Nai'eme

BAP031 JADIS2320.008

Nai'me lies in a crucial area of the survey region. It is not certain whether the border runs east of the Wadi Rayyan (Yabis) towards the Wadi Warren, and thence north to cross the Yarmouk, or whether in fact the watershed (roughly the line of the old Ajloun/Irbid road) formed the border. There has not been an intensive survey in the area between the Irbid/Ajloun road and the Amman/Dera’a freeway, north of Jarash and south of the freeway/Irbid road.

Exposed section after clean up

Several excavation projects, notably Ya'amun and Dohaleh have been undertaken, but so far, final publication has not occurred for Ya'amun. In any case, our particular processing of bodysherds is different from most standard single site excavations. Nai'me is therefore a critical site to establish the type of pottery found in this area.

5x5 after surface pick up

The site is located around the Khirbet of the modern town of Nai'eme.The BAP team surveyed this site on 12th November 2008. Due to the level of modern habitation on the site, systematic transect survey could not be conducted. Instead the BAP team, with the assistance of the Department of Antiquities representative, focused on inspecting vacant lots and agricultural areas of the Khirbet. Artefacts of the Roman/Byzantine period were located on the surface of vacant lots and in several modern cuts in the eastern slope of the Khirbet. Exposed bedrock along the north west of the Khirbet contained extensive rock cut features probably used for the processing of agricultural products.