Preliminary Report on the 1998 Swiss-Liechtenstein excavations at ez Zantur
by Bernhard Kolb (with contributions by Laurent Gorgerat and Matthias Grawehr)
III. Ez Zantur IV: The Nabataean mansion
The continued excavation in 14 grid squares (350 m²) of the large Nabataean building on EZ IV produced important new findings about the layout and appointments of the rooms. The excavation area from the 1997 campaign was extended to the south, east and west (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1: EZ IV. Schematic plan of the structures (drawing: B. Kolb)
Ez Zantur IV: Room 6
In square 90/AQ–AR the remaining small area of c. 3 x 2 m was excavated so that room 6 is now completely clear. At the western end of wall K we came across a doorway which had been blocked off at a later date, but had originally opened northwards onto corridor 11 (Fig. 1). Huge quantities of stucco wall panelling in an extraordinarily good state of preservation were found in loci 3081/3085. It is impossible to tell whether the room was completely redecorated when the doorway was walled up, or whether the existing panelling was simply extended over the new wallspace. Fragments of painted stucco which had been used as fill for the repair in a wide crack in the masonry of pillar P1 indicate that the walls of room 6 had been redecorated at least once.
The rich finds from the last phase of use in the 4th century AD, sealed beneath the débris of walls ruined during the earthquake of 363 AD Russell 1980: 47ff.; Peter 1996: 112ff. , are worthy of special mention; pieces of wood were found together with bronze and iron fittings (EF 3091: Fig. 2), a bronze key and an iron bowl. It seems therefore, that various wooden boxes with metal fittings were stored, together with pottery vessels, in the northwest corner of the room, possibly on a wooden shelf.
Fig. 2: EZ IV. Room 6. Bronze fitting of a lock, bars and nails of a wooden chest (photo: O. Jäggi)
Restoration/Consolidation
After the work in room 6 was finished the restorers rebuilt the southwestern corner H/J which was in a very poor state of repair, using ashlars from the excavation. The threatened continued collapse of the structure and the loss of further flagstones was thus halted. The remains of the rough plaster on the walls of room 6 were secured with a neutral retouch.
