Ancient Jordan from the Air - Tapa dura

Jordan is part both of the Fertile Crescent and the Holy Land. Its archaeological remains extend in time from prehistory to the British Empire. The country is, of course, renowned for the magnificent ruins at Petra - a World Heritage Site - and the superb remains of the Roman city of Jerash. But beyond these high profile places is a rich and varied cultural heritage. Sites are everywhere in this great outdoor museum: one tally has calculated over 25,000 sites visible above ground alone, making Jordan one of the great treasure houses of the world. Even at ground level these sites are striking and memorable, but the best view, as is so often the case, is seen from the air. The book contains over 200 high quality colour photographs, taken from the air, illustrating the breathtaking range of sites. Chapters deal with periods through history from prehistoric times through the Nabateans, Greeks and Romans, the early Islamic period, the Crusaders and Saracens, to the Ottoman and British Empires. The photographs are accompanied by descriptions of the sites pictured.

David Kennedy is a Professor of Roman Archaeology and Hisotry at the University of Western Australia. He is author of several books, including Rome's Desert Frontier from the Air (1990), The Twin Towns of Zeugma on the Euphrates (1998) and The Roman Army in Jordan, (second edition, 2004). Robert Bewley is Head of Survey for English Heritage. He has published extensively, including Prehistoric and Romano-British Settlement in the Solway Plain, Cumbria (1994), Lincolnshire's Archaeology from the Air (1999) and Prehistoric Settlements (second edition, 2003).