The purpose of the second season of excavations at Site 1 was to expose selected but representative parts of the basilican church discovered last year, and to gain basic knowledge concerning the general stratigraphy and history of the site. For this purpose, five excavation trenches had been opened at the site. Although the absolute dating of the multi-phased history of the church will await the completion of the ceramic analysis, the relative chronology, understood in terms of construction, use and destruction/abandonment periods at the site has been relatively well established as the result of the 1999 season. The monoapsidal church was built during the Byzantine period, probably during the 5th century. Marble floor was laid out throughout the church. The apse had a two-tiered synthronon installation, and the elevated chancel area in front of the apse (i.e., bema), was constructed with the use of marble slabs and screens. This early phase was probably ended by a seismic event. Following, the church was restored but also subdivided into the eastern and western parts. The eastern part retained its ecclesiastical function but the supporting columns were removed and replaced with free-standing pillars. The western part appears to have been turned into an open court (atrium), most probably with a peristyle portico on all four sides. The original chancel platform was replaced by a masonry construction which resembles a bench or a "counter." During the same phase the original church floor in the new atrium area had been superseded by the extant combined sandstone/marble floor. Most probably, the mosaic in the narthex belongs to the same phase. The third phase which also appears to have been preceded by a partial destruction of the church witnessed the replacement of the pillars as roof support by pilasters and the N-S arches which spanned the spaces of the nave and side aisles. Additionally, the spaces between the free-standing pillars were walled up.A massive buttress was built on the atrium's side against the partitioning wall. Secondary walls built directly on the pavements of the north pastophorion and in the area in front of the narthex may belong to this or even later phases. Following were the episodes of limited occupation and stone collapse. It seems most probable that the history of the church as sketched above continued from the Byzantine through at least the Umayyad period.
Of particular interest is the mosaic floor found in the narthex of the church.Originally, it featured an almost symmetrical arrangement of designs on both sides of the central door to the church proper. The northern half featured a man (or two men?) standing in front of a horse, fighting a wild boar (?) with a spear. Farther south was a lion followed by a round medallion which occupied the central position in the narthex floor, and consisted of colorful bundles intertwined into intricate geometric designs. Still farther was the representation of another lion, and another hunting scene featuring a hunting dog or a leopard (?) assaulting an ibex which, in turn, was attacked by another human with a spear. In the inset of the northern doorway to the church, there was a representation of two birds flanking a geometric symbol (rosette?). A colorful border band of intertwined bundles or chevrons completed the design.The mosaic is heavily altered by later iconoclastic activities. The iconoclasts had removed not only all faces (except for the ibex and the birds) but also almost all bodies of humans and animals alike, and replaced them with plain large-size tesserae. However while the replacement was done carefully, the removal was not, preserving many details of human and animal bodies, and allowing for an overall reconstruction.
An intensive archaeological survey was conducted in the area west of the mountain, in the environs between Wadi es-Saddath and Wadi al-Mahatta. Soundings and clearings were also conducted in Area C which was intensively surveyed in 1998. The majority of the structures and installations that were located and recorded consist of barrages built across the main wadis and their tributaries. These barrages served to slow down runoff water and to keep fertile surface soil in small terraced fields. A considerable number of small dwelling and camp sites dating from the Middle Palaeolithic up to the present day was also recorded. Among the most interesting sites are a Nabataean/Roman watchtower, possible remains of an ancient road to Petra, and the ruins of a Nabataean building, possibly a small fortlet or a caravanserai. In Area C, clearings and soundings were conducted at one possible cultic site, two barrages with a steplike constructions, and a lime-burning kiln. In total, the survey areas (K, T and U) covered approximately 235 000 square meters, recording 20 major sites, including more than 120 barrages and terrace walls (in clusters of several structures per site).
The 1999 season activities also included the continuation of a detailed cartographic study of the mountain and its environs in way to improve the three-dimensional model of the mountain that has already been developed by the project. The latest techniques in cartography, including the tachymetry, digital recording, and the photogrammetry were employed for this purpose as well as for the daily recording of progress in the excavation and surveying activities. In addition to the limited consolidation of the walls which was done during the excavations, an expertly repair of wall plaster in several places was undertaken by the Project's conservators. The next season of the FJHP fieldwork is scheduled to take place in the year 2000, and it will also include a full conservation of the mosaic which is currently backfilled.
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