Review of the conference "Le ultime scoperte in Giordania"

The following contribution is a review of the conference recently given at Rome by Padre M. Piccirillo. The scholar has dealt with the results of the last surveys and studies in Jordan and exactly in Madaba.

At first F. Piccirillo has illustrated the urban topography and the identified structures in Madaba. This town, whose prehistorical and roman evidences are also known, had a intense development under the 2nd half of the 6th century A.D. Infact the most conspicuous number of churches dates from that period. The Virgin’s Church - built on a roman - Tycheion -, the Cathedral and the Apostle’s Church are some remarkable examples. These structures are situated in the northern part of Madaba, along the roman street.

But the focus of this conference has been the mosaic map of Madaba, found in a church in the 1896. The relator mentioned H. Donner who attended to the restoration of the mosaic and its publication.

This mosaic floor is a very considerable evidence of the mosaic handicraft in byzantine Jordan. But it is an important evidence of a biblical geography too. Infacts on this map the biblical sites of the "Promised Land" are represented. They are indicated by short inscriptions, which must be considerated as explanations. But there are also some inscriptions longer that quote biblical passages. The places of the mosaic map are represented by own physical peculiarity and symbols. For example, Jerusalem, at the centre of the map, is represented by numerous buildings, and particullary by the Anastasis.

Elisabetta Garau

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