Archaeological efforts continue to uncover, restore Jerash's northern theatre

AMMAN — The intensive documentation of Jerash began in January 1982, as the Department of Antiquities of Jordan invited the directors of various archaeological institutions that operate in Jordan to take part in exploration of Jerash.

This initiative led to renovation of Jerash and the city, antique Gerasa, was placed on the map of touristic attractions of the region.

The North Theatre (168-230 AD) is one of three Roman theatres at Jerash, the others being the earlier and considerably larger South Theatre adjacent to the Zeus temple, and the later, much smaller theatre at the Birketain Springs.

“The North Theatre is located just south of the North Decumanus, west of the North Tetrapylon. It is oriented with its diameter and the north wall of the stage building parallel to the North Decumanus, which widens out to form a small piazza to the north of the theatre,” said Susan Balderstone from Australian Institute of Archaeology.

"Between the northern wall of the stage building and the piazza there is a portico of which the engaged columns at each end and the first column from the east are still standing. When work began, the lower cavea of the auditorium was almost completely buried, as was the stage and most of the stage building," said Balderstone.

"The first step for the new project was to fully document the extant structure, including recording the positions of all the fallen stones," Balderstone underlined, noting that a full measured survey of the theatre was carried out, together with a photographic survey and a detailed structural report of necessary repair and consolidation work.

“It was necessary to excavate in certain areas in order to understand the building, its sequence of construction and the history of its occupation, before general clearing could take place."

"The British team excavated the external vomitoria, internal passage and paradoi, the Americans excavated the stage and stage building and established the level of the orchestra, and the Australians, who were already working on the north tetrapylon and north decumanus, excavated the portico area,” Baldersone explained, noting that it was possible to make some observations about the Northern Theatre.

"The upper cavea of eight rows of seating is divided into eight cunei by seven scalaria. No trace remains of the two further scalaria which probably existed at the extreme east and west ends of the upper cavea. The lower cavea has fourteen rows of seats [Schumacher showed only eight], divided into four cunei by five scalaria," Bladerstone elaborated.

Bladerstone noted that the praecinctio is marked by a vertical wall 2.74 metres high to the top of the cornice, punctuated by twelve shell-headed niches in groups of threes between five vomitoria.

The central niche of each three is semicircular in plan, those either side are rectangular. Dowel holes in the praecinctio sill, opposite the small pilasters either side of the niches, and a corresponding hole in the soffit of one of the in-situ cornice blocks indicate that small columns once existed all around the praecinctio.

"Previous work on the theatre comprised a report by G. Schumacher published in Zeitschriff der Deutschein Palastina Vereins, in which he gave a plan and section of the theatre; and some clearance and consolidation work carried out by G. Horsefield in 1925."

Schumacher's plan is puzzling, as it indicates ten scalaria in the lower cavea and shows the Piazza to the north of the theatre as being completely walled off from the street," Balderstone highlighted.

By the end of the first year of the project, the auditorium was cleared to exposed ten rows of seats in the lower cavea and the renovation of the Northern Theatre continued during 1980.

"The areas of tumbled stones in the upper cavea had been cleared and the vault beneath partially consolidated. Work is now proceeding on the restoration of the praecinctio wall and upper cavea," Balderstone underscored.