Khirbat Iskandar is an archaeological site in central Jordan. The name translates as "ruins of Alexander [the Great]," which references a nearby village.[1] Though the original name of the site is not known, the site is known for its Early Bronze Age settlement, which is millennia before the time of Alexander the Great. The site itself is an example of archaeological finds of the first known human cities and their rise, growth, and collapse. The site was known as a Canaanite settlement, during a time where human writing was first discovered.[1]
The site is located south of Madaba and east of the Dead Sea, on the banks of Wadi el Wala, a perennial river and important source of water for the upcoming urban settlements.[2] It is a site on the famous ancient trade route called the "King's Highway." The sites significance also lies in its role in the development of human societies from small groups of hunter-gatherers into more complex, stratified societies. The cite works closely with the American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, Jordan, as well as with Jordan's Department of Antiquities. The cite has been excavated nine time since 2016, also from 1982, 1984, 1987, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2010, and 2013.[3]