Recent excavation and research results from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt on the subject of death and burial from the Roman to the Islamic period are the theme of the seventh volume of the ‘Munich Contributions to Provincial Roman Archaeology’ (Münchner Beiträge zur Provinzialrömischen Archäologie). The essays are based on a German-Arab Conference held in Amman in 2013. For the first time, Arab archaeologists and scientists working in the Arab world across four national borders were able to exchange views on the main features and differences in the development of the death rituals, primarily – but not only – from an archaeological perspective. In addition to reporting current or recent excavations, they involve the processing of old excavations and summary studies on local or regional burial customs. The present volume records ten lectures held in Amman, and also includes five other contributions by international scholars who were unable to attend the Round Table funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Among the prominent sites mentioned in the volume are the necropolises of Palmyra, which are known for their monumental tombs and were almost completely destroyed during the Syrian civil war. There are two contributions dedicated to them. Less well known are the Hellenistic and Roman necropolises of Alexandria, which are compared with two other sites of necropolises in Roman Egypt located further south. The role of anthropological investigations in modern grave archaeology is illustrated by the tombs in the North Ridge area of Petra. Among the lesser-known sites is the burial ground of Chisphin (Golan), which, however, boasts some exceptional mid Roman grave-goods. With the late antique rock chamber necropolis of Khirbat Yajuz and the hypogeum in the church of Quwaysmah, both in Jordan, two important examples are presented, showing the phenomenon of the early Christian church graves in the region, which has so far barely been worked on. Insights into Egypt’s late-antique, Coptic funeral rituals are provided by the cemeteries in Qarara and Sharuna (Middle Egypt) as well as those of the large St. Paulos monastery in Deir el-Bakhit (Thebes-West) in Upper Egypt. Finally, two contributions deal with issues of Islamic burial customs and death rituals. In addition to the peculiarities of Fatimid grave architecture, the focus here is on modern Islamic burial practices in Jordan.