In 2001 we discovered the main entrance to the complex of the „Soldier Tomb“, consisting of a huge entrance hall (room 1) immediately upon the huge terrace wall (figs. 1–4). As only a part of this room, measuring roughly 10m x 9 m was exposed last year, excavation continued at this spot. During the 2002 season we completely exposed the entire room that is built in a very accurate technique.
Fig. 2: Wadi Farasa East, lower terrace from North (photo: S. G. Schmid)
In its initial, i. e. Nabataean phase, the room was covered by four vaulted arches of which on each side the pillars remain, measuring 80cm in width each (cf. fig. 3). In the first phase the room must have been entirely covered by huge floor slabs of which a single one remains in situ in the SW corner of the room and two more or less complete rows on the W side of the room (figs. 4. 5).
Fig. 3: Lower terrace, room 1 from West (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The second one of these rows served at the same time as a water drainage as is suggested by the water channel leading into the room on the southern side (centre top on fig. 5), by the slightly depressed middle part of the entire row of slabs due to the floating water during a considerable period of time, and finally by the gully on the NE corner of the room leading downwards (centre on fig. 4 and centre bottom on fig. 5). Most probably the gully is connected to a rock cut water channel immediately outside the main terrace wall leading further down the Wadi Farasa, that was discovered last year Cf. Schmid 2002. . The careful installation of this water drainage system shows once again how perfectly organised the water management in the entire complex was. Not only the complete area above the rock cut installations was literarily covered with water channels and cisterns, but also the central part of the area, as is underlined by the newly discovered installation.
Fig. 4: Lower terrace, room 1 with main entrance, water chanel and door to next room (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 5: Lower terrace, water chanel in room 1 (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The above mentioned floor slabs measure usually about 40cm x 80cm with the exception of the slabs forming the water drain that measure about 60cm x 80cm. All the slabs are bedded into a foundation layer consisting of smaller and broken fragments of slabs and clay containing earth – the so called samaga – and, therefore, constructed in exactly the same way as we already observed on several occasion in the previous years Cf. Schmid 2001; Schmid 2002. . This year as well a small sounding was carried out beneath the level of the floor slabs and the few fragments of Nabataean pottery discovered give the same terminus for the construction of the huge entrance hall, as was established for the paving of the courtyard, i. e. the middle of the 1st century AD Cf. Schmid 2001; Schmid 2002. .
The complete clearing of the huge entrance hall (room 1) revealed also a small door in its NE corner, obviously leading to a very small corridor or staircase (bottom centre on fig. 4). However, as a modern wall is built over that spot, we decided not to proceed further during this season.
Apparently room 1 underwent several rearrangements. First of all, the different styles of masonry within the upper layers of the wall show that it must have been partially rebuilt, probably after a destruction. Some glass and pottery fragments belonging to the 4th century AD could give a first chronological indication for one of the later phases. A very late reuse is indicated by Medieval pottery that was found only a few centimetres above the Nabataean floor slabs (on the Medieval period in the Wadi Farasa see also below).
Fig. 6: Lower terrace, room 2 from SE (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Immediately to the W of room 1 room 2 was excavated (figs. 1. 2. 6–8). Here too, a level of floor slabs became quickly apparent, however, only in the shape of the negative impressions of the slabs into a thick layer of white mortar, the actual slabs having disappeared (Fig. 6). The technique of bedding floor slabs into mortar seems rather unusual for the Nabataean period and this raises the question whether the installation of room 2 indeed goes back to the first building phase of the complex. Under the layer of mortar a fill consisting of big blocks, some of them being reused architectural elements, was found, yet another reason to suppose a later installation of this room.
Fig. 7: Lower terrace, room 2; different floor levels (photo: S. G. Schmid)
In fact, as the construction technique of the walls is for sure Nabataean in origin and as we realised during last year’s season that the main terrace wall (wall 1) originally was returning in a right angle just before the area of room 2 Schmid 2002. , we can suppose that room 2 was installed only later, when the area was enlarged, using the Nabataean walls originally forming part of the outer façade of the entire complex. A further indication for a – at least slightly – later date of room 2 in comparison to room 1 is the level of the floor slabs. In fact, the level of the mortar bedding in room 2 does correspond to the level of the floor slabs in room 1; this means that the slabs themselves would be about 10 cm higher. These different levels are visualised on fig. 7 where some of the slabs in room 2 were put back to the level corresponding to the one in room 1.
Fig. 8: Lower terrace, room 2; Nabataean wall topped by Medieval wall (photo: S. G. Schmid)
To the W room 2 is limited by a wall (wall 7) that seems to be of Nabataean origin in its lower layers. However, the upper layers show a clearly distinguishable later remake (Fig. 8). The poor quality of the masonry style and the pottery associated with these later levels indicate a date in the Medieval period. This points once again to the conclusion that apparently wider parts of the installation in the Wadi Farasa East were reused in the period from the 11th to the 13th century AD (see also below).
Fig. 9: Lower terrace, Soldier Tomb (photo: S. G. Schmid)
As tourism during the 2002 campaign was far from its usual peaks in other years, we decided to open a small sounding (SO 8) immediately in front of the „Soldier Tomb“ (figs. 9–11). The main goal of this trench was to find out the exact level of the tomb’s doorway and in which way it is related to the courtyard. The discovery of the doorway with the rock cut threshold still in situ allows to calculate the original dimensions of the door leading to the „Soldier Tomb“ (figs. 10. 11).
Fig. 10: Lower terrace, entrance of Soldier Tomb (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Therefore, the entrance measures only 1.60 m in width but 3.60 m in height, after all a very narrow door for such a monumental installation. Two steps are leading to a level of huge and well set floor slabs, directly put onto the rock. However, the level of the rock as well as the level of the floor slabs is exactly one meter higher than in all the other soundings carried out so far in the courtyard and in the colonnade Schmid 2001; Schmid 2002. . This means that the access to the „Soldier Tomb“ was constructed as a kind of podium, underlining its monumental aspect. This was confirmed by the discovery of the angle of that podium just towards the limits of our sounding (top right on fig. 11).
Fig. 11: Lower terrace, entrance of Soldier Tomb; podium limit top left (photo: S. G. Schmid)
At the space behind the rock cut threshold, where originally either a stone slab or a wooden beam must have been set, a fill of samaga containing charcoal fragments was excavated, maybe the decomposed remains of a wooden threshold. The pottery from that very small area was exclusively Nabataean. With the additional information obtained from the small trench in front of the „Soldier Tomb“, it becomes possible for the first time in the history of research to proceed to a tentative reconstruction of the entire monument (Fig. 12).
Fig. 12: Lower terrace, Soldier Tomb; tentative reconstruction (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The entrance to the tomb was later blocked with a massive wall, including some reused column drums (cf. figs. 10. 11). The pottery related to these constructions points to a Medieval date. Surprisingly, for the construction of these later installations, some fragments belonging to the three statues in high relief upon the doorway of the tomb (figs. 13–15) were reused. So far, we were able to identify three shanks and one thigh, while a second thigh was found in the dump of what must be the remains of the cleaning of the „Soldier Tomb“ in the 1930s (figs. 16–18). The two shanks on fig. 16 belong both to a left leg as is indicated by the modelling of the muscles and, therefore, they must belong to two different statues.
Fig.13–15: Soldier Tomb; left, center and right fig. (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The three statues are constructed from six different blocs of limestone each, that were set into the three niches carved into the tomb’s façade (figs. 13–15; cf. fig. 9). The two shanks on fig. 16 do almost completely conserve the upper and lower limits of such a bloc measuring c. 30 cm in height. This means that when holding these upper and lower limits in a horizontal position (Fig. 17) one should obtain the original positioning of the shanks. According to this, the leg on the right of figs. 16 and 17 must have shown a rather bent position while the one on the left was in a straight position. Indeed, the two statues on the left and on the right of the Soldier Tomb show a clearly developed kontrapost, i. e. they put their weight on one leg while the other one is bent (figs. 13. 15) In general see Berger 1990. .
Fig. 16: Two left shanks from debris (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 17: Two left shanks from debris (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The statue on the right (Fig. 15) has its left leg straight and the right one bent, the one to the left (Fig. 13) shows the right leg straight and the left one bent. Consequently, the bent shank (right on figs. 16. 17) must belong to the left statue (Fig. 13) while the other one probably belongs to the right statue. With a ladder measuring 5 m it was possible to reach the left statue and indeed, the shank on the right of figs. 16 and 17 fits exactly to its left leg. Further measuring on the statues and the members found so far will hopefully provide more information as for their reconstruction.
Fig. 18: Left and right thight from debris (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 19: Element from a bench (?) with bovid foot (photo: S. G. Schmid)
In the same later walls the fragment of a stone „furniture“, maybe a bench, was discovered showing a carved bovid foot (Fig. 19). Although its initial position and function can not be revealed, it shall be remembered that the interior of the Soldier Tomb shows a large podium where such elements could have been installed McKenzie 1990: pls. 100. 101. .
