Ed Deir, Jordan. Photo by Jake Hill, 2026.
This project focuses on the Karak Plateau, located in southern Jordan, which was occupied by the kingdom of Moab during the Iron Age. Hill examined Iron Age settlement patterns on the Karak Plateau through a comprehensive reevaluation of pottery collected during earlier archaeological surveys, combined with research in Jordanian libraries and archives and field visits to key archaeological sites. By clarifying the nature and distribution of Iron Age settlement across the plateau, the study advances understanding of the emergence of Moabite identity and state formation, shedding new light on a kingdom that played a significant role in the historical context of the Hebrew Bible and continues to hold an important place in Jordan's cultural heritage.