Temple of zeus, Jerash, Jordan.... history, reconstruction

1.  Roman name:Jupiter.
The king of Gods.
Ruler of Mount Olympus
One of the twelve Olympians and the most
important god of olympians.
He was the god of thunder and sky, he
controlled the weather.
 He used to carry a lightning bolt that he
would use when angered.

2. Zeus played a dominant
role, presiding over the
Greek Olympian pantheon.
 He was the
embodiment of Greek
religious beliefs.

3. Dedicated to Zeus.
Located at the summit of the hill .
Over-looking the oval plaza.
 Drainage channels flowed into the main
sewage system under the pavement of the
plaza.

4. Plaza connects the courtyard in front of the
temple to the Cardo.
The Cardo is the main axis that connects
and brings together all the features of the
city.
 90 meters in length (North-South)
 80 meters in width (East-West)
Colonadded.
Paved with stone blocks.

6. From the plaza, a staircase leads up to the
Temenos (Sacred precint).
The Temenos is the largest part of the
Temple.
Measuring about 50 by 100 meters,
 It has the remains of an early sanctuary.
 which was considered the most sacred part
of the building.

8. • Another staircase leads up to second terrace
and finally to the temple which was
surrounded by 15 meters high, Octastyle
Corinthian columns

9. Originally, a rock in the temenos served as
a high place and was enclosed into a shrine
in 100-80 B.C.
The shrine was modified in 69 A.D and also
in the 2nd century, probably by Emperor
Hadrian.(when he visited the city in 129
A.D.)

11. In the 4TH century BC, during the Hellenistic era,
Jerash became a member of the Decapolis.
It was then known as Gerasa.
 Recent excavations show that Jerash was already
inhabited during the Bronze age (3200-1200 BC)
After the Roman conquest in 63 BC, the city was altered
through the creation of an urban grid with colonnaded
and paved streets.
 Significant monuments in the city, including immense
temples, theaters, and public spaces, the most prominent
The Temple of Zeus.

12. The temple stands on ruins of another
roman temple.
The temple was approached from the cardo
by a great flight of stairs supported on
vaults, many of which still remain.
Only the high priests were allowed there.
The people considered ordinary (lower on
the hierarchy) used to gather in the
courtyard for various events

13. Construction dates back to the year 100-80 BC.
Modified in 22- 23.A.D
Construction in 69- 70, aided by gifts from
wealthy citizens.
Theon gave 7100 Tyrian Drachmas (Greek
currency at that time) for the building of Zeus’
temple.
The temple was wholly covered with Octasyle
Corinthian columns.
The temple was entirely built out of rock, because
of its availability in the area.

14. Excavations on the east slope on the upper
temple complex showed that:
 The rocky slope was roughly terraced, but
it is not clear whether the rocks were
terraced specifically for the installation of
the grand staircase which led to the Upper
Zeus Temple precinct.
The terracing exposed small natural cavities
in the rock, which show traces of their
surfaces having been trimmed.

16. The strong earthquake in 749A,D destroyed
large parts of the city
Wars and disorder contributed to additional
destruction.
Its ruins remained buried in the soil for
hundred of years
they were discovered by German orientalist
named ULRICH JASPER SEETZEN
in1806.

17.  In 1917 Ottoman rule ended when British
troops seized control of the area.
In 1923.Department of Ancient Antiquities
was established.
Its offices were initially located at Jerash,
due to its abundance of archeological
remains.
British began the first significant excavation
and conservation work in 1925

18. Archaeological work focused primarily on:
 Uncovering, studying, and presenting roads
and architectural remains.
The clearing of the path of Cardo and the
Oval Plaza adjacent to temple.
These efforts revealed the ancient city’s
Roman grid plan and started to restore some
of the magnificence of the monuments.

19. Other work during 1925–31 included:
Restoration at the South Theater
Repairs at the North Theater
A vault in the court of the temple of ZEUS
 Excavations carried out at the sanctuaries of
Zeus.
In the early 1950s, work at the site began to
focus on restoration and reconstruction to
attract more visitors and on using the site for
cultural activities.

20. • Establishment of the Jerash Festival of
Drama and Music 1960.
• In 1962 and 1963, the Royal Engineering
Forces reconstructed the columns along the
Cardo.
• archaeological and restoration works at the
temple of Zeus in 1977.

21. Construction by
The Jordanian
Army’s ROYAL
ENGINEERING
FORCES.

22. • Archeological and restoration work by
French by:
• Restoring parts of the Roman remains.

23. • Establishment
of a museum
which is
located in the
vault below
the Temple of
Zeus.

24. There’s also a
museum, Jerash
Archeological
Museum, located
away from the
monuments

25. PRESENT DAY
• Enough of this once beautiful temple
remains today despite erosion and numerous
earthquakes. Many of the pillars still
remain, some of them, have been conserved
and kept in the museum. The temple
currently serves as a tourist attraction.

27. View from the Oval Plaza

28. 100-80 BC-TEMPLE OF ZEUS
64 BC-The romans capture Syria and create
a new province which include all of the
Decapolis cities.
129 A.D-Roman emperor HADRIAN visits
Gerasa.
749 A.D-A series of earthquakes gravely
damages the city.
1122 A.D-Christian king Baldwin III
further destroys the remains of Gerasa.

29. 1247 A.D-A significant earthquake further
damages the architectural ruins.
1806 AD-German orientalist Ulrich Jasper
Seetzen visit Jerash.
1939 A.D-Government of Jordan registered the
area of Jerash as an archaeological site.
1960 A.D-Royal Engineering Forces begin
reconstruction.
1981 A.D-The French archaeologists begin
excavation and restoration.

30. Temple of Artemis: Dedicated to Artemis
(Daughter of Zeus).
Hadrian’s Arch: Constructed to honor the visit
of Emperor Hadrian.
North Theater: Built to serve either as a small
theatre or as a meeting place for the city.
South Theater: same purposes as the north
theater. south theater has a capacity of 3,000
audience and is built in way that the sun
doesn’t shine directly in the eyes of the seated
audience.

34. • In Architecture, a cupola is a small, most
often dome-like, structure on top of a
building. It is usually used to provide a
lookout.
• A rounded dome forming or adorning a roof
or ceiling.
• A gun turret.

36. • A portal is an opening in a wall of a
building, gate or fortification.
• A grand entrance to an important
structure. Doors, metal gates or portcullis in
the opening can be used to control entry or
exit.
• The surface surrounding the opening may
be made of simple building materials or
decorated with ornamentation.

37. • The elements of a portal can include
the voussoir, tympanum, an
ornamented mullion between doors
and columns.

38. A structure consisting of a roof supported by
columns at regular intervals, typically
attached as a porch to a building.

39. • An ornamental stone openwork, typically in
the upper part of a Gothic window
• A pattern of curving lines in the stone above a
church window

40. An ornamental stone
openwork, typically in
the upper part of a
Gothic window
A pattern of curving
lines in the stone
above a church
window

42. A projection jutting out from a wall to support a
structure above it.