University of Copenhagen
A research team led by the University of Copenhagen has uncovered a remarkable Early Bronze Age ritual landscape at Murayghat in Jordan. The discovery can shed new light on how ancient communities responded to social and environmental change.
How did ancient cultures respond to crises and the collapse of the established social order? The 5,500-year-old Early Bronze Age site of Murayghat in Jordan, which has been extensively excavated by archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen, may hold an answer.
Murayghat emerged after the decline of the so-called Chalcolithic culture (ca. 4500–3500 BCE), a period known for its domestic settlements, rich symbolic traditions, copper artifacts, and small cultic shrines.
Researchers believe that climate shifts and social disruptions may have led to the collapse of the culture, and in response, Early Bronze Age groups began creating new forms of ritual expression:
"Instead of the large domestic settlements with smaller shrines established during the Chalcolithic, our excavations at Early Bronze Age Murayghat show clusters of dolmens (stone burial monuments), standing stones, and large megalithic structures that point to ritual gatherings and communal burials rather than living quarters," says project leader and archaeologist Susanne Kerner from the University of Copenhagen.
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Dolmen found at Murayghat in Jordan, part of a 5,500-year-old ritual landscape that reveals how ancient communities responded to social and environmental change. Source: Susanne Kerner, University of Copenhagen
Redefinition of Territory and Social Roles
More than 95 dolmen remains have been documented by the archaeologists, and the central hilltop of the site contains stone-built enclosures and carved bedrock features that also suggest ceremonial use.
These visible markers may have helped redefine identity, territory, and social roles in a time without strong central authority, Susanne Kerner points out:
"Murayghat gives us, we believe, fascinating new insights into how early societies coped with disruption by building monuments, redefining social roles, and creating new forms of community."
Excavations at Murayghat have revealed Early Bronze Age pottery, large communal bowls, grinding stones, flint tools, animal horn cores, and a few copper objects - all pointing to ritual activity and possible feasting. The site's layout and visibility also suggest it served as a meeting point for different groups in the region.
Room 5 in Trench 8, standing stone in the middle with a large limestone mortar close by. In the background the bedrock-bench in front of the wall is visible to the right of the standing stone, while the door is to the left of it. (Maximilian Holmström / The Ritual Landscapes of Murayghat Project)
Ancient Responses to Crisis
The transformation from Chalcolithic settlements to the ritual landscape of Murayghat represents a fundamental shift in how communities organized themselves. Rather than building permanent domestic structures, these Early Bronze Age groups invested their energy in creating communal ceremonial spaces that brought dispersed populations together.
The presence of large communal bowls and evidence of feasting suggests that these gatherings served important social functions—reinforcing bonds between groups, establishing territorial claims, and maintaining cultural identity during a period of uncertainty. The strategic placement of standing stones and dolmens on prominent hilltops would have made these monuments visible from great distances, serving as enduring markers of collective identity.
This pattern of response to societal collapse - shifting from permanent settlements to ritual landscapes - offers valuable insights into human adaptability. When established social structures fail, communities often turn to symbolic and ceremonial practices to maintain cohesion and create new forms of social organization.
View of dolmen located on one of the hills surrounding Murayghat. (The Ritual Landscapes of Murayghat Project)
Implications for Understanding Ancient Societies
The Murayghat excavations contribute to our growing understanding of how ancient Near Eastern societies navigated periods of transition. The shift from the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age represents more than just a change in material culture - it reflects a fundamental reorganization of social life.
The absence of permanent domestic structures at Murayghat, combined with the concentration of ritual features, suggests that the site functioned as a periodic gathering place rather than a year-round settlement. This pattern indicates that Early Bronze Age communities in the region may have adopted more mobile lifeways, coming together at specific times for ceremonies, trade, and social interaction.
The copper objects, though few in number, demonstrate continued technological sophistication and trade connections. The presence of grinding stones and communal bowls points to collective food preparation and consumption—activities that would have reinforced social bonds and created opportunities for negotiation and alliance-building between different groups.
Susanne Kerner has recently published the article "Dolmens, standing stones and ritual in Murayghat" about the findings at Murayghat in the journal Levant, providing detailed analysis of this remarkable archaeological discovery.
Top image: Ceremonial gathering site in Murayghat, Jordan, showing different lines of standing stones. Source: Susanne Kerner / The Ritual Landscapes of Murayghat Project
This article, ‘Archaeologists uncover 5,500-year-old ceremonial site in Jordan’ is a press release by Susanne Kerner published on the University of Copenhagen news pages.
References
Kerner, S. 2025. Dolmens, standing stones and ritual in Murayghat. Levant. The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant. Volume 57, 2025 - Issue 2: Dolmens in Context. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00758914.2025.2513829#d1e111
Kerner, S. 2025. Dolmens, standing stones and ritual in Murayghat. Levant.
University of Copenhagen. 2025. Archaeologists uncover 5,500-year-old ceremonial site in Jordan. Available at: https://nyheder.ku.dk/alle_nyheder/2025/10/arkaeologer-udgraver-5.500-aar-gammelt-rituelt-landskab-i-jordan/
