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AMMAN — British-American archaeologist Jack Green became interested in the archaeology of the Middle East and the Levant as he came across a group called “Sea Peoples” during his studies at the University of Liverpool. 

The group was mentioned in many ancient sources as having settled in the Levant from the Aegean around 1,200BC, according to the scholar who said: “I became interested in debates about how material culture might be used to identify identity in the archaeological record — including ethnicity, and that drew me to an interest in the archaeology of death, burial and personal ornamentation.” 

Green then decided to come study the site of Tell es-Sa‘idiyeh in the Jordan Valley. “At the time, there was a debate about whether the cemetery included burials of ‘Sea Peoples’, so I wanted to see if this was the case, and if any of the burials suggested this,” he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

“What I found out added a lot to our overall picture of the site and the region,” Green noted, stressing that ornaments could be used to mark gender, age and status distinctions. 

Male adult burials were found with sometimes just a single earring or finger ring, sometimes with an Egyptian-style scarab, which may be a mark of status, the British-American scholar stressed.

“It is not really possible to tell the ethnicity from the ornaments, as I found — these ornaments are very common throughout the region. Some infants and some of the women also typically wore shell, stone, faience and glass beads, some with amulets including glass eye beads,” Green highlighted.

They were also found wearing bronze anklets and iron bangles while some women wore quite heavy anklets when they were buried in the cemetery. “I interpret this as related to gendered distinctions in dress and the wearing of family wealth on the body,” said Green, who was recently appointed as associate director at the American Centre of Oriental Research in Amman. 

Furthermore, in times before banks and currency, such ornaments served as a way of storing and displaying wealth and protecting the family, he underlined.

“Around 3,000 years ago, a pair of heavy bronze anklets could have been exchanged for a sheep or goat, so quite valuable. Ornaments were not just pretty things, they could help a family survive hard times,” Green elaborated.

The period he researched was the shift between Late Bronze Age (LB) and the beginning of the Iron Age: “What I think we see at Tell es-Sa’idiyeh is a change in the way people commemorated and celebrated the dead at the time of the funeral.”

In the early phase, around 1250-1100 BC (LB-Iron I transition), some of the male and female burials were quite rich, relatively speaking, the archaeologist claimed, adding that the burial, excavated in the 1960s by Jim Pritchard and nicknamed the “Queen of Zarethan” — had objects made from ivory, electrum jewellery and a bronze wine set — and is one of the wealthiest burials of this period in the southern Levant. 

In the subsequent period, ca. 1100-900 BC (Early Iron Age), “we see a change with a much smaller number of objects in graves — such as a juglet and some ornaments, though a few male burials continue to have the bronze bowls and animal offerings — so maybe such offerings or rituals were reserved for the adult males, Green speculated. 

“This is a possible sign of the marking of male status and perhaps a greater degree of patriarchy in society,” he pointed out, adding that the social identity of the population of the Jordan Valley is another field that scholars should study as it was “quite diverse”.

The wider region in the Late Bronze Age was known as Canaan, a rural area with farmers and pastoralists, but also a strategic crossing point of the Jordan River in this period, important for trade and military control, Green emphasised.

“We know the Egyptians were active here in the New Kingdom. Some of the burials from the 13th-12th century BC have simple Egyptian pottery related to bread and beer in them, so maybe there was a strong relationship with nearby Egyptian garrisons, such as Beisan in the north.

For the Early Iron Age, this part of the Jordan Valley is associated with biblical Gilead. There were also military conquests from Egypt (pharaoh Shishak) and Damascus (Hazael) at different points of time that may have impacted the Jordan Valley in the early first millennium BC, the scholar noted.

CAIRO — Armed conflicts, terrorism and extremist ideologies continue to create challenges for women and gender equality’s advancement in the region, Social Development (MoS) Minister Hala Lattouf said on Wednesday.

“The conflicts in our area resulted in a huge influx of refugees in the region, with around 2.7 million residing in Jordan, which affects us socially and economically,” Lattouf added.

Lattouf’s remarks were delivered by MoS Director of Policies and Strategies Ahmad Abu Haidar on her behalf at the Euro-Med Women’s Rights Civil Society Conference held in Cairo on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Women and children are the most affected by the refugee influx. These challenges require unified efforts and building true cooperation among countries of the Euro-Mediterranean,” Lattouf added. 

Abu Haidar concluded the minister’s speech by referring to a quote from one of the organisations that was part of a recent study conducted to evaluate the work of women organisations and the status of Jordanian women, stating: “Give me a fair system towards women and I will give you a future of fair society.  Give me a discriminatory system against women and I will give you a world that is drowned with abuse and darkness”.

Head of the EU Delegation in Egypt, Ambassador Ivan Surkos, reiterated the EU’s stand towards women’s advancement and empowerment in the region.

“We reiterate our commitment to women empowerment and gender equality. Our key priority is to promote the role of a proactive civil society in advancing women’s status and in contributing to sustainable and inclusive development,” Surkos told the gathering.

“We want to ensure that no one is left behind because of gender,” Surkos stressed.

Also speaking at the opening session was president of Egypt’s National Council for Women, Maya Morsi, who said that the women’s movement in Egypt came up with a strategy, which was upheld on March, stating that the grassroots leading to decision makers to fully empower women by the year 2030.

 “The government and civil society joined hands to implement the strategy together and we are hopeful that it will play an important role towards gender equality in Egypt,” Morsi added.

Some 120 participants from 25 countries are taking part in the two-day conference funded by the EU 

Director of the Arab Women’s Organisation in Egypt, Ambassador Mervat Tallawy, said during the first panel that “the sectarian wars in the region have dragged women’s rights backwards and stripped them from a lot of the gains they have made over the years”.  

“Slavery is back. Selling of organs and human trafficking and violence against women and women exiting education are too,” Tallawy said.

Speaking during the second session, Secretary General of the Jordanian People’s Democratic Party Abla Abu Olbeh stressed that “we have to work on improving the justice and equality system in our area to face the violence that is becoming more vicious in our countries and some European countries”.

“Our region is going in two directions: one that is calling for justice and equality and another that is trying to drag us backwards with all kinds of extremist thoughts, slavery and enslavement of our people and, of course, women and children are the most affected by this,” she said.

Therefore, Abu Olbeh added, the Euro-med project is important “to help empower and guide us in the future”.

Building on the achievements of the Gender Regional Platform policy dialogue, the meeting aims to foster, widen and consolidate the sustainable regional dialogue on gender equality with stakeholders, as well as to provide a space for women’s organisations and networks from the Euro-Med region to come together, strengthen their common discourse and issue concrete requests and recommendations for the 4th UfM Ministerial Meeting to be handed to the ministers on November 27.

“What is happening to societies in the region is destruction”, Tallawy added, saying “it will be very hard to rebuild. We should not allow this, nor should we allow anyone to support terror groups. Whoever supports terrorist groups should be considered as a war criminal”.

Co-President of the Euro-Med Feminist Initiative Lilian Halls- French spoke about the latest progress that resulted from the dozens of dialogues conducted over the years with civil rights organisations, gender experts, government officials, academics, researchers and media.

“We are facing global regression of women’s rights in the region. The rise of the political and religious extremism, in addition to the economic crisis, are pushing women’s rights to the bottom of the political agendas,” Halls-French stated.

The combination of these challenges, Hall-French added, “is contributing to limiting women’s rights and freedoms as freedom of expression and putting pressure on the civil society”. 

“We need to strongly support the independence of organisations and civil society by respective governments in the region,” Halls-French stressed.

President of the Advisory Committee for the Prevention and Combating Violence in the Family in Cyprus Susana Pavlou, pointed to the extreme cases of violence witnessed in the EU countries, saying that “50 women die every week in domestic violence cases, while violence against women cost 226 billion Euros every year in the EU”.

Pavlou, who is also an expert at the Council of Europe, stressed that there are low reporting and conviction rates as “women tend to withdraw in the process of trial against their aggressors because they feel there s no adequate support system and they are being blamed for the violence”.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday sent a cable of condolences to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari over the deadly terror attack that targeted a mosque in the eastern city of Mubi on Tuesday, according to a Royal Court statement. In the cable, the King condemned the heinous act, and stressed Jordan’s solidarity with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism.

King Abdullah expressed his deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Wednesday reappointing Mousa Braizat as the chief commissioner of the National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) as of January 1, 2018 for three years, according to a statement from the NCHR. 

AMMAN — Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman will inaugurate the first meeting of the council of defence ministers of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) in Riyadh next Sunday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In the upcoming meeting, the Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani will deliver a speech about the media’s role in supporting the alliance. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the meeting will discuss the alliance’s general strategy, and the governing mechanisms which organise IMAFT’s operations in the war against terrorism.

AMMAN — The staff of the Jordanian Field Hospital “Gaza 50” on Wednesday arrived in the Gaza strip, as “Gaza 49” staff members returned after completing their mission, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hospital Commander Col. Ali Abdul Qader stressed that the team is  proud to be serving in Gaza, implementing His Majesty King Abdullah’s and the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army’s directives. 

AMMAN — Both chambers of the Parliament on Wednesday presented their replies to His Majesty King Abdullah's Speech from the Throne, which he delivered on November 12, inaugurating the second ordinary session of the 18th Parliament. 

In the speech, His Majesty started with commending the legislature’s performance during the past session, resulting in “the endorsement of a package of vital legislation encompassing several key sectors, in line with our keenness to develop the performance of the judiciary, enhance the rule of law and nurture the foundations of our civil state”, asserting that the government “must remain transparent, realistic and proactive, without hesitation”. 

He also expressed pride in the progress made to the democratisation process, especially the success of the local polls held in August, marking the start of the decentralisation process and a new style in local governance. 

On national priorities, the King said these “require the utmost engagement from this esteemed assembly in terms of oversight and legislation in the service of Jordanians”.

In the Senate’s reply to the speech, Upper House President Faisal Fayez said that the Chamber would work to materialise His Majesty’s vision that seeks self-reliance in solving the Kingdom’s problems through working out realistic solutions that depend on the available resources and potentials, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Fayez also agreed with the King on the need for the government to work on executing the economic growth stimulation plan in the following years, in a way that meets the aspirations of various sectors and helps achieve targeted growth rates.

He also urged the government to work on creating jobs for Jordanians and to benefit from available opportunities to improve citizens’ living standards, as well as empower low- and middle-income classes.

For his part, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh expressed MPs’ commitment to addressing all challenges and difficulties, citing His Majesty’s praise of the Chamber’s efforts, “which constitutes a motivation for us to exert more efforts to achieve Jordanians’ aspirations”. 

The Lower House, through the oversight powers vested in the chamber in the Constitution, will continue monitoring the economic growth stimulation plan, recently endorsed by the government, through analysing performance indicators, Tarawneh added.

The speaker expressed the legislature’s readiness to shoulder its responsibilities in the second session by deliberating and, subsequently, endorsing priority economic bills that mainly focus on economic reform laws, which are envisioned to improve living conditions, address economic deformities and balance revenues with expenditures.

He also commended the King’s role in making Jordan a model of moderation, expressing the House’s support for such an approach. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC), currently visiting the Kingdom to participate in the meeting of the executive committee of the WCC being held in Amman.

During the meeting, King Abdullah assured the delegation that Jordan, under the Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites, will continue efforts to preserve the city's holy shrines and defend the property of its churches at all international forums, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty emphasised that the Kingdom stands against any attempts (by the Israeli occupation) to confiscate Christian property in East Jerusalem, stressing that Christian holy sites receive the same attention and care that Jordan gives to Islamic holy sites in the city.

King Abdullah reiterated that Arab Christians are an integral part of the region and a key element of its identity, affirming that the protection of their rights is the duty of all.

His Majesty added that the decline in the number of Christians in Jerusalem is "disturbing and sad", stressing that Jerusalem "must always be a symbol of hope and peace, not a symbol of division".

The King noted that the initiatives launched by Jordan and the religious conferences held by the Kingdom have been designed to promote dialogue, understanding and coexistence.

In this context, His Majesty underline efforts the Kingdom continues to exert to disseminate the values of tolerance and moderation and to build bridges of dialogue and understanding among the followers of different religions.

For their part, members of the WCC delegation commended Jordan's pivotal role, under the leadership of His Majesty, in bringing about peace, security and stability in the region and the world.

They said that the Kingdom is "a unique model of coexistence", praising its endeavours in encouraging religious dialogue and launching initiatives that foster fraternity, tolerance and moderation.

They also expressed their appreciation for the King’s efforts in defending Jerusalem’s holy sites through the Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites.

Also on Wednesday, the delegates visited the refugee relief centre affiliated with the Near East Council of Churches at the Azmi Mufti refugee camp near Irbid, where they listened to a briefing on the services presented to more than 5,000 Palestinian refugees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — A new report testing and analysing the quality of Jordan’s main surface water resources detected major deterioration in the quality of the lower part of the Jordan River, urging immediate rehabilitation actions for its basin.

Salinity levels in the lower part of the river are high, which indicates that the ecosystem of the Jordan River Basin is threatened and needs rehabilitation actions, according to the report published on Wednesday.

The report is the first publication of the National Telemetry Water Monitoring Project, which is being implemented by the Higher Council for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Environment.

Under the project, funded by JICA, 13 fully automated monitoring stations were dispersed along the Jordan River, Yarmouk River, Zarqa River, King Abdullah Canal and King Talal Dam’s inlet and outlet.

The stations tested the water for pollution and abnormalities by analysing the water temperature, potential of hydrogen (pH), turbidity, dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen demand (COD), among other parameters.

The project’s first report indicated that concentrations of phosphorus, nitrogen and COD in the 110-kilometre King Abdullah Canal increased at the canal’s meeting point with the Zarqa River, due to the nature of the river’s water, which is mostly treated wastewater discharged from Khirbet Al Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant.

However, the increase in the concentrations of phosphorus, nitrogen and COD does not impose any restrictions on the use of the water for irrigation purposes, according to the report, which noted that the water of the canal matches the Jordanian specifications on the quality of irrigation water.

The report also showed that water in the upper and central parts of the canal was of better quality compared to its southern part, where it meets with the Zarqa River.

The King Abdullah Canal, which is supplied by the Yarmouk River, irrigates 40 per cent of the crops in the Jordan Valley, and some 40 per cent of the capital’s water, after being treated at the Zai Water Treatment Plant.

Regarding the quality of water at the Yarmouk River, the report indicated that the pH was within the normal average, salinity levels were low and there were no traces of nitrogen and phosphorus, which indicates that the river water is free of biological pollutants.

Meanwhile, the report indicated that the pH in the water of the Zarqa River and King Talal Dam, which is mostly treated wastewater from Al Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant, was within the normal rates.

However, because the water in both places contain nitrogen and phosphorus, a study on how much do crops irrigated by the water of both resources benefit from the two chemicals’ concentrations is required, according to the report.

It also recommended that a comprehensive environmental study be carried out for the Zarqa, Jordan and Yarmouk rivers on the water flow of the sources of the rivers, pollutions sources, impacts and quantities, as well as the impact of the Zarqa River on underground water and measures to protect transbounadry water resources from possible contamination.

At a ceremony announcing the launch of the report, Minister of Environment Yaseen Khayyat indicated that the data and results of the project serve as a vital tool for decision makers when drafting policies.

Khayyat highlighted that the data of the project also serve in preserving the quality of water in Jordan, which suffers from water shortage and increasing demand for the precious resource.

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani on Wednesday urged Arab media institutions to fight all forms of terrorism and extremism, and work in unity to address their destructive impact on humanity, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Momani stressed that the media with its diverse tools should expose the deceptive ways of extremism.

In his remarks during the 45th General Assembly of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) held in Amman on Wednesday, the minister said that the responsibility of the Arab media institutions is huge, especially the official media institutions, which should defend the national interest, culture and civilisation, while preserving the identity of the nation and protecting it.

Momani pointed out that reinforcing confidence in official media is not only the duty of governments, but also a national effort that should be carried out by all press and media institutions.

He added that the technology advancement in the media and social media poses a serious challenge to official media institutions. The challenge requires all media institutions to keep up with the progress in technology.

Momani highlighted that failure to find a solution to the Palestinian cause has escalated challenges and added to the suffering of the Palestinian people.

He urged the international community to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Momani pointed out that hosting large numbers of refugees has put the country’s resources under strain, especially in health, education, services, and development sectors. He called on the international community to support refugees.

President of FANA and Kuwait News Agency’s Board Chairman and Director General Sheikh Mubarak Duaij Al Ibrahim Al Saba outlined the importance of media outlets in the fight against terrorism and extremism in all its forms. 

FANA elected Sheikh Mubarak as the president of the federation for the next session.