Two marble statue fragments of Aphrodite newly discovered at the Decapolis Gadara, north-west Jordan. (2nd September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Al-Bashaireh, Khaled; Malkawi, Musa; Weber-Karyotakis, Thomas M.
• Is Part Of: Levant. Volume 51:Number 3(2019)
• Page Start: 353
• Page End: 361
• Publication Date: 2019-09-02
• Subjects: Marble statue -- Aphrodite -- quarry origin -- Parian and Penteli marble -- Gadara -- Jordan; Middle East -- Antiquities -- Periodicals; Middle East -- History -- Periodicals; Middle East -- Civilization -- To 622 -- Periodicals; 939.4
• DOI: 10.1080/00758914.2021.1876463
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0075-8914

Abstract

Abstract : The lower part of a standing female statue (torso) and an arm fragment, both of marble, were uncovered at Gadara, Jordan. The donation inscription on the pedestal firmly names the goddess Aphrodite. This standardized iconographic scheme of Aphrodite is called 'Type Syracuse/Landolina'. The palaeography of the Greek letters implies a date toward the end of the 2nd/beginning of the 3rd century AD, while the quality of the sculptural workmanship and the technical treatment of the drapery suggest an earlier date after the mid 2nd century AD. The older statue has been re-used as a donation by a Gadarene citizen, possibly in the context of the nymphaeum. The arm fragment, uncovered about five metres from the torso, is decorated with a piece of drapery. Initially it was suggested that the arm came from the torso. A multi-method archaeometric investigation (X-ray diffraction, petrography, trace element and isotope analysis) was undertaken to determine the quarry origins of the marble fragments. The results show the use of Greek Paros-2 (Lakkoi, Paros Island) marble for the torso, and Penteli (Mount Pentelikon, Attica) marble for the arm, refuting the argument that the arm belonged to the Aphrodite torso.