ABSTRACT
Tall Hisban is one of Jordan’s best known and most thoroughly investigated and published archaeological sites. Located 895 m above sea level on a rise along the western edge of the Transjordanian highland plateau, the site is about 11 km north of the town of Madaba and 26 km southwest of downtown ‘Amman. Its greatest claim to fame is as the presumed location of biblical Heshbon (Heb. Hešbôn). As such, it is mentioned thirty-seven times in the Bible—most notably as the capital city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, which was conquered by the Israelites under Moses (Num 21:21–31; Deut 2:24; Josh 12:2; Judg 11:19–26). This association with biblical Heshbon made it a popular destination of 19th- and early 20th-century travelers and explorers, including Seetzen (1813), Tristram (1873), Condor (1889, 1892) and many others.
