Jordan Day 1

We began this field study early, leaving campus at 6:00 am. Within 2 hours we were at the border between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Israel, where no pictures are allowed. This was my first border crossing by land and it proved tedious. Randomness is the key for their security which makes the process take anywhere from a half hour to a few hours. After passport control in Israel we had to go through the same process for the Jordanian officials. After a short bit we were off in our brand new (I got in trouble for leaning against the water cooler and then again for putting my foot on an armrest) bus and Jordanian tour guide.

I was impressed with the similarity of transjordan to that which I have been seeing for the last 2 months in Israel. It is true that the land base of these two locales is very identical though their histories are also diverse in many ways.

Our first stop was at Deir-Alla/Succoth, the alluvial fan between the Northern and Southern domes of Gilead. This place became the most dominant tel in the region, an independent town caught in the middle. In Judges chapter eight we read of the Midianites coming here and pushing farther in and through Israel. Gideon, however comes to the rescue pushing them back up the Jabbok wadi, visible from thsi tel. The slag found here proves the prominence of this city as a metal foundry, using the tin from Europe and the Copper from Finan for Bronze. Dr. Wright gave interesting insight to the Biblical narrative, noting that this place may be the reason that the Philistines pushed through Judah and Israel. If they had a monopoly on metal as the reference indicates in I Samuel, then such a move through an insignificant mouse country makes sense. Unfortunately after this stop lack of sleep coupled with the winding Jordanian roads made the rest of the day a gut-wrenching(literally) blur in my mind. I only remember the amazing prices of snacks at the supermarket and free doughnuts from Planet Doughnut in the modern metropolis of Amman.