City and wadi: Exploring the environs of Jerash

Abstract

Archaeological excavations of urban sites in the Mediterranean have a long history, but only recently are geoarchaeology-based landscape studies beginning to provide insight into the complex and dynamic relationships between cities and their hinterlands. Such studies are becoming increasingly important as archaeologists seek to understand how cities sustained themselves, demonstrating resilience to both external shocks and long-term environmental changes, and, conversely, how cities contributed to their own demise through the over-exploitation of environmental resources (Barthel & Isendahl2013; Butzeret al.2013; Kintighet al.2014; Nelsonet al.2016).