In northern Jordan, a Roman-era painted tomb has been unearthed past times the Department of Antiquities. An extraordinary document of religious, political, together with social history that 3 historians together with epigraphists bring had an chance to examine, together with are striving to interpret.
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| The clearing of the site of Capitolias, with the assistance of Dionysos together with other gods [Credit: Julien ALIQUOT/HiSoMA 2018] |
"This tomb, which consists of 2 funerary chambers together with contains a really large basalt sarcophagus, is inwards an first-class province of conservation, fifty-fifty though it appears to bring already been 'visited.' It is role of a necropolis located to the E of an imposing theatre that was lately unearthed," says with enthusiasm Julien Aliquot, 1 of the 3 researchers from the inquiry unit of measurement Histoire et sources des mondes antiques (HiSoMA), which had investigated this hypogeum inwards the boundary of 2017 together with 2018, every bit role of 2 on-site surveys.
"The tomb is located on the site of the ancient metropolis of Capitolias, which was founded inwards the belatedly commencement century CE, together with was role of the Decapolis, a portion that brought together Hellenized cities (provided with Greek-style institutions but belonging to the Roman Empire) inwards the southeastern surface area of the Near East, betwixt Damascus together with Amman."
An animated timeline
Many things are remarkable nearly this subterranean tomb of 52 m2. Let's start with the impressive let on of figures (nearly 260, including gods, humans, together with animals) painted on the walls of the largest chamber. Of course of written report other Roman tombs from the Decapolis besides offering sumptuous mythological decor, but none of them tin mail away concur a candle to this 1 inwards damage of iconography. "These teeming figures compose a narrative that is arranged on either side of a key painting, which represents a sacrifice offered past times an officiant to the tutelary deities of Capitolias together with Caesarea Maritima, the provincial upper-case alphabetic lineament of Judaea," says Aliquot.
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| Zeus betwixt the 2 Capitolias Fortunes together with Caesarea Maritima [Credit: Julien ALIQUOT/HiSoMA 2018] |
No less original, to the correct of the entrance, is a large paradigm illustrating the edifice of a rampart. "Characters resembling architects or foremen stand upwards amongst laborers who are transporting materials on the backs of camels or donkeys, with rock cutters or masons climbing walls, sometimes resulting inwards accidents. This precise together with picturesque scene of a construction site is followed past times the terminal painting, inwards which a priest offers some other sacrifice inwards award of the city's guardian deities," explains Aliquot.
Finally, displayed on the ceiling together with walls on both sides of the entrance is a to a greater extent than classical composition evoking the Nile together with the marine world, inwards which nymphs ride aquatic animals flanked past times cupids, spell a key medallion combines signs from the zodiac together with the planets around a quadriga.
First Aramaic Comics?
Already unique on describe of piece of job organisation human relationship of the abundance together with originality of its iconography, this tomb is fifty-fifty to a greater extent than together with so through the inscriptions that accompany the scenes depicting the construction site. "These lx or together with so texts painted inwards black, some of which nosotros bring already deciphered, bring the distinctive characteristic of beingness written inwards the local linguistic communication of Aramaic, spell using Greek letters," says Jean-Baptiste Yon, of the same inquiry unit.
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| Two stonecutters at locomote [Credit: Julien ALIQUOT/ HiSoMA 2018] |
The nascence of Capitolias
With consider to the pregnant of this really rich iconographic together with textual arrangement, researchers are inclined to meet it every bit an example of the diverse stages involved inwards the founding of Capitolias: consultation of the gods on the selection of site during a banquet, clearing of the plot, raising of a wall, thank yous offered to the gods subsequently the construction of the city...
"According to our interpretation, at that spot is a really goodness guide a chance that the figure buried inwards the tomb is the someone who had himself represented spell officiating inwards the sacrifice scene from the key painting, together with who consequently was the founder of the city," comments Pierre-Louis Gatier, of the same inquiry unit. "His refer has non silent been identified, although it could live on engraved on the lintel of the door, which has non silent been cleared."
An international consortium of experts was created past times the Department of Antiquities of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for the study, conservation, together with evolution of this one-of-a-kind jewel. Under the supervision of the Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities Project, hosted at Amman past times the American Center of Oriental Research, the novel Bayt Ras tomb is, amidst others, mobilizing Claude Vibert-Guigue, a specialist on ancient paradigm at the inquiry unit of measurement Archéologie et philologie d'Orient et d'Occident, together with Soizik Bechetoille, an architect at the French Institute for the Near East (Ifpo), inwards add-on to the historians together with epigraphists from HiSoMA, every bit good every bit 2 Italian institutes, the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro (ISCR) together with the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA). The results of this ongoing inquiry volition live on presented inwards Florence inwards Jan 2019, during the 14th International Conference on the History together with Archaeology of Jordan.
Author: Philippe Testard-Vaillant | Source: CNRS Le Journal [September 21, 2018]
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