Genesis of the Finnish Jabal Haroun Project

Although Petra, the ancient capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, located in southern Jordan, has always attracted the attention of historians and archaeologists, the Byzantine period (4th-early 7th century A.D.) there was relatively neglected, until the 1990s. During that time, the American Center of  Oriental Research (ACOR) conducted excavations of a basilican church found at the center of Petra. The church, dated to the 5th-6th centuries A.D., was richly decorated with beautiful floor and wall mosaics and marble furnishing. This wealth was surprising since it was previously assumed that the city substantially declined following the devastating earthquake of A.D. 363, and it was abandoned following another seismic destruction in A.D. 551. Even more unexpected was the 1993 discovery of a carbonized papyrus archive in a room adjacent to the basilica. The Finnish team of conservators and papyrologists under the direction of Prof. Jaakko Frösén, University of Helsinki, was invited to ensure the conservation and preservation of the scrolls. This team, in collaboration with the University of Michigan papyrologists, continues to work on the publication of these important documents.

The papyri dating from A.D. 537 to A.D. 592/3 A.D., revealed lively existence of the city during that period, without any references to the aforementioned earthquakes or their possible consequences. The documents describe the city tax administration as well as the rich hinterland of Petra, with its fields, houses and agricultural installations. One document turned out to be particularly interesting. Papyrus Petra inv. 6,  dated to 15 June, A.D. 573, mentions "the House of our Lord the Saint High-Priest Aaron" outside of the city of Petra. This papyrus almost certainly refers to a monastery of Saint Aaron near Petra.

In this context, the site and the environs of Jabal Haroun (the mountain of Prophet Aaron), located ca 5km SW of Petra, appeared to be of particular importance. According to the Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions, the mountain is considered to be the place of burial of Moses’ brother Aaron. The peak of the mountain is occupied by the 14th century Muslim shrine (weli),with a cenotaph believed to contain Aaron’s remains. Furthermore, there is an extensive, ruined architectural complex located on a wide plateau of the mountain, and at ca 1250 m above sea level. The extant historical information and the results of the early explorations there indicated that an Early Christian monastery should be located there. Combining all extant evidence, it seemed probable that the ruins on the high plateau of the Jabal Haroun mountain may indeed represent the Byzantine monastery of St. Aaron. However, the ultimate confirmation of this hypothesis could come only through the archaeological excavations. To this effect, the Finnish Jabal Harûn Project (FJHP) began the comprehensive investigation of the site and its environs in 1997. The project is directed by Prof. Jaakko Frösén and sponsored by the University of Helsinki and the Academy of Finland.

Goals of the Project

The FJHP is designed as a multi-season and interdisciplinary investigation. The most important goal of the Project is the study of the spatial and temporal variations in human occupation in the area of Jabal Haroun, with the special emphasis on the extent and nature of occupation at the site recognized as a Byzantine monastery. Furthermore, the Project investigates patterns of human adaptation in the area, the palaeoenvironmental variations, aspects of land-use, ancient agriculture and resource exploitation. Ultimately, the Project will address the issue of the relationship between the Jabal Haroun area and the city of Petra, from the Nabataean through the Early Islamic periods. To meet these objectives the project utilizes archaeological excavations and survey, cartographical fieldwork and research, architectural studies, geoenvironmental exploration, paleoethnobotanical and paleozoological research, and ethnoarchaeological survey.

Following the completion of the fieldwork, the Project will address the issue of the final conservation and protection of the site. Signs and a brief booklet will be prepared for the visitors. Simultaneously, a sholarly publication concerning all aspects of the Project will be prepared. The survey and excavation data will be converted into the 3-D space for the visualization of the structures and the area.  These results will also be gradually presented on the pages of this website.

The Participants and the Challenges

An important, educational aspect of the FJHP is the training of Finnish archaeologists, cartographers, photographers, architects and conservators to work in the Near Eastern environment and to be fully acquainted with all scholarly and cultural challenges associated with this environment. Therefore, the Project employs highly trained and experienced archaeologists and conservators from the United States, Sweden and Italy, and it maintains close contacts with other archaeological teams working in the area, especially with the Swiss-Liechtenstein Ez Zantur Archaeological Project.Most of the labourat the site is done by the local workmen for whom the archaeological projects and tourism are an important source of income. The fieldwork seasons usually take 5 weeks per year, with the time before and after the fieldwork being devoted to the analysis of finds and the preparation of the preliminary reports.

Because of the nature of the site - a relative isolation and difficult access - the Project pays special attention to the logistics. The team members live in the Bedouin tents set on the mountain plateau. Every item of food and equipment, including water, needs to be carried to the camp on donkeys. Notably, the monastery of St. Aaron is located within the eyesight from Petra. This type of visual link was a safeguard specially in border regions and desert conditions. The team members, however, use cellular phones and e-mail to be in touch with Petra, Amman and Helsinki. The electricity is produced by solar panels - certainly,we have plenty of sunshine!

Preliminary Assessment and Significance of the Project

So far the FJHP conducted an archaeological reconnaissance (1997) and six full excavation seasons (1998-2003). Simultaneously, the FJHP survey has systematically recovered the evidence of the human occupation in the area dating from the Palaeolithic, through the Nabataean and Byzantine periods until the recent times. In addition to exposing a large basilican church, a chapel and other auxiliary structure, the excavations of the monastic site provided numerous artifacts and substantial data concerning the existence and functioning of the complex. The fieldwork results indicate that the complex, in addition to its monastic function, had most probably also served as a pilgrimage center dedicated to the veneration of St. Aaron, between the later 5th and the early 8th century A.D., possibly continuing up to the Crusader times (12th century A.D.).

The significance of this project cannot be underestimated, in terms of the historical and cultural ramifications, and the scholarly value of the investigation. The Jabal Haroun site provides a unique opportunity to fully study and interpret a complete Early Christian monastic establishment in terms of its architecture, phases of development, daily life, economy and other activities. The overall significance of this monastic complex in the perspective of the rise of Christianity not only in Jordan but also in the entire Near East should also be emphasized. The finds attest to the wealth of the artistic development under the Byzantine rule, and its continuity in the Early Islamic period. It should also be stated that the area was already recognized in antiquity as associated with the major tradition of the Biblical narrative, and accorded special importance in terms of the pilgrimage traffic. Notably, the sanctity of the place continued to attract the pilgrimage traffic, whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim, also in the Medieval period and it continued in the recent times. Finally, the results of the survey around the mountain are of the capital importance for the understanding of the patterns of land-utilization of the area in antiquity. An extensive water conservation and management system, recorded and studied by the FJHP survey team, was apparently associated with intensive agricultural production during the Nabataean times. It certainly belongs to one of the best preserved systems of that kind in the Near East

Results

The yearly reports of the project are published in Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.
(See FJHP bibliography)