Professor Juan Manuel Tebes

Decoding the Ancient Sacred Landscapes of the Arid Southern Levant (Southern Jordan/Israel): The Desert Cults Mapping Project

This research project aims to study the sacred landscapes of the southern arid margins of the Levant (southern Jordan/Israel), as observed by the spatial distribution and the material culture of the cultic and funerary sites of the mostly semi-pastoral peoples that lived in the area from the Neolithic to the Early Islamic period.

The Desert Cults Mapping Project (DCMP) will achieve these goals by adopting an interdisciplinary approach at the intersection between digital humanities and archaeological research, with synergy from collaboration with international teams. It will make extensive use of geospatial technology, archaeological data and historical sources from a longue durée perspective. The proposed fellowship will be focused particularly on expanding and finishing the DCMP database of cultic and mortuary sites, making all spatial and archaeological data and the associated map freely available through an on-line digital repository. The results will be published in top specialised journals and one book.