Nabatean Structure Earthquake
Erickson-Gini (2012a)
describe archaeoseismic evidence from a
Nabataean
building uncovered at ‘En Yotvata. Excavations
exposed three limestone walls (W1–W3) belonging to
a rectangular structure built of hard limestone
blocks averaging 0.25 × 0.35 m. The best preserved
wall (W2), oriented north–south and measuring
about 12.5 m in length, survived to at least two
courses
above the ground surface, while the other walls
appear to have been of similar dimensions.
The remains indicate that the building had been a
two-story structure that collapsed catastrophically.
Archaeological evidence includes the fallen upper
storey preserved as debris layers (L100, L500,
L600), the collapse of exterior walls, and a group
of large stone ceiling slabs that were discovered
in the middle of the excavation area standing
nearly upright. The position of these slabs
suggests that the roof or upper floor collapsed
suddenly rather than gradually deteriorating.
Artifacts embedded within the destruction debris
help date the event. The collapse layer contained
pottery spanning the
Late Hellenistic
and
Early Roman
periods, including painted
Nabataean fine-ware
bowls, vessels belonging to the
fish-plate
tradition, and
plain Nabataean wares. A large painted
fine-ware bowl from the second half of the first
century CE was found
in situ
in the middle of the building. Coins recovered
from the upper-floor debris were Nabataean issues
of the first century CE.
The latest datable material from the destruction
layer consists of
Nabataean Aqaba Ware jars dated to the
early second century CE. Based on the structural
collapse and the chronological range of the
associated artifacts,
Erickson-Gini
(2012a) conclude that the building was
destroyed in an earthquake in the early second
century CE. After the disaster the ruins appear
to have been quarried for building stone.
