2nd Earthquake
Godwin in Parker (2006:281)
identified three destruction layers in Room T.1, which served
as the
aedes of the Roman fort at Da‘Janiya. Collapse layer T.1:006
was interpreted as possibly caused by the
551 CE Beirut Quake, though the
distance to the epicenter makes this attribution unlikely. The
Inscription at Areopolis Quake is a more
likely candidate. Two later destruction layers – T.1:002 and
T.1:001 – were also interpreted as earthquake-induced, though
undated.
Plaster floor T.1:010 lay beneath collapse layer T.1:006 and was
interpreted as the final official surface in the
aedes. Its survival was only partial and no pottery was
recovered directly from it. Just above the floor, in the
south-west corner, was a dung deposit (T.1:009), interpreted as
stored fuel. Atop this heap was a patch of burned dung (T.1:008)
containing a partially burned wooden plank, likely from a cooking
fire.
Godwin in Parker (2006) suggests this
activity represented brief, unofficial reuse of the room after its
official function ended, while the roof was still intact. These
layers were later sealed by collapse layer T.1:006.
Beneath plaster floor T.1:010 was T.1:011, interpreted as a leveling
deposit laid after a major clean-out in the early 6th century CE,
possibly following an earthquake. It is assumed that plaster
floor T.1:010 was laid down right after completion of this leveling
operation. Levelling Layer T.1:011 yielded Late Roman/Early Byzantine sherds
and a
nummus dated 491–498 CE,
providing a
terminus post quem for
collapse layer T.1:006.
Collapse layer T.1:006 was about 0.31 m deep and consisted of soil
and collapse debris. It yielded Late Roman and Byzantine sherds, an
Early Byzantine coin, one bead, and some animal bones. The upper
portion of the layer contained unburned wooden planks and beams –
evidence of the collapse of a plank-and-beam roof.
Godwin in Parker (2006) notes that
“the room walls appear to have stood for some time … finally, the
walls collapsed, as evidenced by a massive layer of tumbled stone in
the upper portion of T.1:006.” Concentrated patches of ash, charcoal,
and faunal remains suggest brief ephemeral reuse.
An intrusive burial was found in T.1:006, sealed by a second
collapse layer, T.1:002. Layer T.1:002 in turn held a second burial
and was sealed by a third collapse layer, T.1:001. The uppermost
collapse layer (T.1:001) yielded two modern, three Late Islamic, and
a few earlier sherds, along with an alabaster tessera (Obj. #344).
Godwin in Parker (2006) writes that
“as no grave goods, pottery, or coins were associated with these
burials, it is difficult to determine the date of the burials, which
would provide a
terminus ante quem for
the destruction layers in which they were set.” Nevertheless, it is
reasonable to suppose that collapse layer T.1:006 resulted from a
6th-century CE earthquake and that the site then experienced two later
seismic events.
Fig. 14.5