Overview

Bibliography

Lehun is a large site (1100 meters north to south and 600 meters east to west) on the northern plateau overlooking the Wadi Mujib, the biblical Arnon, which separates northern and southern Moab. It is along the King's Highway, the primary north-south road through Jordan in antiquity. Although the site was inhabited from the Paleolithic period to modern times, its ancient name is unknown, having never been mentioned in literary sources.

The site has been excavated by the Belgian Committee of Excavations in Jordan under the direction of P. Naster (from 1977 to 1984) and Denyse Homès-Fredericq (from 1977 until the present). The settlement of Lehun occurred in discrete areas. In the southwestern area of the site (Area D), an Iron I (1300-1000 BCE) village was uncovered. The southern part of the village was later rebuilt in the Iron II period into a fortress. To the east of these settlements (in Area C1), an Early Bronze village represents the earliest permanent settlement of the site. To the north (Area B2) is a small Nabatean village (mostly unexcavated) with a small Nabatean temple. To its west (Area A2) is a small Mameluke village with a mosque. Other settlements include a late Roman and Byzantine settlement and a Umayyad and Ayyubid settlement, but these have not been excavated.

The archaeological strata uncovered at the site, as illustrated in the site plan, date to the following periods:

	Mameluke Period
	Nabatean Period
	Iron II Period
	Iron I Period
	Early Bronze Period