Many ancient history buffs know the famous mosaic map of Jerusalem in Madaba, but few realize that Madaba is a veritable city of mosaics. From the late Byzantine and early Islamic periods, Madaba mosaics adorn churches, public buildings and private homes. A recently inaugurated archaeological park helps protect some of the more notable mosaics and gives viewers better access to them.
Madaba (or Medeba) appears numerous times in the Bible (Numbers 21:30; Joshua 13:9–16). David’s army defeated a coalition of Ammonites and Arameans there (1 Chronicles 19:7–19); in the ninth century B.C.; the Moabite king Mesha captured the city, a feat recounted on the famous Mesha Stone.a
For roughly 500 years, Madaba was for all practical purposes abandoned—until the end of the 19th century. In 1880, several Christian families settled on the mound of the ancient city; in 1887 a Catholic missionary discovered a Greek mosaic inscription at the Church of the Virgin, alongside the Roman Cardo (the main north-south street). Three years later came the discovery of the mosaic for which Madaba is best known: the sixth-century A.D. map of Palestine in St. George’s Church. Restored in 1965, the approximately 50-by-18-foot map consists of more than two million tessarae (individual stones) and contains a detailed rendition of Jerusalem, including notably the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
A second large and beautiful mosaic can be found in Hippolytus Hall (top photo), a Byzantine-era hall located about four 021feet below the Church of the Virgin. The center of this mosaic is dominated by three rectangular panels; the top panel (photo below) shows the goddess Aphrodite seated on a throne next to Adonis, slapping a Cupid with her sandal. The center panel features characters from the myth of Phaedra and Hippolytus, known to us from the work of the classic Greek playwright Euripides. The third panel depicts flowers and aquatic birds.
At the Madaba Archaeological Park, dedicated last November, a shelter protects the Hippolytus Hall and the Church of the Virgin and an arcade features other mosaics from the area. The Madaba Mosaic School in the town will train students to conserve and create mosaics.
Madaba is accessible by bus from Amman. The Archaeological Park is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Tuesdays.
For Further Reading
The Mosaics of Jordan, by Michele Piccirillo (Amman, Jordan: American Center of Oriental Research, 1993; see review in Books in Brief, BAR 22:02.
Madaba, Mt. Nebo, by Michele Piccirillo (Amman: Al Kutba Publishers, P.O. Box 9446, Amman, Jordan, 1990).
Jordan & Syria, by Damien Simonis and Hugh Finlay (Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 1993).
Madaba, Jordan
18 miles south of Amman
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