Basalt quarry with Khirbat al-Mudaybi’ in background.
Archaeological Studies
Archaeology is the study of human activities in the past. An archaeologist is a modern day detective who is trying to reconstruct the lives of people who lived centuries before. This task is never easy since most of the evidence an archaeologist discovers is extremely fragmentary.
Archaeological methodology used for extracting information varies depending on the site. A surface survey of a region helps the archaeologist gain a quick, but imprecise overview of occupational history. The Karak Resources Project (KRP) Survey Team continues to locate and document new occupational sites each season.
Surveys of the Karak plateau by archaeologists have determined that the region has been occupied for millennia. Archaeologists are interested in studying all periods of human activities ranging in age from the Paleolithic to the early 20th century AD.
A major focus of the KRP is the excavation of Mudaybic’. It is a walled fortress constructed in the mid 8th century BC. A secondary reoccupation occurred inside the fortress during the Late Byzantine/Early Islamic.
The Case Studies will help the reader understand the methods used by archaeologist to extract information and interpretive value of the recovered material.