Overview
Buseirah (biblical Bozrah) is located along the King’s Highway on a dramatic promontory in the north-central region of ancient Edom in southern Jordan. With a sizeable modern village behind it, the ruins of the ancient city extend outward toward the northwest overlooking the steep wadis that provided its inhabitants a natural line of defense on three sides. The city appears to have reached its zenith during the neo-Assyrian period, following Tiglath-Pileser III’s conquests in Palestine in the late-eighth century BCE. Although Edom paid heavy tribute to the neo-Assyrian rulers, its survival and relative prosperity was likely due to its strategic location for the empire. Unfortunately for the citizens of Buseirah, neo-Babylonian imperial designs were different and in the sixth century BCE the city was destroyed.
The site was first surveyed by Nelson Glueck in the 1930s. C.-M. Bennett excavated the site during five seasons, from 1971 to 1974, and again in 1980. The excavations were largely limited to the acropolis and hindered by the construction of the modern school nearby. The most prominent features include two monumental building complexes, residential structures, and part of the upper city’s fortifications overlooking the steep wadis below. The two complexes are found in Area A and Area C. The complex in Area A consists of two palaces in typical Assyrian style, one built atop the other. Although the palaces have yet to be completely uncovered, their general lay-out has been established through probes. The building complex in Area C is lesser known. It also exhibits two phases corresponding to the phases in Area A, but the dimensions of this complex have yet to be revealed.
The archaeological strata uncovered at the site, as illustrated in the site plan, date to the following periods:
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Phase 4 (Sixth–Fifth Century BCE) |
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Phase 2 (Seventh Century BCE) |
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Uncertain Phase |
Zone 1: Area A Monumental Buildings A and B