Achim Lichtenberger
Biographic Data
| ID | 141569 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Achim Lichtenberger |
| GIVEN NAMES | Achim |
| FAMILY NAME | Lichtenberger |
| SIGNATURE | LICHTENBERGER A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Münster |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2653-9859 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 66 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 99 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 64 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Patterns of regional production and distribution of red slip pottery in the Ararat Plain and Sevan Lake basin during the Urartian and post-Urartian periods (8th–6th centuries BCE)
Red slip pottery represents one of the most technologically and morphologically distinctive ceramic traditions of the South Caucasus. Its appearance and initial phase of development, known as Urartian Red Burnished Ware, are closely linked with the existence of the Urartian Kingdom during the Middle Iron Age. This study examines patterns of production and distribution of red slip pottery in the northeastern provinces of the Urartian Kingdom, cove…
Materials Characterization and Technological Aspects of Hellenistic Grey Ware Lamps From Nysa‐Scythopolis (Israel): Evidence Suggesting Local Production?
Grey ware lamp fragments and a production waster from Tell Iẓṭabba (Israel) were analyzed to determine their manufacturing technology and provenance. These were compared with a light brown‐orange reference fabric from the same site. Macroscopic inspection, petrography, SEM‐EDS, and XRD analyses were applied to assess composition, microstructure, fabric, pigment, and firing technology. The grey ware lamps exhibit a consistent mineralogical signatu…
Art in Hellenistic Syria
Syria produced considerable art during the Hellenistic period. Greek and local artists created works that absorbed Hellenistic influences from the Mediterranean and merged these with local traditions. Especially the cities of the north Syrian Tetrapolis were centers of Greek art. Several artists in Hellenistic Syria and their relations to Greek centers such as Rhodes can be tracked. Interestingly some of these artists also worked abroad. Influenc…
Hellenistic Nysa-Scythopolis I: The German-Israeli Tell Iẓṭabba Excavation Project, the 2019–2020 Seasons
This book deals with the first three campaigns of the German-Israeli Tell Iẓṭabba Excavation Project, conducted by the Institute for Classical Archaeology and Christian Archaeology / Archaeological Museum of the University of Münster and the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, under the direction of Achim Lichtenberger and Oren Tal. Tell Iẓṭabba is the location of the town of Nysa (Scythopolis), established in …
Artaxata – The capital of Artaxiad Armenia in the light of archaeological research in the eastern Lower City and Hill XIII
The paper deals with the earliest period of the foundation of Artaxata-Artashat seen from Hill XIII in the northeastern part of the Lower City. Archaeological research since 2018 by the Armenian-German Artaxata Project has revealed the early phases of the 2nd century BC city in this area. We describe how the hill with remains of an earlier Urartian settlement was prepared for the new foundation of Artaxias-Artashes I, how a ditch was constructed …
Non-Destructive, Specular Laser Reflectometry and X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis Applied to Coins of the Gallic Roman Empire
Non-destructive, specular laser reflectometry, an industrially used and easily accessible method, is adapted in numismatic research to the inspection of coins of the Gallic Roman Empire with the objective of the allocation of mints and/or the identification of different minting techniques. For this purpose, the laser-reflectometric fingerprints of three series of coins each consisting of five antoniniani (or radiates) of the Gallic Roman Empire o…
Geophysical Prospection of the South-Western Quarter of the Hellenistic Capital Artaxata in the Ararat Plain (Lusarat, Ararat Province, Armenia): The South-West Quarter, City Walls and an Early Christ…
This study presents the findings of the 2024 geophysical prospection campaign conducted within the south-western Lower City of the Hellenistic capital Artaxata, situated in the Ararat plain, Armenia. Using advanced magnetic survey techniques, we sought to investigate the urban layout and expansion of the ancient city. The campaign aimed to test hypotheses derived from aerial imagery regarding the existence of city walls in this area, a previously…
Stamp impressions from ancient Artashat in Armenia
During the 2022 excavations in Artashat (ancient Artaxata) in Armenia, an assemblage of pre-Hellenistic stamped pottery sherds was found. The stamps are of a new type and seem to relate to the local administration. In the paper a discussion of the iconography, use and petrography as well as the date of the new material is presented
Preface - The Ancient Capitals in the Ararat Plain of Armenia: Conference in the Wine History Museum of Armenia 18 – 20 April 2023 in Ashtarak, Armenia
From the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD, ‘Hellenistic’ Armenia had a total of six different capitals. Five of these were located on the Ararat plain. From Armavir (capital c. 330-210 BC) the capital was moved to Yervandashat-Yervandakert (capital c. 210-180 BC) and then to Artashat (capital c. 180-77 BC). After the expansion of the Armenian Kingdom under Tigranes the Great, the capital of Greater Armenia was briefly located outside the Arar…
A Note on the Architectural Layout of the Early Islamic Church on Sir Bani Yas Island, UAE
It has been suggested that the church on Sir Bani Yas island, dated to the seventh–eighth century, originally had a tower rising over its south-eastern room. This would be a unique feature as other hitherto known churches in the Gulf dated to the early Islamic period did not have towers. One of the arguments for the existence of the tower has been the increased thickness of the northern wall of the south-eastern room. However, close examination o…
Of mudbrick and stone: A geoarchaeological view on innovations in building practices at Hellenistic Tell Iẓṭabba
The recent excavations at Tell Iẓṭabba undertaken by the German-Israeli Tell Iẓṭabba Excavation Project have revealed an important sequence of architectural structures, indicating the settlement’s strategic position on the perimeter of the Jordan Valley. The earthen architecture present at the site has been little explored to date as a key source of evidence to provide social information on past societies and their relationship with the natural e…
Archaeological Prospection in the Ararat Valley – Drilling into the History of Ancient Artaxata, Armenia
The Artaxiad capital of ceramic: Exploring the changing local pottery production and exchange at Artaxata (Armenia) from the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE
This paper offers an insight into the characteristics of local pottery production and exchange at Artaxata, modern Armenia, from the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE, drawing from stratigraphic, typological and technological evidence. The pottery assemblage under study derives from the Armenian-German Artaxata Project, a collaboration between the Armenian Academy of Sciences and University of Münster since 2018. The excavation of various structu…
The Youthful Heracles-Melqart in Tyre. Choosing a Visual Language for a Phoenician God in the Hellenistic Period
The Hellenistic silver coins of Tyre were widely used and accepted in the Southern Levant. They depicted the head of the youthful and beefy Heracles-Melqart on the obverse. In this paper, the image of Heracles is discussed and contextualized within the religious life of Tyre. It is argued that the image was influenced by Heracles’ depictions related to Alexander the Great and that it also recurred on ideas of Melqart being a young god. The coin i…
Magnetic Prospection in the Eastern Lower City of Artashat-Artaxata in the Ararat Plain of Armenia
In March of 2021, the Berlin-based company cmp continued geophysical prospection works at the ancient city of Artashat-Artaxata (Ararat Province, Armenia). The city was founded by Artashes-Artaxias I in the early 2nd century BC and served as his capital. First magnetic measurements were conducted by the Eastern Atlas company in September 2018. In 2021, during the 5-day survey a total surface of approximately 19.5 ha was investigated by use of the…
The God Pakeidas in Jerash – His Worship through Archaeological and Epgraphical Sources
The finds from the ancient city of Gerasa brought in 1930’two inscriptions dated to the second half of the 1st century CE which mention the deity called Pakeidas. The aim of this paper is to discuss Pakeidas and his relation to another god labelled Theos Arabikos worshipped in the same city. The authors make a broad Semitic overview on the etymology of the name Pakeidas looking at the West and East (Akkadian) Semitic evidence. The authors discuss…
Tonio Hölscher, Der Taucher von Paestum. Jugend, Eros und das Meer im antiken Griechenland. Stuttgart, Klett-Cotta 2021
Article Tonio Hölscher, Der Taucher von Paestum. Jugend, Eros und das Meer im antiken Griechenland. Stuttgart, Klett-Cotta 2021 was published on December 1, 2022 in the journal Historische Zeitschrift (volume 315, issue 3)
Simone Eid Paturel: Baalbek-Heliopolis, the Bekaa, and Berytus from 100 BCE to 400 CE. A Landscape Transformed
Der GNOMON pflegt als kritische Zeitschrift für die gesamte Altertumswissenschaft die Verbindung zwischen den verschiedenen Disziplinen der Altertumswissenschaft. Er nimmt dadurch eine Sonderstellung unter den Rezensionsorganen ein und bietet die Möglichkeit, sich über wichtige Forschungen und Publikationen auch in den Nachbarbereichen des eigenen Faches zu orientieren. Die Rezensionen im GNOMON wenden sich an ein internationales Publikum, das au…
Radiocarbon dating of lime plaster from a Roman period cistern in ancient Gerasa, Jerash in Jordan
Ancient Gerasa (Jerash, since the Islamic period) is a city with a rich archaeological heritage from prehistory onwards, with the periods from Roman times into the Early Islamic period best attested. A Danish-German team has been working in the Northwest Quarter of the city since 2011. Among the findings was a Roman period monumental cistern that was intentionally filled in, at one point in time. The complexity of the archaeology raised chronolog…
Urban gardens in Antiquity
In the Eastern Mediterranean, where some of the earliest known urban cities are located, relatively little is known about urban soils in archaeological contexts. Red Mediterranean Soil (RMS) is a hallmark of the Mediterranean region while the impact of long-term urbanization on RMS material is understudied. In this article we present evidence of RMS from the longue durée cityscape of Jerash, Jordan, to determine how humans have used, modified and…
Food in a colonial setting: The faunal assemblage of a short-lived Seleucid-founded site in the Near East
Archaeometallurgical Analysis of Lead Weights and Sling Bullets from Seleucid Tell Iẓṭabba: More on Lead Origin in Seleucid Palestine
Lead isotope and portable energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry were applied to a small group of Hellenistic lead objects from Tell Iztabba (Beth Shean, Israel). The market weights and sling bullets from this short-lived Seleucid-founded site were analysed in order to understand their production process and the provenance of the raw materials. The sling bullets are of pure lead, and its lead isotopic signature suggests that the lead w…
Exotic glass types and the intensity of recycling in the northwest Quarter of Gerasa (Jerash, Jordan)
Major and trace elements are presented for 149 glass fragments ranging in date from the Roman to Early Islamic periods (1st – mid-8th centuries CE), excavated during the Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project's fieldwork between 2011 and 2016. The results confirm a clear dominance of Levantine glass types, but also reveal 12 glasses of Egyptian and Mesopotamian compositions recovered from two houses destroyed by the major earthquake which…
Imperialismos, Estados Nacionais e arqueologia clássica: As trajetórias dos estudos arqueológicos na Alemanha e Brasil
Nesse artigo organizamos a vinculação da arqueologia com os movimentos paralelos e interligados da emergência dos Estados nacionais e do imperialismo europeu e sul-americano nos casos alemão e brasileiro, ambos a serviço da ideia de nação e de sua missão colonizadora imperial. A arqueologia clássica e o emaranhado luso-germano-brasileiro culminaram na criação do IHGB (1838) e, posteriormente, na do Museu Nacional (1892). O Museu Paulista (1891), …
For everything there is a season: More than a year of destruction at Seleucid Tell Iẓṭabba (Israel)
The Seleucid town of Nysa-Scythopolis on Tell Iẓṭabba (Israel) was destroyed by the Hasmoneans at the end of the second century BC. In this article, we discuss the exact season and possible year of the destruction using a multimodal approach and argue for its destruction in spring/early summer 107 BC
Geochemistry of Byzantine and Early Islamic glass from Jerash, Jordan: Typology, recycling, and provenance
Twenty‐two objects of glass from the Decapolis city of Gerasa, N. Jordan, with characteristic vessel forms ranging from Hellenistic to Early Islamic (2nd century BCE to 8th century CE) were analyzed for major and trace elements, and 16 samples for Sr‐isotopes. The majority were produced in the vicinity of Apollonia on the Palestine coast in the 6th–7th centuries CE, and strong inter‐element correlations for Fe, Ti, Mn, Mg, Nb reflect local variat…
New Archaeological Research in the Northwest Quarter of Jerash and Its Implications for the Urban Development of Roman Gerasa
The nature and extent of the urban development of Roman Gerasa (modern Jerash) has for decades been a topic of discussion among scholars studying settlement patterns as well as public and private life in the Roman empire. Research has, however, mostly focused on the development of the city along its main street. The aim of a new archaeological project, which was initiated in 2011, is to investigate the settlement history of the Northwest Quarter …
Exotic glass types and the intensity of recycling in the northwest Quarter of Gerasa (Jerash, Jordan)
Major and trace elements are presented for 149 glass fragments ranging in date from the Roman to Early Islamic periods (1st – mid-8th centuries CE), excavated during the Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project's fieldwork between 2011 and 2016. The results confirm a clear dominance of Levantine glass types, but also reveal 12 glasses of Egyptian and Mesopotamian compositions recovered from two houses destroyed by the major earthquake which…
A Study of the Centuries-Long Reliance on Local Ceramics in Jerash Through Full Quantification and Simulation
The Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project revealed a robust and striking pattern of the extreme dominance (>99%) of locally produced ceramics over six centuries and across different depositional contexts (in total over half a million pottery sherds). The archaeology of Jerash points towards an exceptional degree of self-sufficiency in craft products: why? The project team implemented a full quantification approach during excavation, manu…
Radiocarbon analysis of mortar from Roman and Byzantine water management installations in the Northwest Quarter of Jerash, Jordan
Jerash (Gerasa) in northwestern Jordan is an important Decapolis city displaying urban development for more than a millennium beginning in the late Hellenistic period (1st century CE). Despite more than a hundred years of archaeological explorations at the site there are still major questions about the city's urban development which are left open due to the nature of the archaeological investigations undertaken at the site. This in particular per…
Copper-based metalwork in Roman to early Islamic Jerash (Jordan): Insights into production and recycling through alloy compositions and lead isotopes
Metallographic, chemical and lead isotopic analyses of copper-based artefacts recovered from the Northwest Quarter in Jerash (ancient Gerasa) in Jordan provide new information on the civic life and material culture from a key urban site in the Roman Empire’s eastern provinces. The samples span the city’s occupation from its flourishing under Roman rule into the Byzantine and early Islamic periods. We examined 49 copper-based artefacts using refle…
From nummi minimi to fulūs-small change and wider issues: Characterising coinage from Gerasa/Jerash (Late Roman to Umayyad periods)
New compositional and metallographic data are presented for the fourth to eighth century CE copper coins from the Northwest Quarter of Gerasa/Jerash, Jordan. The majority of the coins are small copper and copper alloy nummi minimi from the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. Also represented are pre-reform and post-reform fulūs minted under the Umayyad dynasty. Seventy-one coins (55 Roman, 4 Byzantine, 3 pre-reform and 9 post-reform) were character…
Loose glass tesserae and lost decorations: Chronology and production of mosaics from Gerasa's Northwest Quarter
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) analyses of loose glass tesserae from the Northwest Quarter of Gerasa/Jerash has enhanced our understanding of the dynamics regulating the production and circulation of glass tesserae in second‐ to eighth‐centuries ce Jordan and the diachronic development of mosaics at the site. The identification of Levantine and Egyptian compositions (Roman‐Mn, Levantine I, HIMT, Foy 2.1) p…
Ancient fingerprints from Beit Nattif: Studying Late Roman clay impressions on oil lamps and figurines
Analysis of oil lamps and clay figurines recovered from a Late Roman ceramics workshop at Beit Nattif in Israel has revealed numerous fragments with evidence of the manufacturer's fingerprints preserved on some of the ceramic surfaces. Further study of these fingerprints has provided a unique insight into the production history of the workshop, even showing how particular innovations in technique may be associated with particular individuals
Scaling up and zooming in: Global history and high-definition archaeology perspectives on the longue durée of urban–environmental relations in Gerasa (Jerash, Jordan)
Combining global perspectives with localized case studies and integrating scientific and material evidence of environmental change in historical narratives are amongst the main challenges for the field of global history in addressing the dawn of the Anthropocene. In this article, we trace the relationship of the city of Gerasa (Jerash, Jordan) with its riverine hinterland, from the first millennium BCE until the nineteenth century CE. We argue th…
Food in a colonial setting: The flora assemblage of a short-lived Seleucid-founded site in the Near East
In this paper we present the analysis of archaeobotanical material retrieved by means of flotation from well-secured features during recent excavation work carried out in 2019 and 2020 by the German-Israeli Tell Iẓṭabba Excavation Project in the Seleucid-founded town of Nysa-Scythopolis. Founded under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–164 bce ) and destroyed by the Hasmonaeans in the later years of John Hyrcanus (in 108/07 bce ), the site offers a uniq…
Urban-Riverine Hinterland Synergies in Semi-Arid Environments: Millennial-Scale Change, Adaptations, and Environmental Responses at Gerasa/Jerash
This interdisciplinary study addresses issues of urban-riverine hinterland relationships in semi-arid environments over millennia at Gerasa/Jerash in Jordan, presenting research that stimulates new lines of enquiry with much broader implications than those relating to this single site. Through the presentation of new data on wadi-sediment responses to social and environmental change, we assess ways in which urban settlements, their hinterlands, a…
The technology and production of glazed ceramics from Middle Islamic Jerash, Jordan
Jerash in northern Jordan was, despite a focus on its classical heritage, also active in the Middle Islamic period, but little is known about actual developments during this period. This study represents the first study on the Middle Islamic glazed pottery from the site using scanning electron microscopy energy‐dispersive spectrometry (SEM‐EDS) and thin‐section petrography. The results show that two production traditions existed, each with differ…
The Armenian-German Artaxata Project: Preliminary report on the excavations in Artashat 2019
The paper deals with the second campaign of the Armenian-German Artaxata Project undertaken in 2019. The classical city of Artashat-Artaxata was founded in the 2nd century BC as the capital of the Armenian kingdom. The city stretches over the 15 hills of the Khor Virap heights and the adjacent plain in the Ararat valley. The new project, started in 2018, focusses on Hill XIII and the Lower city to the south and the north of it. This area was inve…
Mosaicists at work: The organisation of mosaic production in Early Islamic Jerash
Radiocarbon dating of lime plaster from a Roman period cistern in ancient Gerasa, Jerash in Jordan
Ancient Gerasa (Jerash, since the Islamic period) is a city with a rich archaeological heritage from prehistory onwards, with the periods from Roman times into the Early Islamic period best attested. A Danish-German team has been working in the Northwest Quarter of the city since 2011. Among the findings was a Roman period monumental cistern that was intentionally filled in, at one point in time. The complexity of the archaeology raised chronolog…
Food in a colonial setting: The faunal assemblage of a short-lived Seleucid-founded site in the Near East
Revisiting radiocarbon dating of lime mortar and lime plaster from Jerash in Jordan: Sample preparation by stepwise injection of diluted phosphoric acid
Ancient Gerasa (its Greco-Roman name)/Islamic Jerash (its later Arab name) is one of the most well-known pre-modern urban sites in northern Jordan, which flourished throughout antiquity and into the early Islamic period. Direct dating of mortar and plaster in Jerash is challenging due to the area’s abundance of geological carbonates that hamper the use of radiocarbon mortar methodologies as shown by previous attempts. Therefore, this study revisi…
Mapping Gerasa: A New and Open Data Map of the Site
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is a Greco‐Roman city of the Syrian Dekapolis (cf. Plin. HN 5.18.74) in Jordan, present day Amman.
Seeraub im Mittelmeerraum: Piraterie, Korsarentum und maritime Gewalt von der Antike bis zur Neuzeit
Über Jahrtausende gehörte der Seeraub zu den prägenden Faktoren der Geschichte des Mittelmeerraums. Die Akteure wurden als Bedrohung wahrgenommen, bewirkten aber auch vielfältige Verbindungen über das Mittelmeer hinweg. Die Bekämpfung maritimer Gewalt diente antiken Imperien und mittelalterlichen Seerepubliken als Legitimationsgrundlage. Überfälle auf Küsten, Sklaverei und Freikaufgeschäfte spielten eine wichtige Rolle in den Konfrontationen zwis…
An architectural block with altar-iconography from the North-west Quarter of Jerash
This article considers a monumental architectural limestone block with altar-iconography that was found during the 2012 campaign of the Danish–German North-west Quarter project. The project, which began in 2011, has mapped the highest area within the walled city, the so-called North-west Quarter, which had hitherto remained largely unexplored. The monumental block, which was in secondary use as a late antique oil press, gives new insight into the…
Intentional Cooking Pot Deposits in Late Roman Jerash (Northwest Quarter)
During the 2012 campaign of the Danish-German Northwest Quarter Project in Jerash, ancient Gerasa, three intentionally deposited cooking pots were found in a fill layer. Two of them were almost intact and discovered with ashes and other finds inside. Another one was fragmented and also held ashes inside. The cooking pot deposits are likely to have been termination deposits. It is the scope of this paper to discuss the context and function of thes…
Radiocarbon analysis of mortar from Roman and Byzantine water management installations in the Northwest Quarter of Jerash, Jordan
Jerash (Gerasa) in northwestern Jordan is an important Decapolis city displaying urban development for more than a millennium beginning in the late Hellenistic period (1st century CE). Despite more than a hundred years of archaeological explorations at the site there are still major questions about the city's urban development which are left open due to the nature of the archaeological investigations undertaken at the site. This in particular per…
New Archaeological Research in the Northwest Quarter of Jerash and Its Implications for the Urban Development of Roman Gerasa
The nature and extent of the urban development of Roman Gerasa (modern Jerash) has for decades been a topic of discussion among scholars studying settlement patterns as well as public and private life in the Roman empire. Research has, however, mostly focused on the development of the city along its main street. The aim of a new archaeological project, which was initiated in 2011, is to investigate the settlement history of the Northwest Quarter …
New Horizons: Mediterranean Research in the 21st Century
An Umayyad period magical amulet from a domestic context in Jerash, Jordan
During the 2014 campaign of the Danish-German Northwest Quarter Project in Jerash a small metal capsule was found in a house destroyed by an earthquake in the mid-8th cent. ce. The capsule, which retained traces of textile fibres, was conserved and proved to contain a tightly-rolled strip of silver foil (lamella) which, on removal, turned out to be inscribed with letters of Semitic character. Since it could not be unfolded manually, it was submit…
Late Roman Workshops of Beit Nattif Figurines: Petrography, Typology, and Style
In 1936, Dimitri Baramki published an assemblage of oil lamps and figurines that he had excavated in two cisterns at Beit Nattif in southern Judaea. This rich assemblage, which was waste material from a workshop, was the starting point to characterize a Beit Nattif style. This article discusses late Roman figurines from Beit Nattif and figurines from other places in the Beit Nattif style, which were petrographically analyzed for the first time. I…
A new inscribed amulet from Gerasa (Jerash)
During the 2016 campaign of the Danish-German Jerash Northwest Quarter Project, a gem was discovered in a fill layer, which had been intentionally filled in in order to close a large, well-constructed Roman-period cistern. The amuletic ring-stone considered here adds to the magic material known from Jerash. Although the gem was found out of its primary context, both the iconographic scene on the obverse and the magical inscription on the reverse …
City and wadi: Exploring the environs of Jerash
Archaeological excavations of urban sites in the Mediterranean have a long history, but only recently are geoarchaeology-based landscape studies beginning to provide insight into the complex and dynamic relationships between cities and their hinterlands. Such studies are becoming increasingly important as archaeologists seek to understand how cities sustained themselves, demonstrating resilience to both external shocks and long-term environmental…
Mosaicists at work: The organisation of mosaic production in Early Islamic Jerash
Decapolis, Archaeology of
Urban networks and dynamics seen through urban peripheries: The case of Gerasa on the golden river
Geochemistry of Byzantine and Early Islamic glass from Jerash, Jordan: Typology, recycling, and provenance
Twenty‐two objects of glass from the Decapolis city of Gerasa, N. Jordan, with characteristic vessel forms ranging from Hellenistic to Early Islamic (2nd century BCE to 8th century CE) were analyzed for major and trace elements, and 16 samples for Sr‐isotopes. The majority were produced in the vicinity of Apollonia on the Palestine coast in the 6th–7th centuries CE, and strong inter‐element correlations for Fe, Ti, Mn, Mg, Nb reflect local variat…
Ancient fingerprints from Beit Nattif: Studying Late Roman clay impressions on oil lamps and figurines
Analysis of oil lamps and clay figurines recovered from a Late Roman ceramics workshop at Beit Nattif in Israel has revealed numerous fragments with evidence of the manufacturer's fingerprints preserved on some of the ceramic surfaces. Further study of these fingerprints has provided a unique insight into the production history of the workshop, even showing how particular innovations in technique may be associated with particular individuals
The Mediterranean Other - The other Mediterranean
Today, we particularly encounter the Mediterranean Other in the “refugee”. Scientific, political and public discourses on the Mediterranean are — continuously or most recently? — determined by hegemonial perspectives. Considering other perceptions, interpretations and representations seems to be impossible in light of financial crises, the new South, blurring borders and unclear securities. The contributions in this volume dispute this form of th…
Mediterranean Rivers in Global Perspective
Rivers in the Mediterranean have always been hotspots of social formation. From antiquity to the present, rivers were important sources of fresh water, transport routes and energy suppliers as well as spaces of interaction between sea, coast and hinterland. This volume takes up recent debates on the spatial turn and global history, which have fundamentally changed notions of the Mediterranean as a natural given and of larger areas as well-defined…
Mediterranean rivers in global perspective
Antioch at the Chrysorrhoas-Gerasa, but which river
In the 2nd century BCE, the Seleucids founded several Hellenistic cities in the Southern Levant. Some of them were named Antioch or Seleucia, and to distinguish them from each other they received specifications. Thus the Hellenistic settlement at Hippos became ‘Antioch at Hippos’ and the re-foundation of Gerasa was called ‘Antioch at the Chrysorrhoas, the former Gerasa’. In the case of Gerasa, the toponym relates to the river Chrysorrhoas, the ‘G…
The Terra-cotta Figurines from a Lamp Workshop at Khirbat Shumeila near Beit Nattif, Israel
In 1934, excavations conducted at Beit Nattif, in the Judaean Shephelah region, uncovered a rich assemblage of waste from a terra-cotta lamp and figurine workshop. The items produced at the workshop, which are now known by the name of the site, are dated to around 300 c.e. and can be considered a hallmark of the regional material culture of the Late Roman period, a time of wideranging cultural influences. Recent excavations at Khirbat Shumeila, l…
Urban-Riverine Hinterland Synergies in Semi-Arid Environments: Millennial-Scale Change, Adaptations, and Environmental Responses at Gerasa/Jerash
This interdisciplinary study addresses issues of urban-riverine hinterland relationships in semi-arid environments over millennia at Gerasa/Jerash in Jordan, presenting research that stimulates new lines of enquiry with much broader implications than those relating to this single site. Through the presentation of new data on wadi-sediment responses to social and environmental change, we assess ways in which urban settlements, their hinterlands, a…
The technology and production of glazed ceramics from Middle Islamic Jerash, Jordan
Jerash in northern Jordan was, despite a focus on its classical heritage, also active in the Middle Islamic period, but little is known about actual developments during this period. This study represents the first study on the Middle Islamic glazed pottery from the site using scanning electron microscopy energy‐dispersive spectrometry (SEM‐EDS) and thin‐section petrography. The results show that two production traditions existed, each with differ…
From nummi minimi to fulūs-small change and wider issues: Characterising coinage from Gerasa/Jerash (Late Roman to Umayyad periods)
New compositional and metallographic data are presented for the fourth to eighth century CE copper coins from the Northwest Quarter of Gerasa/Jerash, Jordan. The majority of the coins are small copper and copper alloy nummi minimi from the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. Also represented are pre-reform and post-reform fulūs minted under the Umayyad dynasty. Seventy-one coins (55 Roman, 4 Byzantine, 3 pre-reform and 9 post-reform) were character…
Open-data presentation of a geophysical survey in Gerasa (Jerash), Jordan
Archaeology and Historical Studies (46 works) · Archaeology (44 works) · History (42 works) · Geography (30 works) · Ancient history (28 works) · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History (23 works) · Art (23 works) · History (22 works) · Geology (20 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (16 works)