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Articles

• Kafafi, Zeidan
• Scheltema, Hugo Gajus

This article addresses dolmens and menhirs in Jordan. These remarkable megalithicstructures were (and in some places still are) spread in large numbers over a substantial partof the country. Dolmen fields have been reported in Jordan and, particularly, in the Irbid andJordan Valley regions, as well as north of the Zarqa river, around Mount Nebo and south ofMa'in. Research has shown that these structures developed some variation in typology. Mostof them can be dated to the Early Bronze Age, based on the (little) excavated material. At thesame time, some dolmens were probably built and/or reused in later periods.Upright standing stones or menhirs have been encountered in different parts in Jordan. Themost famous one is called Hajar al-Mansoub, erected in a field overlooking Wadi Zerka Ma'infrom the north/west. Menhirs occur as a single stone or in small groups, a typical example ofthe last category being a row of (probably) 16 'pillars' at al Lejjun in the Kerak Governorate.Most scholars presuppose a cultic relationship. The dating of monoliths has proven even moredifficult than dolmens; all the same the Adir menhir and some others have been associatedwith the Early Bronze Age I.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία

Dolmen, Menhir, Geographical distribution, typology, Dating, Function