Archaeology Magazine - May/June 1978 - 29

The next room is a square tepidarium
covered by crossvaults while its floor is supported
by hypocausts to permit the circulation of warm
air. It is likely that the decoration illustrates the
myth of Dionysos: over the entrance three
beautiful nude women, one of them holding a
baby, another a cradle, while the third is bathing,
are probably related to the childhood of
Dionysos. The Greek myth narrates how the
infant Dionysos was entrusted to the Nymphs by
Zeus his natural father, to escape the jealousy of
Zeus' wife, Hera. On the right wall is a lady
bathing a child between two women, another
scene related to the same myth.
The caldarium, a warm room with
hypocaust, is covered by a dome supported by
pendentives and the two niches contain basins.
A remarkable fresco of the Zodiac covers the
dome. In the center are Ursa Minor and Major,
separated by the tail of Dragon. Andromeda,
in the second circle with spread arms, and
Cassiopia are to the right. Below Andromeda,
in the second circle, is the Sygnus with Hercules
and Serpentarius to the right. In the outer circle
are Sagittarius, Scorpius and the Dolphin.
Capricorn and Aquarius may be distinguished
between the windows. Facing Andromeda are
the Twins and under their feet Orion. Although
the Egyptians had reproduced celestial bodies as
early as the fourteenth century before Christ in
the tomb of Seti I (1312-1298 b.c.), this
intriguing map is the first known dome imitating
heaven.
The identity of the artists of the frescoes
'
of Amra continues to be debated. The main
argument used by scholars to credit either Arabs
or Aramaeans are the many Arabic inscriptions
and the word "Kaisar" instead of the Greek
Basileus or King, normally utilized by the
Byzantines to indicate a ruler. Aramaeans of
Syria seems to be more accurate, for scholars
have noticed the many misspellings and mistakes
in Byzantine Greek. The real problem with
'Amra, however, is the appearance at such a late
date of mythological art, after a long period of
Christianity. A pertinent solution was advanced
by Oleg Grabar, who suggests that, with the rise
of the new Empire, a new rising aristocracy
who was eager to speak an artistic language
understood by the captured people of Syria, was
created. At the same time, the Muslims wanted
that language to be distinct from Byzantine
concepts in order to establish artistically a change
in authority.

This solution seems acceptable, but one
should keep in mind that the Muslims' artistic
sense was not yet educated nor were they fully
aware of the meaning of the decoration. They
were dependent on the skill of the artist to
whom the decoration was entrusted. It is obvious
that these artists had a rich cultural background
and were influenced by the Nabataeans
who inherited Hellenistic techniques and
communicated them to the cities of the Decapolis
as late as Byzantine times. When released from
Byzantine censure, however, the artists returned
to Classical mythology as a source of inspiration.
They rejected pure Christian designs and chose
instead from the inexhaustible heritage of the
Greeks. 'Amra's frescoes can be considered an
artistic Renaissance of Hellenistic art in the
eighth century, stimulated by the will and
sensibility of the Umayyads who had received an
education more pagan than Muslim.
For Further Reading on Quseir 'Amra: A.
'
Musil, Qusayr Amra (Vienna 1907, 2 volumes), an
important well documented survey of the Arab
monuments in the desert of Jordan and
Palestine. The water colors of A. Mielich,
although not always accurate, made this work
famous and very important for scholars of
'
Islamic art; M. Almagro et al, Qusayr Amra
(Madrid 1975), a preliminary report of the
Spanish expedition at 'Amra, beautifully
illustrated. The text is in Spanish with summaries
in English, French and German.
On Islamic art in general: K.A. Creswell,
Early Muslim Architecture (London 1932), an
exhaustive survey of Early Islamic art, containing
important comparative material for the
architecture of the Near East. For 'Amra the
author depends on previous publications,
especially Jaussen's and Savignac's. O. Grabar,
The Formation of Islamic Art (New Haven 1973),
an excellent study of the sources of Islamic
art and its development. Clear and easy to
understand for the nonspecialist. A.Jaussen
and R. Savignac, Les chateaux arabes, Mission
archéologique en Arabie, III (Paris 1922), the work
of two French Fathers of the Biblical School of
Jerusalem, which is precise and easy to read.
The photographs are of poor quality; J.
Sauvaget, "Chateaux Umayyades de Syrie," Revue
des Etudes Islamiques, an important short survey.
His interpretation of the monument and its
historical background is shared by many authors.
29
Archaeology Magazine - May/June 1978

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