239:. The basalt allows very little water to soak into the ground. Any rainfall in the mountains results in violent short lived flash floods. The total annual flow down the wadi at Jawa is estimated to be 2,000,000 m per year arriving in a few dramatic winter floods with flows of 80–110 m/s. Research suggests that the community at Jawa could survive on 3% of that total flow: if they could store it in sufficient quantities to last through the four dry summer months. It would have to support their population of 2,000 to 5,000 as well as their large herds of sheep, goats and some cattle. Estimates based on bone counts indicate there may have been as many as 10,000 sheep and goats as well as 800 cattle. There were also 200
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187:, who first visited the site in 1966 and directed excavations there between 1972 and 1976. In contrast to earlier assumptions about the site's lack of significance, Helms concluded that "Jawa is the best preserved fourth-millennium town yet discovered anywhere in the world: paradoxically in a place—the Black Desert—where it could hardly exist today and probably hardly when it was built."
459:
dating putting initial construction between 3500-3400 BC. It was designed to divert water into three depressions to the west of the settlement. The feed canal was also used to fill a natural cave. The dam itself was built at an angle across the curve of the wadi. It may not have reached from bank to
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and a rudimentary apron on the up-stream face. An attempt to build a larger wall to expand the capacity of the reservoirs beside the town was not completed. The small amount of rainfall, perhaps 150 mm per year, which fell on local micro-catchments, was also harnessed by a long series of
246:
Based on the size and density of houses in the excavated areas, Helms estimated that the maximum population of the town was between 3,000 to 5,000. He also considered it short-lived: occupied for perhaps as little as a single generation before it was violently destroyed.
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meant to channel water into a number of reservoirs. The third was an attempt at a reservoir dam, completely blocking the flow of the flood. It appears not to have survived more than one season. The other two probably ceased to function within a generation.
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into a series of reservoirs. This work would have had to be completed by the first winter after the group's arrival; otherwise they would not have survived the following summer. It is estimated the work would have taken a minimum workforce of 700.
250:
There is a fortified building located in the center of the ruins of the original town. It is believed to date from 2000 to 1500 BC, and is not associated with any contemporaneous stone structures.
165:, who flew over and photographed the site in 1931, mistaking it for Roman ruins. Before and after Poidebard's discovery, several archaeological expeditions came close to but missed the site.
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and 160 dogs. From seed remains it is apparent that some of the water was also used for irrigation agriculture. The inhabitants ate barley, wheat, chickpeas, lentils and grapes.
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bank. It is speculated that even if the structure only withstood the flood for a short time, some water would have been diverted to the reservoirs.
235:: a dry river bed which floods irregularly during the winter months. Wadi Rajil has a catchment area of 300 km reaching 35 km north into
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primitive canals leading to the reservoirs. This would have been a significant contribution in maintaining water levels between floods.
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The largest reservoir had a double wall, 80 metres long and 4–5 metres high, in-filled with sand and ash. Excavators found traces of
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859:
706:
Müller-Neuhof, Bernd; Betts, AVG (2015). "Jawa, Northeastern Jordan: the first 14C dates for the early occupation phase".
203:. It extended over 100,000 m and consisted of a walled town and extensive earthworks to divert winter floods from the
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The town was built by a group of perhaps 2,000 migrants coming from the North or East. They had some understanding of
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visited it in 1947 but apparently failed to notice its significance, describing Jawa as a "small, filthy spring
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system that included other smaller dams, channels, and deflectors across the wadi to support the town. Two are
483:
138:, dating from the late 4th millennium BC (Early Bronze Age). It is located in one of the driest areas of the
822:
New developments in dam engineering: proceedings of the 4th
International Conference on Dam Engineering
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177:
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probably never more than a small police post." Finally, in 1950, an expedition led by epigrapher
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180:, who suggested that the remains were not Roman but in fact dated to the Early Bronze Age.
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reached the site and documented some of the inscriptions there. Amongst their number was
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Proceedings of the
Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering History and Heritage
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There are remains of three dams across Wadi Rajil at Jawa, part of an extensive
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and the oldest known dam in the world. It was used as a protection from
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Remains of dams have been found, the largest of which is a masonry
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and is an attempt to harness the major water resources of
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Wieland, Martin; Qingwen Ren; John S. Y. Tan (2004).
455:, and the oldest known dam in the world, with recent
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is the site of the oldest proto-urban development in
793:
Gujja, Biksham; Diwata Olalia
Hunzike (April 2000).
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705:
768:"Key Developments in the History of Gravity Dams"
600:Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan
219:It is located on the southern edge of an area of
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19:For the Iron Age village in central Jordan, see
16:Bronze Age archaeological site in eastern Jordan
430:31,000 m (1,100,000 cu ft) est.
593:"Archaeological Excavations in Jordan: 1975"
756:– via Institution of Civil Engineers.
557:Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins
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161:Jawa was first reported by French explorer
824:. Taylor & Francis Group. p. 899.
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795:"The Impact of Dams on Life in Rivers"
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157:Discovery and history of investigation
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669:Helm. p.247. Analysis by G.H. Willcox
660:Helms. p.189. Analysis by Ilse Kohler
551:Steiner, Margreet (1984). "Review of
774:from the original on August 31, 2011
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623:Jawa. Lost City of the Black Desert
553:Jawa: Lost City of the Black Desert
526:Jawa. Lost City of the Black Desert
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708:Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie
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258:Dam in Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
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298:Location of Jawa Dam in Jordan
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728:Fahlbusch, H. (2009-02-01).
409:4.5–5 m (15–16 ft)
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38:View of Jawa from the south
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591:Ibrahim, Moawiyah (1975).
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401:80 m (260 ft)
393:4.5 m (15 ft)
359:Construction began
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799:A WWF Research Report
651:Helms. pp.148,165,151
373:Type of dam
343:32.33500°N 37.00333°E
214:
114:32.33500°N 37.00333°E
621:Helms, Svend (1981)
555:by Svend W. Helms".
524:Helms, Svend (1981)
486:at Wikimedia Commons
801:. WWF International
602:(in Arabic): 18–19.
427:Total capacity
339: /
254:Water supply system
142:of Eastern Jordan.
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64:Shown within Jordan
28:
348:32.33500; 37.00333
312:Mafraq Governorate
223:which runs across
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119:32.33500; 37.00333
87:Mafraq Governorate
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843:Helms. pp.181,182
834:Helms. pp.174,175
482:Media related to
448:The largest is a
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406:Width (base)
367:Dam and spillways
199:life, as well as
178:Lankester Harding
163:Antoine Poidebard
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803:. Retrieved
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778:20 September
776:. Retrieved
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740:(1): 13–18.
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730:"Early dams"
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438:water supply
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151:flash floods
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625:. Methuen.
563:: 179–181.
528:. Methuen.
500:Asia portal
453:gravity dam
346: /
322:Coordinates
237:Jebel Druze
215:Jawa (2013)
185:Svend Helms
147:gravity dam
117: /
93:Coordinates
854:Categories
714:: 124–131.
696:Helms. p.6
633:. pp.17-35
612:Helms p.77
507:References
465:revetments
385:Wadi Rajil
334:37°00′12″E
331:32°20′06″N
233:Wadi Rajil
105:37°00′12″E
102:32°20′06″N
754:1757-9430
457:carbon-14
414:Reservoir
201:hydrology
21:Tall Jawa
772:Archived
569:27931230
472:See also
382:Impounds
362:~3500 BC
307:Location
264:Jawa Dam
73:Location
805:20 July
450:masonry
419:Creates
191:History
752:
629:
567:
532:
398:Length
390:Height
316:Jordan
310:Jawa,
241:equids
221:basalt
136:Jordan
83:Region
77:Jordan
596:(PDF)
565:JSTOR
536:. p.4
225:Syria
197:urban
807:2010
780:2018
750:ISSN
627:ISBN
530:ISBN
227:and
205:wadi
132:Jawa
27:Jawa
742:doi
738:162
561:100
856::
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720:^
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541:^
515:^
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712:8
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23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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