The Military Architecture of Jordan During the Middle Bronze Age: New evidence from Pella and Rukeis

ISBN-13: 9781841715674 / Angielski / Miękka / 2003 / 158 str.

McLaren, P. Bruce

Opis

Based on the author's dissertation, this volume presents a comparative study of military architecture in the Levant focusing in particular on evidence from the sites of Pella and Rukeis. The main part of the investigation presents evidence from the two Middle Bronze Age sites which are then compared in terms of their defensive architectural features such as walls, buttresses, towers, gates and ramparts. With monumental fortification systems forming a major feature of early urban development in the Levant, McLaren goes on to explore the question of standardisation in these systems, especially in planning and construction, as well as shared knowledge and continuity from the early Bronze Age. The extent to which these military features represented regionalism versus local traditions, and the movement of people, ideas and trends in urbanism, is also discussed.

This study analyses the military architecture of Middle Bronze Age (MBA) Jordan. Although military architecture is one of the defining features of urban development in the MBA Levant, the military architecture of Jordan has never been adequately assessed. The study aims to redress this imbalance and to consider the military architecture of MBA Jordan within the trends of urban and regional developments. The result will be a greater understanding of the relationship between Jordan and the Greater Levant during the MBA. The core data for the study was excavated at Pella and Rukeis under the supervision of the author and is complemented by data from other sites in Jordan. Chapter 1 maps out the background to the military architecture of MBA Jordan; the geography, chronological framework and historical background; the textual, iconographic and archaeological evidence. Chapters 2 and 3 explore Pella and Rukeis respectively. Chapter 4 makes a comparative study of walls, towers, gates, ramparts, and related features. Chapter 5 presents the authors conclusions and the five Appendices detail the comparative pottery analyses.