Deep dive into Archaeohydrology: Studying ancient water management

Deep dive into Archaeohydrology: Studying ancient water management

AMMAN — On Thursday, the German-Jordanian Society (DJG), led by the German-Jordanian University former professors Jochen Pleines (DJG president) and Anton Mangstl (DJG chairman of the Advisory Board), launched a Zoom conference on “Sustainable Water Management in the Jordanian Desert”. 

A team of scholars presented the works of the Eastern Jafr Joint Archaeohydrological Projects, which has recently been continued by a collaboration between The Yarmouk University in Irbid and Lübeck University of Applied Sciences.

Archaeohydrology studies the ancient hydrology systems and ways to collect and preserve water, particularly in arid areas like Jordanian desert.

A team of scholars from both universities formed by Hani Hayajneh, Kai Wellbrock, with the support of former director Hans Gebel, Amer Suleiman and Patrick Keilholz prepared this study.

“After an overview of the natural conditions and of the 9000-years sociohistorical framework of productive water use in the Badia [which was still an open-forest steppe with lakes until some 7000-6000 years ago], the conference presented the current Bedouin hydrotechnical terminology,” noted Hani Hayajneh from The Yarmouk University, adding that it was illustrated by the findings from a number of archaeohydrological case studies from various sites, including northern Saudi Arabia. 

The excavations’ scientific evidence revealed a variety of similar hydrotechnical solutions throughout