In the Eastern Mediterranean, where some of the earliest known urban cities are located, relatively little is known about urban soils in archaeological contexts. Red Mediterranean Soil (RMS) is a hallmark of the Mediterranean region while the impact of long-term urbanization on RMS material is understudied.

In a new article in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, a research team from UrbNet and Department of Geoscience (Aarhus University) has presented evidence of RMS from the longue durée cityscape of Jerash in Jordan. This is done together with colleagues from Durham University, Münster University, University of Glasgow and University of St Andrews in order to determine how humans have used, modified and impacted RMS material in an urban context. The approach used in the article offers new insight into the vital contributions that these soils and their management has made to the food security, resilience and longevity of early city life.

The research behind the new publication was undertaken within the framework of Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project, directed by Achim Lichtenberger and Rubina Raja and funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, the Danish National Research Foundation (grant 119), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Deutscher Palästina-Verein, the Danish EliteForsk Award and H. P. Hjerl Hansens mindefondet for Dansk Palæstinaforskning. Further financial support for the OSL analyses was provided by the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society (SAGES). We thank Thomas Ljungberg for help with illustrations and Python scripts.

Full reference and link to article:

Holdridge, G., Simpson, I., Lichtenberger, A., Raja, R., Kinnaird, T. C., Sanderson, D. & Kristiansen, S. M. (2022). “Urban Gardens in Antiquity: The Case of Gerasa/Jerash in Jordan”, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 46, 103633, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103633.