Numeira

Numeira is an archaeological site in southern Jordan, located in the Jordan Rift Valley near the Dead Sea. It is recognized for its well-preserved Neolithic remains and is considered an important reference for the study of early settled life in the Levant.

The site comprises a settlement with architectural remnants that indicate a compact, organized layout. Excavations have revealed mud-brick structures, kilns or hearths, and storage features, along with a range of tool cultures such as flint blades and ground stone implements. Ecofacts and faunal and floral remains point to a mixed subsistence economy, including both wild resources and early plant management. Ceramic finds, when present at later phases or nearby sites, hint at the broader regional transitions, but Numeira itself is associated primarily with the pre-pottery to early pottery Neolithic trajectories in the southern Levant.

Chronology for Numeira places occupation in the broader Neolithic of the region, often associated with late 9th to early 7th millennium BCE contexts. The site contributes to discussions about the shift from mobile hunter-gatherer groups to more permanent, village-based ways of living, as well as the emergence of social organization and community planning in an arid environment.

Significance lies in its contributions to understanding early sedentism, architectural planning, and the interactions among contemporary Levantine communities. Numeira remains part of ongoing research into Jordan’s prehistoric landscape, with finds that help illuminate the processes that shaped early human settlement in the northeastern Levant.