AriNass ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 2019 Mahmoud Arinat and Mohammad Nassar The Geometric Mosaic of the Bath at Khirbet Yajuz: A Comparative Study Mahmoud Arinat and Mohammad Nassar HIRBET YAJUZ in central Jordan, a bath dating to the Byzantine period, has been found to contain impressive and well-preserved mosaics. The Yajuz mosaicists ex- pertly combined motifs with a long tradition, some going back to the Roman imperial age and earlier, and at the same time created designs that appear here for the first time. This study is concerned with the geometric decorations. Our purpose is to examine the details of the designs and compare other pavements from the Roman and Byzantine periods where influences in de- sign within and between regions can be seen. Wherever possible, comparative examples have been chosen from sites that are rela- tively nearby so as to establish an overview of mosaic production in the region, but also to distinguish the influences coming from Asia Minor and other areas. At Khirbet Yajuz ( fig. 1), 11 km. northwest of Amman and about 809 m. above sea level, is one of the most important structures with geometric mosaic pavements in Jordan. The location was visited and described by Selah Merrill in 1876, Major C. R. Conder in 1881, C. McCown, and N. Glueck.1 One of the first who detailed the archaeological remains in the area was Henry Thompson, who excavated a tomb at the site.2 In 1994 excavations were begun by the Jordanian Department of 1 S. Merrill, East of the Jordan (London 1881) 277–278; C. Conder, The Survey of Eastern Palestine I (London 1889) 279; C. McCown, “Spring Field Trip,” BASOR 39 (1930) 12–13; N. Glueck, “Explorations in Eastern Palestine III,” AASOR 28–29 (1939) 177–178. 2 H. Thompson, “A Tomb at Khirbet Yajuz,” ADAJ 17 (1972) 36–45. K 494 THE GEOMETRIC MOSAIC AT KHIRBET YAJUZ ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Antiquities,3 and continued to the summer of 2011 under the Department of Antiquities and the University of Jordan. This site was occupied during the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic times. It was built up in the late Roman period on the ancient road between Philadelphia and Gerasa, flourished in Byzantine times, and continued into the Umayyad and Abbasid periods. Churches, public buildings, wine presses, tombs, and other finds have been uncovered. These include mosaic floors and various types of pottery, glass, and coins.4 Figure 1: The Khribat Yajuz site The Bath was discovered in 1998 in the southeastern part of the site. The Faculty of Archaeology and Tourism conservation team was directed by Dr. Mahmoud Arinat.5 The building ( fig. 2) had two main rooms, with carved basins and canals. The Bath is dated to the Byzantine period by comparative study of the 3 M. Suleiman, “A Short Note on the Excavation of Yajuz 1994–1995,” ADAJ 40 (1996) 457–462. 4 H. Thompson, “A Tomb at Khirbet Yajuz,” ADAJ 17 (1972) 36–45; L. A. Khalil and F. M. al-Nammari, “Two Large Wine Presses at Khirbet Yajuz, Jordan,” BASOR 318 (2000) 42–57. 5 For a preliminary description and an account of the conservation methods see M. Arinat, “In Situ Mosaic Conservation: A Case Study from Khirbet Yajuz, Jordan,” Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 14.2 (2014) 67–76. MAHMOUD ARINAT AND MOHAMMAD NASSAR 495 ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Figure 2: Bath, Khirbet Yajuz Figure 3: The mosaic room pattern and technique of the mosaic. Mosaics were found in other buildings on the site, such as one in the Chapel dating to A.D. 508.6 The mosaic floor of the Bath ( figs. 3, 4) measures approxi- mately 4 x 5 m. It was typical of large mosaic pavements to have a bed composed of several layers: first a compacted layer of local red earth, then a layer of small round pebbles packed closely together and covered with a layer of ash and lime mortar. This 6 L. A. Khalil, “Excavations at Yajuz,” ADAJ 42 (1998) 457, 463, fig. 7. 496 THE GEOMETRIC MOSAIC AT KHIRBET YAJUZ ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 smooth bed covered the whole area, to a thickness of 13 cm. A layer of wet lime plaster, on average 1 cm. thick, was spread over this, and the tesserae were laid into the plaster. Figure 4: drawing, Yajuz Bath mosaic The geometric mosaic is one of the most distinctive in the religious and civil buildings of Byzantine Jordan. This article addresses the designs in comparison with other work of Roman and Byzantine date. We have classified the decorative elements into eight main types: interlaced squares motif; square and cur- vilinear square interlooped; looped circle in square; crosslet; knot; diamond; overlapping circles; circle crosslet. Interlaced squares motif The motif consists of two interlaced squares, the colors grey, red, dark red, white, orange, on a white background ( fig. 5). Similar decoration can be found at other Jordanian sites of the Byzantine period, for example in the Baths of Herakleides at Gadara ( fig. 6),7 and farther afield at Hadadine in Syria, now in 7 U. Lux, “Der Mosaikfussboden eines spätantiken Bades in Umm Qes,” ZDPV 82 (1966) 64–70; M. Piccirillo, The Mosaics of Jordan (Amman 1997) 328, pl. 686. MAHMOUD ARINAT AND MOHAMMAD NASSAR 497 ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Figure 5: Bath, Yajuz Figure 6: Baths of Herakleides, Gadara the Aleppo Musum, which dates to the sixth century.8 Significantly, this motif is a good deal older, found already in the Hellenistic period and frequent throughout Roman times. An example in the northern Levant is in the Bath of Apolausis at Antioch, which dates to the Roman period:9 with a woman at the centre, the design’s colors are white veined with blue, black, shades of red, and yellow, on a white background. Two examples are from North Africa: in the Four Seasons mosaic in House of Dionysus at Volubilis in Morocco, which dates to the Roman period;10 and in a mosaic from Carthage, now in the British Museum, which dates to the third century.11 In the latter, the polygons of two interlaced squares are decorated with two simple guilloches; the colors are red, dark red, and white, on a dark blue and white background. The pattern is also known in Roman Britain: in the Wellow Villa, with interlaced squares again decorated with two simple guilloches; and in the villa at Wemberham.12 8 P. Donceel-Voute, “Syro-Phoenician Mosaics of the 6th Century,” in Fifth International Colloquium on Ancient Mosaics II (Ann Arbor 1995) 91, 93, fig. 4. 9 A. Belis, Roman Mosaics in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles 2017) 44, fig. 19. 10 R. Etienne, “Dionysos et les quatre saisons sur une mosaïque de Vo- lubilis (Maroc),” MEFR 63 (1951) 93–118, pl. I. 11 M. Alexander and M. Ennaifer, Corpus des mosaïques de Tunisie I.1 (Tunis 1973) 116, pl. XLVII. 12 www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol1/pp289-356, figs. 71 and 67. 498 THE GEOMETRIC MOSAIC AT KHIRBET YAJUZ ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Square and curvilinear square interlooped motif The motif consists of a square interlaced by a curvilinear square, forming an irregular octagonal so as to resemble a crosslet shape ( fig. 7). The colors are grey, red, dark red, white, and orange, on a white background. Figure 7: Bath, Yajuz Figure 8: Second Church at Yasileh We can compare a design in the Second Church at Yasileh in Jordan, dating to 528 ( fig. 8).13 Similar schemes are known elsewhere in Jordan: in the church of the Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs at Gerasa, in reverse ( fig. 9), dating to 464,14 and in the Baths of Herakleides at Gadara ( fig. 10).15 An example in Ana- tolia is in House 2 at Aphrodisias, dating from the mid-fifth century.16 Looped circle in square motif The panel at the right as one enters is composed of a looped circle within a square ( fig. 11). The colors are red, dark red, and white, on a dark blue and white background. 13 Z. al-Muheisen and M. Nassar, “The Second Church at Yasileh in Jor- dan and its Mosaics,” GRBS 52 (2012) 675, fig. 13. 14 Piccirillo, Mosaics 285. 15 Lux, ZDPV 82 (1966) 64–70; Piccirillo, Mosaics 328, pl. 686. 16 S. D. Campbell, The Mosaics of Aphrodisias in Caria (Toronto 1991) 20–21, pl. 73; K. Erim, “Aphrodisias in Caria: The 1972 Campaign Excavations,” TürkArkDerg 21 (1974) 37–52. MAHMOUD ARINAT AND MOHAMMAD NASSAR 499 ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Figure 9: Church of the Figure 10: Baths of Prophets, Gerasa Herakleides, Gadara Figure 11: Bath, Yajuz Figure 12: Second Church, Yasileh This motif became widespread in Jordan during the Byzantine period. Examples are in the Second Church at Yasileh, of 528 ( fig. 12);17 in the Baths of Herakleides in Gadara ( fig. 13);18 in the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian at Gerasa, of 533 ( fig. 14);19 in the Church of Saint Mary at Rihab, of 582/3 ( fig. 15);20 in the Church of the Salayta Family at Madaba (Byzantine);21 also at Madaba, in the church of the Virgin Mary, dating to the 17 Al-Muheisen and Nassar, GRBS 52 (2012) 675, fig. 13. 18 Lux, ZDPV 82 (1966) 64–70; Piccirillo, Mosaics 328, pl. 686. 19 Piccirillo, Mosaics 288, pl. 535. 20 M. Avi-Yonah, “Greek Christian Inscriptions from Rihab,” QDAP 13 (1947/8) 68–72; M. Piccirillo, “Le antichità di Rihab dei Bene Hasan,” Liber Annuus 30 (1980) 317–350, and Mosaics 310–311, pl. 622. 21 Piccirillo, Mosaics 132, pl. 158. 500 THE GEOMETRIC MOSAIC AT KHIRBET YAJUZ ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Figure 13: Baths of Figure 14: Cosmas and Figure 15: Saint Heracleides, Gadara Damian, Gerasa Mary, Rihab eighth century,22 where the pattern is decorated with a Solomon knot motif. Farther away, we find a Roman-date example in the Apolausis at Antioch, where the center of the looped circle is a bird; the colors are white veined with blue, black, shades of red, and yel- low, on a white background.23 Finally, there is an example in Moesia, in the south basilica in Marcianopolis, dating to the fifth or sixth century.24 Figure 16: Bath,Yajuz 22 M. Piccirillo, “La chiesa della Vergine a Madaba,” Liber Annuus 32 (1982) 373–408, and Mosaics 50, pl. 2. 23 Belis, Roman Mosaics 43, fig. 17. 24 J. Valeva, “Geometric Mosaics from Bulgaria,” in Fifth International Col- loquium 260–261, fig. 12. MAHMOUD ARINAT AND MOHAMMAD NASSAR 501 ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Crosslet motif This motif consists of a crosslet within large square and de- fined by four smaller squares, each of these framing a still smaller square ( fig. 16). The colors are black, dark red, and yellow, on a white background. It seems this design is found in the area only during the Byzantine period, with one example from Syria, in the Oum Hartaine Basilica, dated to 500.25 Knot motif The knots portrayed in two of the corners of the mosaic are made up of three interlaced lozenges, forming curvilinear irregular triangles and a curvilinear hexagonal, once with an apparent crosslet in the center, once without ( fig. 17). The colors are red, dark red, blue, and dark blue, against a white back- ground. Figure 17: Bath,Yajuz Many parallels are found in Byzantine churches in Jordan: in Gerasa in the Church of Saints Cosmas and Danian ( fig. 18), of 533,26 and the Church of Bishop Isaiah ( fig. 19), Byzantine in date;27 in the Gerasa area, in the Chapel of Khirbat Munyah- Asfur ( fig. 20), also Byzantine.28 This last decorates the motif with ribbons and two simple guilloche patterns. 25 Donceel-Voute, in Fifth International Colloquium 88–89, fig. 1. 26 Piccirillo, Mosaics 286, pl. 535. 27 Piccirillo, Mosaics 294, pl. 566. 28 Piccirillo, Mosaics 299, pl. 588, 589. 502 THE GEOMETRIC MOSAIC AT KHIRBET YAJUZ ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Figure 18: Cosmas and Figure 19: Bishop Figure 20: Chapel of Damian, Gerasa Isaiah, Gerasa Munyah-Asfur Khirbat We find two further examples from the Madaba area. One is in the Crypt of Saint Aelianus, dated 595/6 ( fig. 21).29 There the curvilinear triangles and hexagonal are filled by six pear seeds and seven pomegranate seeds; the colors are red, dark red, gray, and white on a black background. The other is in the Memorial of Moses-Diakonikon at Mount Nebo, of the Byzan- tine period ( fig. 22).30 There the knot, with four lozenges, is more elaborate than at Yajuz; the centre is occupied by a bunch of grapes. The colors are black, grey, dark red, and yellow, on a white background. Figure 21: Crypt of Saint Elianus, Figure 22: Memorial of Madaba Moses-Diakonikon 29 Piccirillo, Mosaics 124–125, pl. 136. 30 S. Saller, The Memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo (Jerusalem (1941); V. Corbo, “Nuovi scavi archeologici nella cappella del Battistero della Basilica del Nebo,” Liber Annuus 17 (1967) 241–258, and 20 (1970) 273–298; M. Piccirillo, “Campagna archeologica nella Basilica di Mose Profeta,” Liber Annuus 26 (1971) 281–318, and Mosaics 147, pl. 184, 186. MAHMOUD ARINAT AND MOHAMMAD NASSAR 503 ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Significantly, this motif is a good deal older, attested in the Hellenistic period and common in Roman times. An example from North Africa is from a house in Timgad, now in the Museum of Timgad.31 Examples in Jordan more developed than those at Yajuz and elsewhere are in the Church of Bishop Leontios at Ya῾amun, two panels of the late fifth/early sixth century ( fig. 23):32 in them the knot is tied with loops, which are not found at Yajuz, and the hexagonal has a stylized cluster of grapes; the colors are black, grey, dark red, and yellow, on a white background. Figure 23: Church of Bishop Leontios at Ya῾amun Diamond motif The diamond motif consists of two nested diamonds framed by a square ( fig. 24). The colors are black, grey, red, dark red, and yellow, against a black background. In general, the diamond pattern here is rare in the region during the Byzantine period. Examples are in the First Church at Khirbet al-Bediye, which dates to 640,33 and the Church of Bishop Leontios at Ya῾amun (end of the fifth/beginning of the sixth century).34 31 S. Germain, Les mosaïques de Timgad (Paris 1969) 25, pl. 9. 32 M. Nassar and N. Turshan, GRBS 52 (2012) 220–221, fig. 5. 33 M. Nassar and Z. al-Muheisen, “Geometric Mosaic Ornament at Khir- bet al- Bediyeh, Jordan,” GRBS 53 (2013) 609, fig. 20. 34 M. Nassar and N. Turshan, “Geometrical Mosaic Pavements of the Church of Bishop Leontios at Ya῾amun,” PEQ 143 (2011) 41–62. 504 THE GEOMETRIC MOSAIC AT KHIRBET YAJUZ ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Figure 24: Bath, Yajuz Overlapping circles motif The pattern consists of a square framing four spindles that form a concave square, almost a crosslet ( fig. 25). The colors are black, white red, and dark red, against a white background. The intersecting circles motif became widespread in Jordan during the Byzantine period: thus at Mount Nebo in the south funerary chapel, dating to the Byzantine period;35 the colors are red, dark red, and black, against a white background. Examples are in the nearby Khirbet al-Bediyeh church, dating to 640,36 and the church of Bishop Leontios at Ya῾amun.37 Furthermore, a variant use of intersecting circles is employed in another panel of the Yajuz mosaic ( fig. 26). Figure 25: Bath, Yajuz Figure 26: Bath, Yajuz 35 Piccirillo, Mosaics 144–145, pl. 181. 36 Nassar and al-Muheisen, GRBS 53 (2013) 605, 607, figs. 14, 18. 37 Nassar and Turshan, PEQ 143 (2011) 41–62, fig. 21. MAHMOUD ARINAT AND MOHAMMAD NASSAR 505 ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Circle crosslet motif The pattern consists of a square tangent to a circle, within which are two smaller circles with crosses inside ( fig. 27). The colors are black and yellow, on a white background. This design seems to have been quite rare, without parallels in the area. Fig. 27: Bath, Yajuz We end by illustrating the one non-geometric panel of the Khirbet Yajuz mosaic, which portrays two amphoras flanking a pomegranate tree ( fig. 28). Figure 28: Bath, Yajuz 506 THE GEOMETRIC MOSAIC AT KHIRBET YAJUZ ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 59 (2019) 493–506 Conclusions This study shows that Jordan is an important point of refer- ence for the study of Byzantine mosaic pavements, especially those dating to the six and seventh centuries. The decorative elements discussed here show a high level of skill. Comparative study of the designs adds to our understanding of the relation- ship between Yajuz and other Byzantine sites, and also allows us to compare the artistic level seen at other sites. Similar designs have been found elsewhere in Jordan, as well as farther afield. Of particular interest are the similarities to elements found at Rihab and at several other places in the eastern Mediterranean, from both Roman and Byzantine times Some designs make their first appearance in the mosaics at Yajuz—the crosslet pattern ( fig. 16), the knot with crosslet ( fig. 17), and the circle crosslet ( fig. 27). Some unusually sophisticated ornaments, such as the interlaced squares ( fig. 4), the square and curvilinear square interlooped ( fig. 6), and the knot design ( fig. 16), are widely attested. From this comparative study it is possible to say that there are many shared elements, indicating cooperative knowledge on the part of these artistic projects, widely spread during the Byzantine period. The authors hope that these findings will contribute to the study of this significant phenomenon. March, 2019 School of Archaeology and Tourism The University of Jordan Amman, Jordan mah.arinat@yahoo.com School of Arts and Design The University of Jordan Amman, Jordan mohammadnassar@hotmail.com