Umm el-Jimal

Bert de Vries

GOAL

The goal is to stabilize the still-standing walls of the Praetorium in order to prevent further collapse and ensure safety of the structure for inclusion on the specified visitors' site tour.

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WORK DONE TO DATE

1992 clearing. In May, 1992 the Department of Antiquities did a systematic clearing and leveling of the rooms excavated in the 1977 and 1981 seasons of the Umm el-Jimal Project. A plan for the arbitrary placement of additional courses of stones on the south wall was stopped because of the unstable condition of the wall and the lack clear identification of the original building blocks.

1992 numbering. In June of 1992 members of the Umm el-Jimal Project staff erected metal frame scaffolding and systematically painted numbers on the exterior and interior facades of the south wall and partition wall which appears poised to collapse, in order to enable a precise restoration. Reconstruction drawings with the numbered blocks were made of all four wall faces involved.

1993 shoring and 1996 partial collapse. During the 1993 season project team member, architect Amjad al-Bataineh, supervised the installation of a wood scaffolding with support of a window lintel in order to prevent collapse and a wood platform to protect visitors to the Praetorium Atrium form falling masonry. Between January and June 1996 the interior lintel of said window and several stones above it fell out, and the entire scaffolding was shifted northward. A possible explanation is the earthquake which struck the region with its epicenter near Aqaba. This collapse has left the entire structure extremely unstable and in need of immediate dismantling and reconstruction.

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PROPOSED WORK PLAN

Concern for safety. The south face of the Praetorium is extremely unstable, and utmost caution for the safety of personnel must be taken.

Concern for authenticity. It is recognized that a dismantling and reconstruction process cannot reduplicate the dry-laid technique of the original builders. It is recommended, therefore, that the core of the wall be done with a visually and structurally compatible mortar, as described by Edith Dunn, but that no pointing of the joints be done in order to preserve the visual effect of the dry-laid original.

The plan. In consultation with Abdel Majid, reconstruction specialist at Jerash, it was agreed that dismantling could be done best from a twelve meter high wood scaffolding set on both sides of the wall, on which two winches are to be used to lift the masonry from the wall to the ground. An pre-dismantling consolidation of parts of the wall is necessary in order to prevent serious collapse during the dismantling. The process of dismantling and reconstruction will take from 4 to 6 months.

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EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS, AND PERSONNEL

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