a conservative country. We are not considered tourist while we live in Madaba, and our actions will reflect on the team year after year, so it is important to be respectful of the customs and practices of Jordan and to be conservative in the way we dress and act in public.
