Hundreds of stone tombs have been discovered in the "land of the dead fire" in Jordan

Blooming and fragrant grove will not be called the land of "dead fire". Indeed, Jebel Kurme, a desert region in Jordan, today fully lives up to its name given to it by one of the researchers. But once there lived a huge number of people. And they left more than a hundred stone tombs of different times, through which you can recreate a small fragment of the history of mankind.

Gone to return

Jebel Kurme named the British Royal Air Force officer Lionel Rees the land of "dead fire" in an article published in 1929 in the journal Antiquity. He wrote that the climate of these lands is inhospitable, with the exception of short spring warming, and the entire territory contains nothing but lifeless sand.

The tombs found in this area are divided into two types. The first, covered with mounds of stones, are called cores. The latter have a more complex structure and are called "tomb towers". They were located at some distance from the ancient settlements where people once lived. Grave robbers regularly robbed these tombs, but archaeologists were still able to obtain valuable data from them about how human life in these places changed over millennia.

For example, researchers found that between the end of the third millennium and the beginning of the first millennium BC few people lived in these places. For example, a cemetery of about 50 pyramids ceased to be used about 4000 years ago. This indicates that during this period people left here.

New puzzles

The re-settlement of Jebel Kurme occurred at the beginning of the first millennium BC. Why people first left these places, and then returned, remains a mystery to archaeologists. One version is climate change, but so far scientists cannot confirm or refute this assumption.

Another mystery of these places is the numerous tomb towers up to 5 m high and 1.5 m in diameter, some of which are built of stones weighing 300 kg. It used to be that only the local elite could afford such complex structures. But a huge number of these towers suggests that such tombs were commonplace for all local residents.