The Ancient History and Cultyure of Jordan

The Jordan valley is the site of the first human experiments in agriculture around 8000 B.C. It lies in the center of the Middle East at the intersection of major trade routes and is unique as a place of contact between settled agricultural peoples and nomads. The history and culture of Jordan were influenced by the Roman and Byzantine empires as well as the Nabatean empire of the fourth century B.C., but it has developed a unique temperament of its own that is innocent and gentle. This exhibition presents relics of the various cultures that have emerged in Jordan, beginning with a human figure dating back to 6500 B.C., said to be the oldest clay sculpture in human history. The sculptures, ceramic and glass objects and other decorative objects shown here represent the various eras of Jordanian history, covering the span of time from the Paleolithic period to the Islamic Umayyad caliphate (seventh and eighth centuries).