The dry bed of Wadi Feynan/Wadi Ghuwayr in late spring (May 2014). The archaeological site ofGhuwayr 1 is visible on the rise in the centre-right of the image.
The rich copper deposits of Wadi Faynan became the basis for the rapid development of copper culture. Mining and smelting of ore began from theChalcolithic period (4500–3100 BCE), and continued onward to theMamluk period (1250–1516 CE).[4]
German scientists excavating the region in 1983 concluded that copper production in the region was on a scale unprecedented in the southeastern Mediterranean, with the possible exception of the copper mines ofCyprus.[5]
Copper production became widespread during the period when Wadi Faynan was part of theKingdom of Edom at the turn of the 2nd and 1st millennia BCE. Presumably, the aggressive campaigns of the Egyptian pharaohShoshenq I played an important role in the development of technology: in the second half of the 10th century BCE there was a standardization of the production process over a large area, including the Wadi Faynan andTimna Valley deposits, and a sharp decrease in the copper content in the slag, indicating more efficient ore processing.[6]
Archaeological sites in Faynan have been extensively excavated by the Edom Lowlands Regional Archaeology Project, led byThomas E. Levy and Mohammad Najjar. Levy and Najjar have argued thatIron Age sites in the region relate to the earliest phases of the Biblical kingdom ofEdom. These scholars, along withErez Ben-Yosef, also argue that PharaohShoshenk I of Egypt (the Biblical "Shishak"), who attackedJerusalem in the 10th century BC, encouraged the trade and production of copper instead of destroying the region.[9][10][11]
^Finlayson, Bill; Mithen, Steven; Carruthers, Denise; Kennedy, Amanda; Pirie, Anne; Tipping, Richard (2000-01-01). "The Dana-Faynan-Ghuwayr Early Prehistory Project".Levant.32 (1):1–26.doi:10.1179/lev.2000.32.1.1.ISSN0075-8914.S2CID140169403.
^Finlayson, Bill; Mithen, Steven, eds. (2007-01-01). "Archaeological Survey of Wadis Faynan, Ghuwayr and al Bustan and Evaluation of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic a Site of WF16".The Early Prehistory of Wadi Faynan, Southern Jordan: Archaeological Survey of Wadis Faynan, Ghuwayr and Al Bustan and Evaluation of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Site of WF16. Vol. 4. Oxbow Books.ISBN9781842172124.JSTORj.ctt1cd0nbr.
^Costas, Chris; Siber, Kate (November 2008)."Top Ecolodges: Desert".National Geographic Adventure. National Geographic Society. Archived fromthe original on 2017-01-20. Retrieved2017-01-09.
