A 1,500-Year-Old Map Helped Researchers Find a Lost Byzantine City
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story:
Researchers recently found one of the many lost Holy Land cities in Jordan.
The team used maps and field surveys to identify the site.
Experts believe the lost city Tharais wasn't just an agricultural village—it may have also been a spiritual hub.
The Madaba Mosaic Map is perhaps the most famous geographical masterpiece of the ancient Near East. Believed to have been built during Emperor Justinian's reign (527-565 A.D.), the tile art piece is the oldest surviving map of Jordan's Holy Lands. The map is located in Madaba, Jordan, and depicts a total of 157 sites—many of which have yet to be found. One of the many lost cities is a place called Tharais, which dates all the way back to the Byzantine Empire. And researchers might have just found it.
Starting in 2021, a research team led by Musallam R. al-Rawahneh—an associate professor of archeology and ancient Near East studies at Mutah University—began looking for Tharais. The field project lasted until 2024, and the team recently published their findings in the journal Gephyra.
Finding a lost city is no easy task, and researchers had to use several different methods to track down Tharais. Maps, including both the Madaba Mosaic and more contemporary maps, gave researchers a starting baseline. They then conducted a field survey near a modern city near the southeastern edge of the Dead Sea called El-'Iraq. There, researchers found remnants of mosaic floors, glassware, and various tools—all compelling evidence that that was where Tharais once thrived.
Most notably, the team uncovered features resembling a Byzantine basilica—an oblong building with an open-air central room. Collaborative efforts with other institutions from Spain and France added further evidence to the scene when researchers discovered Greek and Latin funerary inscriptions. These inscriptions suggest the existence of a Christian community in the area, supporting the theologic identity of the site. A doorway consistent with architecture in Byzantine churches was also found, further affirming the site's supposed history. In short: all signs point toward religion.
'The prominence of Tharais on the Madaba Map and the discovery of a basilica church structure suggest that it served not only as an agricultural village but also as a sacred site and commercial rest stop,' al-Rawahneh said in a Türkiye Today report.
And according to the team, the presence of religion didn't weaken the city's economy. The presence of olive oil presses, windmills, and grape crushing equipment suggests that Tharais was economically self-sustaining.
Perhaps the most convincing indications of the site's true identity are the parallels between the structures found by the researchers and the Madaba Mosaic Map. The arrangement of gates, ruins, and even towers closely match the map's depiction of the lost city. As for the future of Tharais, the team says that they wish to preserve the area from El-'Iraq's rapid urbanization.
'Our aim is not just to uncover Tharais,' Al-Rawahneh explained in the report, 'but also to advocate for the protection of Jordan's rich cultural heritage.'
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