Qasr Bshir

Transliterated Name	Language	Name
Qasr Bshir	Arabic	قاسر بسهير
Castra Praetorii Mobeni	Latin

Introduction

Figures

Plate 71 - Latin Building Inscription

Pl. 71

Latin Building Inscription on lintel of gateway of Qasr Bshir

JW: Note the two fractures in the lintel and the chipped corners in the stones above the lintel

Parker (1987)

on lintel of gateway of Qasr Bshir from Parker (1987)

Discussion

The Castellum of Qasr Bshir is located ~15 km. NE of el-Lejjun and ~15 km. NW of the modern town of el-Qatrana. A Latin inscription on a lintel stone within a
tabula ansata over the main gateway (see Figures) provides a date for construction of the fort between 293 and 305 CE ( Clark, 1987). This date is also supported by the earliest coin from the site (Coin #15 from H.5:008) which was dated to 310-325 CE ( Clark, 1987). A small but significant number of Iron Age and Nabataean sherds indicates earlier activity ( Clark, 1987). This material was not found in in situ occupational deposits, although such [deposits] may exist ( Clark, 1987). The site was abandoned by the Romans by 500 CE. After abandonment, limited occupation occurred which may have been no more than a squatter occupation. The site was re-occupied in the Umayyad period. After abandonment at the end of the Umayyad period, transitory occupation followed up to the present day ( Clark, 1987).

Maps, Aerial Views, Plans, Drawings, Sections, and Photos

Maps and Aerial Views

Map of Limes Arabicus

Limes arabicus, central part in Jordan - Azraq basin and Wadi el-Mujib basin. Red squares are Roman fortresses and forts from the end of the 3rd/beginning of the 4th century.

(modified from S. T. Parker, An Empire's New Holy Land: The Byzantine Perio, Near Eastern Archaeology , Sep., 1999, Vol. 62, No. 3 (Sep., 1999), p. 138)

Ursus - Wikipedia - CC-BY-SA 4.0

Fortresses in Jordan from Wikipedia
Qasr Bshir in Google Earth

Qasr Bshir
click on image to explore this site on a new tab in Google Earth

Plans

Normal Size

Fig. 87 - Site Plan from

Fig. 87

General location map of Qasr Bshir

Parker (1987)

Clark (1987)
Fig. 88 - Plan of the Castellum

Fig. 88

Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89

Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW

Parker (1987)

with survey areas from Clark (1987)
Plan of the Castellum

Plan of the Castellum

Click on image to open a high res magnifiable version in a new tab

Castra Praetorii Mobeni at Limes Arabicus in a plan compiled by user Mediatus. The research of Alfred von Domaszewski (1856–1927) and Rudolf Ernst Brünnow (1858–1917) was particularly used for this plan: The Provincia Arabia was described on the basis of two trips undertaken in 1897 and 1898 and the reports of previous travelers. Volume 2, Trübner, Strasbourg 1904, pp. 48, 49 (fold-out plan; taken by Alfred von Domaszewski). Samuel Thomas Parker (1950–2021): The Roman Limes in Jordan also played an important role. In: Studies in the History and Archeology of Jordan 3 (1987), pp. 151–164; here: p. 157, Fig. 6. This revised and corrected plan was originally drawn by Bert de Vries (1939–2021) in his capacity as an architect based on the plan by Domaszewski and Brünnow. The architects Jim Michener and Dan Ritsema helped de Vies as surveyors. The plan created here on Wikipedia by the user Mediatus also differs from the two compilations mentioned in that it shows the angle measurements, which are not always straight.

Mediatus (H.J.) - Wikipedia - CC-BY-SA-3.0 & GFDL

from Wikipedia

Magnified

Fig. 87 - Site Plan from

Fig. 87

General location map of Qasr Bshir

Parker (1987)

Clark (1987)
Fig. 88 - Plan of the Castellum

Fig. 88

Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89

Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW

Parker (1987)

with survey areas from Clark (1987)
Plan of the Castellum

Plan of the Castellum

Click on image to open a high res magnifiable version in a new tab

Castra Praetorii Mobeni at Limes Arabicus in a plan compiled by user Mediatus. The research of Alfred von Domaszewski (1856–1927) and Rudolf Ernst Brünnow (1858–1917) was particularly used for this plan: The Provincia Arabia was described on the basis of two trips undertaken in 1897 and 1898 and the reports of previous travelers. Volume 2, Trübner, Strasbourg 1904, pp. 48, 49 (fold-out plan; taken by Alfred von Domaszewski). Samuel Thomas Parker (1950–2021): The Roman Limes in Jordan also played an important role. In: Studies in the History and Archeology of Jordan 3 (1987), pp. 151–164; here: p. 157, Fig. 6. This revised and corrected plan was originally drawn by Bert de Vries (1939–2021) in his capacity as an architect based on the plan by Domaszewski and Brünnow. The architects Jim Michener and Dan Ritsema helped de Vies as surveyors. The plan created here on Wikipedia by the user Mediatus also differs from the two compilations mentioned in that it shows the angle measurements, which are not always straight.

Mediatus (H.J.) - Wikipedia - CC-BY-SA-3.0 & GFDL

from Wikipedia

Drawings

Reconstruction of Castellum

Reconstruction of Castellum of Qasr Bshir

Campbell (2009:58)

from Campbell (2009)

Sections

Fig. 89 - Northeast balk section

Fig. 89

Northeast balk section of Squares H.1 and H.6 at Qasr Bshir

Parker (1987)

of Squares H.1 and H.6 from Clark (1987)

Photos

Pl. 74 - Interior of southwest corner tower

Plate 74

Interior of southwest corner tower of Qasr Bshir

Parker (1987)

from Clark (1987)
Pl. 75 - Interior view of Qasr Bshir

Plate 75

Interior view of Qasr Bshir

Parker (1987)

from Clark (1987)
Pl. 78 - Stone pier with

Plate 78

Stone pier with original courtyard surface in Qasr Bshir

Parker (1987)

original courtyard surface from Clark (1987)

Stratigraphy

from Clark (1987)
Soundings were not undertaken where large quantities of fallen masonry made excavation unfeasible. Although this may have limited the amount of archeoseismic evidence uncovered, there are indications that several earthquakes damaged the structure.

Stratum	Period	Approximate Dates	Comments
I	Late Ottoman-Modern	ca. 1900-	Traces of occupation during this late stratum were found only in H.2 and H.4.
Post Stratum II Gap		ca. 750-1900	Postdating the Stratum II Umayyad occupation there appears to have been a lengthy gap in occupation until the Late Ottoman period. During this period the site may have been used by bedouin, squatters, and travelers. There is no definite trace of such occupation to be found in the archaeological record.
II	Umayyad	ca. 636-750	Clear evidence of Umayyad occupation was found in H.1, H.3, and H.6.
Post Stratum III Gap		ca. 500-636	In H.1 a 0.25 m deposit of rock tumble and windblown loess (H.1:010 and 011) overlay the Early Byzantine I-II occupational deposits. This appears to represent a period of abandonment and of building collapse.
III	Early Byzantine III-IV	ca. 400-500	In H.6 evidence was found of occupation in this stratum. little evidence as to the nature of the occupation at Qasr Bshir during this stratum.
IV	Early Byzantine I-II	ca. 324-400	This was the period which has produced the most evidence of activity at Qasr Bshir.
V	Late Roman IV	ca. 300-324	The major period of building at Qasr Bshir was during the Late Roman IV period. The gateway inscription, as noted, records the construction between 293 and 305. The archaeological evidence supports the date provided by the inscription.

Speculative evidence regarding a 363 CE earthquake

Plans

Fig. 88 - Plan of the Castellum

Fig. 88

Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89

Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW

Parker (1987)

with survey areas from Clark (1987)

Discussion

Clark (1987) identified some wall charring which could be earthquake related.

Stones of the adjacent barrack walls (H.2:001 and 002) were charred at this level. This may represent a localized fire or possibly extensive conflagration, perhaps the result of the 363 earthquake (note also the ash in H.1:012, 014, and 015). Ceramics from this ash were predominantly Late Roman IV to Early Byzantine, but a query is raised by a single sherd which may be Umayyad

Elsewhere in the vicus building, H.5., coins were found in the soil immediately overlying floor H.5:009 with the latest coin dating to 337-340 (Coin #52-H.5:014). There were no indications that occupation of this room extended beyond the mid-fourth century. Although no clear archaeoseismic evidence was reported in the vicus building, Clark (1987:488) speculated that abandonment of this room may have been related to the southern Cyril Quake of 363 CE.

Post Stratum III Gap Earthquake - ca. 500 and 636 CE

Plans

Fig. 88 - Plan of the Castellum

Fig. 88

Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89

Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW

Parker (1987)

with survey areas from Clark (1987)

Discussion

Clark (1987) identified a tumble layer in the Post Stratum III gap which could have been caused by an earthquake or gradual decay

In H.1 a 0.25 m deposit of rock tumble and windblown loess (H.1:010 and 011) overlay the Early Byzantine I-II occupational deposits. This appears to represent a period of abandonment and of building collapse.

Post Stratum II Gap Earthquake - Late Umayyad

Plans

Fig. 88 - Plan of the Castellum

Fig. 88

Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89

Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW

Parker (1987)

with survey areas from Clark (1987)

Discussion

H.1, H.3, and H.6

Clark (1987:489-490) discovered a collapse in H1, H.3, and H.6 which likely occurred at the end of the Umayyad period.

[The Post Stratum II] gap may have been initiated by the partial structural collapse of the building, in particular of the barracks rooms around the courtyard. This may have occurred initially in the 747 A.D. earthquake, with continuing collapse over the years until recent times.

The archaeological record from H.1, H.3, and H.6 suggests that the major collapse took place either during or soon after the Umayyad occupation. In H.1 and H.6 the collapse lay directly over the occupation of this period in the courtyard. There the walls of the barracks rooms along the southwest side had fallen to the northeast, into the courtyard. Elsewhere the rooms seem to have collapsed in upon themselves, as in H.3, where the upper floor had fallen into the ground floor room.

H.3

Clark (1987:489) further discussed collapse evidence at H.3 in two loci, H.3:013 and 010, which represent collapse into the ground floor room from the upper floor.

This collapse included flat roofing beams, what appeared to be flat flooring slabs of limestone, masonry blocks, chinking stones, cobbles, plaster, and mortar. The pottery from this collapse debris was predominantly Umayyad, with a few small sherds of Late Roman and Nabataean date, which had been added to the wall mortar. The presence of Umayyad sherds in this debris suggests that the upper room had been in use also during this period.

H.1

Clark (1987:488) discovered human remains at H.1.

An ashy deposit 0.26 m deep overlay Surface H.1:007. This contained Umayyad sherds, fragments of glass vessels, traces of barley seed, and a quantity of bone including human, camel, bird, and sheep/goat. This may be Umayyad occupational debris on the earthen surface, within what may have been a room of a crude structure. However, the presence of some human bones here is not easy to explain; they may be the partial remains of a person (or persons) killed in the earthquake that seems to have put an end to the Umayyad occupation.

H.2

Clark (1987:490) also found archaeoseismic evidence in H.2 but the terminus post quem for the H.2 evidence is ~400 CE indicating that it could have been a result of an earlier earthquake.

In H.2 a number of loci over the Late Roman/Early Byzantine occupation suggest a gradual buildup of debris, punctuated by sporadic or transient occupation. A buildup of loess, H.2:009, may represent a deposit during the last phase of occupation of this room or a post-abandonment/pre-collapse accumulation of windblown material. This was covered by rock tumble, H.2:007, containing many stones ranging from chinking and cobbles to blocks of masonry, mortar, plaster, and ash in a matrix of loess 0.22 m deep. Over this was a deposit of windblown, loosely packed soil containing fragments of mortar and plaster (H.2:006). This clearly represents a partial collapse of the structure, followed by an accumulation of windblown soil with which was mixed, intermittently, falling mortar and plaster from the walls above. Over the top of this was an ash-filled fire pit, H.2:005, with no other traces of occupation. A massive tumble of fallen masonry including stone ceiling beams (H.2:004) overlay this. No pottery or objects were found in loci H.2:009-004, making precise assignment of them to a particular period impossible. At some time after the fourth century there was a collapse of masonry. On the balance of probability this took place at about the end of the Umayyad period.

Corner Towers

Clark (1987:490) discussed archaeoseismic evidence in in the corner towers.

The collapse of the floors/ceilings of the rooms in the corner towers may also have taken place at this time, although it is impossible to assign more than a terminus post quem for the general destruction.

Later Earthquake(s)

Plans

Fig. 88 - Plan of the Castellum

Fig. 88

Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89

Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW

Parker (1987)

with survey areas from Clark (1987)

Discussion

Above what was presumed to be a Late Umayyad collapse layer Clark (1987:490) found another collapse layer in H.2

A period of abandonment followed [the Late Umayyad collapse], punctuated by a squatter occupation of the room, during which a fire was lit in the corner. There followed a major collapse of masonry, after which no further occupation of the room took place.

The ash filled fire pit was loci H.2:005 and the massive tumble of fallen masonry including stone ceiling beams was loci H.2:004.

Post Stratum III Gap Earthquake - ca. 500 and 636 CE

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description
Rock Tumble	H.1 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)	Fig. 89 Northeast balk section of Squares H.1 and H.6 at Qasr Bshir Parker (1987)	In H.1 a 0.25 m deposit of rock tumble and windblown loess (H.1:010 and 011) overlay the Early Byzantine I-II occupational deposits - Clark (1987)
Building Collapse	H.1 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)		This appears to represent a period of abandonment and of building collapse. - Clark (1987)

Post Stratum II Gap Earthquake - Late Umayyad

Only the better dated seismic effects are listed

Effect	Location	Description
Wall Collapse	H.1 and H.6 - The barracks rooms along the southwest side Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)	The archaeological record from H.1, H.3, and H.6 suggests that the major collapse took place either during or soon after the Umayyad occupation. In H.1 and H.6 the collapse lay directly over the occupation of this period in the courtyard. There the walls of the barracks rooms along the southwest side had fallen to the northeast, into the courtyard. - Clark (1987)
Wall Collapse	H.3 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)	Elsewhere the rooms seem to have collapsed in upon themselves, as in H.3, where the upper floor had fallen into the ground floor room - Clark (1987)
Upper Story Collapse	H.3 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)	This collapse included flat roofing beams, what appeared to be flat flooring slabs of limestone, masonry blocks, chinking stones, cobbles, plaster, and mortar. - Clark (1987)
Human remains	H.1 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)	the presence of some human bones here is not easy to explain; they may be the partial remains of a person (or persons) killed in the earthquake that seems to have put an end to the Umayyad occupation. - Clark (1987)

Later Earthquake(s)

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description
Masonry Collapse	H.2:004 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)		There followed a major collapse of masonry, after which no further occupation of the room took place - Clark (1987)

Post Stratum III Gap Earthquake - ca. 500 and 636 CE

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 - Rock Tumble	H.1 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)	Fig. 89 Northeast balk section of Squares H.1 and H.6 at Qasr Bshir Parker (1987)	In H.1 a 0.25 m deposit of rock tumble and windblown loess (H.1:010 and 011) overlay the Early Byzantine I-II occupational deposits - Clark (1987)	VIII +
Collapsed Walls - Building Collapse	H.1 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)		This appears to represent a period of abandonment and of building collapse. - Clark (1987)	VIII +

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

Post Stratum II Gap Earthquake - Late Umayyad

Only the better dated seismic effects are listed
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	Description	Intensity
Wall Collapse	H.1 and H.6 - The barracks rooms along the southwest side Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)	the walls of the barracks rooms along the southwest side had fallen to the northeast, into the courtyard - Clark (1987)	VIII +
Wall Collapse	H.3 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)	Elsewhere the rooms seem to have collapsed in upon themselves, as in H.3, where the upper floor had fallen into the ground floor room - Clark (1987)	VIII +
Wall Collapse - Upper Story Collapse	H.3 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)	This collapse included flat roofing beams, what appeared to be flat flooring slabs of limestone, masonry blocks, chinking stones, cobbles, plaster, and mortar. - Clark (1987)	VIII +

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

Later Earthquake(s)

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 - Masonry Collapse	H.2:004 Fig. 88 Plan of Qasr Bshir with soundings - 1980-89 Annotations of survey areas (in red) added by JW Parker (1987)		There followed a major collapse of masonry, after which no further occupation of the room took place - Clark (1987)	VIII +

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

References

Articles and Books

Campbell, D. B. (2006). Roman Legionary Fortresses 27 BC–AD 378. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury USA.

Campbell, D. B. (2009). Roman Auxiliary Forts 27 BC–AD 378. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury USA. - can be borrowed with a free account from archive.org

Kennedy, D.L. and Riley, D.N. 1990: Rome’s Desert Frontier from the Air, London, 131

Kennedy, D.L. 2000: The Roman Army in Jordan, London, 146–50 - open access at archive.org

Lander, J. and Parker, S. T. 1982: ‘Legio IV Martia and the legionary camp at El-Lejjun’, Byzantinische Forschungen 8, 185–210 - open access at archive.org

Parker, S.T. 1986: Romans and Saracens. A History of the Arabian Frontier, Winona Lake, 58–74 - can be borrowed with a free account from archive.org

Excavation Reports

Parker, S.T. (ed.) 1987: The Roman Frontier in Central Jordan: Interim Report on the Limes Arabicus Project, 1980–1985, BAR International Series 340, Oxford

Parker, S.T. 2006: The Roman Frontier in Central Jordan: Final Report on the Limes Arabicus Project, 1980–1989, Washington - The final report refers back to Interim Report on some issues of dating and phasing and suggests that a complete report is to be had from both the Interim and Final Report

Websites

Qasr Bashir – A Roman fortlet in Jordan from Roger Pearse

The Byzantine Fortress of Qasr Bashir from byzantinemilitary.blogspot.com

Qasr Bshir at www.xlegio.ru (in Russian) - use your browser to translate

Qasr Bshir at the APAAME pages in flickr.com

Karak Resources Project - Castella in Arabia

Qasr Bshir Conserving a special Roman fort World Archaeology March 23, 2023

Wikipedia page for Limes Arabicus

from Wikipedia