Jawa Early Bronze Age Dam Jordan
Early Bronze Age c.3200–3000 BCE (Late Chalcolithic-EBA)·Levantine EBA / Ghassulian network·🇯🇴 Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
About
About Jawa Early Bronze Age Dam Jordan
Jawa (c.3200–3000 BCE) – Black Desert basalt town with 4m-high gravity masonry dam impounding Wadi Rajil (Jawa Reservoir), 8 km canal network and 3-pool system capturing 31,000 m³. Basalt slab construction by EBA pastoral-urban pioneers at 1,000m altitude; water-collecting cisterns inside fortified town and gate hydraulics; Svend Helms excavations.
Why it mattersLevant's earliest urban hydraulic – Black Desert masonry dam and canal network capturing desert floods
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Hydraulic capacity and catchment reconstruction
- 02Construction labor and failure modes
Theories
- 01State hydraulic power basis
- 02Continuous water governance and resilience
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.3200–3000 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze Age c.3200–3000 BCE (Late Chalcolithic-EBA)
- Culture
- Levantine EBA / Ghassulian network
- Builders
- Early Bronze Age Black Desert communities
- Purpose
- Desert town Jawa masonry gravity dam and canal network capturing Wadi Rajil floods
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.3200–3000 BCE
Initial construction
On the ground
Structures & features
32.3350° N · 37.0033° E · 1000 m · 3 mapped features
Jawa Gravity Masonry Dam
dam4m-high basalt slab gravity dam impounding Wadi Rajil
32.3350° N · 37.0033° E8km Canal and 3-Pool System
canal network8km canal network and 3 linked pools storing 31,000 m³
32.3370° N · 37.0043° EFortified Town Cisterns
cisternIntra-mural basalt cisterns and gate hydraulics inside Jawa town
32.3340° N · 37.0043° E