Documentation and Protection of the Quarries of Gerasa

The Roman quarries in the environs of Gerasa provide an interesting insight into how stone was extracted and shaped for the purpose of building the monumental city. Ancient quarries carry aesthetic, educational and scientific values that future generations deserve to enjoy. Despite this, little has...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Levant (London) 2013-04, Vol.45 (1), p.57-68
Main Authors: Hamarneh, Catreena, Abu-Jaber, Nizar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ancient civilizations of the near east
Art and archaeology
conservation
documentation
Generalities
Grec and Roman epochs
Jarash
Mesopotamia and Near East
Palestine
quarries
Research principies
Synthesis
Typology and technology
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Summary:The Roman quarries in the environs of Gerasa provide an interesting insight into how stone was extracted and shaped for the purpose of building the monumental city. Ancient quarries carry aesthetic, educational and scientific values that future generations deserve to enjoy. Despite this, little has been done to document or protect these quarries, and many of them are not even officially listed as archaeological sites. In this paper, we describe an effort to build a database for these quarries, and make a case for protecting some of them as examples of how quarrying was executed in order to emphasize the importance of this industry and the sophistication of its technology. One site (Thughrat 'Usfūr) was chosen for detailed mapping, and it is herein proposed that this site be developed as a destination for visitors of the monumental city, offering the opportunity to understand stone extraction as well as the landscape in which the city grew.
ISSN:0075-8914
1756-3801
DOI:10.1179/0075891413Z.00000000017