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LATE BRONZE AGE SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
ON THE KARAK PLATEAU
Historians rely on several sources of
information when writing the history of any given region.
Primary among these are archaeological data and texts.
Unfortunately, these two sources are not always available for
all time periods in all locations. When these two sets of
information are missing or provide inadequate data, other
methods must be used to reconstruct history. One of these
additional methods is the surface survey, which can provide
information about settlements patterns. Such patterns
sometimes allow historians to make basic statements about the
social and political organization of a region.
Background The Late Bronze Period
(1550-1200 B.C.) on the Karak Plateau (the area of Moab in the
Old Testament) is one such period for which textual and
archaeological data are scarce. Textual
Material. The Bible provides almost no evidence for Moab
during this period, as it corresponds to the time when Israel
was in Egypt. The only contemporary textual evidence from Moab
itself comes from the end of this period. It is an inscribed
stele known as the Balu’a stele, but unfortunately its writing
cannot be deciphered. A few Egyptian texts
mention Moab during this period. The area to the west of the
Jordan River was part of the Egyptian empire at this point, as
were sections of northern Jordan. It is not known, however,
whether Moab was a part of this empire. Rameses II (1279-1212
B.C.) did campaign through this area, but it is not certain
whether his presence established Egyptian control over Moab.
This is one question that settlement patterns research may be
able to answer. Other Egyptian texts refer to bedouin in this
area, but that does not provide much information, as bedouin
have lived in Moab in almost every period, including the
present. Archaeological Data. Only one
major Late Bronze Age site has been excavated on the Karak
Plateau. This is the site of Balu’a, which is still under
excavation at present. The information from this site has only
been published in preliminary form. A few soundings have been
carried out at other sites. On the whole, however, the
archaeological data from the Karak Plateau provide little
information for historical reconstructions.
The volute capitals of Mudaybi<sup>c</sup>
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