All this talk of iron rings has inspired me to write a nerd post. What good is engineering, anyway, if it can't be used as a segue between the Dead Sea and Roman cities?


On Sunday we visited Jerash, in the north of Jordan. It is most famous for its oval rotunda, apparently the only one of its kind. Some of the most impressive things to a nerd, though, were the mundane details of the city that have been so incredibly preserved here.


The nymphaeum, or public water fountain, is one of the best preserved buildings on the site. Water from local springs was channelled to it, and sprouted out from 9 statues of nymphs. This was collected in cisterns for all to use.

Any overflow or runoff was caught by the drains in the gutters, here embelished with fish for example...




Here's a shot of the main North-South thoroughfare leading from Damascus to Philadelphia (present day Amman). As you can see, they laid the stones diagonally. This was to prevent the wheels of chariots and carts getting caught and ruined in the gaps between the stones. The stones have shifted with the earthquakes and weather of two millenia, but were once flat and smooth. Water channels with the runoff mentioned before run under the road like a modern sewer.

Ok, I think that's enough nerd-talk for one post. To ensure it's not too one-dimensional, I've included a shot of myself enjoying a moment in one of the beautifually restored theatres. This was where the locals would come to enjoy plays, poetry, or music. Once the others from the group had filed out, I went down to the centre and sung a nice loud note. Good acoustics, I must add...



"All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?"