The “great eastern baths” of Jerash/Gerasa :

balance of knowledge and ongoing research

Thomas Lepaon - Laboratoire Archéologie et Territoire (LAT) – CITERES UMR 7324

Buckingham 1816 Burckhart 1822 Warren 1867

Abamelek Lazaref 1897 Schumacher 1900 Hoskins Libbey 1905

KRAELING 1938

Bankes/Barry - 1816

Rediscovery of the « Great Eastern Baths »

General presentation of the « Great Eastern Baths »

1986 – J. Seigne

1985 – J. Seigne

The “North hall” discovery

1985 – J. Seigne

The “North hall” discovery

J. Seigne - 1984

The “North hall” discovery

Contexte scientifique du projet

Typology and chronology

Summary of the four-year research program 2016-2019

Object : archaeological, architectural, epigraphic, statuary and environmental

study of the "north hall" and its annexes dated to the 2nd - 3rd century A.D.

Scientific partnerships :

• University of Jordan (Amman) – N. Tuschan – F. Hourani

• University of Mainz (Deutschland) – T. Weber-Karyotakis

• Departmant of Antiquities of Jordan (DoAJ)

• Institut Français du Proche-Orient (IFPO)

• Laboratoire Archéologie et Territoires (LAT – Tours - France)

• Laboratoire HiSoMA (MoM – Lyon - France) – P.-L. Gatier

Operation :

• Excavation (1,5 months)

• Specialists studies (architecture, epigraphy, statuary, geo-morphology)

• Training of Jordanian students on excavation and post-excavation work

Espace MEspace S

Areas of 2016 excavation

Original bath building and its extension (phase 1 and 2)

Reoccupation of the monument and recovery of decorative elements

during the byzantine period (phase 3)

Espace M

Demolition of the monument (phase 4)

Reoccupation of part of the ruins of the building after its collapse (phase 5)

and abandonment of the site (phase 6)

Synthesis of the results of the 2016 campaign

• The 2016 excavation showed an occupation of the site from the Roman

time (middle of the 2nd century) up to the Umayyad period (8th c.)

• In a preliminary way, 6 main chronological phases were distinguished

1. Original bath building

2. Extension to the North around the “North hall”

3. Reoccupation of the monument and recovery of decorative elements

during the byzantine period

4. Demolition of the monument probably after the earthquake in 749

A.D.

5. Reoccupation of part of the ruins of the building after its collapse

6. Abandonment of the site

• The processing of the data acquired this year and the continuation of

excavations will clarify these initials conclusions. The goal is to propose a

comprehensive review of this research program at the next symposium

ICHAJ in 2019.