Iraq el-Amir is located in the valley of Wadi es-Sir ~24 km. west of Amman. There is a long history of settlement starting in the Early Bronze Age (Meyers et al, 1997) that continued until Byzantine and possibly Umayyad times. Hellenistic structures were allegedly built there in Hasmonean times by the Tobiad leader Hyrcanus as detailed by Josephus in his Book Jewish Antiquities (12.4.11 according to Lapp et al, 1980:1).

• from Paul W. Lapp in Stern et. al. (1993 v.2)

'Iraq el-Emir is located on a nearly direct line between Jericho and 'Amman, Jordan - 29 km (1 8mi.) east of Jericho and 17 km (l0.5 mi.) west of 'Amman (map reference 221.147). The site includes a partly inhabited mound on which some of the architectural fragments of the ancient site are being reused. Situated on the heights above the west bank of Wadi es-Sir, it commands a view of the spectacular plunge of that valley southward into the Wadi Kafrein. Two hundred meters northwest of the mound are cliffs with natural and hewn caves. Down a fairly steep slope, some 500 m southwest of the mound, is the megalithic Qasr el-'Abd (Fortress of the Servant) with retaining walls and gates. Between the Qasr and the cliffs lies the Square Building, near which, in antiquity, the area was irrigated by a canal. The canal can be traced northward to the base of the cliffs and toward a source beyond. The source ensures a year-long flow of water through the site.

'Iraq el-Emir is probably to be identified with the Ramath-Mizpeh of the Bible (Jos. 13:26) and Birtha (stronghold) of the Ammonites in the land of Tobiah mentioned in the Zenon papyri (P Edgar 59003-59004). It is certainly the Tyros fortress built by the Tobiad Hyrcanus in the early second century BCE (Josephus, Antiq. XII, 230-233). Of the sites proposed for Ramath-Mizpeh (Khirbet Jel'ad, Khirbet es-Sar and Khirbet es-Sireh), only 'Iraq el-Emir has both a geographically satisfactory position and evidence of an Iron Age I occupation. The two "Tobiah" inscriptions on the facades of the two large halls carved in the cliffs and the name Fortress of the Servant (an obvious reference to "Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite" mentioned in Neh. 2:10) stamp the site as a Tobiad center. The family and land of Tobiah have been traced in biblical and other sources to the eighth century BCE. However, the archaeological evidence available so far indicates that there was no substantial occupation at the site between the eleventh century until about 200 BCE. This situation is probably best explained by considering the site as the country estate from which the land of Tobiah was administered. Birtha perhaps consisted of a manor at or near the mound, with the nearby caves offering a defensive stronghold. A few coins and sherds from the early third century BCE may be associated with the estate. It seems dubious, however, that 'Iraq el-Emir had been the center of the Tobiad dominions since the eighth century BCE.

Josephus' description of the building of Tyros may be of construction on a previously unimportant site. There are so many links between Josephus' description of Hyrcanus' Tyros and 'Iraq el-Emir that the identification has never been seriously contested. The name Tyros itself is still preserved in the name Wadi es-Sir. The Qasr el-'Abd can hardly be dissociated from the "strong fortress" Hyrcanus "constructed entirely of white marble up to the very roof, and had beasts of gigantic size carved on it, and he enclosed it with a wide and deep moat" (Josephus, Antiq. XII, 230). The two large halls with the two Tobiah inscriptions correspond to the chambers carved in the rock with narrow entrances "so that only one person and no more could enter at one time" (Antiq. XII, 232). The Plaster Building, excavated in 1962, is almost certainly one of Hyrcanus' "large enclosures" (Antiq. XII, 233). Excavation has undermined the attempts of many scholars to attribute to the Qasr a date before Hyrcanus' operations in the first quarter of the second century BCE. The Qasr is now clearly dated by archaeological evidence to Hyrcanus' time, and the Plaster Building is contemporaneous with it. The dating of the cave inscriptions has been much disputed - a fifth-century BCE date having been accepted by a majority of scholars of paleography for many years. F. M. Cross, Jr., has proposed a date of about 300 BCE, on epigraphic grounds. The epigraphic evidence is not clearly decisive, however, and the excavator has proposed that the reliability of Josephus' account be accepted in this matter, too. He even suggested the revival of an early view that the "Tobiah" of the inscriptions is the Jewish name of Hyrcanus.

• from Paul W. Lapp in Stern et. al. (1993 v.2)

The environs of the Qasr were described by early travelers and scholars, beginning with C. L. Irby and J. Mangles, in 1817. The visits of E. M. de Vogiie in 1864, F. de Saulcy in 1868, and C. R. Conder in 1881 resulted in publications that were superseded only by those of H. C. Butler, whose Princeton expedition survey team spent six days at the site in October 1904. Little attention was paid to the mound by these explorers, and Conder was the only one who provided detailed plans of the caves. Little was added to Butler's amazingly complete descriptions of the Qasr, except that a number of his conclusions were refuted in a dissertation by M. Etchemendy in 1960.

• from Nancy L. Lapp in Stern et. al. (1993 v.2)

The architectural conclusions of E. Will, the director of the Institut Francais, like those of the preceding excavators, are that a Hellenistic building, the Qasr, constructed by Hyrcanus, was left unfinished at the beginning of the second century BCE. After several seasons of work, and with the use of heavy equipment, he and his assistant, F. Larche, were able to uncover and analyze architectural elements and theoretically reconstruct the probable structure planned and partially executed by Hyrcanus. Detailed plans are now available for the north facade, including the evidence that the lion frieze continued from the east to west walls, and for the reconstruction of the corner towers recognized by Lapp and others. When the west side was cleared, walls were uncovered lying face down, the way they had collapsed, outward. Long slabs in the first course of stones laid horizontally held second-course blocks set vertically. This left spaces for windows; small blocks of stone were used as sills between them. Some lintel and cornice blocks above the windows have been reconstructed. Corrections have been made in Butler's earlier plan, most notably in the elimination of the half columns he thought had filled the spaces (windows) between the vertical block. The accuracy of this reconstruction is more certain for the lower courses, revealed through excavation, than for the top courses with the lion frieze.

Especially significant was the discovery in 1962 of another animal fountain. It had been placed symmetrically in the Qasr's west wall, but unfortunately it was greatly mutilated. Adding to information about the lion frieze was a block found face down. It had fallen before it was defaced and weathered unlike those still standing. The feline is carved in high relief and there is a small cub between her fore and hind legs.

Inside the Qasr, Will concluded, as Lapp had before him, that Hellenistic foundations can be determined, even though they were reused and added to by the Byzantines. Stratigraphical excavations with the Jordan Department of Antiquities uncovered a Hellenistic surface in at least one place. However, as already discovered by earlier excavations, even though the Hellenistic level could be determined in most places, the floor had either been removed by the Byzantines or never been completed. Although Will's reconstruction of the Hellenistic building differs considerably from Butler's, Will's internal reconstruction is close to Lapp's.

Excavations of the remains of the monumental gateway were undertaken in 1976, in order to understand the Qasr, much as the Square Building had been excavated in 1961. The gateway's architectural affinities with the Qasr did become clear: it was also decorated with eagles and felines. Its orientation is not toward the Qasr or cave area, but toward a road that, with the dam, contained the artificial lake.

The clearance and reconstruction of the Qasr has led its French investigators to consider that it was the center of a palatial estate-a chateau or manor. The interior Qasr rooms on the lower floor were meant for storage or animals, while the incomplete upper story would have been used for livingas can still be seen in homes in some Near Eastern villages today. The Qasr may have been only one part of a huge country estate, planned and partially executed by Hyrcanus. There is evidence throughout the area-obvious to the early explorers here, as well-of irrigation canals and ancient terraces. The wadi still flourishes with vegetation and the natural surroundings are ideal for gardens and parks. Investigations point to a lake, rather than the moat as Josephus described (see above), held back by an earth dam. An expanded study of the environs has led to further excavations on the village mound. More Hellenistic occupation has been uncovered, including what may be a city wall, but the Roman settlement was the most widespread.

Discussion

Although Ambraseys (2009) listed (Butler 1902, 13 = 760?) as a reference for ~760 BCE Amos Quake evidence at Iraq el-Amir, I do not find anything in this text which refers to the Amos Quake. Further, 'The Arab Conquest of Egypt - And the Last Thirty Years of the Roman Dominion' covers events in the 7th century CE.

Reference

Butler, A. J. (1902). The Arab Conquest of Egypt - And the Last Thirty Years of the Roman Dominion, Read Books.

Lapp et al (1980:8-9) identified a possible seismic destruction layer between Stratum I and Stratum II.

Stratum II

Following the construction of the Qasr, left unfinished by the Hellenistic builders, the monumental buildings were not used for sedentary occupation until early in the Byzantine period. Stratum II represents reoccupation by the Byzantines when they made use of the internal Qasr wall foundations, added walls to support their roofs especially outside the east and west Qasr walls, and laid soil and plaster floors. Two floors of Stratum II were distinguished at a number of places at the Qasr with the earliest at the level of the Hellenistic pavement either replacing the Hellenistic pavement or providing one where the early builders had never done so. Stratum II at the Square Building is the period of the construction of the "square" building which was the distinguishing feature be fore the 1962 excavations took place. One floor of Stratum II was delineated there.

Fourth century A.D. pottery is characteristic of Stratum II both at the Qasr and in the Square Building. At the Qasr the tumbled megaliths of the wall onto the Stratum II floors separate Stratum II from the one above. A Theodosius I coin dating to A.D. 393-395 (reg. no. 51) from the fill for the second floor above the destruction debris provides a terminus ante quem for the catastrophic event, probably an earthquake. A major earthquake is known to have taken place in Transjordan in A.D. 365 (Kallner-Amiran 1950-51: 225) [JW: should be 363 CE. 365 CE date is a common mistake in earlier archeological literature attributing the Crete Earthquake of 365 CE for the Cyril Quakes of 363 CE]. At the Square Building a Constantine II coin, dated A.D. 335-337 (reg. no. 180) was found in the Stratum II floor east of the building so a terminus post quem is provided. The dates, A.D. 335-365, Early Byzantine I (according to Sauer's terminology, 1973:4), may tentatively be assigned Stratum II, though a detailed study of the pottery may refine these dates.

Stratum I

Following the earthquake at the Qasr a leveling off, which in some areas meant the importation of a massive fill, was necessary to cover the earthquake debris. The main line of the Stratum III Qasr walls continued to be followed with only slight deviations. Two floors were distinguished inside some rooms of the Qasr and outside on the west. On the porches fallen debris precluded occupation. At the Square Building almost a meter of debris and three floors were associated with Stratum I, but no earthquake destruction separated Stratum I from Stratum II. The floors were distinguished both inside and outside the Square Building and some of the Stratum II building features were reused.

The Byzantine pottery of Stratum I is typologically later than that of Stratum II, and more absolute dates can be assigned the stratum by some coins. The Theodosius I coin (A.D. 393-395) was in the fill for the I A floor, that is the second floor above the earthquake debris. Thus a period of time, perhaps about thirty years, can be allowed for the first phase of occupation in Stratum I. At the Square Building a coin of Arcadius, dated A.D. 383-408 (reg. no. 179), was found laying on the earliest Stratum I floor. In the fill above the latest floor inside the Qasr was a coin of Zeno, A.D. 476-491 (reg. no. 24), suggesting occupation to the end of the fifth century, and the pottery indicates heavy occupation in the latter half. Stratum I can tentatively be dated A.D. 365-500, Early Byzantine II-IV (according to Sauer's terminology, 1973:4).

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description
Collapsed walls	Qasr el-'Abd Figure 66 General plan of the Qasr (E. Will). Lapp et al (1980) Plan 1 General plan of the 1961 and 1962 excavations at the Qasr (Field II). Lapp et al (1980)		At the Qasr the tumbled megaliths of the wall onto the Stratum II floors separate Stratum II from the one above. - Lapp et al (1980:8-9)
Debris	Qasr el-'Abd - floor, porches Figure 66 General plan of the Qasr (E. Will). Lapp et al (1980) Plan 1 General plan of the 1961 and 1962 excavations at the Qasr (Field II). Lapp et al (1980)		A Theodosius I coin dating to A.D. 393-395 (reg. no. 51) from the fill for the second floor above the destruction debris provides a terminus ante quem for the catastrophic event, probably an earthquake. - Lapp et al (1980:8-9) fallen debris on the porches - Lapp et al (1980:8-9)
Re-used building elements	Qasr el-'Abd - Square Building Figure 66 General plan of the Qasr (E. Will). Lapp et al (1980) Plan 1 General plan of the 1961 and 1962 excavations at the Qasr (Field II). Lapp et al (1980)		The floors were distinguished both inside and outside the Square Building and some of the Stratum II building features were reused. - Lapp et al (1980:8-9)

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description
Collapsed walls             Tensional cracking Through-going fracture Foundation damage northward and westward collapse directions	Qasr el-'Abd Figure 66 General plan of the Qasr (E. Will). Lapp et al (1980) Plan 1 General plan of the 1961 and 1962 excavations at the Qasr (Field II). Lapp et al (1980)	Figure 5 Major cracking of Ras el Abd palace (Iraq el Amir) that cuts into the foundations. El-Isa (1985)	El-Isa (1985) noted seismic effects at Iraq el-Emir: At Ras el Abd (Iraq el Amir) earthquake deformations are very clear and intensive, so that the palace has collapsed almost completely. Overthrown large blocks (some weigh over 20 tons) and large tensional cracking must have been caused by severe shaking at very high acceleration. A major falling direction is northward. Other blocks seem to have fallen westwards, thus indicating two possible directions (S and W) of perhaps two major earthquakes. A major crack seems to cross the building in an ESE—WNW direction that badly damaged the foundations (see FIG. 5). It is noticed that the crack crossed the blocks themselves rather than at their point of contact. This may indicate a ground deformation (rupture). Destruction at this site seems to have been caused by either large earthquakes causing very high acceleration (over 0.3 g.) due to their being close to the site, or the foundations of the palaces being on loose soil, or both causes together. No archeological dating was provided. El-Isa (1985) speculated that the causitive earthquake may have been the Josephus Quake of 31 BCE. Photos from the site indicate that there is an abundance of archeoseismic evidence.

• Earthquake Archeological Effects chart
  Earthquake Archeological Effects (EAE)
  
  Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)
  of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description	Intensity
Collapsed walls	Qasr el-'Abd Figure 66 General plan of the Qasr (E. Will). Lapp et al (1980) Plan 1 General plan of the 1961 and 1962 excavations at the Qasr (Field II). Lapp et al (1980)		At the Qasr the tumbled megaliths of the wall onto the Stratum II floors separate Stratum II from the one above. - Lapp et al (1980:8-9)	VIII +
Debris	Qasr el-'Abd - floor, porches Figure 66 General plan of the Qasr (E. Will). Lapp et al (1980) Plan 1 General plan of the 1961 and 1962 excavations at the Qasr (Field II). Lapp et al (1980)		A Theodosius I coin dating to A.D. 393-395 (reg. no. 51) from the fill for the second floor above the destruction debris provides a terminus ante quem for the catastrophic event, probably an earthquake. - Lapp et al (1980:8-9) fallen debris on the porches - Lapp et al (1980:8-9)	?
Re-used building elements	Qasr el-'Abd - Square Building Figure 66 General plan of the Qasr (E. Will). Lapp et al (1980) Plan 1 General plan of the 1961 and 1962 excavations at the Qasr (Field II). Lapp et al (1980)		The floors were distinguished both inside and outside the Square Building and some of the Stratum II building features were reused. - Lapp et al (1980:8-9)	?

This archaeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

• from wikipedia