Kerak, in modern-day central Jordan, illustrates how geography can shape the movement of people and history. The site is perched atop the Transjordanian plateau and surrounded by deep valleys, at a location where the landscape naturally funneled several major trade routes through the city. Long before Crusaders built the massive stone fortress that still dominates the skyline, the location was occupied by Bronze Age Canaanite communities and, later, the Moabites, whose interactions with ancient Israel and Judah are recorded in the Hebrew Bible. The Kerak Inscription, written in the same language and script as the famous Mesha Stele, records a […]
