Sunken City off Spur Bal
Middle Bronze Age (2100–1550 BCE)·Middle Bronze Age·🇯🇴 Ma'an Governorate, Jordan
About
About Sunken City off Spur Bal
Sunken City off Spur Bal in Ma'an Governorate, Jordan is a Middle Bronze Age (2100–1550 BCE) submerged city attributed to Middle Bronze Age culture. Systematically investigated through aerial LiDAR and coring, it presents a principal enclosure with hydraulic works. Construction employs cyclopean blocks and demonstrates long-distance exchange. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Middle Bronze Age submerged-city with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Construction labor organization and logistics
- 02Ritual use and symbolic landscape
Theories
- 01Trading entrepôt and regional hub
- 02Ceremonial centre and pilgrimage focus
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. 1672 BCE
- Period
- Middle Bronze Age (2100–1550 BCE)
- Culture
- Middle Bronze Age
- Purpose
- Ceremonial and settlement
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 1672 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 982 BCE
Architectural refurbishment
c. 186 CE
Reoccupation and adaptation
1926
Rediscovery and systematic excavation
On the ground
Structures & features
31.3245° N · 34.2786° E · 1130 m · 3 mapped features
Principal Monument
rampartAncillary workshop associated with main monument
31.3230° N · 34.2795° ETemple Platform
gatewayBurial zone — rock-cut chambers
31.3268° N · 34.2765° EGateway
platformBurial zone — rock-cut chambers
31.3223° N · 34.2794° E