Beit Ras/Capitolias: an archaeological project 2014–2016

Abstract

Polish excavations at the site of Beit Ras (ancient Capitolias) in the governorate of Irbid, northern Jordan, investigated an area in the northern part of the ancient town, to the west of the Roman-age theater. Three seasons of fieldwork were conducted, starting in 2014 with a survey using the electric resistivity method to detect ancient structures. The presence of architectural features was noted, dated by surface finds spanning a period from the 1st–2nd through the 12th–13th centuries AD. In the next two seasons, in 2015 and 2016, excavation of three archaeological trenches led to the discovery of the remains of a winery and a section of the city wall, as well as a sequence of floors. This established a chronology of usage from the Roman to the early medieval period and proved that this part of the town was mostly domestic in character, at least during the Byzantine and early Islamic periods. Evidence of destruction of a nearby church was also found, tentatively attributed to a Sassanian raid in AD 614 or soon after.