The site of al-Humayma in southern Jordan is well known to scholars of the archaeology and history of Syro-Palestine. This important ancient settlement provides an impressive sequence of continuous occupation from Nabataean times (first century BC), when it was known as Hawara, through the Roman and Byzantine periods (first to seventh centuries AD) under the names of Hauarra/Hauana and Auara, and finally, as Humayma during the Ummayad period, after which the site was abandoned by the mid-eighth century. In the late 1980s, the Humayma Excavation Project, under the direction of John Peter Oleson, carried out an intensive regional survey that revealed the well-preserved remains of an aqueduct, numerous cisterns and other Nabataean hydraulic installations. That survey was followed by 11 seasons of rigorous excavations, which have produced a wealth of evidence for the site's occupation spanning from Nabataean times through to the Early Islamic period. Among the structures discovered are a Nabataean campground, a Nabataean/Roman bathhouse, a Roman auxiliary fort, several Byzantine churches, the qasr of the Abbasid family that resided there before their overthrow of the Umayyads, a mosque and a number of domestic structures.

This volume—the second in the series (see Oleson Reference Oleson2010)—is, echoing its predecessor, a superb example of the final publication of a large excavation project. The volume is handsomely produced, profusely illustrated with photographs, drawings and tables, and completed with detailed artefact catalogues. The quantity of information is staggering and to absorb it demands the reader's full attention and the constant consultation of relevant illustrations and cross-referenced sections of text.

The volume concentrates on the major architectural and other finds pertaining to the Nabataean, Byzantine and Early Islamic periods at Humayma, specifically the Nabataean campground and necropolis, five Byzantine churches and the Early Islamic housing. Beginning with the analysis of the ceramic material, the volume presents seven major excavation areas (fields C124, A, F102, B100, C101, C119 & B126), followed by the specialist reports. The latter include detailed archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological studies, coinage and jewellery, ecclesiastical marble, metal, stone, glass, organic and epigraphic finds. The presentation of each field follows the same pattern, detailing the location, description of the excavation, architecture, stratigraphy and phasing, and analysis of the history and function of each excavated structure. Here, it might perhaps have been useful to incorporate some elements from the specialist reports; for example, the presentation of metal objects or ecclesiastical marble could have been incorporated into the field reports for individual churches. This, however, remains a matter of preference and it by no means diminishes the overall scholarly value of the volume.

Through the extensive presentation of archaeological data and thoughtful analysis, the volume addresses some major issues and phenomena that transcend this particular site. For example, the analysis of the Nabataean campground and the associated early hydraulic works provides important archaeological evidence for the transition from a nomadic pastoralist society into a sedentary community based on irrigated agriculture and animal husbandry. Similarly, the authors raise an important question concerning the presence of multiple churches in rather small local communities, such as Auara in the Byzantine period; the proposition that some of these structures might have had monastic functions (perhaps similar to monasteries in the towns of the Negev) is certainly worth further consideration. The evidence of the expensive imported marble utilised for church furniture and decoration might initially be seen to indicate patronage by the local Christian community; the authors rightly, however, consider this group's financial resources to have been insufficient. Donations and grants generated through traffic, both secular and religious, between Petra and the Red Sea seem to be a more plausible solution to account for the relative affluence of the Humayma churches. Furthermore, one may acknowledge the potential role of monks and monasteries in generating significant funds through the provision of services to travellers and the operation of road stations, as demonstrated by the example of rural monasticism in southern Samaria and Judaea. In this context, the absence of post-Byzantine coins at Humayma, rather than indicating the relative isolation of the community during the Early Islamic period may be explained by the increased dependence on barter. For example, recent excavations at the Monastery of Aaron near Petra has revealed a similar scarcity of post-Byzantine coinage, yet also considerable evidence for the importation of foodstuffs and objects from the Aqaba region between the sixth and eighth centuries.

This volume, akin to its predecessor, will long remain a standard reference not only for specialists dealing with the archaeology of southern Jordan but for anyone involved in the urbanism, architecture and material culture of the Classical, Byzantine and Early Islamic Near East. Furthermore, the specialist reports provide significant information of relevance for comparative studies in desert ecology and subsistence strategies, cultural adaptation, nomadic and sedentary ways of life, dietary practices and patterns of commercial exchange in the ancient world. Oleson, Schick and their team of collaborators deserve the highest praise and appreciation for their efforts. One eagerly awaits the appearance of the following volumes in the series, especially that concerning the Roman fort (field E116).