Khirbat al-Baluʿa
June 19 - July 31, 2025
other
Exploring Moabite Jordan
Khirbat al-Baluʿa is a multi-period site in central Jordan, north of Karak, stretching over approximately 20 hectares. Baluʿa is located next to the Wadi Baluʿa, which is a tertiary tributary to the Wadi Mujib. In this location, Baluʿa was able to control a major north-south route and guard access from the north to the Karak Plateau over the millennia.
The Baluʿa Regional Archaeological Project (BRAP) has renewed excavations at this important site, identifying three main areas of excavation in a pilot season in 2017. GPS survey and test excavations in 2010 and 2012 had established a preliminary map of the visible remains at the site. The most extensive period of occupation at Baluʿa dates to the Iron Age II period (1000–550 B.C.E.) when the city expanded to include a large, walled lower settlement. The Iron II settlement is impressive, with building walls preserved to over 6 feet in height and doorways with stone lintels still intact. The site is located in what is traditionally known as the Moabite region of Jordan in the Iron Age. Other periods represented at the site include a Middle Islamic village and a Nabatean sacred structure, as well as Bronze Age and Hellenistic occupations.
Details
Geographic Location
Karak, North-Central Jordan
Dates of the Dig
June 19 - July 31, 2025
Minimum Stay
3 Weeks
Application Due
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Academic Credit/Cost per Credit/Institution
4-8 credits are offered by La Sierra University at a price of $865 per credit.
Accommodations
Karak, Jordan in double-occupancy hotel rooms with full room and board.
Cost
Directors
Kent Bramlett: La Sierra University
Friedbert Ninow: La Sierra University
Monique Roddy: Walla Walla University
Contact
Dr. Monique Roddy
To learn how you can get involved, visit their website and check them out on Facebook and Instagram.
In the free eBook, A Digger’s Life: A Guide to the Archaeology Dig Experience, step into an archaeological excavation and find out what it takes to find, prepare for, and work on a dig.
