Status: Completed
Project Period: 12 Months (January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025)
Funding: German Jordanian University (GJU) and Bonn University
Collaboration: Conducted in collaboration with Bonn University and the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (DoA)
Project Description
This interdisciplinary research project investigates the engineering, soil stratigraphy, and hydrological functions of ancient agricultural terraces across central and south Jordan. By combining field surveys, test excavations, soil texture analysis, aggregate stability testing, and geoarchaeological sampling across regions such as Petra and Wadi Hisban, the study examines how historical land-management practices conserved soil, regulated water flow, and sustained cultivation.
The findings demonstrate that despite being rich in fine-grained silt and clay, terrace sediments retain remarkable permeability, high infiltration capacity, and resistance to erosion due to a stable, gravel-supported skeletal framework that prevents soil sealing. Furthermore, test trenches reveal terraces to be stratified archives of landscape history, preserving evidence of long-term agricultural activity, water management, and human-environment interaction from the Byzantine through Islamic periods. Re-evaluating these ancient nature-based technologies provides valuable insights for modern land management, flood control, and sustainable agriculture in semi-arid environments.
Key Project Highlights
- Alignment with UN SDGs: Directly advances Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) by identifying rainfed restoration strategies for degraded soils, Goal 13 (Climate Action) by analyzing terrace flood mitigation and dust capture, and Goal 15 (Life on Land) through methods to halt soil erosion and land degradation.
- Key Beneficiaries: Informs farmers on optimal soil fertility and rainfed farming practices; provides the Department of Antiquities with strategic documentation for cultural landscape preservation; equips environmental managers with nature-based flood and runoff controls; and supports local communities through fieldwork opportunities.
- GJU and Bonn Collaboration: Institutionalized an international partnership combining GJU’s geoarchaeological and soil analysis expertise with Bonn’s landscape archaeology capabilities. Joint field campaigns shared analytical resources, and co-led excavations directly laid the groundwork for ongoing collaborative research under the DFG-funded TERRSOC project framework.
Key Publications Resulting from the Project
- Hamarneh, C., & Abu-Jaber, N. (2026). On the Peculiar Hydrological Behavior of Sediments Trapped Behind the Terraces of Petra, Jordan. Land, 15(2), 212. (https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/2/212)
- Walker, B. J., Hamarneh, C., Mörchen, R., & al-Khasawneh, S. WĀDĪ HISBĀN TERRACE PROJECT: 2024 AND 2025 SEASONS. Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, forthcoming.