A Mameluke-period terracotta juglet from Umm Zweitineh, Jordan

ABSTRACT

This paper provides a preliminary but a comprehensive examination of a terracotta juglet retrieved from the Islamic site of Umm Zweitineh, in central Jordan. This article attempts to pinpoint a fresh addition to our knowledge of the Mameluke period pottery assembly known elsewhere in the Levant. Since neither coherent architectural remains were exposed nor stratigraphic sequence was discerned, however, the unearthed archaeological objects, including the juglet being studied, have not been attributed to specific contexts (e.g., rooms), or loci or strata. Due to budget constraints, there was no possibility to conduct a petrographic analysis. Instead, the authors set out to explore the fabric and decorative scheme of the juglet by the naked eye and to describe the fabric and decoration colours according to the Munsell Chart. We presented it typologically and dated it based on parallels from well-dated sites, especially Hesban, since its decorative scheme, production technique and shape were commonplace in the region of Syria–Palestine from the 12th through the 14th centuries.

KEYWORDS:

• Mameluke pottery
• Mameluke juglet
• Islamic pottery
• Islamic archaeology
• Umm Zweitineh
• salvage excavation

Acknowledgements

We would like to gratefully thank Mr Yazid Elian, the former director general of the Department of Antiquities, for giving us permission to facilitate studying and publishing this vessel. We would also like to thank Mr Dheeb Maharmeh for the pottery drawing.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Hashem Khries

Hashem Khries is a Jordanian archaeologist born in Jordan in 10 Oct1986. He obtained the PhD degree in archaeology and art history of the ancient Near East from the University of Bologna in Italy in 2016. From 2017 to present, he works for the DOJAM project, which aimed primarily at documentation, registration, and digitization of the archaeological objects in the Jordan archaeological museums.

Taher al-Gonmeen

Taher Al-Gonmeen is a Jordanian archaeologist born in Jordan in 4 Sep 1977. In 2021, he obtained the PhD degree in Heritage and History from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez city, Morocco. He worked at the Department of Antiquities as an archaeological inspector between 2009 and 2018 in many sites in Jordan. Since 2018 he is a curator at the Jordan Archaeological Museum in the Amman Citadel.