A newly excavated private house in Jerash. Reconsidering aspects of continuity and change in material culture from Late Antiquity to the early Islamic period

Abstract

La récente fouille d'un habitat privé à Jerash : nouvelles considérations sur les permanences et les changements de la culture matérielle de l'Antiquité tardive au début de la période islamiqueDepuis 2011, le Projet germano-danois du quartier nord-ouest de Gerasa mène des recherches archéologiques sur la zone la plus élevée de l'ancienne ville enceinte. En 2014, les fouilles ont débuté sur la « terrasse orientale » , qui s'étend sur environ 3 000 m² et surplombe l'Artémision d'époque romaine. Cette zone était recouverte par d'importants déblais qui enfermaient les vestiges d'un habitat domestique du début de l'époque islamique, détruit par le tremblement de terre de 749 et jamais réoccupé depuis. Une maison privée a été en partie fouillée (secteur K). Elle ne recouvre aucune phase ni romaine ni byzantine et a été abandonnée à la suite du tremblement de terre avec l'ensemble de son mobilier. L'absence de phases chronologiques antérieures, le mobilier ainsi que la destruction soudaine de cette habitation en font un exemple important qui permet d'entreprendre une étude des permanences et des changements de la culture matérielle de l'Antiquité tardive au début de l'époque islamique. L'habitat et les découvertes de ce secteur sont présentés ici pour la première fois et contextualisés dans l'arc chronologique des VII e -VIII e siècles. [Trad. de la Rédaction] 2000, as well as Walmsley 2005. major sanctuaries on the development of the urban center, see ACHIM LICHTENBERGER, RUBINA RAJA

The technology and production of glazed ceramics from Middle Islamic Jerash, Jordan

“…Starting from the Hellenistic period, Gerasa developed into a large city during the Roman period and continued to prosper throughout the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods (Kraeling ; Lichtenberger and Raja , ). In 749 ce , an earthquake hit the Levant and devastated Jerash (referred to as ‘Jerash' hereafter), which did not recover from this blow and heavily declined (Lichtenberger and Raja , forthcoming). In the Middle Islamic period, settlement at the site intensified, but on a much smaller scale than in earlier times (Lichtenberger and Raja ).…”

Management of water resources over time in semiarid regions: The case of Gerasa/Jerash in Jordan

“…The Northwest Quarter has displayed early Islamic evidence dating to the time of the earthquake in 749 CE (Lichtenberger & Raja, , , ). A set of domestic houses that collapsed when the earthquake hit Gerasa on 18th January 749 CE have been excavated on the East Terrace in the Northwest Quarter and give insight into the management of water resources in the middle of the eight century CE and lead to the conclusion that water management seems to have been a matter which had to be dealt with by the private households.…”

“…The Northwest Quarter has displayed early Islamic evidence dating to the time of the earthquake in 749 CE (Lichtenberger & Raja, 2016b, 2017, 2019a. A set of domestic houses that collapsed when the earthquake hit Gerasa on 18th January 749 CE F I G U R E 1 5 Plan drawing of trench C with the closed-off, bottle-shaped cistern.…”

Mosaicists at work: the organisation of mosaic production in Early Islamic Jerash

“…On the Eastern Terrace of the Northwest Quarter, which overlooks the monumental Roman temple of Artemis, the earthquake of AD 749 sealed domestic complexes dating to the Umayyad period. When excavated, these turned out to contain full inventories of the houses as they had been before the earthquake struck (Lichtenberger & Raja in press). This area, covering approximately 3000m 2 , might almost be termed the ‘Pompeii of the East’, displaying frozen moments in time.…”

“…The houses were spacious and multi-storeyed with simple ground-floor rooms, such as kitchens and storage spaces, but also with some rooms carrying wall-painting and stucco decoration (Kalaitzoglou et al in press a & b; Lichtenberger & Raja in press). The more elaborate rooms were, however, situated on the upper floors.…”