General Information

Humayma Praetorium Room J Ware is associated with a corpus of ceramic building material from the hypocaust system of a small heated room in the praetorium of the Roman fort at Humayma, Jordan. The construction of this heated room, and thus this ware, is dated to the late second to third century CE. 

Only one petro-fabric is associated with this ware, which is in the red range and characterized by fine to very coarse sub-rounded and sub-angular clear and multi-coloured quartz sand, with small white inclusions, occasional black inclusions, and small voids. Brick types represented in this ware include small rectangular bricks (L 23.3-24.5 cm x W 11.0-12.5 cm x Th 2.3-3.5 cm), circular bessales (D 19.3-19.8 cm x Th 5.8-6.7 cm), and pedales (ca. 29.6 cm square x Th 4.4-6.2 cm). Rectangular tubuli and cylindrical pipes are also represented in this ware.

The fabric of the Humayma Praetorium Room J Ware is characterized by fine to very coarse sub-rounded and sub-angular clear and multi-coloured quartz sand, with small white inclusions, occasional black inclusions, and small voids. The colours of the fabric include (but are not limited to) light red (10YR 6/6; 10R 6/6; 2.5YR 6/8), red (2.5YR 5.6; 10.5 YR 4/6; 10R 4/6; 10R 5/6; 10R 5/8), weak red (7.5R 5/4); pinkish grey (7.5YR 7/2); or yellow (10YR 7/6). The surface can be dark bluish grey (gley2 5/5), greenish grey (gley 2 6/1), red (7.5R 5/6; 10R 5/6; 10YR 5/8), or brown (10YR 5.3). The surfaces typically display a thin white deposit that is probably salt efflorescence.

The top surfaces of the bricks often display evidence of smoothing by finger or tool in linear bands. The bottom surfaces are typically rough to the touch and may contain small ovoid voids and straw imprints, likely impressed into the surfaces during drying. The sides of the circular bessales frequently display vertical and encircling imprints. The brick forms of this ware are all form-made.

Humayma (Jordan/Aqaba Highlands)