Il cortile a Sud della Chiesa di S. Paolo ad Umm al-Rasas - Kastron Mefaa in Giordania

Abstract

The article is the result of an archeological research covering the area between the Church of St. Paul and the Chapel of the Peacocks in the northern sector of the Castrum of Umm al-Rasas. Originally occupied by the portico of the Church, which was connected to a large corridor with the street running East of the complex, the area, in the VII century, witnessed some structural modifications with the construction of a wine-press and other structures attached to it. With the passing of time, however, the use of the wine-press became rare until becoming obsolete along with the abandonment of the city. Also, this sector of the city of Kastron Mefaa - Umm al-Rasas, excavated between 1997-2000, shows a similar history with the sacred buildings unearthed previously. Even more interesting and new is the fact that while the city remained inhabitable, the interior of a space originally attached to the Church, such as the courtyard to the south of the Church of St. Paul, was used for a totally different purpose like the production and preservation of wine. This data of information together with other data acquired until now will help further to understand the life, the development, and above all the progressive decline and forsakenness of the city of Umm al-Rasas.