Excavating the Royal Capital of Ammon: A New Research Project on the Amman Citadel

Earlier excavations at the site have already produced important results on its Iron Age occupation. Between 1968 and 1973, Fawzi Zayadine of the Jordanian Department of Antiquities discovered four double-faced female stone heads reused as spolia in a water channel, originating from an Iron Age monumental building. Later, between 1987 and 1991, Zayadine and Jean-Baptiste Humbert (École Biblique et Archéologique) uncovered the remains of a monumental building that was attributed by the excavators to the 7th-century BCE. The structure was only partially excavated, featuring a paved central courtyard with adjoining rooms, plastered walls, and even a stone toilet seat, a feature otherwise known only from elite residences in Edom and Judah. Finds such as glass vessels, ivory and glass inlays, and fine ceramics further indicate an elite presence in this building. 

Beginning in spring 2024, the Amman Archaeological Project has expanded excavations on the southeastern part of the lower terrace, in close proximity of the previous excavation trenches. A key question guides the current fieldwork of the international team: was this monumental structure simply an elite residence, or could it be the long-sought palace of the Ammonite kings? This working hypothesis influences much of the ongoing investigation. The project aims not only to clarify the building’s function but also to refine its chronology, examine its integration into the Iron Age urban layout of the citadel, and assess how political changes affected architecture, governance, and expressions of elite representation in this Levantine kingdom.

View of the excavation area, including remains of a monumental building thought to date to the 7th century BCE. ©Amman Archaeological Project (Münster University, DAI, Felix Wolter)

The excavation results so far are promising: in the first two campaigns alone, several previously undocumented construction phases of the building were identified, including a monumental predecessor structure. Consisting of an exposed wall section over 10 meters long, this structure indicates that the building was already of great importance in an earlier period, underlining the special status of this place on the citadel. The many construction phases further show that the building played an important role over a long period of time. Charred seeds and other organic remains, which were carefully collected during the excavations, are currently being analyzed in the Radiocarbon laboratory of the University of Vienna. These analyses will help to precisely date the various building layers and thus establish a precise chronological sequence of the construction phases, a crucial step in accurately reconstructing the centuries-long development of the complex.

Not only the architecture, but also the finds provide clues to the function of the building: ivory inlays that once adorned furniture, fragments of alabaster vessels, and decorated pieces of Tridacna shells that formerly contained fragrant oils and pastes indicate the luxurious and prestige lifestyle of the Ammonite upper class. Among the most remarkable discoveries from the 2024 and 2025 campaigns are three finely carved female stone heads. Found within a water channel, these sculptures closely resemble the double-faced female heads discovered in 1963 and can be linked to the Iron Age corpus of Ammonite statuary. Each head, about 30 centimeters high, features delicately carved curly hair and elaborate ear and neck ornaments, with eyes and necklaces inlaid.