Architectural Elements, Wall Paintings, and Mosaics
Final Publications from the Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project IV
Achim Lichtenberger, Rubina Raja (eds)
- Pages:2 vols, xiv + 446 p.
- Size:216 x 280 mm
- Illustrations:371 b/w, 842 col., 15 tables b/w., 1 tables col., 3 maps color
- Language(s):English
- Publication Year:2022
- € 150,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
- ISBN: 978-2-503-59666-2
- Paperback
- Available
- € 150,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
- ISBN: 978-2-503-59113-1
- E-book
- Available
Gerasa, a Decapolis city in northern Jordan, has long been of interest to the international community of archaeologists and ancient historians. The final publications of the Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project are the most comprehensive publications on the archaeology of the site since the material published in 1938, edited by C. H. Kraeling.
“Overall, this volume certainly deserves attention. It builds on previous articles that have appeared in various journals on most topics presented here, while placing the finds in their local and regional perspective. The volume strongly contributes to the on-going discussion on the fate of cities during two crucial transitional periods (from Roman to Byzantine, and from Byzantine to Islamic), showing that continuity was their hallmark, especially when viewed from the human perspective[6]. Additional reflections on old and new research methods are also a valuable undertaking of the Danish-German excavation project in relation to the studies of the Decapolis, and will certainly become both a useful tool for scholars working on parallel subjects and a valuable source for critical discussion in a broader Mediterranean transregional perspective.” (Basema Hamarneh, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 24/06/2023)
Achim Lichtenberger and Rubina Raja are professors of classical archaeology and directors of the Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project. They specialise in the archaeology of the Mediterranean and Levant and have published widely on Gerasa and the region in general.
The Decapolis city of Jerash has long attracted attention from travellers and scholars, due both to the longevity of the site and the remarkable finds uncovered during successive phases of excavation that have taken place from 1902 onwards. Between 2011 and 2016, a Danish-German team, led by the universities of Aarhus and Münster, focused their attention on the Northwest Quarter of Jerash — the highest point within the walled city — and this is the fourth in a series of books presenting the team’s final results.
This two-part set offers a comprehensive presentation of Jerash’s rich building heritage from the Late Hellenistic period up to the city’s destruction in the mid-eighth century ad through a discussion of architectural elements, together with analysis of the mosaics, wall paintings, and building ceramics excavated from the Northwest Quarter. As well as providing a general overview of the city’s changing patterns of habitation, the contributions gathered here also include close case- studies and object biographies that shed new light on the intense use, reuse, and recycling of materials that testify to evolving urban practices and optimization of resources across the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods.
Volume 1: Architecture and Building Ceramics
Contextualizing Finds from Complex Urban Archaeological Contexts: Methodological Considerations on the Architectural Elements, Building Materials, and Mosaics from the Northwest Quarter (2011–2016) — ACHIM LICHTENBERGER AND RUBINA RAJA
Architectural Elements from the Northwest Quarter of Jerash — PATRIC-ALEXANDER KREUZ
Byzantine Interior Decorational Elements from the Northwest Quarter — ACHIM LICHTENBERGER AND RUBINA RAJA
A Monumental Architectural Limestone Block with Altar Iconography — ACHIM LICHTENBERGER AND RUBINA RAJA
Ceramic Building Materials from the Northwest Quarter — PHILIP EBELING
An Archaeo-Scientific Analysis of Building Ceramics from the Northwest Quarter — PHILIP EBELING AND GRY H. BARFOD
‘Misfired’ Ceramic Tegulae from the Northwest Quarter — GRY H. BARFOD, PHILIP EBELING, AND CHARLES E. LESHER
Volume 2: Wall Paintings and Mosaics
Wall Paintings from the Northwest Quarter of Jerash: Roman to Middle Islamic Periods — KRISTINE DAMGAARD THOMSEN
The Colour Palette of the Northwest Quarter: Geochemical Evidence from Pigments Used on Roman and Early Islamic Wall Decorations — GRY H. BARFOD
The Mosaics: In-situ Floors and Fragments in Jerash — WILLIAM T. WOOTTON
Mosaic Glass Tesserae from the Northwest Quarter of Jerash — CRISTINA BOSCHETTI AND WILLIAM T. WOOTTON
About the Authors