Pella
Tabaqat Fahl
Jordan · Irbid
In brief
Pella is an archaeological site in the eastern foothills of the Jordan Valley with layers of long-term settlement. Excavations have revealed a sequence ranging from prehistoric settlements through Bronze Age buildings and Byzantine churches to Islamic-period neighbourhoods.
What was found?
- 1Bronze and Iron Age temples
Six temple phases built one above another have been uncovered. The fortress temple with monumental stone walls documents the long history of religious construction in the same area.
- 2Bronze Age palace buildings
A succession of large buildings with stone paving and courtyards was identified west of the temple. These allow the architecture of the city's ruling circles and its changes over time to be traced.
- 3Byzantine churches
Three churches and an episcopal palace have been uncovered during excavations. These buildings document the city's religious institutions during its Christian period.
- 4Traces of Umayyad-period domestic life
Kitchen utensils and a hearth were found in the final phase of use of the building north of the East Church. According to researchers, the building, which previously had a religious function, was later adapted for domestic life.
- 5Mamluk mosque
A large building complex was identified near the excavated mosque. According to researchers, the mosque and possible administrative and military buildings may have been parts of the same construction program.
What does it point to?
Pella's layers allow changes in administration, worship and domestic life at the same location to be traced across different periods. The temples, palaces, churches and mosque indicate that the city's history was shaped by successive processes of construction and reuse.
What did it teach us?
- Revealed the building phases of the temple area extending from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.
- Showed that monumental buildings could be used as residences in later periods.
- Also revealed the city's settlement and administrative structures during the Islamic period.
Images


Record
- Culture
- Canaanite; Hellenistic; Roman; Byzantine; Islamic
- First modern dig
- 1967
- Team / historical
- Stephen Bourke; University of Sydney and Jordan's Department of Antiquities
- Coordinates
- 32.4500°, 35.6170°
Sources
- neaf.sydney.edu.au
- neaf.sydney.edu.au
- international.visitjordan.com
- en.wikipedia.org
- Sydney Üniversitesi, Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation — Pella Project
- Sydney Üniversitesi, Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation — Our Projects
Nearby excavations
- Jerash / Gerasa 32 km
- Tel Megiddo 43 km
- Ain Ghazal 61 km
- Tel Hazor 63 km
- Hisham's Palace 65 km
- Ancient Jericho / Tell es-Sultan 66 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
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