Jordan Archaeological Museum

Jordan Archaeological Museum

متحف الآثار الأردني
Museum entrance, 2009
Location within Jordan
Established	1951
Location	Citadel Hill, Amman Jordan
Coordinates	31°57′14″N 35°56′03″E / 31.9540°N 35.9343°E / 31.9540; 35.9343
Type	Art museum, Design/Textile Museum, Historic site
Director	Abdul Rahim Al Dwaikat

The Jordan Archaeological Museum is located in the Amman Citadel of Amman, Jordan. Built in 1951,^[1] it presents artifacts from archaeological sites in Jordan, dating from prehistoric times to the 15th century. The collections are arranged in chronological order and include items of everyday life such as flint, glass, metal and pottery objects, as well as more artistic items such as jewelry and statues. The museum also includes a coin collection.

The museum houses the Ain Ghazal statues, which are among the oldest statues ever made by a human civilization. The museum formerly housed some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the only copper scroll, which are now on display in the newly established Jordan Museum.^[2]

History

The museum was established in 1951 on top of the Amman Citadel in the heart of Amman. Another branch of the museum was established in East Jerusalem which was under Jordanian rule prior to the 1967 war. Once East Jerusalem fell to Israel in 1967, the museum lost all of its collection in the Jerusalem branch including most of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Location

ruins of the Roman Temple of Hercules on Citadel Hill

The museum is located in the Amman Citadel in Amman, one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. Two historic sites are nearby on top of the hill, the Roman Temple of Hercules that dates back to the 2nd century, and an Umayyad palace that dates back to the 8th century. Prior to 1967, the museum had a branch in East Jerusalem.

The Ain Ghazal statues are the oldest statues ever made by a human being, were made in the period 6000-8000 B.C

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Time Periods Represented

The collections of the museum belong to the following periods:

• The Paleolithic Period: 1,000,000 - 10,000 years ago
• The Neolithic Period- The Pre-Pottery Age: 8,300 B.C -5,500 B.C, the most famous artifacts that belong to this period are the Ain Ghazal statues.
• The Neolithic Period- Pottery Age: 5,500 B.C - 4,300 B.C
• The Chalcolithic Period: 4,300 B.C-3,300 B.C
• The Early Bronze Age: 3,300 B.C - 1,900 B.C
• The Middle Bronze Age: 1,900 B.C - 1,550 B.C
• The Late Bronze Age: 1,550 B.C - 1,200 B.C
• The Iron Age: 1,200 B.C - 550 B.C
• The Persian period
• The Hellenistic Period
• The Nabatean Period
• The Roman Period
• The Byzantine Period
• The Islamic Period
• The Umayyad Period
• The Abbasid Period
• The Ayyubid Period

References

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