The EB IA tombs and burials of Bâb edh‐Dhrâ, Jordan: a bioarchaeological perspective on the people

The transition from a hunting/gathering economy to an agricultural economy, beginning about 10,000 years ago, was accompanied by the development of specialised innovations including nomadic pastoralism. It was also associated with the emergence of increasingly sedentary human societies in which relatively large numbers of people lived in a crowded urban environment. The dynamic relationship between agriculture and urbanisation undoubtedly had a profound effect on evolutionary dynamics in developing complex human societies. By the beginning of the Early Bronze Age (EB IA, ca. 3300 BCE) an agricultural economy was well established in the region surrounding Bâb edh‐Dhrâ, located in the southeastern plain adjacent to the Dead Sea in Jordan. However, the site apparently did not begin to develop as an urban centre until EB IB. The objective of this paper is to explore what is known about the EB IA people of Bâb edh‐Dhrâ. The presence of infectious and metabolic diseases coupled with high infant mortality and low life‐expectancy at birth suggest a society at risk. Nevertheless the people were robust and give evidence of at least a moderately successful adaptation to the environment in which they lived. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.