This thesis documents three polychrome, geometric mosaics that were discovered in the Praetorium of the Trajanic Roman fort at Humayma in southern Jordan. Patterns used in the mosaics are swastika meanders, quatrefoil rosettes and interlocking circles, while colours used are beige, red, and two shades of blue. The mosaics can be confidently dated to the initial construction of the fort, between A.D. 111 and A.D. 114. I document the excavation and present state of the most southern mosaics in Jordan, and place them in their regional and social context. By comparing the patterns employed with other similar mosaics, both geographically and temporally, I shed light on the early development of mosaics in the region. I argue that the Roman military employed local craftsmen to construct the mosaics and that evidence of craftsmen training is visible in details of the mosaics. The social and cultural context of the Humayma mosaics is reconstructed by examining both other local examples, and comparanda from the wider, Mediterranean corpus of mosaics, including sites such as Delos, Olynthus, Antioch, Pompeii, and Ostia. The focus is on the extent of diffusion of the specific motifs employed. Interpretation of the mosaics at Humayma will concentrate on such issues as patronage, craftsman training, and indications of regional wealth.

Yes / This paper summarizes the results of a recent geophysical investigation carried out at Porolissum, which is considered to be one of the most significant Roman sites in Romania. The geophysical survey was carried out within the latus dextrum of the fort, which is the same location that had been the subject of earlier geophysical surveys as well as older archaeological excavations (1970s) that had uncovered a multiroom building. A cesium vapor total field magnetometer and a multi-electrode resistivity meter for a dense Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) survey were used. Eighty parallel ERT profiles in combination with the emerging total field magnetic data and an antecedent magnetic survey allowed us to complete a more precise interpretation regarding the building that once existed on the left side of Porolissum’s Principia (the commander’s house). In contrast to the magnetic survey, which only reveals a part of the building’s architecture, the ERT survey provides a comprehensive view of the structure’s layout. More than 20 rooms could be positively identified, and the existence of further rooms might be deduced from the data. The ERT scan revealed the existence of the building’s northern external wall as well, which is not reflected on the magnetic map. Because some parts of the building are not visible on the magnetic map, we can assume that the building was constructed with at least two types of rocks (magmatic and sedimentary). In addition to the archaeological interpretation of the geophysical anomalies, a number of discussions concerning the connection between our survey and the geology of the area were held. The complementarity of the magnetic and resistivity results prompted us to conceive a preliminary 3D reconstruction of the building. Even if the building function is unknown in the absence of reliable archaeological data, it could have been a storage building, a second praetorium, a valetudinarium (hospital), or an armamentarium (weapons storage building). The illustrative reconstruction was completed taking into consideration that the building was a Roman military hospital, which, based on the available data, may be considered a credible assumption.