The publication focuses on the site of eh-Sayyeh, located in central Jordan near the city of Zarqa. The research presented in this volume was conducted between 2013 and 2015, involving excavations and addressing threats to the site from both natural and anthropogenic processes, such as agriculture or development of residential area. The research was carried out by a team from the Orient Department at the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Queen Rania Institute of Tourism and Cultural Heritage at the Hashemite University in Zarqa, with support from the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University in Irbid. The volume contains 10 chapters with subchapters, with contributions in English (with a brief summary in Arabic at the end of the book) by Karin Bartl, Zeidan Kafafi, Thomas Urban, Laura Dietrich, Kristina Pfeiffer, Dörte Rokitta-Krumnow, Bernhard Weninger, Mustafa al-Naddaf, Reinder Neef, Norbert Benecke and Julia Gresky. The book is well illustrated throughout, with high-quality black/white and colour figures.
The aim of the research project was to place the identified Neolithic settlement within a chronological framework, and put it into context with other Neolithic sites in the area. This goal was achieved by establishing the site's stratigraphy, conducting extensive radiocarbon dating, and analysing ceramic and flint inventories. As a result, the site is dated to the period between the late phase of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (7500–7000/6900 cal BC) and the Yarmoukian, an early phase of the Pottery Neolithic (6400–6000/5800 cal BC).
The chapters cover all stages of the work and its methodology, as well as the results obtained and the final conclusions. The Introduction, authored by Bartl, Kafafi and Urban, includes a description of the site topography and hydrology, the history of research conducted in the Wadi Zarqa region, as well as the research objectives and the methods used to document the excavation process and all the collected data. In the second chapter, written by Bartl and colleagues, numerous identified architectural elements are described, divided into western, central and eastern parts of the site. This chapter includes not only visual documentation but also a list of all delineated and described units. It provides information on the stone and soil relics of both settlement and economic structures, as well as protective features (such as terrace walls) created by the communities that inhabited the site area. The next chapter by Weninger and Bartl contains crucial information on radiocarbon dating conducted on seeds and charcoal samples. A total of 31 dates were obtained, which confirmed the previously mentioned chronology. The analyses were likely carried out at the Poznań Radiocarbon Laboratory (Poland), although this is not explicitly stated in the publication. Additionally, this chapter includes the results of palaeoenvironmental analyses, which suggest a connection between the abandonment of the eh-Sayyeh settlement and the so-called Hudson Bay Rapid Climate Change (RCC) event. All these data were placed within a broader regional context. In Chapter 4, Rokitta-Krumnow provides a description of the chipped lithic finds identified during the 2013–2015 excavations, with references to earlier discoveries made in the 1990s. This chapter also highlights the research methodology, the raw materials and the various types of tools, all linked to the features in which they were found as well as their connection with lithic economy. In Chapter 5 Kafafi explains a typological analysis of the ceramic finds and their distribution within the site, as well as laboratory studies on the technology and raw materials used in their production. Chapter 6 by Bartl is dedicated to small finds made from various materials (such as flint, stone, ceramics and bone). These artefacts are presented according to the chronological phases of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and Yarmoukian. Also in this chapter is a complete catalogue of these artefacts, along with a functional analysis of selected items, such as handstones and limestone palette, compiled by Dietrich. The next three chapters discuss the organic finds and their analyses, the botanical finds (Neef, Bartl), as well as the faunal (Benecke) and human (Gresky, Bartl) remains from the eh-Sayyeh site, and serve as an excellent complement to the more elaborate preceding chapters. The final substantive Chapter 10 by the editors, is a summary of the entire research and material dealt with in the publication. The authors emphasise the importance of this site for the study of Neolithisation processes and highlight the urgent need for this research, as the area was under strong agricultural pressure. They also point out the substantial size of the settlement (nearly 9.5ha) and the strategic role of its location, both within the region connecting Wadi Zarqa with the eastern desert steppes of the Badia and in relation to the nearby river. The exceptional importance of the site's wealth becomes visible in its architecture, burials, ceramic and stone objects, as well as numerous plant and animal remains.
The reviewed volume represents a classic publication concluding a field project, in this case conducted relatively quickly due to the aforementioned threats. The data collected in the publication, concerning one of the most intriguing Neolithic sites in central Jordan, serve as an excellent case study for examining cultural transformations during this period (especially in the second half of the seventh millennium cal BC). It is worth noting that the most intensive activity at the eh-Sayyeh site occurred during the transitional period between the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and the Yarmoukian (Pottery) Neolithic. In my opinion, the results of these published studies are an important contribution to research the Neolithic period in the Levant region. The observations made by the authors are therefore particularly significant for explaining the transitional processes observed against the backdrop of environmental changes. The study results also suggest connections with neighbouring communities and indicate some form of Neolithic community. On the other hand, it is intriguing that architectural patterns identified at eh-Sayyeh differ from those at the nearby site of ‘Ayn Ghazal. This situation likely indicates both interactions with other settlements and distinctive models of functioning. One must bear in mind, however, that for eh-Sayyeh, fewer materials are available for study due to the partial destruction of the site. Nonetheless, it is crucial to continuously emphasise the need to investigate threatened or disappearing sites, each of which, such as eh-Sayyeh, provides invaluable data and enriches our understanding of the past. This publication sheds further light on the crucial period of the early and developed Neolithic in the Levant and demonstrates how a multidisciplinary analysis of the elements of human habitation and environmental conditions creates a coherent narrative, enabling us to better address the research questions, e.g. about the relationships between environmental changes and cultural transformations, or even the issue of Neolithisation itself.
