The Tafila-Busayra Archaeological Survey 1999-2001, West Central Jordan.

• Author: Crowell, Bradley L.
• Position: Book review

The Tafila-Busayra Archaeological Survey 1999-2001, West Central Jordan. By B.MACDONALD et al. American Schools of Oriental Research Archaeological Reports, vol. 9. Boston: American schools of oriental research, 2004. Pp. xvi + 435, illus. $99.95.

Burton MacDonald offers in this volume the third installment of his long-term project of surveying the archaeological remains of southern Jordan. His first survey in the region was of the southern slopes of the Wadi al-Hasa (The Wadi el Hasa Archaeological Survey 1979-1983, West-Central Jordan. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press, 1988), followed by The Southern Ghors and Northeast Arabah Archaeological Survey (Sheffield: J. R. Collis Publications, 1992). His third major survey, the result of three seasons in the field from 1999 through 2001, covered approximately 480 square kilometers from the eastern rim of the Wadi Arabah to the Desert Highway. The survey teams collected artifacts, described, and plotted each site with remains from the Paleolithic through the early Modern Period. The Tafila-Busayra Archaeological Survey is the final publication of the site descriptions, research, and interpretations of MacDonald and his team.

After reviewing the purposes and geographical limits of the survey in his introductory chapter, MacDonald describes the methodology employed in the field. The team used two major survey methodologies. First, the survey area was divided into five topographical zones, and random squares were identified using Geographical Information Systems data. These random squares were surveyed, and artifacts were collected. The purpose of the random square survey is to avoid concentrating only on known sites and easily accessible areas; it ensures that every area of the survey region is visited and examined. The second method was a purposive survey of sites identified by previous surveys, especially those of Glueck, Hart, and Kennedy. The team collected artifacts, described, and plotted the remains at these sites, some of which were also diagrammed by the surveyors. MacDonald categorizes all of the sites identified during the survey into twenty-two archaeological types. He closes the introductory chapter with a brief discussion of the natural environment of the area (climate, soil types, water sources, and vegetation), as well as natural resources in regions adjacent to the Tafila-Busayra Archaeological Survey area (copper and magnesium in the Faynan area of the Wadi Arabah, bitumen...