ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the distribution of dolmens within the Jordan valley and its adjacent upland zones, first in Jordan. Dolmens in Jordan present a coherent structural tradition with a limited geographical range. Without exception, dolmens in Jordan are found in close proximity to Early Bronze (EB) I settlement sites and around perennial springs high in the rift escarpment. The proximity between settlements and tombs is approached very differently for subterranean tombs and for dolmens. The chapter argues that settlement models best explain the distribution of dolmens throughout Jordan, as most dolmen fields are found within a few kilometres of an EB I settlement site. Dolmens in the Levant are constructed of a limited range of rock types that are conducive to the quarrying and extraction of large stone slabs. Dolmens in the south Jordan Valley are mostly built from the hard, upper strata of the Kurnub Sandstone group.
