Pleistocene archaeology of the Petra area in Jordan

Since 2009, a multi-disciplinary research team from Cologne and Aachen carried out annual field campaigns in Wadi Sabra, south of the former Nabatean capital of Petra. They documented long sediment records, mostly consisting of fluvial and aeolian sand deposits of between 50,000 and 15,000 years ago, which corresponds to the transition from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic and the Upper Palaeolithic as such. Although modern man had reached the Middle East some 100,000 to 90,000 years ago, it was not before 45,000-40,000 that Homo sapiens replaced their predecessors, the Neanderthals, in the region. This replacement is supposed to have been connected to the Initial Upper Palaeolithic [IUP] and the Early Ahmarian, both of which are now documented in lower Wadi Sabra. The subsequent phase [30,000-15,000] including the “Levantine Aurignacian”, the “Masraqan” [Late Ahmarian], and the Epipalaeolithic Kebaran is better known in upper Wadi Sabra, however. The present volume compiles 16 papers including all excavation reports from the first project phase 2009-13 and focussing on descriptions of excavation plans, sections, lithic assemblages, and faunal remains.