In July and August 2002, the Tall Mādabā Archaeological Project (TMAP) undertook a fourth season of excavation¹ on Mādabā’s west acropolis as part of its ongoing examination of the development of urbanism in the southern Levant.  The primary goal of this field research has been to collect archaeological data from the presumed urban center of the region in order to compare it with data collected from functionally differentiated settlements in the area.  The modern town of Mādabā, located 30 km southwest of Amman, lies directly over the ancient settlement, which is still visible in the topography of the site, constituting a large low-lying tall and acropolis that creates a rise in the town center.

The current field phase of TMAP began with a preliminary season in 1996, which aimed to create an integrated base map outlining the extent of the site’s settlement area, and to establish a stratigraphic profile of the lower mound (Field A) (Fig. 1).  In 1998, full-scale excavations were initiated along the western slope of the upper mound (or ‘acropolis’) of the tall.  The main objective of this work has been to develop a detailed record of the major cultural strata present at Tall Mādabā.  This report will present the preliminary results of the 2002 field season (for a more detailed description of the project research objectives and the results of these previous seasons, see Harrison 1996; Harrrison et al. 2000; and Harrison et al. 2003).

The 2002 season contributed to the ongoing TMAP field effort to map the architecture and gather quantifiable artifact assemblages for each of the principal occupational phases present on the west acropolis.  The project had two main goals for the field season: 1) to continue excavations in two units in the area to the east of the town fortification wall (Field B) (Fig. 1) with the aim of uncovering Iron Age levels first recorded in 1998, and 2) to complete excavation of the Late Byzantine / Early Islamic complex west of the pre-classical fortification wall (Field C) (Fig. 1), which was originally exposed by bulldozing activity in the early 1980s.

Consolidation and restoration work on the Field C building, begun by TMAP in 1999, continued throughout the 2002 season.  Efforts focused on stabilizing the exposed walls and standing architecture, as well as consolidating and repairing the various mosaics that have been uncovered.  In addition, a mosaic pavement that had been removed from the site in the early 1980s was restored and reinstalled on site.  This project continued after the end of the excavation season, and was completed in December of 2002.

Architecture

To date, the excavations in Field B have uncovered remains dating to the Late Ottoman (Field Phase 1), Early Roman/Nabataean (Field Phases 2 and 3), Late Hellenistic (Field Phases 4 and 5), and Iron II (Field Phase 6) periods.  The primary goal of the 2002 season in Field B was to continue excavation of the Iron Age remains first encountered during the 1998 season.  To this end, two units (Squares 5M21V3 and 5M21U4) were reopened on the northern edge of the excavated area, to the east of the large fortification wall (Fig. 2).

Square 5M21V3, in the northeastern corner of the excavation area, contained a room with a large pit of stones in the center (Fig. 2).  During the removal of this pit, a significant amount of Late Hellenistic material was recovered, indicating that it may have been the result of later activity that penetrated down into this Iron Age structure.  Once the pit was removed, two surfaces with flat lying pottery, stylistically dated to the Iron IIB period, were discovered.  The walls of this room were built of medium-sized unhewn stones, and slumped toward the interior of the room.  These roughly-built walls rested on the upper course of a wall made of large hewn boulders.  These more substantial remains date to an earlier, as yet unexcavated, phase, and were reused in Field Phase 6 as foundation walls.

The initial excavations in Square 5M21U4, to the west of 5M21V3 (Fig. 2), concentrated on the removal of a series of ash layers, the result of post-destruction abandonment debris accumulation.  The removal of these deposits exposed more of the inner face of the monumental town fortification wall to the west.  Under these ash layers were the remains of a north-south wall with a possible doorway.  The quality and size of the stones used in the construction of this wall indicate that it was associated with the earlier phase walls in Square 5M21V3.  Excavations to the east of this wall produced evidence of a substantial destruction, resulting from an intense fire, with some building materials having become vitrified in the conflagration.  Sealed by this destruction layer were three well-preserved tabuns and the remains of a surface.

Ceramics

The 2002 excavations in Field B produced a large corpus of Iron IIB ceramics, forming an assemblage of forms typical of the 9^th/8^th through early 7^th centuries BCE.  Fine wares were well-represented, and were characterized by bichrome painted bands in red and brown (Figs. 3:1-3).  Included amongst the common wares were small bowls (Figs. 3:4-6), some of which have slightly carinated walls (Fig. 3:5), as well as deep bowls (Figs. 3:7-9) that display a triangular-shaped folded rim.  Kraters (Figs. 3:10-12) were also commonly found in the Iron Age deposits, along with single ridged cooking pots (Figs. 3:13-14).  Storage vessels made up a significant portion of the assemblage.  These included large storage vessels with rolled rims (Figs. 3:15-16), and a variety of smaller jars (Figs. 3:17-20), including an ovoid storage jar (Fig. 3:19).  Jugs and juglets (Figs. 3:21-24) also formed an integral part of the assemblage.

Small Finds

The Field B excavations yielded a considerable number of small finds.  These included a fragmentary female figurine holding an object in her left arm (Fig. 4:1), and a long copper spatula (Fig. 4:2).  Ground stone tools were well attested in the corpus, including a complete basalt bowl (Fig. 4:3), a fragment of a sandstone millstone (Fig. 4:4), a complete basalt pestle (Fig. 4:5), and several limestone (Figs. 4:6-7) and chert (Figs. 4:8-10) hammerstones.  A number of ceramic spindle whorls were also uncovered (Figs. 4:11-17), two with only partially completed center holes (Figs. 4:15-16).

Iron Age Mādabā

Textual sources emphasize the central importance of Mādabā during the Iron Age, when the surrounding region became a battleground contested by the rival nation-states of Ammon, Israeland Moab.  The Israelite King David is said to have defeated a coalition of Aramaeans and Ammonites in the vicinity of Mādabā early in the 10^th century BCE (I Chronicles 19:7ff; cf. II Samuel 10).  According to the Mesha Inscription, Mādabā was still under Israelite control (“the house of Omri”) when Mesha captured (lines 7-8) and rebuilt the town (line 30) along with a series of other cities on the tableland in the mid to late 9^th century BCE.  The town and region appear to have remained part of Moab until the end of the Iron Age, as Mādabā is listed with other Moabite towns in a biblical oracle (Isaiah 15:2) forecasting the devastation of Moab.

The Iron IIB remains in Field B, though only partially excavated, nevertheless strongly substantiate the view of a flourishing settlement during this period, possibly reaching as large as 13-16 ha in size, as first indicated by the 1993 surface survey (see Harrison1996).  In addition to establishing an Iron IIB date for the final use-phases of the 7 m wide town fortification wall (Harrison et al. 2003), as a result of the 2002 field season, the Field B excavations have now successfully delineated the well-preserved remains of at least two occupational phases that date to this period (ca. 9^th/8^th-7^th centuries BCE).  The later of these two phases was clearly less substantial than the earlier one, which preserved architectural remains constructed of carefully-hewn, boulder-sized stone, suggesting the possible existence of a large public complex in this earlier phase.

Although the Field B results are still preliminary, they nevertheless continue to raise the possibility that these Iron Age remains were part of an ambitious building program inaugurated by Mesha in the latter part of the 9th century BCE.  In addition, as noted previously (Harrison et al. 2003), the ceramic industry associated with these remains reflects close cultural ties with sites to the west and south of Mādabā historically attributed to the Moabite realm, including Khirbat al-Mukhayyat (ancient Nebo), Ma‘in (ancient Ba‘al-Ma‘on), Khirbat ‘Ataruz (ancient ‘Ataroth), Libb (ancient Bamoth?), Khirbat al-Mudayna (ancient Jahaz?), and Dhiban (ancient Dibon).

Field C Excavations

Architecture

The past five seasons of excavation at Tall Mādabā have revealed a number of rooms from a large complex built against the exterior, western face of the pre-classical fortification wall (Fig. 5).  The structure was constructed on a series of bedrock ledges, facing west toward a north-south streetthat would have intersected with the main cardo on the north side of the acropolis.  There are several features of this building that indicate it underwent two distinct construction phases, followed by a lengthy period of abandonment.  The initial construction phase dates to the Late Byzantine period (6^th century CE), while the subsequent renovations and abandonment date to the Early Islamic period (mid-7^th to 8^th/early 9^th centuries CE).

During the initial construction phase, the southern-most room, Room 1 (Squares 5L22Y3 and 5L22Y4; see Fig. 5), was paved with a mosaic that was removed in the 1980s.  The eastern portion of this pavement depicted a field of rosebuds, with a geometric panel framed by a double-swastika meander border to the west (Piccirillo 1989: 140-141; see also Fig. 13).  The second construction phase in this part of the complex saw the installation of a vault, made of finely hewn stone blocks, which was inserted between the older, existing walls to help support a second storey room paved with a white plastered floor.  The base stones of the vault were laid directly on top of the first floor mosaic, and the upper portion of the structure blocked a window in the southern wall and a doorway in the northern wall that once led to Room 2.

Room 2 (Square 5L22Y2; see Fig. 5), to the north of the vault, was entered through a doorway in its western wall equipped with a stone threshold.  The floor consisted of a simple beaten earth surface.  Parts of the western wall and doorway to Room 2 had been repaired, using small stone ashlars.  The area in front of Room 2 was paved with a plain white mosaic, and its perimeter was delineated by carved bedrock complemented by stone and mortar construction.  A bench was located along its north and west walls, and also acted as a step in front of the doorway to Room 2.  An entrance, which was found sealed by a blocking wall, linked this area with Room 3 to the north (Squares 5M21P3 and 5L22T4; see Fig. 5).

Room 3 had four east-west arches that spanned the width of the room, supporting a second storey mosaic floor (Fig. 6).  These arches were anchored to an east wall built directly against the exterior of the pre-classical fortification wall.  The floor of Room 3 was paved with a plain white mosaic floor.  A stone-carved basin was set into the floor in the southeast corner of the room. The mosaic on the second floor was preserved only in a small strip along the top of the east wall of Room 3.  A second stone basin was located in its northeast corner.

The area to the west of Room 3 was divided by a wall with a bedrock foundation.  The southern portion was paved with a plain white mosaic floor.  The northern section had a polychrome mosaic floor that was partially removed in the 1980s, leaving only the northeast corner intact. The extension of the northern wall of Room 3 preserved a plaster facing that concealed a clay water pipe embedded in the stonework behind it.  A large flagstone floor (Squares 5L22N4, 5L22O3, and 5L22T1; see Fig. 5) was built against the southern face of the continuation of this wall to the west.  The corners of each flagstone had been chipped away on their undersides to allow them to be supported in suspension by small chink stones.  Two drains carved directly into the bedrock, and fed by a large channel equipped with a series of check dams, ran beneath this flagstone floor, which clearly formed the central courtyard of the complex.

The 2002 excavations in Field C focused on two additional areas of the complex: 1) a large, partially exposed bedrock ledge in the center of the complex that measured approximately 15 X 20 m, and 2) an area to the north of these rooms, approximately 8 X 10 m in size.  Due to previous bulldozer clearing activity, the level of preservation on the bedrock ledge was expected to be poor.  Nevertheless, the excavations succeeded in uncovering a number of features still in situ, albeit considerably damaged.  A series of small retaining walls (in Squares 5L22S4, 5L22T3, 5L22X2, 5L22X4, 5L22Y1, and 5L22Y3; see Fig. 5), on average approximately 2 m long and 0.8 m wide, were built to complement the bedrock in this area, which descends in step-like terraces to the west, thus creating flat surfaces for the floors in this part of the complex (depicted in upper right corner, Fig. 6).  Though fragmentary, these walls help to delineate the parameters of the rooms that once formed this southern wing of the building.  The bedrock in this area also contained a number of holes, on average 0.20 m in diameter, which were probably the sockets for doorposts.  The excavations in this area also uncovered additional portions of the flagstone floor and water channels first exposed during the 2000 field season.

The second excavation area, along the northern edge of the complex (Squares 5L22O4, 5M21K3, 5M21K4, 5M21P1, and 5M21P2; see Fig. 5) produced two additional rooms, one of which was preserved to the second storey (Room 4; see Fig. 7).  The upper floor of Room 4, which measured 6 X 2.9 m, was paved with a largely intact white mosaic (visible in lower left, Fig. 6).  The eastern edge of the floor sealed directly against the pre-classical fortification wall, and was bordered by free-standing walls on its north and west sides.  The southern wall of the room had been destroyed in antiquity.  This upper pavement sat on a series of large stone roofing slabs, which were supported by three arches anchored to the walls of the room below.

   The walls of the first floor room (Squares 5M21K1, 5M21P1, and 5M21P2; see Fig. 6), which measured approximately 6.4 X 2.6 m and stood three meters in height, were found intact.  The floor was hewn directly out of the bedrock, with a channel (5.6 X 0.2 m) cut down the center.  This channel ran in a north-south direction, leading to a shallow basin against the northern wall.  This wall (8 X 1.15 m), which also formed the northern, outer wall of the complex, contained a window that had been blocked in antiquity, with a sharply cut ledge beneath it.  Room 4 was entered through a doorway in the southern wall that separated it from Room 3.  Three large stone bins were installed to the east of this doorway.

Excavations to the west of Room 4 uncovered a second well-preserved room, Room 5 (Squares 5L22O4 and 5M21K3; see Fig. 7).  The floor of Room 5 was paved with a polychrome mosaic (5.7 X 5.5 m), entirely intact except for two minor damaged portions in the center, and the southwest corner of the room, which had been destroyed by earlier bulldozer activity.  The decoration of the mosaic consisted of a polychrome grid-pattern of cruciform flowers enclosing serrated squares, executed in black, red, yellow, and white, with a polychrome triple-filet border (Fig. 8).  Two rows of larger cruciform flowers flanked the eastern edge of the mosaic, with a single row forming a border along the northern and southern sides.  The western side was decorated with a well-spaced row of polychrome serrated lozenges.

Traces of four arch supports were also uncovered in Room 5, two along the northern wall, with matching springers outlined by a border comprised of two rows of white tesserae along the south wall.  These springers clearly had once supported two large arches that in turn had supported a ceiling, and possibly a second storey.  A stone basin, measuring approximately 0.50 X 0.25 m, was embedded into the mosaic floor midway along the western side of the room.  This installation is very similar to the ones found in Room 3.  The soil deposits above the mosaic floor contained large quantities of tesserae, providing further support for the existence of a second floor.  A number of mortar patches and repairs, the latter accomplished with large white tesserae, were made to the mosaic along its western edge.  It was not possible to excavate the northwest corner of Room 5, due to the presence of an obstructing modern retaining wall.

A small plastered niche (1.6 X 0.9 m) was uncovered directly on top of the mosaic floor in the southeast corner of Room 5 (visible in upper right corner, Fig. 8), indicating that it was a later addition to the room.  The upper portions of the niche had been destroyed in antiquity, although traces of plaster were found still adhered to the walls behind it, providing some evidence that the niche had once stood at least 2 m in height, and possibly had even reached the ceiling directly above it.  In addition, traces of a yellow painted design were found preserved on its inner surface.

The precise function of the niche was not immediately clear.  One possibility is that it was installed in the room as a decorative feature, perhaps as part of an effort to convert this part of the residence into a more formal reception area, such as the suite of rooms recently uncovered in a contemporary complex at nearby Qastal (Bisheh 2000).  However, the niche also faces due south.  Given the date of its construction, which occurred almost certainly during the 7^th or early 8^th century CE, it is tempting to identify the niche as a mihrab, or prayer niche.  Mihrabs have been identified in residential contexts dating to the Early Islamic period, such as at Ramla (Rosen-Ayalon 1976: 119), but thus far they have only been rarely recognized as such.  Further investigations are planned for Room 5, which it is hoped will help to clarify its intended function and use within the larger complex during this period.

Epigraphic Remains

Over the course of the excavations in Field C complex, a large corpus of painted plaster fragments was recovered, the greatest concentration of which was found in Room 2.  Painted in shades of red on white are the remains of Greek script, text-framing and wall-dividing bands, and a large cross whose equal arms end in bulbous “jewels” (Fig. 9).  Sufficient pieces have been recovered to indicate there was more than one inscription, as the script varies in size and hand.  All letters belong to the oval alphabet as classified at Jerash (Welles 1938: Fig.16).  Some letters could have had an original height of 6.5-7 cm, and at least three lines of these appear to have been within one frame.  Aligned above the frame are the feet of other letters, placed close enough to suggest this framed script was incorporated into a larger textual program. Individual letters and some syllables have been restored, but no coherent text.  The letter style of the Room 2 fragments may be compared with that in the framed, painted panel at the entrance to the burial complex of the cave monastery of St. Theoctistus in Israel, which has been dated to the Byzantine period (5-7th century CE) (Goldfus et al. 1995: 279-84, Pls. 29a-c).  Other regional parallels include a painted wall text in a tabula ansata in the Urn Tomb at Petra(McKenzie 1990: 38, 147, Pl. 97a), and a framed painted text found in an ecclesiastical context at Umm al-Rasas (Piccirillo 1987: 216-7, Pl. 25, Photo 37).

Ceramics

The pottery recovered from the Field C complex consists predominantly of material that dates to the 6^th through 8^th/early 9^th centuries CE.  The assemblage is characterized by a number of common wares, including bowls, jars, basins, casseroles, and lids (Figs. 10:1-12).  There was a small amount of African Red Slip Ware in the corpus (Figs. 10: 13-14).  Painted forms are well represented, and these can be divided into two categories.  The earlier examples, which date to the 6^th and early 7^th centuries CE, are distinguished by an orange or buff colored fabric decorated with dark red painted designs.  The earlier painted forms include jars, bowls, and cups (Figs. 10:15-19).  The fabric of the later pieces, which date to the late 7^th and 8^th centuries CE, is lighter in color, while the paint is slightly darker, and the designs more intricate.  In this later phase, painted decoration appears to be limited to a single vessel type, the straight-walled cup (Figs. 11:1-7).

Fragments of moulded lamps have also been recovered from the complex.  As with the painted wares, these lamps date to two different periods.  The candlestick-type lamps (Figs. 10:20-23) date to the 6^th through early 7^th centuries CE, while the examples with grapevine and pomegranate designs (Figs. 11:8-11) are common in the late 7^th and 8^th centuries CE.

The 2002 season also produced several glazed ware bowls (Figs. 11:12-16).  The glaze is usually found on the inside of the vessel, and it appears in a variety of colors, including green, white, black, and blue.  The most common designs on these vessels consist of large dots, as well as rectilinear and curvilinear lines.  These vessels belong to an Early Islamic glazed ware tradition typically dated to the 8^th or 9^th centuries CE.

Miscellaneous Small Finds

The 2002 excavations in Field C produced a number of miscellaneous artifacts.  A small bone-carved figurine (Fig. 12:1) was found in the drain system under the flagstone courtyard floor.  Both of its ears are pierced, and a hole enters the top of the head and exits at its back.  The figure’s arms and feet are missing, and the top of its head appears unfinished, suggesting that some sort of headdress might have been attached.  Figurines of this type have been identified as dolls, and are well known from Roman and Coptic Egypt (Petrie 1927: 62, pl.55).

A second bone-carved object, a plaque depicting a standing figure (Fig. 12:2), was uncovered on the bedrock ledge in the southwest corner of the complex.  The figure is carved in low relief, and appears dressed in military clothing.  He holds a shield in his left hand and a spear with the tip pointing downward in his right.  The style of the figure depicted on the plaque suggests that it was produced in the 5^th century CE (Beckwith 1986: 70).  The identity of the figure remains unknown, although his appearance suggests a soldier or government official, or possibly a military saint.

The Field C complex also produced a number of stone objects, in particular a marble piece carved in a floral pattern (Fig. 12:3), and a variety of ground stone tools, including a fragmentary basalt millstone (Fig. 12:4), and numerous hammerstones made of chert (Figs. 12:5-6), basalt (Fig. 12:7), and limestone (Fig. 12:8).

A Late Byzantine/Early Islamic Mansion on the West Acropolis

In summary, the excavations completed thus far in Field C have uncovered the substantial remains of a large residential complex that measured at least 21 X 30 m in size.  The building’s architects made efficient use of the pre-classical fortification wall that encircles the western slope of the acropolis, incorporating it as the rear wall of their structure, with the back rooms of the complex built directly against this monumental structure.  The rooms of the complex were arranged around a central courtyard paved with flagstones, with an elaborate water drainage system running beneath it.  The majority of these rooms were paved with mosaics, both in monochrome and polychrome designs.  At least three of the rooms preserved direct evidence of a second storey.

When combined with the presence of 6^th century CE mosaics, our excavations suggest that this complex experienced two distinct architectural phases, which straddled the Late Byzantine-Early Islamic transition.  The first phase corresponded with the construction of the building in the 6^th century CE (or Late Byzantine period), and included the installation of the mosaic pavements described above.  The building was then renovated in the 7^th or early 8^th century CE (or Early Islamic period), when the vault was built over the mosaic floor in the southeastern room, and supplementary walls were inserted to shore up several sagging walls elsewhere in the complex.  It was also at this time that the plastered niche was added to Room 5 in the northern wing, perhaps indicating the arrival of new occupants.  The entire building was abandoned sometime later in the 8^th or early 9^th century CE.

The layout of this complex suggests that it functioned as a large private residence, or mansion, an interpretation that is further substantiated by the material culture recovered from its various rooms.  The Field C complex is comparable, both in size and design, to other large private houses that have been uncovered in Late Byzantine Mādabā, and in the surrounding region.  The contemporary BurntPalacein particular, located to the north of Mādabā’s acropolis, contains many of the architectural features that have been found in the West Acropolis building.  As with the Field C complex, the BurntPalacewas furnished with a flagstone courtyard enclosed on its sides by rows of rooms of varying sizes.  The BurntPalacewas also serviced by a drainage system that ran under the floors of the complex, while the presence of paved and unpaved rooms mirrors the layout of the Field C complex (Bisheh 1994: 555-56; see also Piccirillo 1986).

The history of the West Acropolis mansion, from its founding through to its eventual demise, are characteristic of a more generalized trend witnessed throughout the Mādabā region.  Although long considered to be a period of decline, the 7^th and 8^th centuries have now emerged as a time of prosperity and cultural continuity in the southern Levant(Bisheh 2001).  The additions and renovations that were made to the West Acropolis mansion support this conclusion, and present evidence from the private sphere of a phenomenon that has been documented more widely in the celebrated ecclesiastical traditions of the region.

Consolidation and Restoration

The ongoing effort to consolidate and preserve the impressive architectural remains in Field C continued during the 2002 field season.  The edges of all of the partially preserved mosaic floors uncovered in previous years were repaired and consolidated.  In addition, the newly-uncovered second floor mosaic above Room 4 was also repaired.  The walls of Room 5, which are faced with rapidly decaying plaster, were also consolidated.  Great care was taken to repair and preserve both the stone walls themselves and their plaster facing.  The consolidation work on the walls and arches of Room 4 in the northeast corner of the complex is still in progress.  Mortar and plaster has been added to portions of these walls to ensure their structural integrity, in advance of more permanent conservation.

The 2002 conservation effort resulted in the stabilization and consolidation of most of the visible architectural remains in Field C, which are now ready to be prepared for presentation to the public.  In anticipation of this next phase of restoration, a program to reinstall the mosaic pavement lifted from the Field C complex in the 1980s was initiated during the 2001 field season.  Arrangements were made for Italian restorer Franco Sciorilli to commence work on the mosaic pavement removed in 1980 from beneath the vault in Room 1, located in the southeast corner of the complex.  Mr. Sciorilli began by removing the cement backing that sections of pavement had been embedded in upon removal.  Once the ancient mortar bedding, still in situ inside the vaulted room, had been cleaned and prepared, the mosaic pieces were reinstalled (Fig. 13).  This entire process was completed in December of 2002.

The 2002 field season was made possible in part through a research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.  The excavations were conducted in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, which provided workers and equipment.  The results described in this report would not have been possible without the dedicated help of Dr. Fawwaz al-Khraysheh, Director General of Antiquities, and Mr. Ali al-Khayyat, Director of the Department of Antiquities Office in Mādabā.

Debra C. Foran

Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies

Universityof Toronto

59 Queen’s Park Crescent East

Toronto, ON  M5S 2C4

CANADA

Timothy P. Harrison

Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations

Universityof Toronto

4 Bancroft Avenue

Toronto, ON  M5S 1C1

CANADA

¹  The 2002 excavations were directed by T. Harrison (Director) and D. Foran (Assistant Director), with the assistance of C. Barlow (Field Lab Supervisor), A. Graham (site photographer and architecture project coordinator), T. Griffith (Faunal Specialist), F. Haughey (Illustrator), and the following Square Supervisors, Annlee Dolan (also ceramic lab), J. Ferguson (also flotation lab), Stanley Klassen, and Jode MacKay (also flotation lab).  The 2002 student volunteers consisted of J. Barlow, D. Bilton, Y. Bourdeau, C. Brown, L. Butler, S. Crocker, S. De Decker, E. Fetterolf, D. Fraser, P. Grenon, K. Harrington, A. Harrison, J. Jackson, A. Joachim, K. Jones, M. Larocque, M. Maitland, A. McBride, C. Morgan, J. Osbourne, J. Quinlan, S. Radil, L. Service, S. Spadafore, J. Sproule, A. Subtelny, L. Welton, A. Zanghellini-Silva.  Yazid Elayan served as the Department of Antiquities representative for the 2002 field season.

Beckwith, J.

1986    Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Hammondsworth: Penguin Books.

Bisheh, G.

1994    Madaba, “Burnt Palace.”  AJA 98: 555-56.

2000    Two Umayyad Mosaic Floors from Qastal.  LA 50: 431-38.

2001    The Archaeology of the Late Byzantine-Early Islamic Transition in Jordan. The Evidence from the Diocese of Madaba: Decline, Change or Continuity?  Pp. 215-224 in A. Walmsley (ed.), Australians Uncovering Ancient Jordan: Fifty Years of Middle Eastern Archaeology.  Sydney:  The Research Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Universityof Sydney.

Goldfus, H., Arubas, B. and Alliata, E.

1995    The Monastery of St. Theoctistus (Deir Muqallik). LA 45: 247-92.

Harrison, T. P.

1996    The Surface Survey.  Pp. 18-23 in P. M. Bikai and T. A. Dailey (eds.), Madaba: Cultural Heritage.  Amman:  AmericanCenterfor Oriental Research.

Harrison, T. P., Hesse, B., Savage, S. and Schnurrenberger, D.

2000    Urban Life in the Highlandsof Central Jordan; A Preliminary Report of the 1996 Tall Mādabā Excavations.  ADAJ 44: 211-29.

Harrison, T. P., Foran, D., Graham, A., Griffith, T., Barlow, C., and Ferguson, J.

2003    The Tall Mādabā Archaeological Project; Preliminary Report of the 1998-2000 Field Seasons.  ADAJ 47.

McKenzie, J.

1990    The Architecture of Petra. Oxford: OxfordUniversityPress.

Petrie, F.

1927    Objects of Daily Use. London:  BritishSchoolof Archaeology in Egypt.

Piccirillo, M.

1986    The Burnt Palaceof Madaba.  ADAJ  30: 333-39.

1987    Le iscrizioni di Um Er Rasas-Kastron Mefaa in Giordania (1986-1987).  LA 37: 177-239.

1989    Madaba: le chiese e i mosaici.  Milano:  Edizioni Paoline.

Rosen-Ayalon, M.

1976    The First Mosaic Discovered at Ramla. IEJ 26: 104-119.

Welles, C. B.

1938    The Inscriptions.  In Carl H. Kraeling (ed.), Gerasa, City of the Decapolis.  New Haven, CT: American Schools of Oriental Research.

Figure 1.             Base map of the urban core of Mādabā (1:1250 scale), showing excavation areas.

Figure 2.             Plan of Iron Age Architecture in Field B.

Figure 3.             Iron IIB Pottery from Field B.

Figure 4.             Iron Age Objects from Field B.

Figure 5.             Plan of the Late Byzantine/Early Islamic Complex in Field C.

Figure 6.             Northeast corner of the Field C Complex.

Figure 7.             North wing of the Field C Complex.

Figure 8.             Room 5, with mosaic floor and plastered niche in southeast corner.

Figure 9.             Epigraphic remains from Room 2 in the Field C Complex.

Figure 10.         Late Byzantine Pottery from Field C.

Figure 11.         Early Islamic Pottery from Field C.

Figure 12.         Miscellaneous Ojects from Field C.

Figure 13.         Restored mosaic pavement in Room 1 of the Field C Complex.