Umm el-Jimal

Coordinates: 32°19′36″N 36°22′11″E / 32.32667°N 36.36972°E / 32.32667; 36.36972
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Umm el-Jimal
أم الجمال
Village
The double window of House XVIII in Umm el-Jimal
The double window of House XVIII in Umm el-Jimal
Umm el-Jimal is located in Jordan
Umm el-Jimal
Umm el-Jimal
Coordinates: 32°19′36″N 36°22′11″E / 32.326667°N 36.369722°E / 32.326667; 36.369722
Country Jordan
GovernorateMafraq Governorate

Umm el-Jimal (

Byzantine
ruins.

Overview

The ruins from atop the barracks

Umm el-Jimal is a large village located in northern Jordan less than 10 km from the

Abbasid period. In the early twentieth century the area was repopulated by the Druze and then the Bedouin
Msa'eid tribe.

History

The village of Umm el-Jimal originated in the first century AD as a rural suburb of the ancient Nabataean capital of

Tetrarchic castellum) that housed a military garrison. As Roman influence in the area gradually diminished, the area once again became a rural village. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Umm el-Jimal prospered as a farming and trading town in which the population jumped to an estimated 4,000–6,000 people. However, after the Muslim conquests
of the 7th century, the village population diminished even though building projects and renovations continued to take place. In circa 749, an earthquake destroyed much of the area and Umm el-Jimal was abandoned like other towns and villages. The village remained uninhabited for nearly eleven hundred years until the modern community developed in the twentieth century.

Prehistory

Little is known of pre-historical times in Umm el-Jimal, aside from the few scattered remains of what appear to be settlements of nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes. In some of these places it is possible to find chert knapping stones and some prehistoric tools. In the nearby wadis the remains of kites, which are large animal traps, have been found. The prehistoric people would have used these to catch large groups of animals at once.[1]

Nabataean

The Nabataean peoples were the first to build permanent homesteads in the area in the first century AD. The settlement was mainly a farming community and a trading outpost dependent on Bostra, the nearby capital of the Nabataeans. Though the evidence for this village survives only in fragments, there are numerous Nabataean inscriptions from this period, mostly tomb stones. At least two men mentioned on these served as members of the Bostra City Council.[2]

Early Roman

As the Romans continued their conquest of the surrounding areas, the Nabataean king saw his state's demise as inevitable, so he ceded his kingdom to the Roman emperor Trajan in AD 106. The Romans named the newly acquired territory Provincia Arabia and promptly set up local governments. The Praetorium, so named by H. C. Butler in 1905, may have been built for this purpose in the third century AD.[2]

Late Roman

Everything changed after the rebellion led by Queen

Arab residents of the Hauran, this change may have been viewed as liberation rather than decline.[2]

Byzantine

The Roman provincial administrators were replaced by

Umayyad Empire.[2]

Umayyad

The

Caliphs in the ninth century.[2]

Arab Revolt

T.E. Lawrence wrote of "ruined Um el Jemal", "There seemed evidence of bluntness of mind in these Roman frontier cities, Um el Jemal, Um el Surab, Umtaiye. Such incongruous buildings, in what was then and now a desert cockpit, accused their builders of insensitiveness; almost of a vulgar assertion of man's right (Roman right) to live unchanged in all his estate."[3][4]

Religion

Nabataean

There are a number of altars to Nabataean gods located on the site of Petra, including Dushara Aarra. Dushara, a god of Petra, is linked to Aarra, the patron god of Bostra, who become a unique regional deity. Both the Nabataean and Greek versions of his name can be seen inscribed on the die (middle section) of an altar, found in the western area of the ruins. Another god present at the site is Zeus Epikoos, a mixture of Zeus and the local deity Epikoos. In this case an altar was found in a courtyard, representative of a regional god. The altar found at Umm el-Jimal suggests personal devotion by a local resident to this deity. The third deity found at Umm el-Jimal is Solmos, who is not known elsewhere and may also be a local deity, perhaps only worshipped by the people of Umm el-Jimal and the immediate surrounding area. His name is found only once, on an altar inscription in the main ruins of Umm el-Jimal. Because this is the only known evidence of the worship of Solmos, it is reasonable to believe his worshipers were relatively few and localized. There is evidence on tombstones and small altars scattered throughout the site that suggests the worship of other deities, perhaps personal or familial gods not worshiped communally.[5]

Early Roman Pagan

Due to the tolerant nature of the early Roman occupation, little was contested during this period. The people of the region were able to continue their religious practices they had followed prior to the Roman occupation. Thus, it is likely that many of the regional gods like Zeus Epikoos and Solmos were still worshiped as the local deities.[5]

Late Roman Temple

Late Roman

After the rebellion of

Tetrarchic castellum.[5]

Late Roman Temple

Christianity/Byzantium

The West Church

The

emperor who seemed so far away.[5]

Islam

Muslim modern community is served by several newly constructed mosques outside the antiquities.[5]

Location

The village of Umm el-Jimal is located in the semi-arid region of Jordan known as the Southern Hauran, at the western edge of the desert Badiya region. The area consists mainly of the igneous rock basalt, which was used as the primary building material. Basalt also served as a natural insulation which was extremely important in the area. In the cool winter months the basalt blocks would trap the heat from the sun and then radiate that heat throughout the structure, thus acting as a natural heating source. In the hot summer months it would serve as a cooling unit because the dense nature of the blocks trapped the cool air within the structure, despite the fact that temperatures exceed 100 °F. The volcanic nature of the soil has made it one of the most fertile areas in Jordan and Syria.

Demographics

The estimated population during the Nabataean period is unknown, because evidence of a residential community was obliterated by the later construction phases. However, because the town was likely a major trading post along the same route as Bostra, the population could have been several thousand strong. Numerous Nabataean and Greek tombstones testify to their presence. Based on the number of structures, the peak population was likely in the sixth century perhaps 3,000–7,000 people. In the

region of Syria decreased; i.e., plague, drought, earthquakes, etc. Aside from these basic numbers, the general range of poor to wealthy households is largely unknown for most of the different eras of occupation. The location of the site suggests that it was rather small, but the number of buildings and churches suggest otherwise.[6]

Archaeology

Excavation site C2

Umm el-Jimal was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, during a time of Western interest in antiquities. The first systematic survey was completed by the

Southern Syria
in 1905 and 1909. The first recorded visit to the site was by William John Bankes (1786–1855) in 1818 who conducted a brief description of Umm el-Jimal. Between 1818 and 1905, many Westerners passed through the site and made a few recordings but all were brief and inconclusive. Howard Crosby Butler led the Princeton Expedition and his papers (PES II: 151) contain a more exhaustive account of those who came to Umm el-Jimal between 1818 and 1905. Butler remained at the site for two weeks mapping the site and drawing diagrams of several of the buildings. Butler's work has proved invaluable in guiding others to the site and in garnering further interest in studying the site. His survey of 1905 provided the groundwork for the field work still being conducted today.

G. Corbett came to Umm el-Jimal in 1956 to study the Julianos Church and much of his work corrected the mistakes made by Butler. Corbett also refined how Umm el-Jimal is thought of today by demonstrating that many of the buildings were constructed reusing pieces from earlier buildings. In 1972 comprehensive work was started at Umm el-Jimal by Bert de Vries of

Calvin College. The ancient village was further mapped out and detailed work conducted refining the theories surrounding the nature and history of the village. The work has included conservation practices. In 1977, the walls of the Barracks were fortified with cement to prevent more collapse. The gate area of House XVIII was also fortified in 1983 with modern cement. Excavations were conducted during field work between 1972 and 1998, though the nature of the excavations was for survey and research and not for uncovering buried ruins. Since 1998 the work has centered on presentation and visual documentation of the site. Started in 2009, efforts are currently being conducted to make the site more presentable to the public.[7]
A significant component of this effort is the development of a virtual museum with site tours, a compilation of the research and publications, and presentation of the heritage of the modern community and its relationship to the antiquities at www.ummeljimal.org .

In 2014, extensive damage was done to the site by tomb raiders. Sparked by rumors of gold, looters have destroyed many tombs. "The looters are looking not only for gold but for ceramics, glassware, lamps, masonry and bits of jewelry, all of which quickly find their way into the global antiquities trade."[8]

Notes

  1. ^ Benjamin Hoksbergen, "The Oldest Components: The Paleolithic at Umm el-Jimal," Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 54 (Amman 2010).
  2. ^ a b c d e Bert de Vries et al, Umm el-Jimal: A Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic Town in Northern Jordan, Vol. I, Supplement, Journal of Roman Archaeology, 1998.
  3. ^ Lawrence, T.E. (1935). Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. p. 588.
  4. ISBN 9780300226393
    .
  5. ^ a b c d e Bert de Vries, "Between the Cults of Syria and Arabia: Traces of Pagan Religion at Umm el-Jimal." Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan X. Amman: Department of Antiquities of Jordan (2009): 177-192.
  6. ^ Bert de Vries, "Paradox of Power: Between Local and Imperial at Umm El-Jimal," Ch 53 in Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan. Edited by Thomas E. Levy, P. M. Michèle Daviau, Randall W. Younker and May Shaer. Equinox Publishing, Ltd, 2007. [1]
  7. ^ Bert de Vries, "The Umm el-Jimal Project, 1993 and 1994 Field Seasons," Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 39, 1995, pp. 421–435.
  8. ^ William Booth and Taylor Luck (2014-10-30). "Looters raid Jordanian crypts in search of gold, jewels and artifacts". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-11-02.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Umm al Jamal.

32°19′36″N 36°22′11″E / 32.32667°N 36.36972°E / 32.32667; 36.36972

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