Basta (Jordan)


Basta is a pre-historic archaeological site in Ma'an Governorate, Jordan, southeast of Petra. It is named for the nearby contemporary village of Basta, which hosted a major Ottoman garrison during WWI and the Great Arab Revolt. Like the nearby site of Ba'ja, Basta was built in c. and belongs to the PPNB period. Basta is one of the earliest known places to have a settled population who grew crops and domesticated livestock. The houses in Basta were circular single family homes built from limestone, with wooden floors. Because Basta's settlement predates pottery, all tools found there were made from stone and bone. Tools discovered at the site include millstones and granite arrowheads, the latter of which were noted for the quality of their craftsmanship.
No dedicated tombs have been found at Basta. Instead, the people of ancient Basta buried their dead beneath their homes in order to better remember their ancestors. A number of animal-shaped figurines, depicting a sitting gazelle, an ox or cow head, a bear head, and a ram head, have been found at the site. These figurines are thought to have served a religious purpose.
Basta lies at an altitude of around. The modern village is home to 1,491 people.