Identifying activity areas in Neolithic sites through ethnographic analysis of phytoliths and geochemical residues

The Neolithic in southwest Asia (c 11,700-7800 cal BP) is a critical period in human history; it was during this time, that people made the transition from living in small hunter-gatherer groups, occupying temporary camps, to fully fledged agriculturalists living in large sedentary communities.

The reason why people made this transition is one of the great unanswered questions of our time. What is apparent, however, is that this development not only altered the way people interacted with their environment, but also the social structure within communities, ultimately leading to the development of complex societies.

Despite the importance of the Neolithic in southwest Asia, archaeological sites, particularly those from the earlier Pre-Pottery Periods (c 11,700-8250 cal BP), often prove difficult to interpret due to their ephemeral nature and the scarcity of biological remains.

In order to gain a greater understanding of such sites, we will develop and validate a method based on more durable forms of evidence that are often the result of human activities, i.e. phytoliths (bodies of silica that form in and around plant cells) and geochemical elements (traces of chemicals in soils, e.g. phosphorous, calcium and manganese). The aim is to determine if different areas have specific phytolith and geochemical signatures which can be used to recognise these same areas archaeologically.

This will be achieved through ethnographic research using two settlement types: Bedouin tent sites and abandoned mud and stone constructed villages. These have been chosen because they provide the best available analogies for the Neolithic sites which will be analysed as part of this project. The Bedouin tent sites will be the ethnographic analogy for the small scale, ephemeral, pastoralist, and seasonally occupied sites of Wadi el-Jilat and Azraq, while the abandoned villages near Shawbak on the Jordanian plateau and the village of Shammakh, north of Wadi Mousa will be the comparison for the more substantial, stone and mud brick constructed sites of Ain Ghazal, Beidha, and WF16.

Limited existing ethnographic research (conducted in other geographical regions) has focused either on phytoliths or geochemical elements but not both. They demonstrated that these methods are informative about the use of space within settlements. This project will be the first large scale ethnographic study to integrate these two types of analysis. It will also be the first to explore how much taphonomy (i.e. the processes assemblages go through from creation to analysis) affects the composition of phytolith and geochemical assemblages.

As Principal investigator, Jenkins will be supported in this research by a number of eminent and experienced researchers, namely:

Dr Carol Palmer (Director of the British Institute in Amman, Council for British Research in the Levant-CBRL), who will be a Project Partner. Palmer originally took the majority of the Bedouin camp samples, will assist with the ethnographic work and archaeological sampling and, as Amman Director of the CBRL, is in a unique position to arrange the fieldwork from within Jordan

Prof John Grattan (Pro Vice Chancellor, Aberystwyth University) who will conduct the geochemical analysis and subsequently act as an advisor

Dr Helen Smith, (Visiting Research Fellow, Bournemouth University) who carried out the Bedouin camp sampling with Palmer and will also advise on the ethnographic aspects of the project.

This represents a strong and experienced multi-disciplinary team with an established history of conducting research in Jordan (although not previously together). This project is a natural culmination of the participants' interests and expertise. Furthermore, as much costly fieldwork has already been undertaken, and, as Palmer and Grattan are giving their time on a non-stipendiary basis, this research offers the AHRC excellent value for money.

We are committed to outreach and public engagement and, as a result, have teamed-up with two communication professionals:

Edwards, a professional broadcaster and journalist with more than 20 years experience. Her former employers include the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5. She spent 11 years as a producer for BBC Television News in London and has been teaching television journalism at Bournemouth University since 2008.

Marsh, an award-winning young filmmaker. His short film Noirville has screened at more than 20 international film festivals and won 3 awards.

This collaboration will expand the societal impact of our project and ensure that the following groups benefit from our research:

1) Society as a whole: Archaeology is concerned with improving our understanding of past human groups and societies. The work of archaeologists provides the knowledge, sites and artefacts that are the mainstay of organisations such as English Heritage, as well as contributing to collections within museums. This project enhances archaeological knowledge not only by increasing our understanding of the Neolithic of Jordan, but also, by extension, of many other geographical regions and time periods by the application of the combined phytolith and geochemical method by others. This will be facilitated by the following deliverables:

An Access database of the signature phytoliths and geochemical elements (D1.1)
A Google Picasa database of the modern Jordanian phytolith references (D1.2)

2) Cultural tourists to Wadi Faynan: We will produce a documentary for the Wadi Faynan museum which will enhance the tourist experience by demonstrating how the region fits into the greater Neolithic heritage of Jordan and how scientific archaeology can facilitate this knowledge. Due to the construction of an Eco-Lodge, Wadi Faynan now attracts approximately 10,220 visitors/year who will benefit from this video installation (D7.1).

3) Key Stage 2 aged children and above: We will initiate an outreach programme to increase cultural and environmental awareness in children aged 7 and above in the UK and Wadi Faynan. This will involve the production of an educational documentary featuring a family in the UK and two Bedouin families in Jordan. The film will look specifically at the rubbish the families generate, how this is disposed of, and feature footage of us conducting scientific analysis in order to demonstrate how rubbish can leave invisible, but environmentally harmful, microscopic traces in the soil for thousands of years (D7.2).

The team will consult with Mithen (Susan) who has worked as a primary school teacher for 28 years, visited Wadi Faynan and its school many times, and taught lessons there as a guest teacher. She will help develop the associated learning resources to accompany the documentary. Furthermore, the project has an agreed collaboration with St Luke's Primary School, Bournemouth and the Wadi Faynan School, Jordan who will utilise these resources in their teaching.

4) The Wadi Faynan Community: We believe that it is vital to involve the Wadi Faynan community in this project because without their participation and encouragement this research would not be possible. This project will benefit the Bedouin in the following ways:

The video installation for the Wadi Faynan museum (D7.1) will help enhance the tourist experience which is of value to the local Bedouin who derive much of their cash income from tourism.

Both documentaries enhance local self-esteem by demonstrating that Wadi Faynan is of world wide interest and importance and by showing that people in other countries are interested in Bedouin culture.

N.B. The databases and documentaries will be available via the project website and the ADS website. The documentaries will also be uploaded to: Youtube, Vimeo and, in the case of the documentary for children, the resource sharing website for teachers: www.primaryrescources.co.uk.