A Shrine to Moses. A Reappraisal of the Mount Nebo Monastic Complex between Byzantium and Islam

Abstract

Based on thesis (doctoral)--University of Milan, 2017. Preface of the Director of the archaeological mission -- Geleitwort des wissenschaftlichen Direktors des Österreichischen Archäologischen Institutes der ÖAW -- Foreword -- The aims of the research -- Methodology -- Structure of the book -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- A first approach to monasticism beyond the River Jordan -- A brief history of the studies and research connected with monasticism -- The excavation campaigns in the Memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo -- The Archaeological Investigations In The Monastic Complex Of Mount Nebo -- Excavation And Architectural Analysis Of The Basilica -- The Excavation -- Area 1 : survey under the synthronon and in the apse of the cella trichora -- Area 2 : survey of "unexcavated soil" west of tomb no. 70 -- Area 3 : survey in the area of access to the cella trichora and to the three tombs -- Area 4 : survey in the central nave and in the northern intercolumns -- Area 5 : survey in the area of the facade of the basilica -- Interpreting the excavation -- The phase of construction of the first basilica -- The phase of partial rebuilding with the addition of the cella trichora -- The phase of rebuilding the basilica -- The Umayyad phase with the partial rebuilding of the synthronon -- Stratigraphic repertoire of the excavation areas -- Numismatic note -- Inscriptions -- Catalogue of finds -- Area 1 : survey under the synthronon and in the apse of the cella trichora (TS-12) -- Area 2 : survey of "unexcavated soil" west of the tomb no. 70 (TE-12) -- Area 3 : survey in the area of access to the cella trichora and to the three tombs -- Area 4 : survey in the central nave and in the northern intercolumns -- Catalogue of architectonic fragments -- New Data On The Monastery Of Mount Nebo In The Early Islamic Period -- Excavation Of Room no. 103 -- Catalogue of finds -- Conclusions -- The excavation in cistern no. 8 in the atrium in front of the basilica -- Catalogue of finds -- Conclusions -- Historical And Topographical Contextualization Of The Monastic Complex Of Mount Nebo -- The Shrines Of Biblical Figures Beyond The River Jordan -- Origin And Development Of The Monastic Shrines In Jordan -- The pilgrimage routes beyond the River Jordan -- Analysis of the monastic complexes -- The prophet Elijah : shrine of Mar Liyas in the ancient Tishbe -- The prophet Elijah : shrine in the Wadi al-Kharrar-Sapsaphas -- The patriarch Lot : the monastic complex of Deir ʻAin ʻAbata -- The high priest and Saint Aaron : the monastery of Jabal Haroun near Petra -- Settlement And Daily Life In The Monastic Community Of Mount Nebo -- The Coenobium of Siyagha : framing the monastic spaces -- The management of the monastery -- The monastic landscape -- The production facilities and dietary aspects -- The water system -- Economic and social components -- Religious and lay euergetism -- The social composition of the monks -- From The Byzantine Period To Islamic Rule : Continuity And Decline Of Monasticism Beyond The River Jordan -- Elements of continuity -- Monastic life during the Persian occupation -- The monastic foundations under Islamic rule -- The continuity of the devotional practices in the monasteries -- Factors for the decline of monasticism -- The external factors -- The political and cultural elements -- The data of sacred building -- The data on the morphology of settlements -- The internal factors -- Conclusions -- The monastic sanctuaries of the Biblical figures : architecture and devotion -- The monastic landscape of Mount Nebo : a slow epilogue -- Zusammenfassung -- Sommario -- Bibliography -- Indexes -- List Of Illustrations -- Plates 1-47.