Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex
Pre-Pottery Neolithic (7500-6500 BCE)·PPN Culture·🇯🇴 Petra region, Ma'an, Jordan
About
About Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex
Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex in Petra region, Ma'an, Jordan is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic (7500-6500 BCE) ancient village attributed to PPN Culture. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal chamber 4 × 4 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 30.3976N 35.4643E controls access to Petra region, Ma'an resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey ancient-village for Petra region, Ma'an, illustrating PPN Culture construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Tribal capital and ritual aggregation
- 02Seasonal gathering locus
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 7000 BCE
- Period
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic (7500-6500 BCE)
- Culture
- PPN Culture
- Purpose
- Settlement with domestic structures and ancillary ritual space
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 7000 BCE
Initial construction of Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex main structure
c. 1100 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex
1996–2019
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
30.3976° N · 35.4643° E · 1149 m · 3 mapped features
Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex — Main Ancient-Village Feature
dromosPrimary dromos at Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex — platform mound with stratified deposits
30.3992° N · 35.4643° EBa'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex — Secondary Enclosure
structureAncillary structure at Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex — platform mound with stratified deposits
30.3980° N · 35.4625° EBa'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex — Outlier Rock Art Panel
enclosureOutlier enclosure panel linked to Ba'ja Clifftop Cistern Terrace North — Northern Annex ceremonial landscape
30.3960° N · 35.4656° E