Provenance of marble elements from the Middle Church at Hayyan Al-Mushrif, Northeast Jordan: a multidisciplinary approach

Abstract

A multidisciplinary approach examined the provenance of ecclesiastical marble elements uncovered in situ at the Middle Church of Hayyan Al-Mushrif archeological site, northeast Jordan. Initially, the church was partly a subterranean hall, lacking sanctuary. Later, during the Byzantine period, it was remodeled and a rectangular sanctuary bordered with a marble chancel screen was added. The study of the marble was based on physical, mineralogical-petrographic, and geochemical analyses using optical microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and mass spectrometry. Analytical results were compared with the main reference databases of known Mediterranean marble quarries exploited in antiquity. Proconnesus-1 marble from Saraylar (Maramara Island, Turkey) is the most likely primary source of the marbles, while Proconnesus-2 marble from Camlik (Marmara Island, Turkey) is a minor source. These results support previous research which indicated that imperial Proconnesus (Marmara) Island was the dominant marble source during the Byzantine period. It is likely that the low cost and availability of ecclesiastical products of standard sizes, large labor force, and advanced transportation methods were the principal reasons for the success of Marmara Island in supplying ecclesiastical marble for the construction of new churches arising from the spread of Christianity during the Byzantine period.