Uncovering a Middle Islamic rural settlement in the Balqā region: chrono-typological, functional and petrographic insights into pottery evidence from Khirbat es-Sār

This paper aims to present an overview of the pottery assemblage from a previously unknown rural settlement functioning during the Middle Islamic period (12th–15th centuries) at Khirbat es-Sār in relation to the regional context. The study of this assemblage involves traditional chrono-typological, as well as quantitative and petrographic analyses. In general, although the ceramic evidence from the Middle Islamic period is strongly rooted in the regional pottery traditions of northern Jordan, particularly the Balqā region, it also displays unique and unparalleled features that testify to a strong communal identity. While the excavations at Khirbat es-Sār uncovered several well-defined domestic structures, the retrieved pottery likely represents a typical household inventory for a rural community during the Middle Islamic period.