New Research into the Early and Middle Bronze Age in Central Jordan: The Site of Murayghat

The site of Murayghat, southwest of Madaba, consists of a central limestone knoll (Area 1) with numerous structures built from standing stones, single orthostat stones (Hadjar al-Mansoub), dolmen fields overlooking them, and domestic architecture situated around the central knoll. The dolmens, standing structures, and lower levels of the architecture date into the Early Bronze Age, while a reuse of the site is attested from the Middle Bronze Age. The dolmens are simple trilithon structures, which show planning and a relation with the possible cultic center. The EB I architecture features apsidal rooms and large walls made from orthostats similar to those on the central knoll. The site fits into the Early Bronze Age development of large cemetery structures related to settlement sites. The "Ritual Landscapes of Murayghat" project is carried out by the University of Copenhagen.