Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (9.1997(1998))

Current investigations were intended to record the results of
the earlier excavations and to provide a canvas for a provisional site
chronology.
The well preserved architecture (exceeding 2 m in places)
required some clearing of the debris and sand accumulated over the
past twenty years. The houses, consisting of 2-3 rooms as a rule,
lined narrow winding streets which featured changing levels and
sewage canal installations. The preserved remains of staircases
(rooms 61,9) are visible proof of an upper story being present in at
least some of the houses. The building material in use was ramleh,
a crumbly local sandstone. The walls were covered with plaster
resembling mortar. In some cases, there were inscriptions in Greek,
mostly quotations from the Psalms, on the walls. The floors of the
rooms were covered mostly with mosaics made of white tesserae,
as well as of stone slabs and mortar.
In the course of the explorations, it was possible to identify
four presumed residential complexes: 1) rooms 12-32-33-34-117;
2) rooms 30-31-66; 3) rooms 52-61; 4) rooms 16-17-18. The house
with room 12 seems to have been the most imposing. Room 12,
which is the biggest of those uncovered so far, was divided down
the middle by opposing pillars. The shorter northern wall contains a
centrally located rectangular niche. The floor was made of big
white tesserae (cubes ca. 1.3 cm in size). A band three cubes wide
and differing in arrangement from the rest of the floor, runs around
the room. This space was accessible by steps from street 59, which
was located some 0.60 m higher up. There is also a pithos set into
the mosaic. Indeed, there were vessels set into almost all the mosaic
floors uncovered at Jiyeh. Perhaps they had served to collect water
used to clean the floors or else they had been used as supports for
amphorae.

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