Rujm el-Hiri: The Monument in the Landscape¹

1 Editor's note: The authors of this article are from two different disciplines. Michael Freikman is an archaeologist who specializes in megalithic architecture and Naomi Porat is a geologist with an expertise in Optically Stimulated Luminescence. While the article was written by both scholars, the excavations referred to were conducted by Michael Freikman.

Abstract

Rujm el-Hiri, located in the central Golan Heights, is one of the largest megalithic monuments in the ancient Near East. Although it was discovered almost 50 years ago and has been surveyed and excavated by several expeditions, there is still no consensus on its date and function, mostly due to the very scanty archaeological evidence found between its walls. In this paper the authors propose an approach to establishing a date and function that differs from what has been suggested previously. The construction of Rujm el-Hiri required a profusion of human and material resources. The monument was an ‘arena of social power’ that undoubtedly played a significant role in the communal and religious life of the population. All this left an imprint on the local landscape. The analysis of various elements of the surrounding area, some of them surveyed and excavated by the authors, demonstrates that it was during the Chalcolithic period that the inhabitants of this area were able to amass the resources required for the construction of such a monument. These conclusions were further reinforced by an OSL study. Based on these data, the authors discuss the role of Rujm el-Hiri in the social and religious life of the Chalcolithic population.

Keywords:

• Rujm el-Hiri
• Chalcolithic period
• Megalithic architecture
• Optically Stimulated Luminescence
• Landscape archaeology

Acknowledgments

This study was carried out through the financial aid of the Ruth Amiran Foundation and the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We would like to thank Dr. Mitia Frumin and Alexander Pechuro for their help in the preparation of the plans and the maps, Dr. Austin Hill and Abraham Graicer for providing us with the aerial photographs, Dr. Moshe Hartal and Yigal Ben Efraim for sharing with us the materials of the Golan Survey.

Notes

1 Editor's note: The authors of this article are from two different disciplines. Michael Freikman is an archaeologist who specializes in megalithic architecture and Naomi Porat is a geologist with an expertise in Optically Stimulated Luminescence. While the article was written by both scholars, the excavations referred to were conducted by Michael Freikman.