Marble Sculptures from the Great Eastern Baths of Gerasa (Jordan): The Sources of the Marbles

This paper aims to examine the provenance of Roman marble statues uncovered from the Eastern Roman Baths (Gerasa of the Decapolis, Jordan) during the 2016 and 2017 excavation campaigns. The samples were characterized using magnifying lenses, an x-ray diffractometer, a stable isotope mass spectromete...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Bashaireh, Khaled al- (Author) ; Weber-Karyotakis, Thomas M. 1953- (Author) ; Abu-Jaber, Nizar (Author) ; Lepaon, Thomas (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: The University of Chicago Press 2020
In: Bulletin of ASOR
Year: 2020, Volume: 384, Pages: 21-43
Further subjects:B Paros
B Thassos
B Sculpture
B petrographic analysis
B Gerasa
B Penteli
B marble trade
B Docimium
B Levant
B isotope analysis
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Description
Summary:This paper aims to examine the provenance of Roman marble statues uncovered from the Eastern Roman Baths (Gerasa of the Decapolis, Jordan) during the 2016 and 2017 excavation campaigns. The samples were characterized using magnifying lenses, an x-ray diffractometer, a stable isotope mass spectrometer, and a polarized light microscope. The results show that the Aphrodite and drapery marbles are dolomitic and most probably from the Cape Vathy of Thassos Island (Greece); the Asklepios and Zeus marbles are fine-grained and most probably from Docimium (Turkey); the Melopmene, Demetrius Aphrodite, and eagle marbles are fine-grained and most probably from Penteli (Greece); the dancing satyr and Apollo marbles are coarse-grained and most probably from Lakkos (Paros Island, Greece); and the marble fragments of unknown statues are coarse-grained and most probably from Marmara (Proconnesus-1) Island, Turkey. The results indicate that sculptors preferred fine white marbles for carving sculptures in spite of their source, price, and sculpture workshop. The results agree with previous studies that showed a wide variety of marble sources, indicating that Gerasa prospered in its location on the King’s Highway and participated in a well-established trade network with the major cities and marble sources in the Roman Empire.
ISSN:2161-8062
Contains:Enthalten in: American Schools of Oriental Research, Bulletin of ASOR
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1086/710386