HRN 4 (Hārūn area), Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan

The Hārūn area is a hilly country situated about 20km southeast of al-Safawi, roughly 8km south of the Baghdad highway. The region contains large plains and clearings, which allows for the accumulation of water seasonally and vegetation, making it an ideal location for pasturage and hunting. Al-Zoubi and al-Qudrah (2014) published a number of inscriptions from this large area, but the article did not specify where exactly they visited or the archaeological/epigraphic context of their finds.

Archaeological details

The main feature of the site is a looted grave. The name of the dead man is metioned in BES26_HRN4 5, ʾqdm son of ẓnn son of dḥ. Next to it is a large, cleared-out circle that could have been a camping spot or a place to erect a temporary ritual structure, such as the s¹tr (Al-Jallad 2022). A footpath connects it to the animal enclosures at the bottom of the hill, which are called in an inscription, ẓyrt. Another footpath connects this spot to a prominent hill nearby, HRN 5.  One inscription records the presence of a ẓlt at the site, but what this term refers to precisely is unclear. It is possible that ẓlt is a synonym of s¹tr.