Geometrical mosaic pavements of the church of Bishop Leontius at Ya’amun (northern Jordan)

The article examines the typology of mosaic geometric patterns discovered in 2001 in the church of Ya'amun in northern Jordan. Several elements appear, such as composition of interlocking circles and squares, also adopted in the Church of Procopius at Gerasa, A.D. 526. Other elements such as that of intersecting circles forming quatrefoils can be easily traced back to the Roman period. The study attempts to compare the discovered mosaics and their geometric elements to other examples in Jordan and in neighbouring countries, as well as further afield. According to the authors, the mosaic floors in the Church of Bishop Leontios of Ya’amun are almost purely geometric in design as a result of iconoclasm. (BH) An Early-Christian church (dating to the end of the 5th or beginning of the 6th century), excavated in 2001, was paved with well-preserved mosaics including a dedicatory inscription panel naming the bishop Leontius. The various geometric motifs are analysed and compared with parallels from other sites in Jordan and the eastern Mediterranean. In the north aisle was a scene with human and animal figures set in a landscape, now largely erased by iconoclasm (to be published later).