Geometric Mosaic Ornament at Khirbet el-Bediyeh, Jordan (original) (raw)

2013, Greek Roman and Byzantine Studies

HIRBET AL-BEDIYEH in northern Jordan has revealed a church, dated to A.D. 640, in which we have uncovered one of the most impressive and best preserved mosaic pavements with geometric patterns in the Near East. The Khirbet al-Bediyeh mosaicists were masters of their craft. They combined motifs that had enjoyed a long popularity since the early Imperial period with new designs appearing here for the first time, so far as is known. The 'First Church' of Khirbet al-Bediyeh is accordingly one of the most important sites with a geometric mosaic pavement in Jordan, and is thus worth a case study. Our purpose is to examine the details of the geometric designs and compare other pavements from the Roman and Byzantine periods, where influences in design within and between regions are known. Wherever possible, comparative examples have been chosen from sites that are relatively nearby so that a comprehensive overview of mosaic production in the region may be obtained. Moreover, every effort has been made to discern the major sources of influence on mosaic production at Khirbet al-Bediyeh and, in particular, to distinguish the influences coming from Asia Minor and other locations of the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. Al-Bediyeh and Ras ad-Deir are neighboring tells, 15 km. southwest of Ajloun and 3 km. southeast Kufranjeh, which is also an archaeological site (fig. 1). Gerasa is 20 km. to the east, and Pella, in the Jordan Valley, is about the same distance. Nearby are the Kufranja and Rajib valleys with their many water sources (about 1000 wells), used for farming in summer.