Mesha’s Moab
Settlement Patterns and Site Interactions on the Madaba Plateau
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19595233 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrew J Danielson (0000-0003-3823-8084), Debra Foran, Stanley Klassen, Heidi Fessler, Grant Ginson, Gregory Braun, Věra Doležálková, Roselyn A Campbell (0000-0001-8936-369X) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 395 |
| Pages | 123-158 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2769-3589 • E-ISSN: 2769-3600 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/740235 |
| OpenAlex | W7135238435 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 24 |
Since the discovery of the Mesha Inscription, the kingdom of Moab has drawn widespread scholarly attention, with numerous surveys and excavations conducted over the past half century. Despite this research, significant questions remain regarding the origins of the kingdom, its structure, and the many settlements and sociopolitical groups that were integrated within the vision of Moab outlined by Mesha. This article presents the preliminary results from a series of archaeological surveys and excavations at several sites on the Madaba Plateau (Khirbat al-Mukhayyat, Khirbat al-Fayha, Khirbat Libb, Tall Maʿin, Khirbat Nitl, and Khirbat ad-Deleilat ash-Sharqiyah). Some of these sites were major settlements in the region during the Iron Age II period, though they have yet to enter scholarly discourse. The introduction of these preliminary summaries presents a significant step in better understanding the region of the Madaba Plateau during the Iron Age II, particularly in relation to site interrelations and hierarchy in the context of the formation of the kingdom of Moab. Preliminary Iron Age data from these sites reveal a system of numerous settlements, fortified sites, and accompanying towers/forts linked via access routes and integrated within an intentional network of intervisibility that bolstered inter-site relations and increased strategic visibility
Ecological succession · Natural (archaeology) · Period (music) · Plateau (mathematics) · Settlement (finance) · African Studies and Geopolitics · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Water management and technologies
For god, king and country
Life on the margins
An inscribed altar from the Khirbat Ataruz Moabite sanctuary
A Moabite sanctuary at Khirbat Ataruz, Jordan
Preliminary Report on the Fourth Season of Excavations at Tell Es-Sa'idiyeh in the Jordan Valley
Immersion is the new ritual
Trade, Kingdom, and Empire
A Moabite Sanctuary at Khirbat al-Mudayna
The Levitical Cities of Reuben and Moabite Toponymy
Conspicuous Consumption and Tribute
Three Epigraphic Finds from Tall Jalul, Jordan
Shifting Patterns of Settlement in the Highlands of Central Jordan during the Early Bronze Age
Landscapes of warfare
On the Lookout
Old Data, New Ideas
Now you see me. An assessment of the visual recognition and control of individuals in archaeological landscapes
Iron Age Nebo
Preference for periphery? Cultural interchange and trade routes along the boundaries of late Iron Age Moab
The Politics of Mesha
| Highly cited | No |
|---|