Nomad Archaeology in the Near East

By: Jiafen Cheng, Jilin University, China, Noble Group Fellow

My project involved using Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis with ethno-archaeological materials in researching the nomads in the Negev region in Israel with the aim of explaining the patterns of ancient pastoral and nomadic settlement in late antiquity. I chose two small areas in this region – Makhtesh Ramon and Har Karkom – as a case study.

With the introduction of the Negev Emergency Survey, a series of systematic field surveys of the entire Negev had been undertaken since 1978.

Numerous ancient ephemeral campsites were documented from all periods with the remains of tents and associated features being identified exclusively from the Classical period beginning with the Nabateans and continuing through the Early Islamic period. Using these data, I made an ethno-archaeological study by combining the survey-based research and making an ethnographic comparison with recent Bedouin black tents and campsites in the southern Negev. For instance, I selected some samples from the sites of Oded, which are located in the region of Makhtesh Ramon and have already been systematically excavated. By comparing them with the hearths at a Bedouin campsite at Nahal Dimona, I obtained evidence of the mutual relationship between archaeological and ethnographic materials.

The second stage of my case study involved discussing the effects of the environment on Makhtesh Ramon and Har Karkom of the southern Negev during the Classical period. It is understood that environmental factors were important throughout the development of this region and the establishment of a pastoral encampments system. The association of encampments with general environmental factors, such as soil, topography, climate, etc. have been discussed in my research through implementation of GIS tools.

Firstly, I created a map of the distribution of the encampments at Makhtesh Ramon and Har Karkom, based on the coordinates (Israel Grid) of each site, by using the DEM (digital Elevation Model) database Aster GDEM that were published by NASA with a 30m resolution to simulate the geographic environment. Secondly, I used the DEM database to create an aspect model and a slope gradient (degree) model of the southern Negev. These two models could specifically represent the topographical environment in a particular area just as in the Negev region. I analyzed the data which were obtained from these models and considered the possibility of choosing the landscape of ancient pastoral settlements in this region. Finally, I put the analyses of both regions on one map, to observe the plan and distribution of the ancient encampments, hoping to discover some common characteristics or differences in the diverse periods. Consequently, in the Byzantine period in both regions, the encampments that were located facing south and southwest numbered more than those facing other directions. Data show that there were completely different slopes and aspects of encampments between Makhtesh Ramon and Har Karkom in the Islamic period. When Islamic nomads chose the place for their settlements, the local landscape and surroundings played an important role.

During my nine-month tenure as a Noble Group Fellow at the Albright Institute, I had a unique opportunity to experience a culture which was vastly different to what I had known in China. Also, I had the benefit of broadening my knowledge of other types of research being conducted in Israel by participating in the lectures, workshops and field trips conducted by the Albright, all of which will help to broaden the perspectives of my future research.

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