The Socio-economic History and Material Culture of the Roman and Byzantine Near East collects thirteen papers written in honor of S. Thomas Parker by his colleagues and former students. S. Thomas Parker is one of the most influential archaeologists of the past half century who have worked on the Roman and Byzantine remains of Jordan He is responsible for excavations at the Roman legionary fortress at Lejj¿n, the Nabataean and Roman Red Sea port of Aila, and more recently, domestic structures in the Nabataean capital of Petra.
These papers focus on four areas of Parker's legacy in Near Eastern archaeology: regional survey, material and written culture, the Roman military, and the economy. Topics discussed include: examinations of settlement patterns in central and southern Jordan in the Neolithic period and Iron Age, road systems around the southern Dead Sea, how ceramic lamps and glass provide evidence about culture in the region, and how a Nabataean inscription from Bir Madkhur provides evidence of the divinity of Nabataean rulers.
Other articles discuss the impact of Roman military pay on the economy around Petra, how Roman engineers designed fortresses in the Near East, the composition of military units in Petra in the Roman and Byzantine periods, how the economy of Caesarea Palaestinae fits into discussions of the ancient economy, how Romans viewed women and luxury goods, and what archeobotanical research can indicate about land use and agriculture in the region. The most controversial paper, which uses evidence from the largely unpublished excavation of the Temple of the Winged Lions in Petra, argues that scholars have been misdating Nabataean ceramics. If accepted, this could cause a re-evaluation of dates in Petra and elsewhere in the region.
