Kharaneh IV Project

The Kharaneh IV project explores the nature of interaction and aggregation at the end of the Pleistocene through the multi-component Early and Middle Epipalaeolithic site Kharaneh IV, Jordan.

Kharaneh IV is a multi-component Epipalaeolithic site located in the Eastern Desert of Jordan, approximately 70 km east of Jordan’s capital Amman at the western edge of the Azraq Basin. It is an exceptionally large Epipalaeolithic site, approximately 21 000 m2 in size, making it one of the largest Terminal Pleistocene occupations in the Levant. The most abundant artifacts at the site are chipped stone tools, with an estimated two million lithics excavated to date. In addition to chipped stone, the site contains abundant faunal, shell, and worked bone artifacts. Current excavations are directed by Lisa Maher (University of California, Berkeley) and Danielle Macdonald (University of Tulsa) as part of the larger Epipalaeolithic Foragers in Azraq Project (EFAP) and have been ongoing since 2008.