Architectural question

[PeterD]

I was recently privileged to visit Gadara, one of the Roman cities of the Decapolis, in northern Jordan. There I photographed this curious feature. It wasn't until I viewed the rest of my photos that I realized what it was.

Anyone know/guess what it is?

Answer shortly.

[Jochen]

I think it is the base for a small statue or a bust?

[basemetal]

Ok, don't laugh.  I don't know the size or scale, but it looks to me like a seat of some sort.  The dimensions and ratios seem right. 

[ecoli]

or a flower pot.

From the looks of the picture, if it was a seat, then the tale of Cyclops was true.

[slokind]

If it is one of those 6th-century basilica churches, it could be for the ewer and basin for ceremonially washing the priest's hands.  If perchance it is pierced for liquid to run to the exterior and to ground, then it could be for emptying the water used for rinsing a chalice (to avoid letting traces of consecrated elements mingle with ordinary waste).  If the building is secular, I don't know.  I never saw a colonnette supported on a column (rather, on a pier or pilaster).
Pat L.

[slokind]

Certainly the acanthus capital belonged to a column of smaller diameter; at excavation sites it is common practice to place such carved pieces up where kids in hiking boots won't kick them.  But the shelf thingy is cut from the same stone as the unfluted shaft from which it protrudes.  I thought it was the inexplicable thing in the question.  Pat L.

[Danegeld]

It's a support off the side of a column for a wooden floor in a multifloor structure.

Ben

[Dapsul]

It was a very common practice in the east to put small statues on such consoles (Konsolen in German, I don't know if this is the correct word in English) on columns. Look at the example of Palmyra. Anyway, the Gadarene case seems to be different, because the Konsole is on the upper part of the column, apparently too high for a statue. (I know that the capital doesn't belong to the column, but that's not the point.) My girlfriend is actually excavating at Gadara. I'll ask her tonight to have a look at this thing. In which corner of the town did you find it, do you remember?

Frank

[PeterD]

Well, one or two have come close, but not close enough - though I suppose it's possible that the object had more than one use.

Frank, your girlfriend it lucky to be excavating at Gadara (Umm Qais). You will probably know that the city was built on a promontory overlooking Lake Tiberius (Sea of Galilee) and the Golan Heights and the views are just superb. You can tell her that the object is alongside the main street.

I found the answer to my question in this photo I took at Gerasa (Jerash). Gerasa ("Pompeii of the east") is high in the mountains between Gadara and Philadelphia (Amman). All were Roman cities of the Decapolis (10 cities) and they all issued coins! They seem to have been very big on columns in that part of the world - which was tempting fate, since there have been several major earthquakes in the last two thousand years.

[Dapsul]

Of course, stupid me! I've been to Gerasa too, but, honestly, I don't like those columned roads, they're so ... imperial or whatever. So I saw this, but I did not keep it in my mind. At Gadara we have of course to expect similar phenomena.
If you have a serious interest in those roads and if you read some German, there is a PhD thesis of a friend of mine about the eastern columned roads: http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/volltexte/2005/1380/pdf/Gesamttext.pdf

Frank