David W. Chapman David W. Chapman and Robert W. Smith Covenant Theological Seminary 12330 Conway Rd Saint Louis, Missouri 63141 U. S. A. Continuity and Variation in Byzantine Robert W. Smith Roanoke Bible College Church Architecture at Abila: Evidence 715 N. Poindexter St Elizabeth City, North Carolina 27909 from the 2006 Excavation U. S. A.

As early Christianity crossed through Jordan, it of- In each case, the side aisles were divided from the ten produced monumental structures. Among the central aisle (or nave) by two rows of supporting remains of Abila in Palaestina Secunda, the Byz- columns. There were twelve columns on the stylo- antine churches stand out as some of the most re- bate line in both Areas A and D. The columns from markable finds. Abila was once the seat of a bish- the Area DD church had been removed in antiquity opric (Wineland 2001: 64-66, 76-78), and previous for reuse (Vila 1995: 104). The columns in Area excavation seasons have confirmed the consider- A appear to have been a combination of limestone able importance of Christianity within the culture and basalt. The columns in the Area D basilica al- at Abila in the Byzantine era. The 2006 excava- ternated limestone and basalt. The Area A and D tion focused on four of the five known churches in churches both evidence a narthex, and all three of preparation for a volume on the churches of Abila.1 these churches open upon public plazas with mo- This paper presents a brief, preliminary, compara- saic surfaces made of large white tesserae lightly tive analysis of our architectural findings from all decorated by dark tesserae set in a thin diagonal five churches. design (note the vivid description in Winter 1988: 59). The Area D basilica evidences an opus ver- Tri-Apsidal Churches in Areas A, D and DD miculatum mosaic applied to the walls of its cen- The prominent position of Christianity at Abila has tral apse (Winter 1990: 38, 41). Further signs of been recognized since the excavations from the extensive wall and ceiling mosaics were found in 1980’s. Important church structures surmount the the Area DD church. city’s twin tall(s) – the Area A church atop Tall Abπl Flooring in the sanctuaries of the A, D, and DD (the northern tall) and the Area D and Area DD churches was typically opus sectile. However, the churches near one another atop Umm al-‘Amad south aisle of the DD church evidenced some mo- to the south (FIG. 1). Previous seasons defined the saic. Mosaics were also exposed during excava- footprints of these three churches – showing them tions in the attached side chambers north and south each to represent tri-apsidal three-aisled basilicas, of the Area D church – both geometric and floral / with apses at the eastern end of each aisle. While faunal patterns are found (for a good comparison the A and D churches evidence a larger central apse see the report in Winter 1992: 26-36). A geomet- in the nave with smaller symmetrical apses in the ric mosaic with Byzantine crosses was found in the narrower side aisles (a common Byzantine design), courtyard of the Area A church. remarkably in the DD church the three aisles and The original excavators dated the Area A church inscribed apses are identical in size (FIG. 2; Vila to the sixth century and the Area D church to the 1995: 103-104). sixth or even to the seventh century (Winter 1992: In these three churches, chancel screens were 34-35). Due to evidence of traumatic collapse, both employed to separate the sacred space of the cen- the A and D basilicas appear to have been destroyed tral apse (with its altar) from the nave of the church. during the earthquake of AD 747 / 748. Less cer-

1 In 2006 work occurred in all churches except Area A. The cur- structure in Area B as a church (contra Michel 2001: 118). rent excavation team does not identify the Byzantine or Umayyad

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1. Overview of the Abila excavations showing five Byzantine churches. The Area A basilica to the north (top right) lies atop Tall Abπl. Areas D and DD lie atop the southern Tall Umm al-‘Amad, with the Area G church on northeastern slope of that hill. The Area E basilica is below Tall Abπl en route to the Roman Bridge further to the east. tain is the decommissioning date of the DD church. also had an external mosaic plaza on its west iden- Given the lack of any columns found in situ, some tical to the one outside the narthex of the Area D have postulated that the columns from the Area DD church (making both churches appear to have been church were removed in antiquity to build the D in existence at the same time). These large white church (e.g., Mare 1997: 308). However, excava- mosaic floors (with diagonal dark-colored bands) tion this past season indicates that the DD church in front of the A, D, DD churches all appear to be

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2. Area DD church top plan showing three identical inscribed apses.

Late Byzantine/ Umayyad. apses of identical size – a strikingly unusual fea- Initial reports indicated that the three apses of ture. The construction materials vary from a prima- the Area D church were built upon bedrock, sug- ry use of basalt alone (in Area A; also see below on gesting that the church in its present form was the Area G) to a primary use of both limestone and ba- first monumental structure in its location (Winter salt (in Area D). The dimensions also vary between 1990: 41). However, later excavation yielded some the churches. For example, the Area D church is slight evidence of a previous Roman period instal- roughly thirty-eight meters long and twenty meters lation below (Winter 1992: 32-33). Nevertheless, wide with a narthex extending a further nine me- the Area A church is clearly built upon several me- ters (Wineland 2001: 34). The Area A Basilica is ters of material filled-in during the Byzantine era; it approximately thirty-three meters long and twenty may be the second church to stand on this site, and meters wide with a narthex of 5.25m (Smith 1983: excavators have postulated a Roman temple further 28-31). below (Wineland 2001: 27-28, 1989: 56-59, 1990: The Area A church apparently stood above and 29; also cf. Hummel 1986). apart from any attached structures. A number of Water collection channels are associated with secondary walls from various periods abut the DD both the A and D churches. Two cisterns were found church, making the analysis of this quite complex. beneath the DD church (Mare 1997: 308) and a However, it appears that, at least in the earliest large cistern lies just north of the Area D basilica. stages of its construction, the DD church had an It is probable that the Area A church also possessed attached room to the south. Most substantially, the a cistern, most likely under its north aisle, though north and south doorways on the Area D church excavations have yet to verify this. lead into at least four attached chambers (FIG. 3). Although there are many features that are simi- One of these was likely a baptistery (perhaps the lar between these three tri-apsidal colonnaded small single-apsidal room to the north), with the churches, there are also some areas of divergence. other chambers constituting small chapels, a vestry, As noted above, the DD church possesses three and conceivably ecclesiastical living quarters.

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3. Crane shot of the Area D church look- ing west. Note the opus sectile floor- ing, the alternating limestone and ba- salt columns, and the attached rooms on the north and south.

Just by examining these three churches, one logs to this pattern are rare in the Middle East (for a can observe continuity and variation in the Abila suggested comparison see Menninga 2004: 43). A churches. These three share a general tri-apsidal, few other five-aisled churches are known in Byzan- three-aisled, colonnaded basilica form. They also tine Palestine, including one at Umm Qays (Patrich have analogous mosaic plazas at their entrances, 2006: 375); however, the cloverleaf is more rare comparable internal decoration features, roughly (perhaps cf. Scythopolis), and the combination of equivalent access to water and similarly prominent five aisles and a cloverleaf apse design appears locales atop the twin tells of Byzantine Abila. How- quite innovative. ever, there are significant variations between these Screens separated off each of the apses, along churches – not just in the size of their basilicas, with the altar, as sacred space. Four colonnades de- but also in their connectivity to attached structures fine the aisles from one another. Marble flooring (note the important rooms attached to the Area D made from large rectangular pavers is still evident church) and in their internal design (note the three in the southwest corner of the sanctuary. During all identical-sized apses in Area DD). the various seasons of excavation, pottery analysis indicated Early and Late Byzantine (as well as oc- The Five-Aisle Area E Church casional Late Roman) sherds at or below the floor The bulk of new church excavation in 2006 oc- level (e.g. Deeds 1991: 21). The interior walls of curred in the Area E and G churches. This is not the the church and its narthex still contained examples place to report our complete findings; rather, the of metal hooks used for securing marble revet- following descriptions focus on material most per- ment. In addition to the three entrances from the tinent to our architectural comparison of the Byz- west, doorways were built into the north and south antine church buildings. walls of the basilica; some previous excavation had The Area E church lies to the southeast below been done amidst the heavy collapse at the northern Tall Abil, en route to the Roman bridge further to sealed doorway. its east (see again FIG. 1). The sanctuary of Area The goals in this church last season were to E was excavated in the 1990’s, and the 2000 sea- identify attached rooms on the southern exterior of son revealed the narthex (FIG. 4). This basilica is this basilica, and to probe the material between the unique at Abila for possessing five aisles and three narthex and the huge (ten meter high) terrace wall apses – the apses appearing in a cloverleaf pattern to the west of the church. The fact that this Area (one each pointing north, east, and south).2 Ana- E church had been shifted a few degrees off from

2 The designation “cloverleaf” comes from Menninga (2004: 43). Earlier it was called a “cruciform” church (Mare 1997: 306).

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4. Area E top plan before 2006 excava- tion. Note five aisles and three-apses in a “cloverleaf pattern”. the eastern orientation of the other Abila churches ter. In this second phase of the use of the room, it was likely due to the church’s alignment with this continued to be a large open area that could have retaining wall. This curious orientation also opens accommodated a crowd. It also continued to be the possibility that, since the eastern wall of the decorated with Christian symbols, as evidenced by Area E Church suggests some modifications in its a cross in the center of the western wall and a sec- foundation; the current basilica might have been ond one on a limestone column drum. Two large, built by expanding an earlier structure. rounded-topped, niches (approx. 1m wide, 35cm Along the south side of the church we can now deep and 1.25m tall) were built into the southern verify the existence of a large attached room to the wall of this room. While one niche was carefully west with a plastered floor entered from the south- plastered shut in antiquity, the other was left open west corner of the church. This large room (approx- and was used as a cooking or industrial fire pit in imately 18m long and 10m wide) was constructed later times when the room’s roof had collapsed. for ecclesiastical purposes and could accommodate The room also contained a black marble reli- a large group of people. Like the interior of the quary that had been moved from its original loca- church, this room was originally paved with marble tion of use (FIG. 5). The reliquary was found lying tiles at the western end. It also had a raised area of on the plastered floor upside down. When is was limestone pavers at the east end. The marble paved still functioning as a reliquary, it had been set deep- floor was largely broken up by falling masonry and ly in a floor and stood proud about 20cm – as indi- was subsequently covered with a 2cm layer of plas- cated by a mortar line that still adheres to the side

-529- David W. Chapman and Robert W. Smith of the stone. The cover for this three-chambered cistern. The cistern was roughly six meters deep, reliquary was not found. The shape of the bottom and it had been fed in antiquity by an approximate- of the reliquary suggests that it had been carved ly 20cm wide channel running down the side of the from a capital. retaining wall. An intriguing niche was also found This large southern room possesses essentially cut into the nearby retaining wall, and a bench seat- rectilinear lines, except that a peculiar doorway on ing area was exposed flanking it. This small plaza the east end leads through a curved passage into a area west of the Area E church was limited in size paved smaller area at the southeast of the church but decorated with greater sophistication than those that lies south of the south apse of the church ba- outside the other churches of Abila. silica. Further excavation is required to understand the function of this smaller area and its relation to The Single-Apse Area G Church the south apse, where it seems to have been con- The Area G church was once thought to have been nected by a doorway that was apparently cut after a small martyrion, but it surprised us all in its scope the building was constructed. and size (FIG. 6). Previous excavation had identi- Excavations in the plaza west of the church’s fied a single apse, in which was found a martyrium narthex led to the discovery of the wellhead to a and a six-chambered reliquary (FIG. 7). Under- neath this apse exists the apparent terminus of a large water channel running about two kilometers from the nearest natural spring (‘Ayn Quwayliba). By the end of the 2006 season it was clear that the Area G church was actually a large three-aisled basilica, supported by piers, with a single apse to the east and a narthex to the west. Several squares exhibited the presence of opus sectile flooring, and all squares indicated a plaster substrate in prepara- tion for the original opus sectile. Probes beneath the flooring exhibited Early and Late Byzantine sherds. The walls hint at marble revetment in the interior of the sanctuary and in the narthex. 5. Area E reliquary discovered in southern attached room dur- On the south side of the central aisle lies an oc- ing 2006 season. tagonal limestone base to an ambo (a platform for

6. Area G church looking east. Note single nave apse with martyrion, and pier construction. Excavation squares in the foreground are in the narthex area. On right (south) is an ambo, and behind this there is a screened flat wall at eastern end of south aisle.

-530- Continuity and Variation in Byzantine Church Architecture at Abila elsewhere in Byzantine churches in neighboring Palestina Arabia, in northern Jordan. For example, an early Byzantine church at Ri˙åb has a single- apse three-aisled basilica with supporting piers (al-Husan 2002: 71-94). In fact, several churches in the vicinity of modern al-Mafraq were found to have single apses and to have supported their roof with piers of stone rather than columns (based on our travels to view these in 2006 and cf. plans in Piccirillo 1993: 304-313). Nevertheless, the main difference between our Area G church and these other churches in Jordan are that they possess at- tached rooms (pastophoria) off the side aisles on 7. Area G six-chambered reliquary found in church apse. the east (adjacent to the central apse). Perhaps such a feature was not feasible at Abila, given that the the reading of Scripture). Although it has been sug- eastern edge of the church was suspended over the gested that ambos were installed on the northern side slope of the hill? Nevertheless, the lack of dual pas- of the nave in Palestine, and on the southern side in tophoria in a single-apse design may also be wit- Arabia (Piccirillo 2000: 59; Michel 2001: 81), the nessed in the fifth-century Amman Citadel Church Area G church ambo is located on the south which and especially in the seventh-century Bishop Gen- may indicate a mingling of influences in Palaestina esius Church at Jarash (conveniently described in Secunda. The octagonal shape of the ambo base is Balderstone 2007: 24, 42; also see Michel 2001: also rare, since these are usually thought to follow 269-272, 278-280).3 hexagonal, square, or circular forms (Patrich 2006: 380). Large basalt thresholds still mark the door- Continuity and Innovation ways that led from the narthex into the sanctuary This paper is principally interested in the variety and larger basalt lintels, which originally spanned and similarities of church designs at Abila. One the doorways, lay collapsed among the remains of common factor in all the churches was their con- the limestone walls. The location of the church, ap- nection to water. Cisterns exist beneath the DD and proximately halfway up the northeastern slope of G Churches, the E church has a cistern wellhead in Umm al-‘Amad, necessitated the construction dur- the atrium just west of its narthex, and the D church ing antiquity of a foundation wall on the eastern lies not far south of a large cistern atop Umm al- end of the church (especially beneath the apse). ‘Amad. Even the Area A church is bordered to the There may be adjacent rooms south of the basilica, north by a water channel used for collecting water since we discovered openings along the southern atop Tall Abπl; likely this Area A church also lies wall in the last days of excavation in 2006. near (or possibly over) a cistern at the terminus of This form of construction was unusual for Abila its water channel. on several counts. It appears that vaulting below All churches unearthed heretofore follow ba- the northern end of the Area G church provided silica designs with their entrances on the west and the necessary platform for the church itself. This their nave apse on the east. Even the one clear ex- church possesses in its martyrion the most substan- ample of a martyr church (Area G) followed ba- tial evidence of a martyr cult yet discovered at Abi- silica architecture rather than a centralized design. la (though it is possible that a sarcophagus found Four of these churches are three-aisled basilicas, in the vicinity of the Area D sanctuary belonged to but one (Area E) is five-aisled. Evidence of narthex that church). The single-apse form is unique at Abi- entrances exists for four of these churches (Area la, as is the pier-based construction, and an ambo is DD is a likely exception here). not testified elsewhere at this site. The principle variation among these basilicas However, several of these features are found concerns the number and location of apses. Four 3 Other possible parallels are listed in Patrich (2006: 377n), who Burke 2004: 21), though this was later corrected to include a dia- follows Michel (2001: 28). Early published reports of the Church konikon and a prothesis on either side of the central apse (Rose of St Thomas at Ía‘ad also suggested a similar design (Rose and et al. 2007: 424).

-531- David W. Chapman and Robert W. Smith are tri-apsidal, whereas one possesses only a single vious entrances or exits) has led us to speculate that apse at the head of the nave (Area G). Among the these walls may have been adorned with icons. tri-apsidal churches, the five-aisled Area E is the Church structure alone appears insufficient for only one to have a cloverleaf plan (as opposed to dating these ecclesiastical buildings. One might the more standard design where the north and south postulate that the single-apsed Area G church was apses form the eastern heads of the side aisles). one of the earlier designs at Abila. However, al- Also, the Area DD church possesses the remark- though the final basilica form of the Area G church able feature of having three eastern apses of identi- (with its single apse) appears simpler than the other cal dimensions. Four of the churches relied on sup- churches,4 it required a substantial commitment porting columns, whereas only the Area G church of resources to construct this expanded Area G employed piers to separate the aisles from the nave. church over such a water system and on the slope Three of the churches (Areas D, E, and probably of a hill. Its simplicity of design may have been G) evidence attached rooms. On most matters the affected more by its location than by its era of con- churches atop the tall(s) show greater continuity in struction. Furthermore, the original excavation as- architectural design than those below. sessments have suggested that the Area A and D All the churches possess their own forms of churches were among the latest monumental Byz- decoration. Opus sectile flooring is present in all antine structures at Abila (from the sixth or even five churches, though only partial samples of such seventh century). Yet, despite their prime location, flooring remain in each. Mosaics appear in attached the A and D churches do not seem as structural- rooms (Area D) or in the public access-ways near ly complex as the E church, which was probably the churches (Areas A, D, DD, E), and occasion- among the most unique basilicas in the region. ally in a side aisle of a church (DD). Area E and Most of these buildings appear to have suffered a G churches evidence brackets employed to hang similar calamitous demise during the earthquake of marble revetments on the walls (cf. Mare 1999: AD 747 / 748 (although the DD church may have 456). The walls of the D and DD churches were not been decommissioned earlier). Thus, at least most found sufficiently intact to speculate on wall deco- of these basilica churches were in simultaneous use rations in these churches. Some decorative motifs through the end of the Byzantine era and up to the serve ecclesiastical functions. This is especially end of the Umayyad period. true with the chancel screens used to separate the Perhaps the most substantial conclusion we can sacred space of the apses. Only the Area G church reach is to admit that, among the currently exposed clearly indicates the use of a permanently installed structures at Abila, the differences in church design ambo for reading Scripture. With the discoveries are all fairly conservative variations on the basilica of 2006 we now have two examples of reliquaries style. With the possible exception of the reliquary used to house holy objects in the churches (from and martyrium discoveries, and the various ways the Area E and G churches). screens are employed, there is currently no substan- The Abila Churches of Areas E and G, which do tive reason to suspect theological motivations for not have side apses flanking the central apse at the structural variations. Rather these seem to depend east end of the building, both display an intrigu- on the level of opulence desired in church design. ing development by screening off areas at the flat- As Byzantine ideas of sacred space flowed walled, eastern end of their side aisles. At the ends through Jordan, they left their footprint behind. of these aisles the restrictive screens and the verti- There was also regional variation within Jordan it- cal posts are gone but the hard limestone foundation self. The use of local materials (or the reuse of pre- course remains, showing the placement of the posts vious materials found near Abila) helped determine and the screen sections. The fact that these eastern building construction. However, local creativity walls are separated off as sacred space (without ob- also took the basilica form and reshaped it into a

4 On the basis of the simplicity of the Area G church, one might simplicity of design does not necessarily mean a more ancient assert that it was Early Byzantine, such as the examples of the St date of construction. Note that the single-apse churches already John of Studius basilica in Constantinople or the much larger one mentioned in this paper included the fifth-century Amman Cita- at the Archeiropoietos basilica in Thessalonica (Mango 1978: 36- del Church and the seventh-century Bishop Genesius Church at 40). A closer example might be the one at Maresha (Kloner 1993). Jarash. The examples near al-Mafraq were mentioned above. However,

-532- Continuity and Variation in Byzantine Church Architecture at Abila variety of designs that were employed roughly con- the Decapolis. ADAJ 43: 451-458. temporaneously in Byzantine Abila. Menninga, C. 2004. The Unique Church at Abila of the The unearthing of a fifth basilica during the 2006 Decapolis. NEA 67.1: 40-49. excavation season has revealed further such varia- Michel, A. 2001. Les Églises d’Époque Byzantine et tion in local design and, additionally, testifies to Umayyade de La Jordanie. Turnhout: Brepols. ecclesial wealth at Abila. Indeed, the wealth these Patrich, J. 2006. Early Christian Churches in the Holy churches possessed in their structures and their Land. Pp. 355-399 in O. Limor and G.G. Stroumsa proximity to and control over significant water re- (eds.), Christians and Christianity in the Holy Land: sources bear witness to the social importance of the From the Origins to the Latin Kingdom. Turnhout: church at Abila from the fourth to eighth centuries. Brepols. Piccirillo, M. 1993. The Mosaics of Jordan. Amman: Acknowledgments American Center of Oriental Research. The authors wish to express great appreciation to ––– 2000. The Architecture and Liturgy of the Early their Abila colleagues – Chelius Carter (architect), Church. Pp. 48–113 in Y. Israeli and D. Mevorah David Vila (supervisor Area DD), Adam Cham- (eds.), Cradle of Christianity. Jerusalem: The Israel bers (supervisor Area D), as well as Jeff Prager Museum. and Christine Plimpton (who oversaw Area G in Rose, J.C. and Burke, D.L. 2004. Sa’ad: A Late Roman/ 2006). The 2006 excavations were conducted un- Byzantine Site in North Jordan. Irbid: Yarmouk Uni- der the auspices of the Department of Antiquities versity. of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dr Faw- Rose, J., el-Najjar, M. and Burke, D.L. 2007. Bioar- waz al Khraysheh, Director General. We had the chaeology of North Jordan: A Decade of Coopera- capable assistance of Maged Abu Shara and Taha tive American and Jordanian Student Research. Pp. Batayneh, with Wajeeh Karasneh overseeing our 419-426 in T.M. Levy, P.M. Daviau, R.W. Younker, work as Irbid District Director. and M. Shaer (eds.), Crossing Jordan: North Ameri- can Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan. Bibliography London: Equinox. al-Husan, Abdel-Qader. 2002. The New Archaeological Schumacher, G. 1889. Abila of the Decapolis. London: Discoveries of the al-Fudayn and Rahab al-Mafraq PEF. 1991-2001. ADAJ 46: 71-94. Smith, K.D. 1983. The Architectural Wall Survey On Balderstone, S. 2007. Early Church Architectural Tell Abila. NEASB 22: 28-31. Forms: A Theologically Contextual Typology for the Vila, D.H. 1995. A New Basilica at Abila: Preliminary Eastern Churches of the 4th – 6th Centuries. Mel- Observations on the First Season of Excavation at bourne: Australian Institute of Archaeology. Area DD. NEASB 39-40: 97-104. Deeds, A.E. 1991. The Area E 1990 Excavations at Abi- Wineland, J.D. 1989. 1988 Abila of the Decapolis Exca- la: Area Supervisor’s Preliminary Report. NEASB vation Area A – Preliminary Report. NEASB 32-33: 36: 16-22. 49-64. Hummel, H.D. 1987. Abila Area A, 1-16. NEASB 29: ––– 1990. The Area A 1990 Excavations at Abila: Area 65-88. Supervisor’s Preliminary Report. NEASB 35: 20-32. Kloner, A. 1993. A Byzantine Church at Maresha (Beit ––– 2001. Ancient Abila: An Archaeological History. Govrin). Pp. 260-264 in Y. Tsafrir (ed.), Ancient BAR International Series 989. Oxford: Archaeo- Churches Revealed. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration press. Society. Winter, W.W. 1988. Abila of the Decapolis - 1988 Area Mango, C. 1978. Byzantine Architecture. Milan: Elec- D. NEASB 31: 45-63. ta. ––– 1990. The Area D 1990 Excavations at Abila: Area Mare, W.H. 1997. The 1996 Season of Excavation at Supervisor’s Preliminary Report. NEASB 34: 29-41. Abila of the Decapolis. ADAJ 41: 303-310. ––– 1992. The Area D 1992 Excavations at Abila: Area ––– 1999. The 1998 Season of Excavation at Abila of Supervisor’s Preliminary Report. NEASB 37: 22-36.

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