Khirbet et-Tannur
 | This article has an unclear citation style. (November 2017) |
خربة التنور | |
 Khirbet et-Tannur temple ruins | |
  Shown within Jordan | |
| Coordinates | 30°58′07″N 35°42′23″E / 30.96861°N 35.70639°E |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Material | mainly limestone; also flint[1] |
| Cultures | Nabataean, with archaising Edomite elements[2] |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Nelson Glueck (1937) |
| Condition | in ruins |
| Public access | yes; reliefs in Jordan Archaeological Museum in Amman and the Cincinnati Art Museum[3] |
Khirbet et-Tannur (Arabic: خربة التنور) is an ancient Nabataean temple situated on top of Mount Tannur, in today's Jordan. Whom the temple was dedicated to is not yet certain; based on the iconography of the deities depicted, it was either the fertility goddess Atargatis and Zeus-Hadad, or perhaps other Nabataean gods with similar attributes.[3] The only inscription which mentioned a deity was in reference to the Edomite god Qos, who was the equivalent of the Arab god Quzah, the god of the sky.[4]
Etymology
[edit]Khirbet means ruins in Arabic, and tannur means oven. Khirbet, as well as the definite article, can be transliterated with an e or an a, and the article with an l or a t, so we can have Khirbet et-Tannur, Khirbet el-Tannur, Khirbat at-Tannur, Khirbat al-Tannur, sometimes also ...Tannour, the article can be left out, etc.
Layout and purpose
[edit]The remains of Khirbet et-Tannur consists only of the temple complex on an isolated mountain top, which indicate a site solely functioning as a religious high place similar to those in other Nabataean regions.[5]
A steep path approaching from the south-east along the ridge was the only accessway.[3] The temple was surrounded by walls enclosing a paved court or temenos, which contained a structure, called by the researchers "the Inner Temenos Enclosure" (ITE), set behind its own walls, where the monumental altar platform stood under the open sky.[3][6] The (outer) temenos was flanked by rooms.[3]
Jebel et-Tannur or Mount Tannur rises at the confluence of two valleys, the larger Wadi Hasa and Wadi La'ban.
Construction phases
[edit]While no dating is established, the temple went through three different phases. The earliest phase of the temple is usually dated around 8-7 BC on the account of an inscription engraved on a small stone block.[7] The final phase was dated by Nelson Glueck judging from the temple's sculptures and architectural principles to about the first quarter of the second century AD.[8]
Rituals
[edit]
A study of ceramics, animal bones and charred plant remains has shown social memories were created through various eating and drinking practices.[10]
See also
[edit]- Khirbet edh-Dharih, nearby Nabataean town with temple
References
[edit]- ^ Khirbet et-Tannur Construction Techniques. Accessed 5 April 2024.
- ^ Juan Manuel Tebes: "Beyond Petra: Nabataean Cultic and Mortuary Practices and the Cultural Heritage of the Negev and Edom" in Jordan Journal for History and Archaeology 14(4), January 2020, pp. 333-347. Accessed 5 April 2024 via ResearchGate.net.
- ^ a b c d e Mckenzie, Judith S.; Gibson, Sheila; Reyes, A. T. (2002). "Reconstruction of the Nabataean Temple Complex at Khirbet et-Tannur", PEQ, 134:1, pp. 44-83, doi:10.1179/peq.2002.134.1.44. (4/2024: no online access, except 1st page here.)
- ^ Jean Starcky (1966) p. 987-998.
- ^ Nelson Glueck (1937c), p. 364
- ^ 3D reconstruction of the temple of Khirbet et-Tannur reproduced by permission of Cale Staley, via J. M. Tebes: Beyond Petra... at ResearchGate.net. Accessed 5 April 2024.
- ^ The religious life of Nabataea p. 244-245
- ^ Mckenzie et al. 2002a p.53.
- ^ a b Khirbet et-Tannur: Vegetation Goddess at Universes in Universe (UiU). Accessed 5 April 2024.
- ^ Kamash, Zena (2018-10-03). "'Sweet and Delicious, he who Tastes it Will Go Back to it': Food, Memory and Religion in the Roman Middle East". Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal. 1 (1): 7. doi:10.16995/traj.146. ISSN 2515-2289.
Further reading
[edit]- 2013. J. McKenzie, J. Greene, A.T. Reyes, et al., The Nabataean Temple at Khirbet et-Tannur, Jordan,Volume 1. Architecture and Religion, Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research 67.[1]
- 2013. J. McKenzie, J. Greene, A.T. Reyes, et al., The Nabataean Temple at Khirbet et-Tannur, Jordan,Volume 2. Cultic Offerings, Vessels, and Other Specialist Reports, Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research 68.
External links
[edit]- Photos of Khirbat et-Tannur at the American Center of Research
- Judith McKenzie's photos of Kirbet et-Tannur at the Manar al-Athar photo archive
| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
- ^ Nehmé, Laïla (2015). "Review of: The Nabataean Temple at Khirbet et-Tannur, Jordan. Volume 1: Architecture and Religion. Volume 2: Cultic Offerings, Vessels, and Other Specialist Reports. Final Report on Nelson Glueck's 1937 Excavation. Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 67-68". Bryn Mawr Classical Review. ISSN 1055-7660.