Archaeologists in Jordan have unearthed new evidence of how ancient societies responded to major social upheaval and related crises during the Early Bronze Age at the site of an ancient cult shrine.
The new findings, which were made by archaeologists with the University of Copenhagen, were made at an ancient Jordanian site known as Murayghat, where extensive excavations have revealed clues to how humans coped with crisis many thousands of years of years before the present.
The Murayghat Engima
Murayghat is a 5,500-year-old site which saw its peak following the downfall of the Chalcolithic culture, a period marked by a significant rise in the early use of smelted copper, between around 4500–3500 BCE. The period was also associated with the emergence of symbolic and ritual traditions, which included the appearances of small cult shrines alongside settlements.
Archaeological evidence from this period also reveals that a range of factors impacted human life in the region during this period, which included the effects of climate changes and social upheaval. The combined effect of these challenges ultimately led to the collapse of the Chalcolithic, making way for Early Bronze Age groups to develop new habitation sites, and with the gathering of these ancient groups of people, new forms or religious expression as well.
Susanne Kerner, a University of Copenhagen archaeologist who led the recent research, says that rather than extensive settlements with the small nearby shrines researchers commonly associate with the Chalcolithic era, she and her team’s excavations at Murayghat reveal clusters of stone burial monuments known as dolmens, along with “standing stones, and large megalithic structures that point to ritual gatherings and communal burials rather than living quarters.”
These, and other discoveries at Murayghat, Kerner says, all point to a fundamental reshaping of human settlements, belief systems, and social structure that occurred during the period.
Ancient Life and Society Reimagined
During excavations, Kerner and her colleagues observed more than 95 dolmen remains, as well as a grouping of stone-built enclosures that were constructed near a hilltop located at the center of the sprawling archaeological site, where evidence of ritual activities seemed to point to the site’s ceremonial significance.
More than just the remnants of an ancient cult site that operated as the land’s ancient residents advanced into the Early Bronze Age, the site very likely played a role in defining both the territory, as well as the cultural identity of the people of an era that preceded the rise of local government or other central authority.
For Kerner, the stone monuments at Murayghat point to something much deeper that resonated with its ancient builders.
“Murayghat gives us, we believe, fascinating new insights into how early societies coped with disruption by building monuments,” Kerner said in a statement, adding that discoveries made be she and her team at the site are helping archaeologists understand how ancient shifts in society and responses to Bronze Age crises played a key part in redefining social roles, “and creating new forms of community.”
Artifacts at an Ancient Point of Convergence
Additionally, Kerner and her colleagues have uncovered artifacts at Murayghat that include important examples of Early Bronze Age pottery, which include large bowls and grinding stones that played a significant role in the community of that era. Tools made from stone and animal bone, as well as small number of copper artifacts recovered at the site, further suggest that communities gathered here both to feast, and also to worship.
Fundamentally, Kerner and her team believe their studies at the site reveal that Murayghat once served as a central gathering point for people throughout the ancient Jordanian landscape, offering a site of ritual importance where many different groups that once inhabited the region would converge.
Kerner’s research was recently featured in a new paper, “Dolmens, standing stones and ritual in Murayghat,” which appeared in The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.