Dirasat, Human and Social Sciences, Volume 36, (Supplement), 2009 - 177 - A Rhodian Stamped Amphora Handle from the Site of Barsinia (North-western Jordan) Nabil Bader and Lamia El- Khouri* ABSTRACT During excavations carried out by the Department of Archaeology at Yarmouk University in the site of Barsinia in North-West Jordan, a Rhodian stamped amphora handle was found. This square shaped stamp with three lines inscription composed in Greek language constitutes the first Hellenistic evidence in the site. The text contains the name of an eponym and a Rhodian month-name. In the light of similar objects known in the adjacent areas, it was possible to roughly date the stamp to the second century B.C. Keywords: Amphora Stamp, Barsinia in North-West Jordan, Rhodian, Second Century B.C. 1. INTRODUCTION Barsinia is located in the north-western part of Jordan, at about 15 km to the west of the city of Irbid, 1.5 km east of the village of Deir es-Se'neh (Fig 1). It is situated on a flat hill, about 570 m above sea level, dominating the surrounding fields and a small wadi in the northern side of the site called Wadi al-Mehwara which separates the site from the village of Kufr 'An (Fig 2). It was late in the nineteenth century when the site of Barsinia was mentioned by G. Schumacher for the first time (Schumacher, 1890: 127-129). The site has been mentioned afterwards by N. Glueck during his archaeological survey made to the region in the fourteenth of the twentieth century (Glueck, 1951, site no. 117). The site was described in both reports as prominent and rich in archaeological remains. Barsinia was visited recently during the project of the west-Irbid archaeological survey conducted by a joint team from the Department of Archaeology at Yarmouk University and the French Institute of Oriental Researches (IFPO) at Damascus. The site was considered as one of the most important settlements in the region. Due to this result the site was selected to be excavated. The first season of excavation was conducted in summer 2006, by a specialist team from the Department of Archaeology, at Yarmouk University, directed by Dr. Lamia El-Khouri. Numbers of archaeological finds have been uncovered; architectural remains, burial tombs, water installations, and several artifacts. The excavated residential part of the site demonstrated a number of rooms of different sizes, dated by material cultures to the periods from Hellenistic to Abbasid. At the lowermost levels of one of the rooms (Fig 3) a Rhodian stamp with ancient Greek alphabets depicted on an amphora handle has been found, it was considered as a good evidence for the Hellenistic period at the site. This paper presents a detailed description of the stamp and its cultural significance. The Rhodian Stamped Amphora Handle This stamp which was written with Greek alphabets was considered to be as one of the important artifacts in the site. This kind of object shows not only a Hellenistic presence in the area but also a commercial relation with other areas during that period. Such amphora stamps were attested in the surrounding regions. For instance, a number of this kind of stamps were found at the sites of Samaria- Sebaste (Reisner, et al., 1924: 123-129; Crowfoot, 1957: 379- 388); Marisa (Macalister, 1901: 123-143, 394-396). Gezer (tell Abu–Shushah) (Macalister, 1912: 349- 364) Beitshean (Scythopolis) (Fitzgerald, 1930: 16; 1931: 44-46); Nessana (Auja al-Hafir) (Grace, 1962: 106-127) and Jerusalem (Thomson, 1941: 235-248; Ariel, 1990: 13-98) in Palestine. In Jordan they were found at * Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology, Yarmouk University, Irbid Jordan. Received on 25/2/2007 and Accepted for Publication on 9/1/2008. © 2009 DAR Publishers/University of Jordan. All Rights Reserved.